Media Watch
Inspired by Octopus Skin, This Synthetic Material Can Change Color and Texture on Demand
Smithsonian Magazine -
[Researchers] created a flexible material that can rapidly change color and texture by swelling into incredibly detailed designs, according to a study published on January 7 in the journal Nature …. the new research provides “a very nice proof-of-principle addition to the existing literature of color- and texture-changing materials,” Alon Gorodetsky, a chemical and biomolecular engineer at the University of California, Irvine … Read More
How scientists learn from the masters of invisibility: Octopus
National Geographic -
Scientists have recently demonstrated a crop of innovative materials that mimic these biological processes—stretchable, reflective skins, light-refracting color-changing membranes, light-scattering films and fibers, and texture-changing silicon-mesh fabrics with the potential to trick the eye, avoid detection, and seemingly disappear. … Alon Gorodetsky, an associate professor at the University of California, Irvine, who has pioneered numerous cephalopod-inspired camouflage materials, says interest from manufacturers is high and products could begin to reach consumers within the next decade. Read More
UCI School Gets ‘Significant’ Pledge from Nhu Family
Orange County Business Journal -
The University of California, Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering has received a “significant” philanthropic pledge from technology entrepreneur Hoang Nhu, CEO and founder of NousLogic Telehealth, and his sister, Thuc Trinh Thi Nhu. … The gift will establish the Nhu Family Endowed Fund, a permanent source of flexible support for the department. The endowment will empower department leadership to pursue high-impact priorities, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation and breakthroughs. Read More
A Radical Climate Proposal Aims to Channel Seawater Into a Giant Egyptian Desert to Fight Sea Level Rise
ZME Science -
A new research grant is looking at the idea of reflooding lowland depressions to alleviate the problem on the coasts, starting with the Qattara Depression, a massive low-lying desert area in western Egypt. Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of environmental and civil engineering at the University of California, Irvine, who focuses on climate extremes and solutions, is carrying out the research under a grant from the ARC Initiative, a climate change fund of the U.S.-based nonprofit Renaissance Philanthropy. AghaKouchak’s work with ARC could be groundbreaking. It is certainly ambitious, and likely to become controversial. Read More
Can we create new inland seas to lower sea level rise? Interview with researcher Amir AghaKouchak
Mongabay -
Sea levels are rising, threatening coastal areas, including cities, around the world. … A new research grant is looking at the idea of reflooding lowland depressions to alleviate the problem on the coasts, starting with the Qattara Depression, a massive low-lying desert area in western Egypt. Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of environmental and civil engineering at the University of California, Irvine, who focuses on climate extremes and solutions, is carrying out the research ….Read More
Zillow is dropping climate risk scores. Here’s why it matters
San Francisco Chronicle -
In February, the Chronicle reported that scientists were concerned about how the scores were calculated and the accuracy of the risk measurements. … Brett Sanders, a UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering, said that the current changes reflect broader challenges as property owners confront climate risks and associated costs. “I think we're going to be going through at least a decade or more of these ebbs and flows of how we manage the problem,” Sanders said. Read More
Iran’s president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis – how Tehran got into water bankruptcy
The Conversation -
Amir AghaKouchak, UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering and others write, “Iran has relied heavily on water-intensive irrigation to grow food in dry landscapes and subsidized water and energy use …. The concentration of economic activity and employment in major urban centers … has also catalyzed massive migration, further straining already overstretched water resources. Those and other forces have driven Iran toward “water bankruptcy” – the point where water demand permanently exceeds the supply and nature can’t keep up.” Read More
Taps may run dry in this country, where the water crisis is so severe it can be seen from space
CNN -
Iran’s current drought is the worst for at least 40 years and water levels are shrinking “at a time of year when you would normally expect storage to be recovering, not collapsing further,” said Amir AghaKouchak, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Irvine. … The government’s aim to achieve food self-sufficiency … is largely responsible for the situation, experts say. “For decades, policies have encouraged the expansion of irrigated agriculture in arid regions,” AghaKouchak said. Read More
A scenic L.A. suburb with ocean views went off grid. How are residents surviving?
Los Angeles Times -
While there are some fully off-grid dwellers … an off-grid suburb is one of a kind. “I’ve not heard of a situation that’s being experienced in Palos Verdes,” said Scott Samuelsen, the founding director of the Advanced Power and Energy Program at UC Irvine. He compared the circumstances with those after a natural disaster, such as a hurricane that damages power lines or a major wildfire that destroys key transmission lines. But in those cases, he said utilities typically work nonstop to restore connectivity and often provide short-term backup power. Read More
Taps run dry as water crisis forces Iran to consider evacuating its capital
NBC News -
Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Irvine, said climate change has exacerbated the problem, but the biggest issue is how water use is governed. “This narrative of climate change is responsible, to be honest, is not really accurate,” AghaKouchak said, adding that Iran has weathered drought throughout its history. Read More