AirUCI faculty Jun Wu wrote an opinion piece for the January 30th Voice of OC online newspaper in which she made the case for the City of Santa Ana to include more robust Environmental Justice policies in its general plan per California SB 100. The city is preparing to approve the current plan, which has inadequate measuring of air quality and lacks actionable goals. Read the article
News
Here's the latest news from AirUCI — our events, our people, our science.
2022
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
AirUCI faculty Alex Guenther is among the seven UCI researchers who have been named 2022 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. As a professor in UCI's Department of Earth System Science, Alex was recognized for distinguished contributions to the field of biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds to the atmosphere and their effects on atmospheric chemistry. Congratulations, Alex!
Friday, January 21, 2022
The University of California is pleased to announce the results of the 2022 UC Laboratory Fees Research Program competition. AirUCI grad student Cindy Yanez (Faiola group) is one of the seven UC students who were selected from among a highly competitive pool of applicants as recipients of UC-National Lab In-Residence Graduate Fellowships. These Fellows will have the unique opportunity to conduct research and receive training at a national laboratory, and Cindy with be collaborating with Los Alamos National Lab on her project, entitled “Plant Radiocarbon as an Indicator for Urban Decarbonization.” Way to go, Cindy!
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Prof. Andrea De Vizcaya-Ruiz, AirUCI's 31st faculty member, has joined UCI's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health as an Associate Professor and joined the AirUCI team as well. She has had a distinguished career as a Research Professor in Toxicology at the Department of Toxicology at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) in Mexico City, with acknowledged expertise in inhalation toxicology. We are thrilled to welcome her!
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
The newly launched UCI Center for Environmental Health Disparities Research will address the impact of climate change on vulnerable Orange County communities. Directed by AirUCI faculty Jun Wu and fellow public health faculty member Alana LeBrón, the center will work to solve complex challenges through a cross-campus approach involving experts from engineering, social ecology, medicine, pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences, nursing and social sciences. Read the article
2021
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
AirUCI grad student Alyssa Burns (Carlton group) is quoted in an article in EOS that discusses ammonia emissions generated by animal agriculture. The study included data from the USDA, EPA, and NASA and found that the increase in the number of feedlots is an important factor in these gases. “We know that ammonia does come from animal husbandry, but actually statistically relating ammonia concentrations to those point sources is not something that we’ve really been able to achieve before,” said Alyssa. Read the article
Monday, December 6, 2021
As part of an experiment to measure gases and particles from brakes and tires, AirUCI faculty Don Blake has been using his truck as a scientific apparatus. This was the second time he has driven the truck while riding the brakes, and the results have been surprisingly effective. The experiment is part of the Beyond the Tailpipe group's collaborative research projects into this little understood area of air pollution. Read the article Learn more about Beyond the Tailpipe
Monday, November 29, 2021
AirUCI faculty Annmarie Carlton, currently serving a year in the White House as a Revelle Fellow, was the guest on the November 29th UCI Podcast which was recorded before her departure to Washington D.C. Annmarie discusses her research and background, airborne particles, climate change, and the challenges of science influencing policy at both small and large scales. Hear the podcast
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
A paper published by AirUCI faculty James Randerson and his team describes how Sierra Nevada wildfires could increase in number by 20 percent or more by the 2040s, and that the total burned area could increase by about 25 percent. The findings “show how short events like heat waves impact fires,” said Aurora Gutierrez, project specialist in the Randerson group and lead author on the paper. “What makes this novel is that we were trying to identify the role of individual temperature extremes on individual dates,” said Jim. Read the article
Monday, November 15, 2021
An article written by AirUCI faculty Jun Wu describes the variety of health risks exacerbated by climate change and associated environmental justice issues. Extreme heat, more frequent and extreme weather events, and rising sea levels all combine to degrade air and water quality, threaten food supplies, and displace millions of people. Along with AirUCI research specialist Shahir Masri in her group, Jun studied the effects of wildfires on different populations and further found that elderly and low-income residents suffered a disproportionate share of the fires’ impacts. Read the article
