2023 Media Watch Archives
O.C. Sustainability Decathlon provides a sneak peek at a zero-net future, created by youth
Daily Pilot -
The UCI/OCC team specially designed “luminOCity” for Placentia nonprofit Homeless Intervention Services of Orange County, measuring out a plot of land where the structure will serve as transitional housing for men ages 18 to 24. … Another modular entry was the LUCID home designed by a team of UCI civil and environmental engineering graduate and undergrad students. … “This house actually absorbs carbon dioxide,” explained engineering professor and team adviser Ayman S. Mosallam. “Usually people say net-zero — but this is negative.” Read More
Multi-objective Assessment of Flood Adaptation Options in Los Angeles County
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science -
This work will identify the benefits and costs of flood risk adaptation alternatives, including nature-based solutions (NBS), for the region. Further, the work will reveal the potential to simultaneously achieve social, economic, and ecological benefits and equity in the distribution of benefits across geographies and indicators of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic disadvantage. … This project is led by Dr. Brett Sanders [professor of civil & environmental engineering] at the University of California, Irvine, in collaboration with Dr. Katharine Mach at the University of Miami, and is funded through the NCCOS Effects of Sea Level Rise (ESLR) Program. Read More
Biden-Harris Administration awards $6.7 million for sea level rise and coastal resilience research
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -
NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) is announcing $6.7 million in fiscal year 2023 funding that will be spent on 18 coastal resilience research projects across the nation. ... (IRA-funded) University of California, Irvine and University of Miami received nearly $500,000 to evaluate how nature-based solutions can empower more equitable flood risk management in Los Angeles County, California. Read More
The hope and hype of hydrogen
The New York Times -
“Over time, as the infrastructure gets built out everywhere, we will see a huge private investment in the production of hydrogen and the delivery of hydrogen in these cheaper ways,” said Jack Brouwer, a professor of engineering at the University of California, Irvine, and the director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center [advanced power and energy program]. … “Someday, renewable, clean hydrogen will be cheaper than what we are paying today for gasoline,” Brouwer said. “It’s inevitable.” Read More
The Compost: Sustainable homes, jobs, wine and more at free event
The Orange County Register -
Would you live in a hexagon-shaped home if it was climate-friendly? What about a dome? Those are some of the designs chosen by student homebuilders from across Southern California and beyond who are competing in the inaugural Orange County Sustainability Decathlon at the OC Fair & Event Center. … The free event is now halfway over, but there’s plenty of time to catch the second half! During the first half of the decathlon, which ran Oct. 5 through Oct. 8, visitors got student-guided tours of the homes built by teams from UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Riverside and more. [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries. Sign-up here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/news/ocregister] Read More
Gen Z is mocking their millennial co-workers for using this slang wrong
New York Post -
Twenty-one-year-old Kiana Sinaki, an environmental engineering student at the University of California, Irvine, previously told The Post that her older in-office counterparts were routinely perplexed by her lingo. For instance, upon telling a colleague she had “tea” — hot gossip — to share, the woman assumed Sinaki was offering her a beverage. “I’ve said ‘no cap’ to some of my co-workers, and they’ve had no clue what I’m talking about,” Sinaki also said. Read More
DOE Supports Energy Efficiency to Improve Community Resilience
AZO Cleantech -
Ensuring access to a secure building at a suitable temperature is of paramount importance for the well-being of communities during severe weather events and climate-related disasters. In California, the DOE is actively supporting innovative housing initiatives. These developments incorporate high-efficiency electric appliances, solar panels, and battery systems. They are also integrated into microgrids designed to remain operational, even in the event of grid blackouts triggered by climate-induced wildfires, heatwaves, or storms. These collaborative efforts involve KB Home, SunPower Corp., Southern California Edison, Kia Corp., the University of California Irvine, Schneider Electric, and the DOE. Read More
NiSource Announces Blending Project with Hydrogen, Natural Gas
Power Magazine -
Sempra officials have said the company is pursuing more than 20 hydrogen research and development projects designed to enhance grid resilience and support decarbonization. Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), a Sempra subsidiary, and the University of California, Irvine, are collaborating on a project to demonstrate how electrolytic hydrogen can be safely blended into existing natural gas infrastructure on the university’s campus. Testing of hydrogen blending at the campus could begin next year. NiSource said its blending strategy is part of the utility’s “Future of Energy” program, which includes renewable energy and electrification strategies along with renewable natural gas. Read More
How LA is reimagining flood infrastructure amid increasing flood risk
KABC-TV -
FEMA manages nearly all flood policies in the U.S., requiring them in neighborhoods they have classified as flood risk areas. But experts said those FEMA flood risk maps may not accurately depict flood risk. "FEMA maps flooding, mostly from rivers and streams and coastal flooding, they don't map flooding from rainfall," said Jochen Schubert, a research specialist at UC Irvine with a focus on flood hazards. He and his colleagues have developed their own ways of modeling flood risk in the LA area and he said there's been change in the land development since the FEMA maps were built. Watch More
Sand project to rebuild beach in south OC complete — but will it last?
The Orange County Register -
Beachgoers who frequent this south Orange County coastline are enjoying a newly-built beach, a joint effort between the county and the state to revamp the battered stretch. … A big takeaway from the project is early and regular communication with neighboring agencies, officials said. In addition to the county and state working together, the city of Dana Point contracted a team from UC Irvine to do regular monitoring and measurements of the sediment to track its movement in coming months. Read More