2022 Media Watch Archives

An Irvine-based startup [GATC Health Corp.] is trying to convince investors that it can use artificial intelligence to dramatically reduce the time needed to show if a drug can work in a clinical trial. … In addition to landing a sizeable amount of funding, the company has attracted several notable board members, advisers and employees, and has close ties to researchers at the University of California, Irvine. … “Their scientific leadership are incredibly intelligent individuals who have experience in the field,” Dr. Jonathan Lakey, a professor emeritus in surgery and biomedical engineering at UCI, told the Business Journal. … GATC announced a partnership with Dr. Christie Fowler, an [associate] professor of neurobiology at UCI, for pre-clinical programs to determine the novel drug candidates’ safety and efficacy in reducing opioid consumption, withdrawal symptoms and relapse. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More

Brian Tarroja, UCI associate professional researcher and lecturer of civil and environmental engineering writes, “Hydropower facilities capture the energy in flowing water by using a device called a turbine. As water runs over the blades of a turbine – kind of like a giant pinwheel – they spin. This spinning turbine is connected to a shaft that spins inside a device called a generator, which uses an effect called induction to convert energy in the spinning shaft to electricity.” Read More

Elizabeth Chiu first got interested in mechanical engineering as a member of her high school, all-girls robotics team. But it was only after she enrolled at UC Irvine that she discovered her dream job. Chiu, 21, and now a senior UCI student, recently accepted an offer to join the R&D Released Product Engineering department for Medtronic Neurovascular in Irvine, the world’s largest neurovascular company. Medtronic had previously hired her as an intern for two consecutive summers, in addition to six months of part-time work during her junior year. “I’m so excited that I get to work with the same team I’ve worked with over two years,” she says. … UCI was one of Chiu’s top choices for college, she says, adding, “It’s such a pretty area, and the school has a great engineering department, with lots of opportunities for internships.” Read More

In a state severely hobbled by drought and wildfires, flood concerns may not seem top-of-mind. But a new study out of UC Irvine found that Los Angeles County's aging flood systems may not be ready for a major flood. "Right now, our research suggests that our infrastructure and the way we've built it out is much more vulnerable to this type of event than I think anyone would have guessed," said Brett Sanders, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCI and one of the authors of the paper. Read More