Media Watch
Self-Driving Cars Work Better With Smart Roads
IEEE Spectrum -
The concept of smart roads is not new. It includes efforts like traffic lights that automatically adjust their timing based on sensor data and streetlights that automatically adjust their brightness to reduce energy consumption. PerceptIn, of which coauthor [Shaoshan] Liu is founder and CEO, has demonstrated at its own test track, in Beijing, that streetlight control can make traffic 40 percent more efficient. (Liu and coauthor [Jean-Luc] Gaudiot, Liu’s former doctoral advisor [and current engineering professor] at the University of California, Irvine, often collaborate on autonomous driving projects.) Read More
Some dams might worsen flooding
KJZZ -
Dams serve a variety of purposes, from energy generation to flood control. But new research in the journal Nature Communications concerning China's lower Yellow River suggests dams actually can raise flood risk by altering the makeup and structure of lowland riverbeds. “The bed is really flat; and then you move upward, closer to the dam site and, immediately adjacent to the dam, the channel bed become really, really rough,” said lead author Hongbo Ma, a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Irvine. Read More
SWE Diverse Podcast: Domino Master’s Wonder Women Team
Society of Women Engineers -
On this episode of Diverse, SWE President Rachel Morford sits down with two members of FOX’s Domino Master’s Wonder Women Team, Farah Bajwa and Brianne Martin. Listen as they talk about their experience on Domino Masters and the engineering knowledge and background they brought to the competition. … Farah Bajwa … received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine. Her electro-mechanical engineering major was a custom major, as it wasn’t formally offered. Read More
The Cephalo-Inspired Technology Of The Future
Science Friday -
“Cephalopods are such exciting sources of inspiration,” says Alon Gorodetsky, [associate professor], a materials scientist at the University of California, Irvine. “The things they do, how they move, even their brains—it’s like science fiction stuff.” … In this segment, Ira chats with Gorodetsky and other technologists about an array of cephalopod-inspired innovations, from adaptive camouflage to self-healing materials. Read More
Hydrogen Blending Well into Climate Change Discussion
Pipeline & Gas Journal -
“We continue to work with SoCalGas on transforming several parts of its gas system for introducing some percentage of hydrogen initially and transforming it for eventually carrying all hydrogen,” said Jack Brouwer, UCI engineering professor and hydrogen [National] Fuel Cell Research [Center] director. UCI’s work with Sempra’s SoCalGas utility involves determining what impacts hydrogen-natural gas blends would have on various gas-fired appliances and end-uses. “We’ve found these appliances can handle blends of up to 30% hydrogen with no problem, and in most cases with reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions,” Brouwer said. Read More
Novel Technique Differentially Maps Phonon Momenta with Atomic Resolution
AZO Materials -
“We developed a novel technique to differentially map phonon momenta with atomic resolution, which enables us to observe nonequilibrium phonons that only exist near the interface,” stated co-author Xiaoqing Pan, UCI professor of materials science and engineering and physics, Henry Samueli Endowed Chair in Engineering, and IMRI director. Pan adds, “This work marks a major advance in the field because it’s the first time we have been able to provide direct evidence that the interplay between diffusive and specular reflection largely depends on the detailed atomistic structure.” Read More
Phonon dynamics enable a deeper understanding of how heat travels through quantum dots
Phys.org -
"We developed a novel technique to differentially map phonon momenta with atomic resolution, which enables us to observe nonequilibrium phonons that only exist near the interface," said co-author Xiaoqing Pan, UCI professor of materials science and engineering and physics, Henry Samueli Endowed Chair in Engineering, and IMRI director. "This work marks a major advance in the field because it's the first time we have been able to provide direct evidence that the interplay between diffusive and specular reflection largely depends on the detailed atomistic structure." Read More
This Startup Raised Over $10 Million To Make Metal Manufacturing More Efficient And Sustainable
Forbes -
Foundation Alloy, a vertically integrated metal part production platform, announced it has raised a $10.5 million seed funding round …. The startup, which specializes in manufacturing high performing metal parts, was founded in February of this year by CEO Jake Guglin, … Jasper Lienhard, and Professors Chris Schuh (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Tim Rupert (University of California Irvine.) … The company says that through the technologies it has developed, it can make parts using less energy and creating less waste, making the manufacturing process more sustainable for the environment. Read More
Here are the colleges that will compete to make OC ‘world’s sustainability capital’
The Orange County Register -
“Over the next year-and-a-half we will be designing, building, and testing a 1,200-square foot Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) that is carbon-neutral, resilient, affordable, water- and energy-efficient, and of course attractive and comfortable,” says the website for Team M.A.D.E.-OC — “Modular Affordable Dwellings for the Environment” — which pairs up Orange Coast College and UCI’s School of Engineering. … UCI/OCC project lead [and UCI director of special projects] Jennifer Wilkens said Team M.A.D.E.-OC is in the early stages of recruiting students and faculty mentors, and beginning schematic design. [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries. Sign-up here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/news/ocregister] Read More
New assessment tool shows Bay Area counties with highest wildfire risk
KABC San Francisco -
While doing things to protect your home will help, the study concluded that a community-wide effort is needed to create a real firewall. One option is to greatly increase the number of controlled burns, according to a study released out of UC Irvine. "Our study shows that winter and spring are feasible times of the year that more prescribed burns should be done to help mitigate these extreme wildfires that we could see in the future," said Janine Ann Baijnath-Rodino [postdoctoral scholar] with UC Irvine's Environmental Engineering Department. Read More