Media Watch

MSN News

California’s historic storms continue. Here’s how much scientists say it’s being driven by climate change

MSN (San Francisco Chronicle) -
The atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture for each degree Celsius — 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — of warming, said Amir AghaKouchak, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine. That means in a warmer climate storms can produce extreme rainfall more often than in the past. “We have places where average precipitation has remained more or less the same, but we see more and more extreme events,” AghaKouchak said. Read More
Los Angeles Times

After winter storms, California can expect a late start to the wildfire season

Los Angeles Times -
Still, as climate change pushes California fires to burn at higher elevations — places that were once too wet or cool to nurture flames — more snow is falling on burned areas, said Amir AghaKouchak, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine. … “So potentially, more and more fire snow interactions can contribute to a stronger or more rapid change from flood risk to drought risk,” he said. Read More

UC Irvine Researchers Secure Grants From Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

India Education Diary -
Three University of California, Irvine researchers are on teams that have won Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grants to pursue the development of advanced medical and biological imaging technologies. … Stacy Copp, UCI assistant professor of materials science and engineering, is leading a $1.85-million, four-year program to develop molecular-scale emitters for deep-tissue imaging. … Michelle Digman, UCI associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Jennifer Prescher, UCI professor of chemistry, are part of a $2.5-million, four-year project to create new bioluminescent probes and platforms for imaging hard-to-access tissues. Read More

UC Santa Cruz protein designer awarded $2.5M to develop bioluminescent protein for deep tissue imaging

Lookout Santa Cruz -
A team of engineers at UC Irvine including [Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Michelle Digman and Professor of Chemistry Jennifer] Prescher will collaborate with [Andy] Yeh to develop a new method of light detection called “phasor imaging,” rather than taking the traditional approach of detecting light signals by color. The UCI researchers have proven that this technology can better differentiate light emissions and avoid severe spectral overlap, which makes it difficult to clearly separate light. Read More
Daily Pilot

Love conquers all: New Miss Fountain Valley court is set

Daily Pilot -
[Love] Bradley, now 19 and a biomedical engineering student at UC Irvine, will serve as Miss Fountain Valley for the year ahead after winning the crown on Feb. 4. … Bradley said she has been driven by community service. When she was younger, her social impact initiative focused on youth leadership. This time around, she plans to use her platform to inspire women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Read More
Yahoo News

Ecosystem hydrologist Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm to lead UMD Center for Environmental Science

Yahoo News (The Baltimore Sun) -
A renowned ecosystem hydrologist has been hired as president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, a dean and professor at George Mason University, will start July 1 and also serve as the university system’s vice chancellor for sustainability. … Miralles-Wilhelm earned his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in engineering at the University of California, Irvine …. Read More
Clean Technica

SAE Adopts New Standards For Vehicle-To-Grid

CleanTechnica -
2021 study by University of California – Irvine professor Brian Tarroja and Rochester Institute of Technology professor Eric Hittinger found that V2G could make a big difference for California’s grid. They calculated that the combined value of the energy storage capacity of V2G enabled EVs in California is ​“approximately an order of magnitude larger than that for smart charging.” Read More

The Compost – Weekly Newsletter

The Orange County Register -
Smarter sand replenishment: Local lawmakers have fought for years to get the millions of dollars needed to start sand replenishment projects to help reverse erosion of Southern California beaches caused by development, rising seas and other impacts of climate change. But Laylan Connelly reports that UC Irvine researchers are recommending new data and methods that could allow leaders to make smarter decisions about where sand infusions can do the most good. Read More

New UCI study shows how data can help deal with eroding beaches

KNX News -
Not all beaches are eroding, but many are - enough to warrant spending large sums of money to add sand to Southern California's deteriorating coastlines. But as a new study out of UC Irvine suggests, adding sand might not be the way to go in every case. KNX News reporter Nataly Tavidian spoke with Daniel Kahl, a UC Irvine Ph.D. student who heads the study. Read More

UC Irvine sand study shows new data to help manage shrinking beaches

The Orange County Register -
new paper published recently by UC Irvine researchers in the Coastal Engineering Journal analyzed beaches between Long Beach and La Jolla, offering new data and methods that can be used to figure out the most vulnerable areas of coastline and whether those beaches are suitable for the mega, costly projects often turned toward for trying to replenish and retain sand. … “I’m really excited to have the resources that help, potentially, inform these decisions,” said Daniel Kahl, UCI researcher and lead author of the paper. … “The data essentially shows: Where do we get the most bang for our buck when it comes to placing sand on the coast,” said Brett Sanders, UCI civil and environmental engineering professor and co-author of the published paper. Read More

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