UCLA housing residents report bed bugs, ants upon move-in

Several students living in Hedrick Summit, Weyburn Terrace and Levering Heights residential complexes at UC Los Angeles reported infestations of ants and bedbugs upon moving in, the Daily Bruin reported.

These claims come after several accounts of unsafe living conditions in UCLA-owned apartments during the 2022-23 school year, including exposure to mold.

First-year biochemistry major Joline Siu told the Daily Bruin that she discovered swollen, red bites on her legs and neck a few days after moving in.

“I was … very frustrated because we do have to pay a lot for housing,” Siu told the Daily Bruin. “I wish that they (Housing) had cleaned the rooms and the bedbugs before we moved in so we didn’t have to face this problem.”

UCLA Housing said that the move-in process could have contributed to the increase in pests in the university residences.

“As with any apartment or housing unit, pests may at times get into the unit,” UCLA Housing said in an email statement. “Especially during times like move-in, when doors may be left open for extended periods of time, or luggage is being brought into units, there may be an increase of pests.”

UC Merced introduces writing major, launches first cohort

UC Merced added a Writing Studies major within the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA), with its first cohort of students starting Fall Quarter 2023.

Students in the major will learn a variety of different writing techniques, including professional, fictional, factual and creative writing, the UC Merced Newsroom reported.

The campus previously offered a minor in writing studies.

“We had a minor and students would take the classes and say, ‘I wish I could just major in this,'” writing studies teaching professor and associate dean for student services and academics for the SSHA Anne Zanzucchi said.

According to teaching professor of writing studies Paul Gibbons, the major was created due to the importance of writing and communication in the world.

“Writing is crucial in that it’s both a product and a process. It’s in the fabric of what we do,” Gibbons told UC Merced Newsroom. “Writing is a way of doing things in the world, of asking for things. It’s still a major coin of the realm.”

Berkeley Lab opens two centers to fight climate change

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) plans to open two new centers to advance clean energy technologies.

The Center for Ionomer-based Water Electrolysis (CIWE) and the Center for RESTORation of Soil Carbon by Precision Biological Strategies (RESTOR-C) will address two of the seven goals of the Department of Energy’s Energy Earthshots initiative, the Daily Californian reported.

Each center will receive $19 million in funding over the next four years, according to a Berkeley Lab press release.

Division director for environmental genomics and systems biology Susannah Tringe, who was appointed as the director of RESTOR-C, spoke to the opportunities in carbon research that the new centers provide.

“For me, it’s an opportunity to combine my expertise with the wide-ranging expertise of our other team members and have a larger impact than I could by performing research only in my own research group,” Tringe said in an email to the Daily Californian. “Having these two centers based here will further highlight the Bay Area as a major hub for soil carbon research.” 

A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the Oct. 12, 2023 print edition of the Daily Nexus.

Alex Levin

Alex Levin (he/him) is the University News Editor for the 2023-24 school year. Previously, Levin was the Assistant News Editor for the 2022-2023 school year. He can be reached at alexlevin@dailynexus.com.