Media Watch
6 Ways to Boost Diversity Among STEM Faculty
Maryland Today -
Succeeding in academia isn’t always just about exhibiting creativity and hard work—sometimes a “hidden curriculum” of unwritten rules and cultural expectations creates impediments for underrepresented scholars that peers from majority groups never experience. Particularly in STEM fields, this helps lead to severe underrepresentation in both degrees granted and faculty hires in colleges nationwide. … The paper’s other co-authors hail from the University of Texas at Austin; the University of California, San Diego; the University of Tennessee; the University of Florida; the University of Washington; Purdue University; the University of California, Irvine; Brown University; the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; the University of Michigan; Texas A&M University; the University of Massachusetts Amherst; the University of California, Santa Barbara; Arizona State University and Vanderbilt University. Read More
Opinion: Our clean energy transition requires hydrogen — we must treat it fairly
The Hill -
Jack Brouwer, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Clean Energy Institute (CEI) at the University of California, Irvine writes, “Congress came together to pass the bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which includes substantial investments in clean energy technologies. Notably, clean hydrogen received a production tax credit to empower its competition against polluting fossil fuels. … Congress recognized the urgency of nurturing the clean renewable hydrogen industry, and action is required now. Establishing infrastructure and supply chains takes time. Starting the green hydrogen industry now is essential to achieve zero emissions by mid-century, saving lives and enhancing the quality of life … Read More
OC Supervisors hold climate resiliency investigation hearing
KCBS -
UC Irvine Professor [of engineering] Brett Sanders is a beach erosion expert. The UCI Flood Lab has documented those beaches eroding the fastest, from Sunset Beach, south to San Clemente. Not only do beaches serve as a natural defense against big storms according to Sanders but Orange County sand attracts millions of tourists. “Beaches are the number one driver of Orange County’s tourist economy,” said Sanders. People come to Orange County because of Disneyland, because of beaches and they come here and they stay in our hotels and they go to our restaurants and all these things create jobs for Orange County.” Read More
The Winds That Doomed Lahaina
Wired -
“How is the wind channelized in the gap between two trees? Believe it or not, that actually matters a lot,” says UC Irvine atmospheric scientist [and associate professor of civil & environmental engineering] Tirtha Banerjee, who studies how wind influences wildfire. “That has an impact on how the fire burns.” And once those winds reached the town of Lahaina, they poured between buildings in complicated ways, further confounding predictions for where the fire might spread.” Read More
Hilary lashes wide swaths of California, Nevada with flooding, mudslides
The Washington Post -
A researcher at University of California at Irvine said that Southern California’s infrastructure may not be able to handle the expected rainfall from Tropical Storm Hilary. “I am personally worried about the combination of infrastructure that’s undersized to contain an event of this magnitude and an area that has experienced a number of wildfires,” said Brett Sanders, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries. Sign-up here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/news/post] Read More
'The next Maui could be anywhere': Hawaii tragedy points to US wildfire vulnerability
USA Today -
Now, experts from around the world are taking a second look at many places that may also be at risk after Maui's crisis, which now is among the top ten deadliest wildfires on record in the U.S. since 1871. "The next Maui could be anywhere," said Tirtha Banerjee, a civil and environmental engineering [associate] professor at the University of California, Irvine. "Realistically, almost any place could have a wildfire. … There seems to be a consensus among those in the scientific community that it might get worse for a bit before it gets better," Banerjee said. Read More
Beijing’s record rainfall
Reuters -
"Our own studies suggest that the frequency, intensity and spatial coverage of heavy rainfall events all increase as a consequence of climate warming," said Shao Sun, a [visiting associate] researcher [in engineering] with the University of California, Irvine, who studies China's weather. … Sun and his research team have predicted that the likelihood of extreme precipitation events in northern China will rise by 18%, 20% and 27% under low, medium and high emission scenarios. Read More
Southern California prepares for Hurricane Hilary
KCBS -
“That stretch of the coastline [San Clemente and Capistrano Beach] has been starved of sand for decades,” said Brett Sanders, UCI engineering professor. “It’s now trying to survive with very little sand in the system. So the efforts that we are taking to put more sand in are going to be good for that whole stretch of coastline but we need to do more to restore it to a natural state.” Professor Sanders says Hilary could create runoff that eventually pulls sand toward the coast but it takes many years to fill back our beaches that have seen decades of erosion. [Starts 3:39] Watch More
Stem cells can help build lab-grown organs that mimic real life
Science News Explores -
Enter the organoid-builders, like Quinton Smith. A chemical engineer [and assistant professor], he works at the University of California, Irvine. He and others are pioneering a new type of research. They’re marrying tech and biology to create better organ mimics. To answer scientific questions, these high-tech cellular communities can be poked, prodded, beamed at and hit with chemicals — so that our bodies don’t need to be. Read More
Going car-less in L.A.: The environmental benefits and economic costs
Los Angeles Times -
“We’re not ready to live without cars at this point in most parts of California,” said Jean-Daniel Saphores, professor [and chair] of the department of civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine. Saphores, who studied the carless population, said such people generally fall into two categories. There are people … who choose not to have a car for a variety of reasons, whether it’s health, convenience, the environment, or something else entirely. … The other group is made up of people who can’t afford cars, Saphores said. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More