AirUCI undergraduate researcher Jo-Yee "Joey" Cheng (Finlayson-Pitts group) has received an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program fellowship. She referenced her work in mass spectrometry methods probing submicron particles and was selected by the campus UROP administration. Congratulations, Joey!
News
Here's the latest news from AirUCI — our events, our people, our science.
2020
Thursday, June 25, 2020
AirUCI faculty Steve Davis is the subject of an article in Orange Coast Magazine that is part of a series examining what local residents are doing to combat climate change. Steve is asked about his work and how it inspires others to take action, and he talks about UCI's position as a leader in climate action. Read the article
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
AirUCI Co-Director Sergey Nizkorodov has completed his term as Vice-Chair for Academic Programs and Curriculum in UCI's Department of Chemistry. This is a position he has held since 2016 and he has worked diligently to improve undergraduate education at UCI. Prof. Jim Smith, also AirUCI faculty, is taking over this position and will continue to improve the educational experience for undergrads, especially in light of the recent challenges with the COVID pandemic. Thank you, Sergey, and congratulations, Jim!
Friday, June 12, 2020
AirUCI faculty Steve Davis co-authored a study published today in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, Chinese, European, American, and British researchers have demonstrated that the number of countries implementing COVID-19 lockdown measures – and the duration of those efforts – have a greater influence on the gross domestic products of nations than the severity of the restrictions. They also found that easing containment edicts gradually leads to smaller economic losses than lifting them swiftly and then having to reintroduce closures. View the article Read the study
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
AirUCI graduate student Brenna Biggs of the Blake research group has been awarded a 2020 Dynamic Womxn of UCI award. This event celebrates and honors the incredible womxn who are leaders and role models actively making a difference in our community. This one-of-a-kind celebration focuses on the womxn who inspire us to take action and to fight for causes we believe in. Congratulations, Brenna! Read more
Saturday, May 30, 2020
AirUCI faculty Don Blake is a founding member of SARP, the NASA Student Airborne Research Program. In fact, SARP is based in the Rowland/Blake research group. Every summer since 2009, SARP has brought about 30 undergraduate STEM students from across the United States to UCI as interns with NASA's Earth Science research. This year, with COVID-19 restrictions, SARP will introduce a new at-home data collection project for the interns as well as the analysis of previously collected aircraft, ground, and satellite data.
To provide the 28 SARP interns of 2020 with a hands-on research experience in atmospheric science, as well as to better understand the unique environmental impacts of the pandemic, SARP leadership designed an at-home air sampling project to take advantage of the geographic distribution of interns across the United States. The Rowland/Blake lab provided nearly 1,000 air canisters to send to SARP interns at home. Canisters were also sent to several SARP mentors, faculty and NASA scientists.
SARP alumnus and UC Irvine graduate student Alex Jarnot cleaned and prepared the canisters, then they were sent out. SARP participants each received 24 evacuated canisters that they are currently using to take air samples of their local environments, allowing them to track the changes in emissions over the coming months as human and industrial activity ramps up. Read the article
Thursday, May 21, 2020
AirUCI undergraduate Kimberly Zhang has been selected as a 2020-2021 Beckman scholar. Kimberly is a chemistry and mathematics double major under faculty mentorship of AirUCI Co-Director Sergey Nizkorodov jointly with AirUCI faculty Filipp Furche. She is researching chemistry of air pollutants using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. Each year, 1-2 outstanding students are selected as UCI Beckman Scholars based on their academic record, quality of previous research experience, and potential to become prominent research leaders in the chemical and life sciences. Way to go, Kimberly!
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
In a May 20th Scientific American article, AirUCI faculty Steve Davis was asked to comment on a Stanford University study that shows the difficulty the world faces in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Sudden drops in CO2 emissions due to the COVID crisis were massive and unprecedented, yet were barely a blip in the big picture, revealing instead how much work must be done to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Despite the massive reduction in emissions, while much of the world was under lockdown, this represented only a small percentage of improvement and is temporary. “The magnitude of reductions has to be similar, but it has to persist over time, and it can’t be as disruptive as this has been,” said Steve, who did not participate in the study. Read the article
Friday, May 1, 2020
AirUCI faculty Michael Dennin has been appointed to a second five-year term as Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education. This reappointment follows an administrative review, which included materials and letters of evaluation from senior administrators, deans, associate deans, faculty, external reviewers, and staff members.
As the first Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning at UCI, Mike established a mission and vision dedicated to enhancing undergraduate student success. Under his leadership, the Division of Undergraduate Education was reorganized and the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation was created to streamline support and enable the transformation of instruction at UCI. Summer Session was integrated into the main campus structure to incorporate strategic review of course offerings. New resources for faculty enabled the scaling of tools and programs to advance undergraduate teaching. His leadership, performance, and accomplishments have positioned UCI as a national model for pedagogical innovation and student success. Congratulations, Mike!
Thursday, April 30, 2020
AirUCI faculty Donald Dabdub has been named Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor of the Year! This honor, based on a student vote, recognizes his excellent reputation among students and celebrates his documented track record of student mentorship, guidance and care. As an experienced teacher respected by students and faculty alike, Professor Dabdub offers some of his top tips for adjusting to the remote teaching environment. Congratulations, Donald!
