2022 Media Watch Archives
Experts say significant grid investments needed to phase out gas-powered vehicles in California
KCBS -
On Thursday, the California Air Resources Board voted to phase out gas-powered cars by 2035, but experts say significant investments in grid infrastructure will need to happen to make this a reality. Experts at the University of California, Irvine have been conducting much of that research, learning what exactly will be needed to make all cars zero emissions in little more than a decade. "The grid does not currently have the capability to add millions of battery electric or even fuel-cell electric vehicles today," [said] Jack Brouwer, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering [and director, Advanced Power and Energy Program] at UCI. "So, we have some time to make reasonable investments in the grid to enable this to actually happen and to happen well." Read More
Cities Brace for This Season's Colliding Climate Disasters
Bloomberg -
“In cascading events, the sequence, timing and order of events really matter,” says Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of environmental and civil engineering at the University of California, Irvine. He adds that some events can take place over years, making it harder for scientists to model or predict their risks. … The upcoming challenge is to turn science into policy, says AghaKouchak. “I think cities and states need to spend more resources on planning for future extreme scenarios, exploring potential grey swan events,” he said. Read More
Optics+Photonics 2022: Opening plenary honors the late Michael W. Berns
Optics.org -
On Sunday evening, SPIE 2022 President Anita Mahadevan-Jansen opened this year’s SPIE Optics + Photonics plenary program with her welcome to both the attendees and the return to full in-person operations of the event. However Dr. Mahadevan-Jansen, who is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, also had the solemn duty to announce that the scheduled speaker – Dr. Michael Berns, founder of the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at the University of California at Irvine – had passed away at the age of 79 only a week before, on August 13th. “Mike” Berns was due to receive the highest honor of SPIE – the SPIE Gold Medal – which will now be awarded posthumously in his name. Read More
Photon scissors and tweezers: A cell surgeon’s story
SPIE -
A professor of biomedical engineering, surgery, and developmental and cell biology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and cofounder and founding director of the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic (BLIMC), [Michael] Berns is also this year’s recipient of the SPIE Gold Medal in recognition of his work in bioengineering research and his distinguished career that has brought together engineers, physicists, biologists, and physicians to collaborate on groundbreaking discoveries and innovations. Today, Berns is widely known as the “the father of laser microbeams” thanks, in part, to his groundbreaking work in delineating how the laser can perform subcellular surgery on chromosomes. Read More
McMurry ‘Cuts Out the Middleman’ in Acura GTP Development
IMSA -
Matt McMurry’s background made him the ideal candidate to be in on the ground floor of the Acura/HPD effort to develop the ARX-06. Eight years ago, at age 16, he became the youngest driver to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the fabled race’s history …. Along the way, he also earned an aerospace engineering degree from the University of California-Irvine and landed an internship at HPD that led to his current vehicle dynamics engineering position. Read More
Terry Lovingier: Keeping California Horse Racing In Good Hands
Paulick Report -
When you love a sport as much as Terry Lovingier loves horse racing, the time and effort you put into it is irrelevant. That is why when you ask Lovingier where he finds the time and energy to be chairperson of the board for the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, secretary for the Thoroughbred Owners of California, owner of a successful Thoroughbred breeding operation and be the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's Breeder of the Year, he just smiles and says he wouldn't do it if he didn't enjoy it. … Breeding horses isn't Lovingier's only source of income. He's also in the oil business. “I have a company that does maintenance in refineries,” Lovingier says, “and I have five recycling units that recycle asphalt and concrete. I have a civil and environmental engineering degree at UC Irvine and I put that to use in the environmental business, but also in the oil company.” Read More
Founder of UCI Beckman Laser Institute Dies
Orange County Business Journal -
UCI said biomedical laser researcher and professor Michael Berns, who founded the university’s Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic, died on Aug. 13. He was 79. … Berns was known for his innovative work using “laser scissors and tweezers” to manipulate cells, university officials said. He was the first person to perform subcellular surgery on chromosomes and helped pioneer laser nanosurgery, according to SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. He eventually earned the nickname “the father of laser microbeams,” and received a gold medal from the organization for his work with lasers. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
How can CA strategically use every drop of water in its system?
KCRW -
Newsha Ajami, [UCI alumna, Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering and] chief development officer for research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, adds that it’s especially important to capture stormwater as droughts are becoming more common. “Water, if we protect it as soon as it hits the ground and keep it clean, we can actually reuse it and repurpose it in various ways, especially during the wet years that we get,” Ajami says. Read More
2022 Innovator of the Year Award Nominees – Brett Sanders, UCI Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Orange County Business Journal -
Brett Sanders, PhD., is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine’s Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy. Ever since he was a child, Professor Sanders was fascinated by the everyday implications of how humans interact with water. … Professor Sanders’ research group created the first-ever fine-resolution model of flood risk across the Los Angeles/Orange County floodplain and a public dataset displaying the beach erosion throughout the same region – models used across communities to assess risk and take preventative measures to mitigate urban water damage and coastal erosion. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
When labs welcome under-represented groups
Nature Methods -
“Whoa, this is something you can do?” says Angelica Rippee, a Latina who is the first college graduate in her family. “I didn’t know about higher education.” When she applied to the one-week Undergraduate Student Initiative for Biomedical Research (USIBR) in the lab of Michelle Digman in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California Irvine, “I was a very confused undergraduate student,” says Rippee. Read More