UCSD Researcher Receives National Medal of Science From Obama

1. A UC San Diego researcher Friday was among seven scientists awarded a National Medal of Science by President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony. Dr. Shu Chien, a bioengineer at UCSD, was honored for his research into how the activity of genes inside cells can be affected by physical stimuli outside those cells, which is providing new insights into basic into fighting a variety of diseases.

2. A summer research expedition organized by scientists at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego led to the identification of giant amoebas at one of Earth's deepest locations, the university announced Friday. Scripps researchers paired with National Geographic engineers during a July voyage to the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, the deepest region on the planet, according to the university.

3. A passer-by found a body on a brushy roadside just east of the Del Mar Fairgrounds Friday. The discovery near the intersection of Via de la Valle and San Andres Drive in the North City district of San Diego was reported about 8:45 a.m., according to police.