Sean Crommelin

Sean Crommelin is the Science and Tech Editor for the Daily Nexus. He can be reached at science@dailynexus.com

December 1, 2020

At Valentine Camp, a Plan is Hatched to Fix California’s Drought-stressed, Overstuffed Forests

By Sean Crommelin

In one 155-acre plot of land in Mammoth Lakes, researchers are trying to better understand how California’s overgrown forests can be rehabilitated through both selective burning and thinning.

November 27, 2020

With a Winter Wave Looming Large, UCSB Enters Into COVID-19 Smartphone Exposure Notification Pilot Program

By Sean Crommelin

To supplement traditional means to contain the spread, such as testing and contract tracing, UCSB has entered into the California COVID Notify pilot program.

November 18, 2020

The Future of Forests in the Warming, Drying American West

By Sean Crommelin

"Physiology is very important in understanding forest mortality, but we are still missing some key mechanisms in being able to predict it at large spatial scales,” Trugman said.

November 17, 2020

UCSB Professor Wins NIH Award to Study Navigational Neurons in Fruit Flies

By Sean Crommelin

Kim specifically intends to gain an understanding of the manner in which landmarks are selected by the brain in order to establish a sense of direction.

November 2, 2020

A Closer Look At California’s Iconic Oaks in Sedgwick Reserve

By Sean Crommelin

At Sedgwick, Davis and his collaborators have been studying oak regeneration on the decadal scale.

October 28, 2020

UCLA Professor Speaks on Research Into Synaptic Reorganization in BMSE/MCDB Seminar

By Sean Crommelin

Donlea discussed his experimental studies into the role which sleep plays in injury and synaptic reorganization in fruit flies.

October 25, 2020

Tango of the Valkyries: What Makes Music Sound Different or the Same?

By Sean Crommelin

“What my lab and I asked was: ‘How would listeners categorize music if we used tasks from relational category experiments?’”

October 21, 2020

UCSB Researchers Investigate Mortality Among Amphibians Besieged by Endemic Parasites

By Sean Crommelin

The researchers had earlier developed a flexible statistical model, specifically looking at patterns of aggregation in parasite abundance. These patterns informed host mortality.

October 18, 2020

Rivers in Madagascar Offer a Window Into the Inner Workings of Abrupt Channel Shifts

By Sean Crommelin

Brooke and his collaborators are among the first attempting to map out where avulsions occur in order to test existing hypotheses regarding the factors and conditions leading to these events.

September 28, 2020

Over Land and Sea, UCSB Researchers Put a Number on Fast-Growing Microfiber Emissions

By Sean Crommelin

The amount of microfibers currently being released into the natural environment has drawn alarm from scientists, environmentalists and policymakers across the world.

September 24, 2020

The Balancing Act: “Using and Refusing the Law”

By Sean Crommelin

There is a struggle, as Hale describes, between “using” the law to advance one’s interests and “refusing” the tenets of it which invalidate one’s way of life.

September 10, 2020

Imperiled by the Pandemic, Dorm Life Finds Refuge on Cyberspace With SixFeet

By Sean Crommelin

Victor Cheng and Aspyn Palatnick created a social media platform which aims to provide users with a “virtual dorm.”

September 4, 2020

In Photos | Prescribed Burn Conducted on Lagoon Island

By Daily Nexus Photography, Sean Crommelin

At 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3, a prescribed burn was conducted on Lagoon Island to mitigate the growth of exotic species as part of a restoration effort.

August 30, 2020

“I really do believe that we owe it to future generations to protect these areas”: UCSB Lecturer Creates Website to Spread Awareness of Public Lands

By Sean Crommelin

The compendium provides information about 50 public land destinations within a 300-mile radius of Santa Barbara, specifically using Campbell Hall as the epicenter.

August 27, 2020

Who Decides — or Is Able — To Stay Home? Researchers Observe Mobility Drop Among the Wealthy and Increase Among the Poor During Quarantine

By Sean Crommelin

The foundational research is among the first of its kind to examine the role of income “as a predictor of social distancing behavior."

August 23, 2020

“That Anthro Podcast” Shines a Spotlight on UCSB Anthropology Department

By Sean Crommelin

Campbell and her guests have already covered such seemingly disparate subjects as the role of forensics in bioarchaeology and studies of land use in ecological anthropology.