California Seaweed

Kelp cutters once harvested tons of the nearshore kelp off the San Diego County coastline, producing additives for your ice cream, beer and pharmaceuticals.

And of course, anyone who has had a California Roll or a bowl of miso soup is familiar with the centuries-old use of Nori.

But now Scripps researchers are working to uncover other value from the ubiquitous red, green and brown algae that thrives in our waters, even exploring the use of seaweed to reduce methane produced by dairy cows – and perhaps even improving their health and productivity.

Join Scripps Oceanography’s Jennifer Smith and entrepreneur Brant Chlebowski as they tell the story of their collaboration on applied aquaculture research that has sparked the formation of the California Seaweed Company.

Watch — Food, Feed and Climate Change – Emerging Opportunities for Shore Based Seaweed Aquaculture

Berkeley Lab’s First Cleantech Pitchfest

8232Hear from six Berkeley Lab scientists with big new ideas designed to help transform our carbon-drenched, overheating world. Each has tremendous promise and social value.

  • Energy-Efficient Desalination: Making fresh water from salty sources on the cheap
    Current desalination techniques require huge amounts of energy and generate large amounts of environmental waste. Berkeley Lab’s Chinmayee Subban, a Cornell PhD, leads a desalination research project that reduces environmental waste and energy use by incorporating an innovative mix of low-cost materials. The technique could help relieve the stress on global water supplies by reclaiming brackish water both in the US and other countries—including in the developing world.
  • DIY Efficient Windows: Applying paint-on coatings for energy-efficient windows
    Replacing millions of porous windows with energy-efficient versions in older buildings and homes can be prohibitively expensive. Berkeley Lab’s Raymond Weitekamp, a Caltech PhD, has a new approach: an inexpensive, paint-on, energy-efficient coating that can be applied simply and evenly without the help of a professional—while the windows are still in place. The paintable, clear material contains photonic crystals, developed by his startup company PolySpectra.
  • CalWave: Harnessing energy from ocean waves
    At CalWave, Marcus Lehmann is developing the WaveCarpet which harnesses the power of ocean waves to produce electricity and freshwater. Avoiding the pitfalls of other wave-energy projects, the WaveCarpet operates submerged, allowing it to survive stormy seas while causing no visual pollution or posing any collision danger. Recently CalWave was selected as one of nine ¬finalists to compete for the Department of Energy’s Wave Energy Prize—a 20-month design-build-test competition. Earlier this year, the German-born Marcus was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Energy Sector.
  • Nanoscale Sponges: Capturing carbon with metal-organic frameworks
    Removing excess carbon from an overheating atmosphere is an urgent and complicated problem. The answer, according to Berkeley Lab’s Jeff Urban, could lie at the nanoscale, where specially designed cage-like structures called metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, can trap large amounts of carbon in microscopically tiny structures. A Harvard PhD with expertise in thermoelectrics, gas separation and hydrogen storage, Urban directs teams at the Molecular Foundry’s Inorganic Materials Facility.
  • Recycling CO2: Fueling your car on recycled CO2
    Kendra Kuhl co-founded Opus 12 to find out if an electrochemical process, operating inside a desk-sized reactor, can do on an industrial scale what is often hailed as the Holy Grail of carbon-recycling research—convert CO2 captured from smokestacks into ethanol and other valuable products. A self-proclaimed chemistry geek in high school, the Berkeley Lab scientist honed her big idea while completing her PhD at Stanford.
  • MyGreenCar: Test driving “virtually” to compare real fuel economy and EV range
    A Berkeley Lab scientist specializing in all things vehicular—from powertrain technologies, vehicle electrification and vehicle-grid integration to advanced engine technologies, personalized fuel economy and EV range prediction—Samveg (Sam) Saxena is leading the development of a new app called MyGreenCar. MyGreen Car predicts personalized fuel economy and eliminates EV range anxiety as a barrier for prospective car buyers. He also leads the development of V2G-Sim, a research platform for understanding how vehicles will interface with the grid.
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    If you prefer to watch them all together, the entire program is here. See more programs from the series here.

    February 2013 News & Highlights

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    FEATURED THIS MONTH

    The Career Channel: Bridge to Better Employment

    If you or someone you know is a recent college graduate or a graduate in career transition, then stop by UCTV’s newly launched CareerChannel, powered by the employment experts at UC San Diego Extension. As an unbiased provider of information, tools and experts, the channel aims to help job-seekers identify newly emerging areas of career opportunity and to develop paths and plans for necessary reskilling through research, reporting and public dialogue presented through video, radio and print. Check it out today and stay tuned for new programs about the ever-evolving career marketplace!

    The Career Channel


    To Be Musical

    Don’t miss this fascinating series from UC San Diego’s Eleanor Roosevelt College examining exactly what it is that makes music,musical. Professors of music, literature and psychology decode the mysteries of music and its effect on our brains, our emotions and our lives. The series kicks off this month with renowned percussionist Steven Schick and saxophonist and educator David Borgo.

    To Be Musical

    Lifting the Blanket: Pursuit of a Climate Change Solution

    Beginning his career as an engineer at a refrigeration plant in India, Veerabhadran Ramanathan went on to make one of the most important climate change discoveries when he identified chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as even larger contributors to global warming than the previously identified culprit, carbon dioxide. This four-part series from UCTV’s YouTube original channel, UCTV Prime, follows the Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist’s remarkable path that changed the face of climate change research and has introduced possibilities for human-scale solutions.

    Lifting the Blanket: Pursuit of a Climate Change Solution


    PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

    All programs repeat throughout the month. Visit the Program Schedule on our web site for additional air dates and times.

    Health & Medicine

    The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program: Keep Your Brain Healthy for the Rest of Your Life

    Shoulder Injury – Health Matters

    More >>

    Science

    CARTA: The Evolution of Human Nutrition

    Exploring the Abyss: The Deep Sea Challenge Expedition

    More >>

    Public Affairs

    Founders’ Symposium 2012

    More >>

    Humanities Humanities

    Black History Month on UCTV

    More >>

    Arts & Music Arts & Music

    San Diego Opera Stars in the Salon: Samson & Delilah

    Opera Spotlight: Samson & Delilah

    More >>

    Check out the latest additions to our online video archive

    Rachel Carson’s Legacy: Finding the Wisdom and Insight for Global Environmental Citizenship

    Rossini: Overture to “The Barber of Seville” – La Jolla Music Society SummerFest

    More videos and podcasts>>