2024 Media Watch Archives
After protests, SoCalGas scales back plans to test hydrogen energy at UC Irvine
The Orange County Register -
UC Irvine ended up on the front line of this debate because it is home to the National Fuel Cell Research Center, which has been testing hydrogen for years. The center is led by Jack Brouwer, an engineering professor at UCI who has studied hydrogen for 25 years. Brouwer’s team has worked with SoCalGas on other projects. So he said previously that this next test seemed a natural fit after the CPUC asked gas companies back in 2019 to help develop standards for safely injecting hydrogen into the statewide natural gas system. Read More
OCTA proposes half-mile wall, rocks to protect train line in San Clemente — for $200 million
The Orange County Register -
When waves strike a hard structure such as boulders or sea walls, they refract and create a backwash that pulls sand away from the shoreline and out to sea, said UC Irvine professor Brett Sanders, who specializes in coastal civil engineering and wave dynamics. While historically sand has kept the ocean away from those hard structures, problematic erosion in the past decade has allowed waves to batter onto rocks put in place to protect the rail line, scouring the sand and eroding the beach even further, Sanders said. Read More
Shark Tank's Mark Cuban links with Irvine's Cup-a-Bug inventor
Orange County Business Journal -
Justin Huang secured a deal with “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban for his bug catcher, Cup-a-Bug, in a episode that aired on ABC last month. … Huang described himself as a “serial inventor.” He graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 2010 but diverged from a typical engineering career to pursue his own interests. Read More
California’s historic storms continue. Here’s how much scientists say it’s being driven by climate change
MSN (San Francisco Chronicle) -
The atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture for each degree Celsius — 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — of warming, said Amir AghaKouchak, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine. That means in a warmer climate storms can produce extreme rainfall more often than in the past. “We have places where average precipitation has remained more or less the same, but we see more and more extreme events,” AghaKouchak said. Read More
After winter storms, California can expect a late start to the wildfire season
Los Angeles Times -
Still, as climate change pushes California fires to burn at higher elevations — places that were once too wet or cool to nurture flames — more snow is falling on burned areas, said Amir AghaKouchak, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine. … “So potentially, more and more fire snow interactions can contribute to a stronger or more rapid change from flood risk to drought risk,” he said. Read More
UC Irvine Researchers Secure Grants From Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
India Education Diary -
Three University of California, Irvine researchers are on teams that have won Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grants to pursue the development of advanced medical and biological imaging technologies. … Stacy Copp, UCI assistant professor of materials science and engineering, is leading a $1.85-million, four-year program to develop molecular-scale emitters for deep-tissue imaging. … Michelle Digman, UCI associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Jennifer Prescher, UCI professor of chemistry, are part of a $2.5-million, four-year project to create new bioluminescent probes and platforms for imaging hard-to-access tissues. Read More
UC Santa Cruz protein designer awarded $2.5M to develop bioluminescent protein for deep tissue imaging
Lookout Santa Cruz -
A team of engineers at UC Irvine including [Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Michelle Digman and Professor of Chemistry Jennifer] Prescher will collaborate with [Andy] Yeh to develop a new method of light detection called “phasor imaging,” rather than taking the traditional approach of detecting light signals by color. The UCI researchers have proven that this technology can better differentiate light emissions and avoid severe spectral overlap, which makes it difficult to clearly separate light. Read More
Love conquers all: New Miss Fountain Valley court is set
Daily Pilot -
[Love] Bradley, now 19 and a biomedical engineering student at UC Irvine, will serve as Miss Fountain Valley for the year ahead after winning the crown on Feb. 4. … Bradley said she has been driven by community service. When she was younger, her social impact initiative focused on youth leadership. This time around, she plans to use her platform to inspire women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Read More
Ecosystem hydrologist Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm to lead UMD Center for Environmental Science
Yahoo News (The Baltimore Sun) -
A renowned ecosystem hydrologist has been hired as president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, a dean and professor at George Mason University, will start July 1 and also serve as the university system’s vice chancellor for sustainability. … Miralles-Wilhelm earned his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in engineering at the University of California, Irvine …. Read More
SAE Adopts New Standards For Vehicle-To-Grid
CleanTechnica -
A 2021 study by University of California – Irvine professor Brian Tarroja and Rochester Institute of Technology professor Eric Hittinger found that V2G could make a big difference for California’s grid. They calculated that the combined value of the energy storage capacity of V2G enabled EVs in California is “approximately an order of magnitude larger than that for smart charging.” Read More