AirUCI faculty Steven Davis is quoted in a New York Times article on the challenges of meeting carbon dioxide reduction goals as agreed in last year's Paris emissions pact. Read the article
News
Here's the latest news from AirUCI — our events, our people, our science.
2016
Friday, November 18, 2016
Monday, November 7, 2016
It is with profound sadness that we report the passing of Ralph Cicerone, brilliant scientist and close friend of many within the AirUCI family. He died November 5th at the age of 73 after a short illness. His innovative research projects in atmospheric chemistry, climate change, and energy helped shape science and environmental policy at the highest levels, in the U.S. and around the world.
Ralph came to UCI in 1989 as a renowned scientist and expert in atmospheric chemistry who went on to found UCI’s Department of Earth System Science and serve as dean of the School of Physical Sciences. In 1998, Ralph was appointed chancellor of the UCI campus. He left in 2005 when he was elected president of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, though he remained an active supporter of UCI.
For more about Ralph's life and legacy, please visit the Ralph Cicerone Memorial Page.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Danielle Draper, graduate student in AirUCI's Smith Research Group, was awarded a best poster award at the annual meeting of the American Association for Aerosol Research for her poster entitled “Observations of Particle-phase NOy and SOx Species during Nanoparticle Growth Events at CLOUD10.” Way to go, Danielle!
Friday, October 14, 2016
AirUCI faculty Don Blake is featured in an article in the Orange County Register which acknowledges his expertise in air quality research and describes his worldwide efforts to collect and analyze air samples. Also quoted in the article are AirUCI alumni who have studied with Don, such as Lambert Doezema, Andreas Beyersdorf, Nick Vizenor, and Aaron Katzenstein.
Read the article
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
AirUCI faculty Michael Dennin has written a new book entitled "Divine Science: Finding Reason at the Heart of Faith" which recently won first place in the faith and science category of the 2016 Catholic Press Association Book Awards. In the book Mike explores how the Big Bang theory, evolution, and other scientific principles can actually deepen a person’s religious faith. Rather than view such concepts as antithetical to spirituality, believers should “embrace the sciences as another glimpse into the infinite,” he says. Read the article
Monday, October 3, 2016
Mallory Hinks, AirUCI grad student in the Nizkorodov group, was awarded the 2016 ACS Chemistry Champions contest on August 22, 2016 during the ACS national meeting in Philadelphia. This competition gives younger chemists an opportunity to develop and enhance their communication skills. Participants in the competition range from undergraduate students to professional scientists, from both the U.S. and abroad. The contestants submitted a two- to three-minute video of themselves describing chemistry concepts or their own research in a way that’s accessible to the general public. Read the article
Mallory will receive a trip to Washington, D.C. to network with professional science communications staff at ACS and possibly attend a briefing on Capitol Hill; she will host an ACS “Reactions” video; and she will join the National Academy of Sciences’ Science & Entertainment Exchange. Way to go, Mallory! Watch her video
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
AirUCI Faculty Michael Dennin was consulted by the History Channel and appeared on a program they recently aired about construction of batteries. In his lab on March 31, 2016, Mike demonstrated the basic concepts of batteries and proceeded to build a rudimentary battery with the show's host, author and researcher David Childress.
View the program clip
Monday, August 22, 2016
AirUCI Director Barbara Finlayson-Pitts has been awarded the prestigious Francis P. Garvan–John M. Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society. This award recognizes distinguished service to chemistry by women chemists, and the medallion will be presented at the WCC luncheon held at the ACS spring 2017 national meeting. Congratulations, Barb!
Monday, August 15, 2016
AirUCI faculty Steven Davis has been widely quoted in a number of published articles that debunk the "chemtrails" conspiracy theory, which claims that governments, military agencies, airlines, and corporations worldwide are colluding to release chemicals into the atmosphere. To believers, the chemicals being sprayed could be used to control the food supply, promote population control, or manipulate weather patterns. Some even think it is a scheme to either fight, or possibly create, climate change. This conspiracy is debunked in a new study published in Environmental Research Letters. “We don’t imagine that we’re going to sway the beliefs of hardcore adherents to the chemtrails conspiracy theory with this study," Steven said in a statement. "But we thought it was important to go on the record with fundamental scientific facts to refute claims that the government is deliberately spreading harmful chemicals from aircraft.”
Read the article
Thursday, August 11, 2016
AirUCI faculty Michael Kleinman will be interviewed this morning on Take Two, a public affairs program broadcast on PBS station KPPC, about an article in the Orange County Register dealing with the human costs of air pollution in Southern California. On average, over 2,000 people per year die in our region due to poor air. “We have more traffic; we have more cars. It’s inevitable to have more emissions and more output. When you have more fires and they’re more intense, there’s more exposure to people throughout the South Coast Air Basin, and Orange County is not immune.”
Read the article
