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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
(510) 987-9200

MacArthur Foundation "genius" grants given to 3 at UC campuses, labs

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded 24 nationwide "genius" grants Tuesday, with three fellowships going to researchers at University of California campuses and labs. MacArthur Fellows include Cheryl Hayashi, an associate professor of biology at UC Riverside; My Hang Huynh, a chemist at Los Alamos National Laboratory; and Claire Kremen, an assistant professor of environmental science, policy and management at UC Berkeley.

Other 2007 MacArthur Fellows included three UC Berkeley alumni: Jay Rubenstein, an associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee; Yoky Matsuoka, an associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington; and Michael Elowitz, an assistant professor of biology and applied physics at the California Institute of Technology.

The fellows were selected for their creativity, originality and potential to make important contributions in the future, according to the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation.  Each fellow will receive $500,000 in “no strings Attached” support over the next five years.

Hayashi’s work reveals the architecture, evolution and structural properties of spider silks and the possibilities of developing new synthetic materials from body armor to biodegradable surgical sutures. Information:
www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=1671.

Huynh is developing techniques to make “green” explosives that are easier to prepare, safer to handle and less damaging to the environment.

Kremen, a conservation biologist, studies the behavior of bees and other natural pollinators and their role in the global food web. The foundation also recognized her pioneering conservation planning initiative in Madagascar's largest nature reserve. Information:
www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2007/09/24_kremen.shtml.

For information about all 2007 MacArthur Fellows, visit macfound.org.

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