Media Watch
U.S. electrical grids are not prepared for climate change
Marketplace -
How prepared are American power grids for climate change? As the weather gets more extreme, “in general I would say grids are not prepared for climate change,” said Brian Tarroja, a researcher in civil and environmental engineering at University of California, Irvine. … “When you have microgrids and energy storage and distrbuted solar and things like that, you have more levers you can pull to make sure that the electric load is met,” he said. Read More
R&D Toward Sustainable Technologies Is the Key to Achieving California’s Climate Goal
Power Magazine -
Vojislav Stamenkovic, [professor of chemical & biomolecular engineering and] inaugural director of the Horiba Institute at UCI writes, “R&D initiatives for advanced lead battery technology are already underway in California through the Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP); the recently established Horiba Institute for Mobility and Connectivity (HIMaC2) at the University of California, Irvine; and the industry-academic partnership between University of California, Los Angeles and the Consortium for Battery Innovation, among others.” Read More
Miss Fountain Valley comes in third for Miss California title
Orange County Register -
Maaikee Pronda, the reigning Miss Fountain Valley, was crowned second runner-up at the Miss California competition in Fresno Friday. … At age 20, Pronda earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at UC Irvine .… She graduated magna cum laude from both Fountain Valley High School and UC Irvine. At UCI, she was president of the Engineering Student Council and initiated “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” which partnered local companies with Girls Scouts and their parents during an interactive learning event. Among honors she has received are the UCI Biomedical Engineering Student of the Year, the Outstanding Engineering Student Award given by the Orange County Engineering Council, and UCI’s Chancellor’s Award of Distinction. [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries. Sign-up here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/news/ocregister] Read More
Yukon-Kuskokswim in Colorful Transition: Remarkable Example of How Water and Ice Can Shape the Land
SciTechDaily -
According to Lawrence Vulis, a graduate student at the University of California, Irvine, the delta would have appeared much more inundated immediately following the melting of snow and ice a few weeks prior to this image. Stream gauges and satellite images suggest that the bulk of the flooding had already subsided. Still, the flooding was recent enough that the plenty of ponding remained on May 29. As summer advances, the floodwater will continue to recede and the wetlands will continue to green up with vegetation. Read More
What Engineers and Entomologists Can Learn from Ironclad Beetles
Pest Control Technology -
Last year, Purdue and University of California, Irvine, researchers used state-of-the-art microscopy and other advanced and experimental computational techniques to determine why these beetle species are so tough. Their hope is this knowledge will enable the development of super strong materials. The journal Nature published their findings. The scientists found that the elytra, which protect the back half of the beetle, come together at a suture along the abdomen and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, allowing the layers to flex and distribute force evenly throughout the body. Read More
'Hottest Place On Earth' Has Been Hit By Heatwave
LAD Bible -
Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, found that surface temperatures were actually much higher in Iran's Lut Desert and the North American Sonoran Desert, which straddles the US-Mexican border, covering large parts of Arizona, California, and North-Western Mexico. ... Lead author Yunxia Zhao [graduate student, civil & environmental engineering], of the University of California, Irvine, said it is unclear whether or not climate change is driving up surface temperatures. Read More
Climate Change, Corporate Development Threaten Groundwater Wells In Texas And Across US
Texas Standard -
Amir AghaKouchak is an engineering professor at University of California Irvine. He studies the extremes of climate change. “Model projections of the future show that we may see events that you have never experienced, at least in our modern records,” he said. That includes the potential for record-breaking drought in some areas. Read More
Climate Change, Corporate Development Threaten Groundwater Wells In Texas And Across US
Texas Public Radio -
Amir AghaKouchak is an engineering professor at University of California Irvine. He studies the extremes of climate change. “Model projections of the future show that we may see events that you have never experienced, at least in our modern records,” he said. That includes the potential for record-breaking drought in some areas. Read More
New approach to rewriting bacteria’s genetic code could lead to novel medicines
Science -
Now, researchers have opened the floodgates to doing much more. They report today that a broad rewrite of a bacterium’s genome lets them add numerous novel amino acids to one protein. The work could open new ways to synthesize antibiotics and antitumor drugs. “I am very impressed by this paper,” says Chang Liu, [biomedical engineering associate professor] at the University of California, Irvine. “It’s a significant milestone in the arc of genetic code re-engineering.” Read More
Warning: Wildfires might make you itch
Science News for Students -
Since 2000, California’s wildfire season has gotten longer. It peaks earlier, too. Those findings come from graduate student Shu Li and environmental engineer [and assistant professor] Tirtha Banerjee. They’re at the University of California, Irvine. They shared their work in Scientific Reports on April 22. Read More