University of California Press Blog » Natural Sciences

In Memoriam: Robert C. Stebbins

ssilverman — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 16:27:42 +0000

UC Press is sad to note the passing of renowned herpetologist, Robert C. Stebbins, who died in his home on Monday at the age of 98. Stebbins was a Professor of Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, a curator of the University’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and the author of over a dozen books, including, [more...]

Parallel Universe Authors Highlight Timely Climate Change Issues

ssilverman — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 19:07:47 +0000

Silt washes down the Yellow River. Photo credit: Imaginechina

Traveling the 38th Parallel authors David and Janet Carle highlight some important climate change issues on their blog, Parallel Universe 38°N. First, they point to some amazing photos of 30 million tons of silt washing down the Yellow River in China, a key story in their [more...]

Boston Museum of Science to Feature Exhibition of Gary Braasch’s Photographs Documenting Climate Change

ssilverman — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 19:05:15 +0000

On Saturday, June 22nd, the Boston Museum of Science will open an exhibition of photographs by Gary Braasch, environmental photojournalist and author of the book, Earth under Fire. Braasch’s work not only reveals how climate change is altering our planet, but how humans are working to slow these changes through alternative energy use and conservation.

Each photograph is [more...]

Preserving Healthy Soil for Future Generations

ssilverman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:46:31 +0000

David R. Montgomery, author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations and professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington, was recently profiled as one of Sunset Magazine’s “10 Visionaries, Trendsetters, and Innovators” who are “redefining every aspect of gardening in the West—and changing the way we live, eat, and connect with one another.”

Montgomery was [more...]

Orrin Pilkey in the New York Times: How Not to Cope with Rising Sea Levels

ssilverman — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 01:00:12 +0000

Why do we rebuild our beaches, homes, and roads close to the shoreline only to see them washed away time and time again? Orrin H. Pilkey, emeritus professor of Earth Sciences at Duke University and author of The World’s Beaches, takes on this controversial subject in a recent op-ed for the New York Times. Pilkey [more...]

A Case for Expensive Oil

ssilverman — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 02:01:14 +0000

While Barack Obama and Mitt Romney seemed to argue in last night’s debate over which was better, cheap oil or cheaper oil, it can be refreshing to hear another perspective. In an op-ed entitled “Three Cheers for Expensive Oil,” published in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, UC Press author David Montgomery argues that “Scarce oil may [more...]

2 UC Press Authors Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

ssilverman — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:31:32 +0000

Congratulations to Mary Power and Dan Simberloff who, along with 82 other distinguished scientists (4, including Power, from UC Berkeley), were elected to the National Academy of Sciences this week.

Mary Power is a freshwater ecologist and has done groundbreaking work on the Eel River. Mary also serves on the editorial board of our own Freshwater [more...]

UC Press Authors to participate in The White House Summit on Environmental Education

ssilverman — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:34:42 +0000

Charles Saylan

Dan Blumenstein (Credit: Reed Hutchinson)

Congratulations to Charles Saylan and Dan Blumenstein, the authors of The Failure of Environmental Education (And How We Can Fix It) for being invited to The White House Summit on Environmental Education this Monday, April 16, 2012.

They’ll be participating in the panel discussion “21st Century Environmentalism – Shaping [more...]

An Acquiring Eye: Chuck Crumly on Ornithology Books and Journals

ssilverman — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:57:01 +0000

For the second post in our Acquiring Eye series, Executive Editor Chuck Crumly has written about the Ornithology books and journals he has his eye on:

Almost all of us have experienced the delight of watching birds – listening to birds calling mournfully or happily or even unexpectedly, and enjoying their antics. For many, birds are [more...]

Deeper Context: The Digital Jepson Manual

ssilverman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:13:58 +0000

Coming right on the heels of the overwhelmingly positive reaction we got for the publication of the second edition of the Jepson Manual, I am pleased to announce The Digital Jepson Manual.

For the first time, University of California Press is offering this resource as an e-book. The Digital Jepson Manual provides an unparalleled new level [more...]