Magazine

ATMOSPHERE TO OCEAN

Shining a light on a multitude of efforts across the UCLA College

to study, protect and heal the planet

Art by Brave the Woods

December 12, 2024

Hop aboard a magical Bruin bus and journey through UCLA’s groundbreaking research. At every level, curiosity, innovation and a sense of global stewardship connect our work with the world around us.

ATMOSPHERE

PANGEA
How can Earth’s tropical forests — the “lungs” of our planet — mitigate or even prevent devastating future outcomes wrought by climate change? To find out, Elsa Ordway, co-director of both the UCLA Center for Tropical Research and the UCLA Congo Basin Institute, launched the PAN tropical investigation of bioGeochemistry and Ecological Adaptation, or PANGEA. Scaling from on-the-ground observations to tower, airborne and spaceborne data collection, PANGEA will use cutting-edge technology to provide the fullest portrait yet of these crucial ecosystems.

A cartoon depiction of the state of California with stylized solar power panels, trees and a sun.

REIMAGINING BATTERIES
Professors Richard Kaner and Yuzhang Li earned a $1 million Climate Action Seed grant to fund their research to create breakthrough battery technology based on Zn chemistry, which aims to help California establish a carbon-free electric grid.

HEAT WAVES
Karen McKinnon, an associate professor studying climate extremes and large-scale climate variability, received the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her groundbreaking research on heat extremes.

STAYING COOL
The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability has been awarded a $3 million grant to develop a comprehensive multi-year public health campaign in collaboration with over 75 partners, including the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, to aid heat-burdened communities throughout Los Angeles County.

EARTH

SUSTAINABLE LA GRAND CHALLENGE
Alex Hall, who helped launch the Climate and Wildfire Institute, is the faculty director of the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge; one of the SLAGC’s key focuses is an initiative themed around air quality and public health. “These problems are getting worse, and especially in California, we’re dealing with the intersection of heat and wildfire smoke, for example, but we don’t really have the tools to study those at the same time,” says proposal development manager Sophie Katz. “That’s where the university can help develop resources and work in partnership with public agencies and other practitioners.”

NATIONAL CLIMATE REPORT
Highlighting the widespread and unequal impacts of climate change across the U.S., the Fifth National Climate Assessment featured contributions from three UCLA College professors: Aradhna Tripati, geoscientist and director of the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science; Alex Hall, atmospheric physicist and director of the Center for Climate Science; and Will Rafey, environmental economist and assistant professor of economics.

HOPE AND ADAPTATIONS
Led by UCLA professor Glen MacDonald and San Diego State University professor Janet Franklin, a group of more than 40 scientists, experts and scholars reviewed the state of sustainability in California for a special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

A cartoon depiction of pine trees in a forest fire.

A cartoon depiction of the Los Angeles skyline with a coyote and palm trees and the words

GRAND THEFT ECO
Nearly two dozen UCLA undergraduates and graduate students collaborated on the “Grand Theft Eco” project led by English professors Ursula Heise and Danny Snelson under the auspices of UCLA’s Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies. The project uses a “modded” version of the video game “Grand Theft Auto V” to explore questions about L.A.’s environmental future.

“BUILDING CLIMATES” CLUSTER
Offered for the first time in fall 2024, the UCLA Cluster Program’s “Building Climates” course explores “the root causes of climate change through social, historical, scientific and technological analyses, centering the built environment as a critical site for observing its most dramatic effects. Looking to our immediate future, it also offers students a toolkit for engaging with the consequent world of risks and instabilities.”

ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATOR
Ecuadorian Indigenous rights activist Nina Gualinga was recognized with the 2024 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award by the UCLA IoES. Honored during a ceremony at UCLA’s Hershey Hall on Oct. 30, Gualinga received the award for her work advocating for Indigenous rights and environmental justice, which has led to significant policy changes that protect crucial ecosystems in the Amazon and beyond.

A cartoon depiction of some buildings on the UCLA South Campus.

SOUTH BAY CAMPUS
Marking the largest land acquisition in UCLA’s history, the new South Bay campus — one of three key recent acquisitions — is located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. As a 2024 UCLA magazine feature says, academic programs centered here will focus on “sustainability, climate change and environmental justice, with the site’s ocean setting and its proximity to the largest port in North America providing ample opportunities for research and partnerships around those themes.”

A cartoon depiction of colorful cacti and flowers.

GARDEN GIFTS
A 7.5-acre public garden, outdoor classroom and research facility on campus, the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden continues to nurture both serenity and science, as evidenced by the recently completed stream renovation. This project and other improvements were made possible by numerous generous donors, including Phyllis Marell, Peggy and Charlie Norris, Maureen Stockton and Drew Zager.

CHESTER’S WAY
Inspired by a real-life squirrel, former UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability communications director David Colgan wrote the children’s book “Chester’s Way,” a “tail” of conservation intended to inspire hopeful action and community. “Environmental anxiety can be a powerful thing as we watch climate change advance,” he said in a 2024 interview. “Everyone has a role to play as we navigate serious global threats, but no one can take it all on alone.”

A cartoon depiction of a red squirrel reading a copy of the children's book

A cartoon depiction of a black beetle with colorful orange markings on its shell.

WHITE MOUNTAIN RESEARCH CENTER
2025 will mark the 75th anniversary of the UCLA IoES White Mountain Research Center, directed by Glen MacDonald, a distinguished professor of geography and UCLA’s Professor of California and the American West. “I want to shout about our place,” he told UCLA Magazine in a 2024 feature. “It brings so many people together. I have seen it transform students who understand more about their place in the world.”

OCEAN

OCEAN EXPLORER
UCLA archaeologist and professor Justin Dunnavant, a National Geographic Explorer since 2021, has been recognized for his field-changing work in the world’s oceans. A co-founder of the Society of Black Archaeologists and an AAUS Scientific SCUBA Diver, Dunnavant is also an instructor with the nonprofit Diving With a Purpose, which has worked to uncover shipwrecks from the global slave trade.

“REAL WORLD” RESEARCH
The UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology offers both the Field Biology Quarter and the Marine Biology Quarter, which provide transformative capstone experiences. With the opportunity to study firsthand how ecosystems are changing due to climate change and other factors, students can choose from a variety of locations in which to conduct research, ranging from French Polynesia to the Peruvian Amazon basin and beyond.

THE DIVERSITY PROJECT
Founded by professor Paul Barber, who runs the program along with colleagues including Peggy Fong, the Diversity Project empowers undergraduate students at UCLA and beyond to gain invaluable field experience and mentoring in marine science and conservation.

A cartoon depiction of a Black scuba diver holding a test tub to conduct underwater research.

A cartoon depiction of a green stingray with blue polka dots.

SCIENCE WITH STAR POWER
Inspired by real sea creatures, Bruin scientist Kelsi Rutledge collaborated with director Jordan Peele to create the scientifically plausible alien in the movie “Nope.” Drawing on her expertise in marine biology, including her discovery of a new species of ray fish, Rutledge aided in the design of the monster’s mesmerizing features.

SEA GUARDIANS
From conducting research in coral reefs to understanding the evolution of development in jellyfish, Bruins including De’Marcus Robinson and Hayden Speck have helped to advance our knowledge of and ability to protect the ocean and its inhabitants.

SEEKING SOLUTIONS
To understand and address the changes and challenges that human activities create in oceanic environments, the UCLA IoES Marine Center studies coastlines and ocean systems around the globe, highlighting coral reef bleaching, the effect of rising carbon dioxide levels on plankton and other critically important findings.

CARBON AND CLIMATE
A recent study led by Matthew Bogumil, UCLA doctoral student of Earth, planetary and space sciences, reveals a new understanding of how carbon is stored in ocean floors — a discovery that could enhance our understanding of the global carbon cycle and inform strategies to combat climate change.

A cartoon depiction of the ocean floor with colorful coral and other aquatic plants.

Magazine

ATMOSPHERE TO OCEAN

Shining a light on a multitude of efforts across the UCLA College

to study, protect and heal the planet

ATMOSPHERE

EARTH

OCEAN

UCLA College

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Magazine

ATMOSPHERE TO OCEAN

Shining a light on a multitude of efforts across the UCLA College

to study, protect and heal the planet

ATMOSPHERE

EARTH

OCEAN

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UCLA College

Related Sites

Connect

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