News

An August 11, 2021 New York Times article discusses a new peer-reviewed study that casts doubt on the use of hydrogen as a clean source of energy.  Most (blue) hydrogen used today is extracted from natural gas in a process that requires a lot of energy, emits vast amounts of CO2 and also releases methane. In fact, the energy used to make hydrogen usable as a sustainable fuel emits more across its entire supply chain than simply burning natural gas, according to the study.
 
Jack says that, "... green hydrogen would ultimately need to be made using renewable energy, which... would eliminate the fossil and the methane leaks."  He also noted that blue hydrogen, made from fossil fuels, could still act as a transition fuel but would ultimately be "a small contributor to the overall sustainable hydrogen economy. First we use blue, then we make it all green."   Read the article

AirUCI faculty Michael Prather was a major contributor to the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. In addition to his research citations, he was involved in the scoping (outlining) of the report and as a Review Editor.  Michael, who has been a regular contributor to several previous IPCC reports, was also cited more than 30 times in this report which was released on August 9, 2021 and which received much attention around the world.  Unlike most recent IPPC reports which have included a greater AirUCI and University of California presence, this one had only Michael and one other UC contributor amid a reduced effort overall from the United States. 
 
 

In 2020, AirUCI Project Scientists Lisa Wingen and Veronique Perraud, along with recent PhD recipient Allison Vander Wall (all from the Finlayson-Pitts group), submitted a paper entitled "Evidence for a kinetically controlled burying mechanism for growth of high viscosity secondary organic aerosol" to the journal Environmental Sciences, Processes and Impacts.  They are running an initiative on ESPI to highlight the best content published in the journal during 2020, and after a selection process involving the journal’s Editorial and Advisory Board members, their paper has been selected as one of the Runner-Up Best Papers of 2020.  Congratulations to Allison, Lisa, and Vero... well done!

AirUCI Co-Director Sergey Nizkorodov is the recipient of the 2021 Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished University Service Award. This prestigious award, established in 1990, is given to professors who are respected scholars and who have made outstanding contributions of service to the University of California and/or public service.
 
An outstanding contribution is not defined simply as having served on a large number of Senate Committees, although such may be one of the factors, but as service which leads to the betterment of the academic and/or personal lives of large segments of the University community.  Sergey has an extensive history of such service, but a few of his recent examples in the Department of Chemistry include: Vice Chair for Academic Programs and Curriculum, Chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum, and Chair of the TA Assignment Committee.  Examples of his service to the UCI campus include chairing the Subcommittee on Courses and Continuing Education, Science in Action faculty representative, and several panels involving everything from graduate research fellowships to the strategic plan for the School of Physical Sciences.  In addition, he is Vice President of the American Association for Aerosol Research and is an Associate Editor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
 
This list only scratches the surface of all that Sergey does in addition to being AirUCI's Co-Director and a busy Professor of Chemistry with numerous grants and research projects to oversee.  His dedication to the graduate student community is tireless and his results are excellent.  We are thrilled that he has been recognized with this well-earned honor.