Research Centers

Just offshore from Point Año Nuevo 74 kilometers (46 miles) south of San Francisco, the Año Nuevo Island Reserve is comprised of Miocene shale with remnant dune deposits and associated low, rocky islets and intertidal shelf. Research at Ano Nuevo includes: Northern elephant seals: effects of low-frequency sound in the marine acoustic environment; geographic-reference behavior during migrations; buoyancy and swimming effort; predator-prey relationships with white sharks; and developmental physiology of pups during natural, prolonged fasts, Population monitoring of Steller sea lions, and Conservation, demography, and foodhabits of rhinoceros auklets.

The Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center is a multi-college unit at UC Berkeley, with the goal to broaden the atmospheric sciences beyond its traditional boundaries to embrace the biogeochemical frontier and the human dimension. The Center facilitates communication and integration across these traditional boundaries. In doing so, we aim to define a new paradigm for investigating changes in the atmosphere by integrating the microscopic mechanisms of chemical, physical, and biological processes with large-scale ecological and geological interactions between the geosphere, biosphere, and oceans, and how these interactions alter atmospheric composition.

The Environmental Fluid Mechanics group at UC Berkeley uses numerical, observational, and theoretical tools to study the movement of water and air in the natural environment. Research interests include the coastal ocean and estuaries, the atmospheric boundary layer, sediment transport, land-atmosphere interactions, numerical methods, turbulence, effects of density stratification, contaminant transport, groundwater flow, biological fluid mechanics, and the intersections of these and other topics. Within each of these research areas, fundamental processes of fluid flows are investigated.

The Berkeley Geochronology Center (BGC) is a non-profit scientific research institution dedicated to establishing the history of the Earth, its various inhabitants, and its interactions with the rest of our Solar System, throughout the 4.6 billion years of our Planet's existence. Using the most advanced technology available, BGC scientists determine the ages of rocks and other materials to date important events in geological and biological history. Through understanding such information in geologic context, BGC research provides key insights into such processes as continental drift, volcanism, mountain building, mass extinctions, climate change, and the evolution of humankind itself.

The Seismological Laboratory is involved in operating seismic networks in central and northern California, with the mission to conduct and promote research to further our understanding of earthquake processes and of earth structure at the regional and global scale, to provide timely and accurate earthquake information, particularly concerning central and northern California earthquakes, to a variety of public and private agencies including emergency response operators and the press, and to assist in the education and training of students and the public in earthquake science.

The Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center (BSAC) is the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Microsensors and Microactuators. We conduct industry-relevant, interdisciplinary research on micro- and nano-scale sensors, moving mechanical elements, microfluidics, materials, and processes that take advantage of progress made in integrated-circuit, bio, and polymer technologies.

Effective water management is not purely a scientific problem, a political problem, a technological problem, a computer science problem nor a socioeconomic problem; it is a complex, 21st Century problem that demands collaborative coordination between all of these disciplines. The Berkeley Water Center has been developed to integrate expertise across disciplines in support of a new research mode for water investigations. The plan of the Berkeley Water Center is to: Develop a seamless integration of LBNL and UCB expertise and apply the expertise to water problems; Develop Research Thrust Areas (RTAs) that integrate Berkeley water expertise within those areas, Create collaborative opportunities between Berkeley Water Center and other expert groups and resources; Create strong, mutually beneficial partnerships between Berkeley and other academic, governmental, and private sector institutions. Accelerate development of RTA research results into applications through strategic partnerships; Function as a CITRIS member institution.

The WWG is sponsored by Berkeley's Institute of International Studies, and co-sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Resource Development. It meets once a month to discuss a particular water problem, and at least two approaches to its resolution. These approaches could be regional comparisons or methodological comparisons. Each session features two speakers followed by questions and discussion.

The Berkeley Workshop on Environmental Politics has a commitment to environmental studies on the UC Berkeley campus. They assist graduate training and scholarly research, bring together scholars, activists and policy makers for conversations on environmental issues, and bring other activists and policymakers to Berkeley as Residential Fellows.

A diverse land-and-sea site, the Bodega Marine Reserve straddles a peninsula of coastal granite thought to have been displaced hundreds of miles northward along the San Andreas Fault. Research at Bodega includes: Physical influences on urchin and crab larval settlement and transport, Soil nutrients, herbivores, and coastal grassland community dynamics, Effects of invasive green crabs on shorebird populations and native invertebrates, Effects of pathogens on native and introduced clovers, Magnetic field detection in sharks and rays, and Effects of local adaptation in grasses on ecological restoration.

Located adjacent to the Riverside campus, the Box Springs Reserve lies on a steep and rugged granitic slope near the top of Box Springs Mountain, in a transitional zone between coastal sage scrub and chamise chaparral. Research at Box Springs includes Effects of nitrogen eutrophication and fire on invasive annuals in California coastal sage shrublands.

One of the largest NRS reserves, the Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center encompasses a major drainage system descending from the high peaks of the Santa Rosa Mountains down to Colorado Desert. Research at Boyd includes: Population biology of the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, a state-endangered and federally threatened species, Health and demography of the peninsular bighorn sheep, a state-threatened and federally proposed-endangered species, Mountain lion ecology, Rattlesnake ecology, Physiology of succulents, and Hybridization of quail species.

Set in the Morongo Basin of the western Mojave Desert, the Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve is a dry, boulder-strewn landscape of shallow canyons and ridges of sculptured granite. Research at Burns Pinon Ridge includes: Census of small mammals, Inventory of insects, Census of avifauna, and Monitoring and inventory of bat species.

The California Biodiversity Center (CBC) is an Organized Research Unit of the University of California Berkeley that fosters collaborations between the Berkeley Natural History Museums, Berkeley's Natural History Field Stations, and other partners studying changes in California's biological diversity, past, present, and future.

The California Center for Environmental Law and Policy (CCELP) is a research center at the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. CCELP’s mission is to foster interdisciplinary environmental law and policy research and to translate that research into pragmatic solutions.

The mission of the Californian CESU is to provide research, technical assistance, and education across the biological, physical, social, and cultural sciences to address natural and cultural resource management issues at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context in California and nationally as appropriate.

The Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve contains a critically important Southern California estuary, which supports many sensitive plant and animal species. Research at Carpinteria includes: NSF-funded, long-term investigation of watersheds and nearshore marine environments; new EPA-funded wetland toxicity center, Impacts to estuary from runoff/effluents; nutrient dynamics in estaurine ecosystem; long-term vegetation sampling in relationship to soil texture, salinity, tidal inundation, and competition or facilitation among species, Impacts to estuary from runoff/effluents; nutrient dynamics in estaurine ecosystem; long-term vegetation sampling in relationship to soil texture, salinity, tidal inundation, and competition or facilitation among species, and Impacts to estuary from runoff/effluents; nutrient dynamics in estaurine ecosystem; long-term vegetation sampling in relationship to soil texture, salinity, tidal inundation, and competition or facilitation among species.

The Center supports scholarly activities over a broad range of topics that address contemporary African issues. The Center provides opportunities for students majoring in traditionally defined fields to develop a comprehensive interdisciplinary program in African Studies. Areas of research include Natural Resources and Political Ecology.

The Center for Biological Control Mission is to facilitate the implementation of biological control through research, training and outreach programs; provide or support forums for intellectual discussion; provide a structure for the development of interagency cooperation for biological control; and publicly promote the benefits of biological control and sustainable development.

The Center for Catastrophic Risk Management (CCRM) is part of the University's response to recent disasters—and our efforts to anticipate future ones. CCRM was started by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, and has become part of the Institute of Business and Economic Research to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of its research team. Their goal: to improve the safety and resilience of physical and social infrastructure in the face of disaster. Their mission: through multidisciplinary research, teaching and outreach, to help societies cope better with catastrophic hazards.

Within the Earth Sciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is a facility for modern seismological research which relies heavily upon intensive computational analysis (e.g., acoustic imaging, 3D wave propagation, high resolution inverse earthquake analyses) or large database manipulations. The center is used in a number of Ph.D. and postdoctoral research studies.

The mission of the Center is to promote and disseminate the use of entrepreneurial methods to improve the health of families in developing countries. CEIHD brings the expertise of business and public health professionals to focus on problems related to the unmet need for health services and products, and to create market conditions that facilitate the reduction of indoor air pollution.

The Center for Environmental Biotechnology (CEB) scientists and engineers provide expertise to ESD in microbial ecology and environmental engineering. The Department focuses on research in real-time direct environmental assessment and biological treatment, bioremediation, and natural attenuation.

The Center for Environmental Design Research is an Organized Research Unit of the University of California at Berkeley. Located in the College of Environmental Design, the Center assists the research of faculty, students, and others interested in the design and planning of the built environment. The Center's mission is to encourage research in environmental planning and design, in order to increase the factual content of design decisions and to promote systematic approaches to design decision-making. The scope of our research ranges from local human environments to regional ecosystems, from details of building construction to large-scale urban planning, and from the history of the built environment to the design process itself.

BCEPHT works to advance a nationwide Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) network that provides and communicates information about relationships between environmental factors and health to all relevant audiences, including policy-makers and community stakeholders.

The Center for Environmental Public Policy (CEPP) at the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) aims to bridge the gap between environmental theory and policy implementation. It integrates interdisciplinary environmental theory and policy implementation through its seminars, workshops, and conferences. CEPP’s programs seek to educate, direct and motivate those in environmental public policy. In particular, CEPP activities are geared to help fill the local and global need for competent environmental managers who are adept at policy-making within the context of limited and varying resources.

Given the importance of fire in many ecosystems, along with our dependence on and development into inherently fire-prone landscapes, we need to reach a sustainable coexistence with wildfire. The mission of the Center for Fire Research and Outreach is to develop and disseminate science-based solutions to wildfire-related challenges.

The Mission of the Center for Forestry is to sustain forested ecosystems through scientific inquiry. Our approach is comprehensive. We seek to create and disseminate knowledge concerning ecosystem processes, human interactions and value systems, and restoration and operational management practices.

The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society –CITRIS—creates information technology solutions for many of our most pressing social, environmental and healthcare problems. Faculty, students and industrial researchers are seeing solutions to many of the concerns that face all of us today, from the environment and finding viable sustainable energy alternatives to healthcare delivery and developing secure electronic medical records and remote diagnosis, ultimately boosting economic productivity. CITRIS represents a bold and exciting vision that is leveraging one of the top university systems in the world with highly successful corporate partners and government resources.

The Center includes six analytical facilities and an affiliation with the cosmogenic isotope laboratory in UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. These facilities provide state-of-the-art characterization of all types of earth materials for research throughout the department and elsewhere in the division. The instrumentation and laboratories are an integral part of the Center's focus on new ways to use isotopic ratio methods to study fundamental earth processes, and environmental and energy problems of national interest.

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) is the locus of activity for a unique working community of Latin Americanist faculty, students and other research collaborators from the United States and Latin America. Through an extensive public program and opportunities for study and exchanges abroad, CLAS strives to increase understanding of Latin American peoples, cultures and politics, enhance the work of UC Berkeley’s Latin Americanist community and build bridges to other institutions, groups and individuals throughout the Americas.

The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) serves government, industry, schools, health professionals, and the general public through programs and partnerships designed to deepen understanding of occupational and environmental hazards and to prevent disease, fatalities, and injuries.Activities are grounded in multicampus, multidisciplinary teaching programs in medicine, nursing, public health, and related fields.

Welcome to the Center for Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry at UC Berkeley. Located in 1140 Valley Life Sciences Building, this state of art Mass Spectrometry facility provides the campus and wider community with stable isotope analysis of gaseous, liquid and solid samples.

The Center for Sustainable Resource Development is located in the College of Natural Resources and brings together UC Berkeley's leading environmental and social scientists with other experts and stakeholders from industry, government, and environmental organizations to address complex resource-use issues such as global climate change, sustainable agriculture, water reliability, and population, poverty and the environment.

CAMFER is dedicated to providing innovative, state-of-the-art monitoring of environment using geospatial technologies. CAMFER research and outreach staff conduct studies in wetland monitoring and modeling, atmospheric emissions, forest biometrics, and watershed modeling.

The Central Sierra Field Research Stations is a regional group of UC Berkeley field research & education reserves located on both sides of the crest of California's Sierra-Nevada mountains, north of Lake Tahoe. CSFRS is comprised of: Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, Sagehen Creek Field Station, North Fork Association Lands, and Onion Creek Experimental Watershed

Located in the headwaters basin of the North Fork of the American River, the Chickering American River Reserve is the only NRS site set on the windward western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Research at Chickering includes: a botanical checklist, pollination ecology studies, and wolverine surveys. Wasp-mite symbiosis is currently being studied. A broad plant survey was conducted over several decades by landowner Sherman Chickering, along with an investigation of multiple phenotypes in the lily Fritillaria atropurpurea.

One of the best remaining examples of a coastal-strand environment in Southern California, the Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve protects a wide variety of coastal and estuarine habitats. Research at Coal Oil includes: USGS earthquake monitoring: COPR has one of 200 antennae used by USGS geologists to study earth movement, Surfgrass restoration in intertidal zone: Ongoing project includes studies of surfgrass epiphytes and reproduction, and Human impacts on threatened snowy plover: USGS study seeks to understand impacts on the snowy plover and provide conservation guidelines

The Consortium on Green Design and Manufacturing (CGDM) was formed in 1993 to encourage multi- disciplinary research and education on environmental management, design for environment and pollution prevention issues in critical industries.

Flowing through the bottom of the Dawson Los Monos Canyon Reserve is Agua Hedionda Creek, one of the few perennial streams in Southern California, as it winds its way through the San Diego county foothills to the Pacific Ocean. Research at Dawson includes: The effects of floral predation on the pollination biology and reproductive success of Yucca whipplei, Parasite diversity of small mammals in fragmented areas, and Suitability of soils and habitat types for the federally endangered Pacific pocket mouse.

The Joint Genome Institute (JGI) is a collaboration of Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley, and Los Alamos national laboratories funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. There, employees of the three institutions are working together to sequence human chromosomes 5, 16, and 19 for the worldwide Human Genome Project.

Located in the remote northeastern corner of California at the juncture of the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Great Basin, and volcanic Modoc Plateau, Eagle Lake Biological Field Station affords excellent opportunities to study California’s fourth largest lake. Research at Eagle Lake includes: The effect of human disturbance on the nesting success of Aechmophorus grebes, The ecology of over-water nesting ducks, and Mating system variation and genetic variation in the dusky-footed woodrat.

Formerly part of the Camp Elliott Military Reservation, the Elliott Chaparral Reserve comprises a diverse mixture of natural coastal and desert habitats that is becoming more and more rare with rapid suburban growth in the San Diego region. Research at Elliott includes: The effects of floral predation on the pollination biology and reproductive success of Yucca whipplei, and Ecological assessment of ground obligate beetle diversity in western San Diego County, CA

The Emerson Oaks Reserve in the Temecula Valley lies in a transitional zone between the California coast and the Colorado Desert. Research at Emerson includes: Inventories of the site’s vertebrates, plants, and fungi are in progress, and A variety of research involving mycorrhizal fungi related to live oaks

The Environmental Law and Policy Program continues its sponsorship of a series of public lectures for 2004-2005. In each instance, the visiting speakers are in residence at Boalt Hall from three to five days, and have allocated significant office time during their stay to meet with students on an individual basis. Working in cooperation with the Environmental Law Society, a Boalt Hall student group, the Institute seeks to enrich the opportunities for students and others in the UC Berkeley community in the field of environmental law and policy.

The Environmental Measurement Laboratory (EML) is an EPA/California Department of Health Services certified analytical lab within the Earth Sciences Division (ESD) for researchers at DOE laboratories and the University of California. The EML has the capabilities to conduct a variety of analyses covering both organic and inorganic methods, including examination of water, soil, sediment, seawater, and waste water samples.

Located on part of the former Fort Ord Army Base, Fort Ord Natural Reserve supports excellent examples of maritime chaparral endemic to the Monterey Bay region. Research at Ford Ord includes: Baseline studies: Status of HMP-listed species; preliminary surveys of birds, legless lizards, coast horned lizards, ants, and habitat-use patterns, and Conservation biology: Distribution and genetic studies of the black and silver forms of the California legless lizard; survey of coast horned lizards; survey of native ants and invasive Argentine ants; research on the demographics and community ecology of sand gilia, Monterey spineflower and shrubs of the maritime chaparral; the role of change in ant biodiversity on seed dispersal; comparative genetic and morphological analysis of different and gilia populations.

As a premier educational center bridging research, theory, and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Center for Responsible Business strives to educate all of its stakeholders on the roles and responsibilities of business in society. Integrating interests in three key focus areas – social performance metrics, social enterprise, and corporate engagement & governance, the Center organizes its innovative activities in four key functional areas: research, teaching, experiential learning, and outreach.

The NPM program recognizes that Haas students will be leaders-not only in business but also in our communities, in our governments, and in our world. The purpose of the program is to enhance the leadership, management and entrepreneurial capabilities of Haas students--to prepare students to lead nonprofit and public organizations and new entrepreneurial ventures, and to serve on boards, commissions, and other positions of community and public leadership.

The Hans Jenny Pygmy Forest Reserve lies on the oldest and highest of five wave-cut terraces that rise from the chilly waters of the Mendocino County coast. Research at the Hans Jenny Pygmy Forest Reserve includes: Landscape evolution: The pygmy forest “ecological staircase,” and Soil studies: Soil development, nutrient cycling, and vegetation-soil relations.

The Hastings Natural History Reservation, set in the open foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains in upper Carmel Valley, protects excellent examples of habitats characteristic of the interior central Coast Range: annual and perennial grasslands, oak woodlands, chaparral, and running streams. Research at Hastings includes: Behavioral ecology of western bluebirds, Ecology and evolution of social behavior, Population biology of the California tiger salamander. in acorn woodpeckers, Genetics, physiology, and fitness of pocket gophers, with implications for conservation, Restoration ecology of native grasses and oak woodland, Site factors, dendrochronology, and flowering biology of California oaks, and Long-term studies of vegetation, bees, bird populations, small mammals.

A unique, interdisciplinary, campuswide program designed to help people in developing countries achieve health, reach a reasonable level of well-being, and stabilize populations. These objectives - while at the same time protecting the local, community, and global environments - are among the most compelling and complicated challenges facing the world community.

The Angelo Coast Range Reserve, one of the NRS’s most diverse sites, is located on the South Fork of the Eel River. Research at Angelo includes: Eel River food webs, productivity, and effects of disturbance by scouring winter floods & invasive species (bullfrogs & Sacramento squawfish) which threaten native yellow-legged frogs & native salmonids, and Effects of river productivity on terrestrial consumers addressing linkages between river communities and surrounding uplands in the old-growth forest watershed. Impacts of fine riverbed sediments on food webs supporting the growth of juvenile steelhead.

the Human Rights Center conducts interdisciplinary research on emerging issues in international human rights and humanitarian law. Our research focuses on war crimes, justice and postwar reconstruction, health and human rights, and globalization.

The Mission of the Institute for Environmental Science and Engineering is to support research and teaching in the sciences and technology that are essential to understand and improve the environment. The Institute is multi-disciplinary and included not only a broad representation of the engineering disciplines but also a wide variety of other natural and social sciences. It plays an increasing role as a bridge between basic research, often associated with an academic environment, and the more applied studies necessary for sound environmental management. Thus, IESE focuses the expertise available throughout the University of California on environmental problems of current and future concern.

The Institute of International Studies promotes interdisciplinary research in international, comparative, and policy studies on the Berkeley campus. The Institute focuses today on the following intellectual themes: Peace and global security in the 21st century, Environment, demography, and sustainability, Globalization, development, and human rights, and Technological change and and the transformation of the global economy.

The Institute for Legal Research (ILR) is an Organized Research Unit of the University of California, Berkeley, established by the UC Regents in 1967. The Institute's mission is to serve as a center for interdisciplinary research, teaching, and public service. The ILR has initiatives in the program areas of environmental law and policy and ocean law and policy, as well as others.

The Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the world's leading centers for transportation research, education, and scholarship. It is home to a large, diverse, and continually changing community of people who are experts in all aspects of transportation.

The Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD) conducts research into processes of urban and regional growth and decline, and effects of governing policies on the patterns and processes of development. Current research focuses on sustainable development and regulation of urban growth and land use, the social and economic impacts of changes in urban life with a focus on inner city inequality, evolving patterns of suburbanization and central city reconstruction,transportation alternatives, including high-speed rail and transit-based land development, information technology applications in urban development, disaster preparedness, and improvements in methods of analysis, evaluation, and planning.

The James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve is located on an alluvial bench situated at the lower end of Hall Canyon, a steep, western flank of Black Mountain. Research at the James San Jacinto Mountains includes: Forest-stewardship database and multimedia geographic information system (GIS): Comprises multiple-scale remote-sensing inventories of land use, plant communities, species observations, digitized photo-monitoring images of the San Jacinto Range, and Long-term monitoring: Extensive data sets collected from seasonal bird banding/ nest box; mark/recapture of herpetofauna; surveys of vernal pools, rare plants, California spotted owls, declining mountain yellow-legged frogs; dendrochronology-climate reconstruction studies; continuous recording of weather variables.

Located in the southern Sacramento Valley, the Jepson Prairie Reserve is an island of remnant natural prairie in a wide alluvial floodplain used primarily for agriculture. The reserve protects one of the best few remaining vernal-pool habitats, which are found only in the western United States and few other places in the world, as well as precious remnants of native bunchgrass prairie that once covered one-fourth of California. Research at Jepson includes: Amphibian decline in California, Nesting biology of bees, Systematics of the genus Downingia, Spatial structure and plant-pollinator interactions, and Effects of controlled burning of native bunchgrasses

The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve protects a valuable remnant of coastal salt marsh habitats once common throughout Southern California estuaries. Despite major alterations to the surrounding land and water, this small, heart-shaped wetland at the northern edge of Mission Bay remains remarkably productive, providing rich intertidal habitats. Research at Kendall-Frost includes: The leptostraca of coastal California: A survey based on morphological and molecular evidence, The effect of different reproductive strategies on the genetic variation of eastern Pacific eelgrass taxa, and Final hosts (birds and mammals) as determinants of community structure of castrating trematodes in California horn snails.

The Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve offers one of the most spectacular stretches of coastal habitats in central California. Its diverse habitats include extensive rocky shoreline, nearshore kelp forests, coastal grasslands, a mixed Monterey pine and coast live oak forest, and coastal scrub. Three registered Salinan archaeological sites on the reserve date back to 5,000 B.P. Flanking the reserve is a section of one of the largest kelp beds in California, a combination of giant kelp and bull kelp.

Set in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Big Sur coast, the Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve encompasses several miles of rugged ridges, which flank the Pacific Ocean and descend to a rocky shoreline. Research at Landels-Hill includes: Prehistoric subsistence patterns and central coast archaeology, Long-term change in intertidal and subtidal communities, Biological diversity and ecology of Lepidoptera, including fire succession. Effects of European honey bee on native social bees. Ecology of speciation in Timema walking sticks, Marine fish populations within and adjacent to marine reserve. Baseline studies on genetics, behavior, and ecology of southern steelhead trout, and Landscape-scale modeling and surveying of plant-climate interactions. Deepcrustal geology of central California.

An international consortium of scholars that has played a major part in studies of ocean law since the 1970s, the Law of the Sea Institute (LOSI) was transferred to the Institute for Legal Research (ILR) in April 2002 and is administered by Professors Harry Scheiber and David Caron as co-chairs. LOSI has published a distinguished series of conference proceedings on a range of subjects dealing with ocean policy and the law of the sea with assistance from university, foundation, and governmental sponsors.

At 7,050 acres, the McLaughlin Natural Reserve is one of the NRS’s largest sites, and it is one of only a few sites in California that protects unusual serpentine habitats for research and teaching. Research at McLaughlin includes: Serpentine habitats: Dynamics and succession of serpentine chaparral; the spread of exotic grasses on serpentine, Ant studies: Ant specificity to unique isolated habitats; determinants of polymorphism and foraging strategies in ants, Host-association effect on herbivory of the Indian paintbrush species, and Ecological and evolutionary responses to habitat mosaics: integrating across spatial and temporal hierarchies of plant biodiversity

The Motte Rimrock Reserve lies on a broad, rocky plateau at the western edge of Perris Valley. Research at Motte Rimrock Reserve includes: Several major studies on birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals in coastal sage scrub habitat, Habitat requirements of California gnatcatchers, Comparative studies of rock-art sites in California and the Great Basin, Genetic and fitness consequences of coastal sage scrub seed transplantation, and Demography and effects of fragmentation of coastal sage scrub habitat on rufous-crowned sparrows.

The UC Berkeley Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHS Center) is comprised of researchers who study molecular responses to environmental exposures and seek to explain why certain individuals are more vulernable to these exposures than others.

The goals of the UC Berkeley Superfund program are to improve understanding of the relationship between exposure and disease, provide better human and ecological risk assessments, and develop a range of prevention and remediation strategies to improve and protect public health, ecosystems and the environment.

This unit includes the greenhouse operations and growing fields at the Oxford and Gill Tracts, as well as the Natural Resources Laboratory, the insectaries, which provide insect rearing support, and quarantine facilities, for experiments with non-natives.

Located on a precipitous peninsula in one of the driest parts of the northern Coast Ranges, the Quail Ridge Reserve projects into Lake Berryessa and holds outstanding remnants of extremely rare native grassland, savanna, and oak woodland habitats. Research at Quail Ridge includes: Floral studies include effects of grazing on the evolution of plant life history; pollen loads in Clarkia unguiculata; and spatial segregation of coyote brush, Biological surveys of butterflies, rodents, reptiles, and amphibians, Ringtail home range, territory size, and density in foothill woodlands, Studies of wild turkey populations, and Lyme disease studies.

Environmental Planning online is a selection of web sites pertaining to environmental planning, supporting landscape architecture, environmental planning, and city planning programs at the University of California, Berkeley. The emphasis is on U.S. and California environmental planning.

The Renewable and Appropriate Laboratory is a unique new research, development, project implementation, and community outreach facility based at UCB in the Energy and Resources Group and the Department of Nuclear Engineering. RAEL focuses on designing, testing, and disseminating renewable and appropriate energy systems. The laboratory's mission is to help these technologies realize their full potential to contribute to environmentally sustainable development in both industrialized and developing nations while also addressing the cultural context and range of potential social impacts of any new technology or resource management system.

The mission of the research station is to promote, support, and provide research, education, and public service in tropical biocomplexity science, to develop Moorea as a model ecological system to understand how physical, biological, and cultural processes interact to shape tropical ecosystems.

The San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve represents one of the last remnants of freshwater wetlands that once covered much of Orange County’s flood plain. Located in an ancient river-cut channel at the head of Newport Bay, the reserve supports a variety of wetland habitats, including freshwater marshlands, shallow ponds, and channels confined by earthen dikes. Research at San Joaquin includes: Habitat use and movements of coyotes in a Southern California urban environment, Effects of black sage on herbivore predation of purple needlegrass, Parasitoids and population ecology of the harlequin bug, Wetlands production and fluxes of methane and other gases, and Pollen analysis of San Joaquin Marsh Holocene sediment

The Santa Cruz Island Reserve is the largest NRS site and the biggest of the Channel Islands located off the Southern California coast. Research at Santa Cruz Island includes: Archaeology: Ongoing studies of the island’s prehistoric Native American cultures; the evolution of cultural complexity in hunter-gatherer societies, Terrestrial botany: Defense mechanisms of insular endemic plants; age structure in island chaparral communities; population genetics of endemic species, Terrestrial zoology: Reproduction and kinship studies for two endemic species: island jay and state-threatened island fox (Urocyon littoralis), Geology and geomorphology: Structure, diversity, and origin of the island’s geological formations; fluvial system responses; sediment transport in island watersheds, and Aquatic Biology: Population studies of kelpbed fishes and selected intertidal invertebrates.

The mission of the Science, Technology, and Society Center (STSC) is to advance understanding of scientific and technological practice and knowledge in their local, national and international settings, coordinating and promoting scholarship, teaching, and outreach regarding their deep intertwinings in society.

Commanding a view for 30 miles, the precipitous upland portion of the Scripps Coastal Reserve, located adjacent to the UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), is topped by a grassy knoll and bounded by steep coastal canyons. Research at Scripps includes: The effect of different reproductive strategies on the genetic variation of eastern Pacific eelgrass taxa, The leptostraca of coastal California: A survey based on morphological and molecular evidence, Leopard shark observation/collection, Development of a marine metazoan physiological bioassay for heavy metal contamination, and Observation and mapping of codium fragile populations.

Encompassing 9.2 square miles on the southern slopes of the San Rafael Mountains, the Sedgwick Reserve spans an elevational range of 1,650 feet and is noted for both its large size and environmental heterogeneity. Research at Sedgwick includes: Oak regeneration: Ten-year collaborative project on the roles of livestock and grazing and other factors in regeneration of two oak species; valley oak population genetics, Native grasses: Competitive interactions between native perennial grasses and introduced annual grasses; perennial grass population genetics, Soil nutrient flow: Movement of nutrients in grassland systems, including below-ground processes, and Floristic survey: Collection and identification of vascular and nonvascular plant species on site.

The Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, set in a steep, north-facing canyon of the northern Coast Range, provides excellent opportunities to study plant and animal communities of both the inner and outer Coast Ranges. Research at Stebbins includes: Diversity and biology of cavity-nesting bees, Effects of fire on native ant populations, Microlepidopteran host associations, Sources of variation in floral nectar availability in fireweeds, Entomological surveys, Studies of lyme disease, and Post-landslide plant succession.

Set in the southernmost mountains of the Transverse Ranges, the Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve is located in the Cold Creek watershed of Malibu Creek, perhaps the most pristine and biologically diverse watershed in the Santa Monica Mountains. Research at Stunt Ranch includes: Stream ecology; ecophysiology of chaparral shrubs; post-fire successional processes in chaparral plant and animal communities; effects of slope and vegetation on post-fire erosion; fire modeling using remote-sensing digital imagery from NASA; ant distribution and interaction; scrub jay communication and caching behavior; signal variation and categorization by wrentits; division of labor and reproductive skew among paper wasp foundresses.

The Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center is located in the rugged Granite Mountains of the East Mojave Desert. Research at Sweeney includes: Linkages between biotic and physical components of piedmont landscapes. Characterization of microbial communities and desert soil crusts, Ecomorphology of desert lizards. Systematics of scorpions. Ecology of ants. Systematics of wasps and bees, Bighorn sheep demographics and dietary requirements. Rattlesnake life history/ distributional ecology. Kangaroo rat physiology and foraging behavior, and Ecology and evolutionary factors that maintain genetic diversity in annual plants. Long-term demographics of desert shrubs.

The Center offers opportunities for advanced research and creative teaching initiatives and sponsors a wide range of programs designed for members of the academic community and for the general public. Building on a history of strong alliances with scholars in the social sciences and in the arts, the Center concentrates on the topics and methods that make the humanities vital and unique in the contemporary world.

The Natural Reserve System of the University of California manages 35 reserves that encompass more than 135,000 acres across twelve ecological regions and is the largest university-operated system of natural reserves in the world. The reserves are protected natural land available for university-level instruction, research, and public outreach. The mission of the Natural Reserve System is to contribute to the understanding and wise management of the Earth and its natural systems by supporting university-level teaching, research, and public service at protected natural areas throughout California

The Center's theme, Transportation Systems Analysis and Policy, recognizes that transportation is one component of a societal system that is affected by and has effects on the movement of goods, people, and information. The Center draws on the knowledge of many disciplines, including but not limited to engineering, economics, urban planning, and management in its efforts to support studies that analyze transportation systems and the public policies that are integral to them.

With a fully equipped modern laboratory and computing facilities, the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) serves as a major center for research for the eastern Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley. Research at SNARL includes: Ecology of Mono Lake: UC research since 1976 on Mono Lake influenced a 1994 decision of the State Water Resources Control Board to raise the lake level, helping to restore its ecosystem; ongoing projects there include physicallimnology modeling and monitoring of brine shrimp and alkali fly populations, Sierran snowpack: SNARL scientists operate a snow laboratory on Mammoth Mountain; the National Science Foundation and NASA Earth Observing System Project fund ongoing studies of snowpack properties and snowmelt runoff, and Aquatic biology: Ongoing studies examine impacts of livestock grazing on stream ecology and effects of nonnative trout on Sierra Nevada lake ecosystems.

Valentine Camp is a center for research in the high Sierra Nevada and the upper Owens Valley. The reserve lies in a glacier-carved basin in a transition zone between the sagebrush desert of the Great Basin and the coniferous forests of the high Sierra Nevada. Research includes: Fire ecology: Valentine Camp firehistory studies, stand-age analysis, and fuel-loading maps will be used to develop a fire management plan, Wetland mapping project: Identification and delineation of wetlands in Long Valley, Plant ecology: Population ecology, ecophysiology, and genetics of mountain brome grass, Avian ecology: Artificial nest boxes are used to attract house wrens for study in breeding behavior and endocrinology, and Expanded research opportunities: Studies of insects, mammals, and amphibians are conducted on the reserve and at other regional sites.

The Water Resources Center Archives (WRCA) collects, preserves and provides access to historical and contemporary water-related materials that support the instructional and research programs of the University of California and the needs of the people of the State.

One of the few relatively undisturbed wetlands remaining on the California Central Coast, the Younger Lagoon Reserve encompasses a remnant Yshaped lagoon on the open coast just north of Monterey Bay. Research at Younger Lagoon Reserve includes: Effects of adjacent developments on vegetation communities and resident and migratory wildlife, and Environmental impacts of lagoon isolation.