Media Watch
‘It’s happening by design’: Two engineers tapped to lead major D.C. region universities
The Washington Post -
In the span of two weeks, two of the largest schools in the Washington region — George Mason and the University of Maryland at College Park — named engineering deans to lead their campuses. Before being chosen for the top job at GMU, [Gregory] Washington led the engineering school at the University of California at Irvine. … “It’s not a coincidence. It’s happening by design,” Washington said in an interview. “People are recognizing that individuals with an understanding of science and technology are critical to this region’s long-term success.” [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
Laguna Beach-based nonprofit tries to help young girls plant roots in STEM fields
Daily Pilot -
Project Scientist …. has partnered with UC Irvine the past three summers and held an expedition last week at the university’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering. “The event was a great opportunity for the girls to dip their toes into STEM and get familiar with all possible career options available to them,” said A. Lili Castillo, outreach co-chairwoman for UCI’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. “With regard to our SWE chapter, it was an amazing way for us to become the role models that some of us wish we had growing up,” said Castillo, a second-year mechanical engineering student. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
Solar And Wind Power Could Ignite A Hydrogen Energy Comeback
Scientific American -
“Far too many people have been misled into believing that electrification is the entire [carbon] solution” that is needed, says Jack Brouwer, an energy expert at the University of California, Irvine, who has been engineering solutions to his region’s dirty air for more than two decades. “And many of our state agencies and legislators have bought in,” without considering how to solve energy storage or to fuel industry, he says. Read More
David and Dana Dornsife Give $40 Million to World Vision
The Chronicle of Philanthropy -
University of California, Irvine. Stacey Nicholas gave $5 million to endow the university’s Office of Access & Inclusion, which will be named for her. The money will go toward efforts to recruit and retain students from populations who are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math and will primarily serve students in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences. Read More
Girls get an exercise in engineering during visit to UC Irvine
Daily Pilot -
“This day was the start of an exciting new partnership with UC Irvine, ”[Sandy] Marshall said. “We will be back on campus this summer for our weekly STEM academies. UC Irvine offers great resources for us, along with many strong female role models in the sciences that young girls can learn from.” [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
California PUC proposes pilot programs to decarbonize buildings
Utility Drive -
Renewable gas and hydrogen need to be part of the zero-emissions future, Jack Brouwer, director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California, Irvine, told Utility Dive. Brouwer is a board member and chair of the renewable hydrogen and energy storage sector action group of the California Hydrogen Business Council. Read More
Cuttlefish-inspired smart camouflage could make for sneakier soldiers
ZD Net -
Cephalopods -- cuttlefish, octopus, and squid -- are renowned for their ability to rapidly change their skin colour and patterns to match their surroundings or warn off attackers. … According to Alon Gorodetsky Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, understanding these biological capabilities could inspire the engineering of dynamic materials for military camouflage applications. … Gorodetsky and his colleagues have already demonstrated the potential of such a "dynamic thermoregulatory material" which was inspired by squid skin. Read More
Foundation trustee donates $5 million to UC Irvine for inclusive STEM recruitment
Daily Pilot -
UC Irvine announced Monday that it has received a $5-million donation from one of its foundation members to benefit the university’s Office of Access & Inclusion, which supports recruitment, retention and graduation of students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math. The donation was made by Stacey Nicholas, a trustee of the UCI Foundation and an electrical engineer who founded the Irvine-based Opus Foundation, which promotes STEM education outreach and the arts.[Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
Stacey Nicholas Grants $5M More for STEM at UCI
Orange County Business Journal -
Stacey Nicholas has donated $5 million to foster and support diverse representation at the schools of engineering and computer sciences at University of California, Irvine. “It’s so important to support underrepresented students so they’ll have the same chance of success as their more fortunate peers,” Nicholas said. … The $5 million donation brings the university’s total contributions to $813 million since 2015. UCI announced its $2 billion “Brilliant Future” campaign last October, which included a $200 million gift from the Samueli Foundation in 2017.[Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
Researchers find collaborative flood modeling process effective
Smart Water Magazine -
“The impacts of flooding continue to escalate in the U.S. and around the world, and the main culprit is urban growth in harm’s way, with communities underprepared to deal with extreme events that are getting more intense in a warming climate,” said lead author Brett Sanders, UCI professor of civil & environmental engineering. “Our approach rests on making modern flood simulation technologies accessible and useful to everyone within at-risk communities.” Read More