Media Watch
University Of California Irvine’s Engineering School Receives $50 Million Gift
India Education Diary -
The creation of three new multidisciplinary research institutes in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering is being made possible by a $50 million gift from Susan and Henry Samueli to the University of California, Irvine. Unified under the banner “Engineering+,” the Engineering+Health Institute, Engineering+Society Institute and Engineering+Environment Institute will allow researchers from diverse disciplines to conduct transformational research addressing the most important issues facing humanity today. Read More
University Of California Irvine Expert Named 2023 Pew Scholar In The Biological Sciences
India Education Diary -
Quinton Smith, UC Irvine assistant professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been named a 2023 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. … “Being selected as a 2023 Pew Biomedical Scholar and serving as a representative of the University of California, Irvine is truly an honor,” Smith said. “With the support of the Pew Foundation, my group aims to better understand preeclampsia, a disease that disproportionately affects African American women.” Read More
University Of California Irvine Study Finds Human-Caused Climate Change To Blame For Increase In California’s Wildfires
India Education Diary -
Researchers at the University of California and other international institutions have concluded that nearly all of the increase in scorched terrain can be blamed on human-caused climate change. ... “The 10 largest fires in California history have all occurred in the past two decades, and five of those have happened since 2020,” said co-author Amir AghaKouchak, UCI professor of civil and environmental engineering [associate director of Center for Hydrometeorology & Remote Sensing (CHRS)]. “Through our study, it has become clear that anthropogenic climate change is the major driver of this increase in wildfire damage.” Read More
Smoke and heat warnings affect more than 170m in US
BBC News -
Heatwaves have become more frequent, intense and last longer because of human-induced climate change, scientists say. Some have warned that climate change is also likely to lead to more wildfires and subsequent smoke warnings. A University of California, Irvine study published on 12 June, for example, found that "an increase in temperatures and dryness has been identified to be one of the major drivers" of summer forest fires. Read More
Risk of electricity shortages rises with extreme heat waves
Marketplace -
The question is, “can we build new resources fast enough to compensate for decommissioning of existing resources and to handle elevated peak loads on the grid due to intensifying extreme weather events?” said Brian Tarroja [associate researcher] at the University of California, Irvine. Read More
Pedro Pascal and World Bank’s Ajay Banga among those named to Carnegie’s 2023 Great Immigrants list
Associated Press -
World Bank President Ajay Banga, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette and “The Mandalorian” star Pedro Pascal are on this year’s Great Immigrants list announced Wednesday by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. ... Since 2006, the foundation has assembled an annual list of notable naturalized American citizens to celebrate the contributions immigrants make to the country and how they strengthen democracy. ...The Carnegie Corporation of New York’s 2023 Great Immigrants are: … Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, University of California, Irvine [Distinguished] Professor [of biomedical engineering] …. Read More
Top 10 Inspiring Innovators Pushing the Boundaries in Their Industries
LA Weekly -
Justin Stovner, a true innovator, has left an indelible mark on the biotech industry. During college, Justin’s innovative journey began when he co-founded Syntr Health Technologies, Inc., a breakthrough company focused on harnessing the potential of adipose tissue for various applications. … While nurturing his company’s growth, he continued his pursuit for knowledge and obtained a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the esteemed University of California, Irvine. During his master’s program, Justin embarked on an extraordinary journey to reshape the agricultural industry by developing a groundbreaking device for the rapid isolation of plant cells for genetic modification. Read More
Wildfire Predictions from a Water Tank
Physics -
“This is an important contribution to the wildland fire literature,” says Tirtha Banerjee, an expert in turbulent flows in natural environments [and associate professor] at the University of California, Irvine. The research “provides insights into the complex interaction of strong buoyant plumes with canopy turbulence,” he says. Banerjee adds that this information is essential for predictions of the spread of fires through the dispersal of burning pieces of wood. Read More
UC researchers gather around the fire
Farm Progress -
Early one morning in May, students and staff from UC Irvine and UC Riverside gathered at the South Coast Research and Extension Center to collect data for their own research projects. South Coast REC, located in Irvine, is part of a statewide network of research and education facilities operated by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. ...Tirtha Banerjee, [associate] professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Irvine, coordinated the field day with [Luca] Carmignani …. Jacquelynn Nguyen, a Ph.D. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at UC Irvine, is interested in understanding how ash from wildfires and prescribed burns can be used as a treatment for per- and polyfluorinated substances. PFAS are a group of “forever chemicals” that can be found in heat-resistant materials – including fire extinguisher foam – and are extremely difficult to eliminate. Read More
Sustainable Aviation Hydrogen Powerplant Developer Hydroplane has Been Awarded a Prestigious Caltestbed Voucher from The California Energy Commission
Hydrogen Central -
Sustainable aviation hydrogen powerplant developer Hydroplane has been awarded a prestigious CalTestBed voucher from the California Energy Commission to conduct testing and accelerate commercialization of its revolutionary new electric propulsion system. … The award will permit Hydroplane to conduct ground-based commercialization studies at the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFRC) at the University of California at Irvine. The team will assess performance of the fuel cell powerplant in conditions that simulate the flight environment – for example, changes in altitude and temperature. Read More