Media Watch Archives

In technology news, a team of researchers at the University of California, Irvine, discovered a way to use music to trigger a deadly pathogen release—a finding that showed that people working in negative-pressure rooms could be easily put at risk by criminals using smartphones. Read More

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