AirUCI faculty Ulrike Luderer has been informed that her January 2022 paper entitled "Exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) depletes the ovarian follicle reserve and causes sex-dependent cardiovascular changes in apolipoprotein E null mice" was selected as Paper of the Year by the Editorial staff at Particle and Fibre Toxicology. Among her co-authors are additional AirUCI researchers Veronique Perraud, Lisa Wingen, Rebecca Arechavala, Bishop Bliss, David Herman, and Michael Kleinman. Congratulations to all on this great honor!
News
Here's the latest news from AirUCI — our events, our people, our science.
2023
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
At the EKC Lee event held annually by UCI's Chemistry Department, several AirUCI team members were recognized for their exceptional efforts and contributions. From the NIzkorodov group, a number of grad students received awards: Lucia Liu for Contributions to Education by a First Year Teaching Assistant, Avery Dalton for Contributions to Education by a Teaching Assistant, Lena Gerritz received a graduate student fellowship from the National Science Foundation, and Cynthia Wong was awarded the prestigious Smitrovich Prize. From the Carlton group, Alyssa Burns also received a grad student award for Contributions to Education by a Teaching Assistant and Madison Flesch for Outstanding Contributions to the Department. The Gebel Award for graduate students was given to Jeremy Wakeen (Smith group), Jessica Granger-Jones, Nehal Idris, and Elisa Olivas. Recipients of the Undergraduate Gebel Award were Patricia Morris (Finlayson-Pitts group), Maggie Chou (Nizkorodov group), Max Lee (Smith group), and Natalie Ramirez (Jenny Yang group in UCI Chemistry) . Congratulations, one and all!
Monday, June 12, 2023
AirUCI faculty Jack Brouwer is the subject of the June 12, 2023 episode of the PBS series Sustaining US. With increasing interest in electric vehicles, as well as increasingly overwhelming information about them, Program host David Nazar visited Jack on campus and asked him to give an "EV car buyers tutorial" to help consumers sort through the hype and noise and clarify the available options. Watch the program
Thursday, June 8, 2023
AirUCI faculty Jim Randerson, along with three other UCI professors, is a major contributor to a groundbreaking report entitled “Microbes in Models: Integrating Microbes into Earth System Models for Understanding Climate Change,” published by the American Academy of Microbiology. The study describes the effects of a previously overlooked aspect of climate change: microorganisms. Through their consumption and production of greenhouse gases, they drive essential biogeochemical cycles and therefore play a significant role in influencing climate change. Read the article
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
In a June 7th article in Wired, AirUCI Research Scientist Shahir Masri (Wu group) is quoted on the health effects of the smoke generated by massive wildfires in Canada, which in the first week of June has blanketed much of Eastern Canada and the U.S. Wildfire smoke can cause immediate health effects, like heart attacks, stroke, and bronchitis, particularly in vulnerable populations, and can be threatening to pregnant women. “These single-exposure events can be really devastating to people with preexisting conditions,” says Shahir. Read the article
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin has led a study that focuses on the effects of humidity combined with high temperatures, and their combined effects on human health. The paper is published in the May 31, 2023 edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, Heat extremes obviously increase the risk of illness and death, and humidity increases heat stress by making it harder for bodies to cool. However, medical and public health experts disagree about the extent of humidity's health and mortality impacts. Read the article
Monday, June 5, 2023
On June 5, 2023, AirUCI founder and Co-Director Barbara Finlayson-Pitts was awarded an honorary doctorate from McGill University in Toronto, Canada. The degree is Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.) and is described as follows: "Honorary doctorates are McGill University’s highest honours, and are awarded to people who have shown exceptional dedication to improving the lives of others, whether through research, art, public service, or philanthropy." Congratulations, Barb!
Monday, May 22, 2023
In a May 22nd article in the New York Times on the health effects of heat waves and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts, AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin is quoted . Major U.S. cities are vulnerable to heat waves and blackouts, with Phoenix projected to be hardest hit. According to Jane, these findings should underscore the importance of investing in a stronger electrical grid. That would “help prevent this terrifying compound risk in the present and will continue to pay dividends in the future as heat waves continue to worsen,” she said. Read the article
Thursday, May 18, 2023
AirUCI faculty Kim Fortun is quoted in a May 18th Voice of OC article on air pollution in Santa Ana. Also named in the article are Leonel Flores of our partner organization GREEN-MPNA and AirUCI undergrad student Aiden Brown, both part of AirUCI's Beyond the Tailpipe research team. “Part of what we’re doing is working to build an environmental justice archive, one that helps communities document the history of harms that they’re facing,” said Kim. Read the article
Friday, May 12, 2023
AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin was the guest on Third Pod from the Sun, a podcast of the American Geophysical Union. The topic was modeling hurricanes, a field where Jane is known as an expert, with discussions about algorhythms and how she uses them to model extreme weather as well as her background. You can listen to the podcast -- Jane's section starts at the 4 minute 15 second mark with their introduction.
