AirUCI PI Donald Dabdub has received the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor of the Year Award given by UCI's Engineering Student Council. Way to go, Donald!
News
Here's the latest news from AirUCI — our events, our people, our science.
2015
AirUCI PI Sergey Nizkorodov will serve as a judge for the 34th Annual Irvine Unified School District Science Fair which will be held at Irvine High School on February 24, 2015.
AirUCI Graduate Student researcher Kurtis Malecha will act as a judge in the Irvine Unified School District's 34th annual Science Fair. The event will be held on February 24, 2014 at Irvine High School.
Dr. Martina Roeselova, AirUCI collaborator from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, has passed away. She was diagnosed less than a month ago with an inoperable brain tumor and was undergoing agressive chemotherapy. She contracted bronchitis on February 11th and was having difficulty breathing, so was readmitted to the hospital. Due to her weakened immune system resulting from the chemotherapy, the bronchitis quickly developed into septic shock and, despite the heroic efforts of her doctors, her heart stopped beating at 2 am Prague time today and she could not be revived.
We are devastated by this loss and send our deepest condolences to her family and friends. Martina was our dear friend and colleague, but she was also a world-renowned atmospheric chemist whose work has been key to many discoveries in the field. She will be missed by those who love her, those who worked with her, and those who read and cite her many publications.
Martina Roeselova Memorial Fellowship
The Martina Roeselova Memorial Fellowship has been established which will provide support to a young scientist (at the PhD, graduate student, or postdoctoral level) who is at the same time caring for a small child. We remember Martina's hard work as a student, researcher, and mother and how she excelled at all three endeavors, and this fund will bring some welcome relief to scientist fathers and mothers who are juggling many responsibilities. You will be sent a receipt which indicates that your donation is tax deductible.
You can contribute to this important effort by:
- completing this form
- writing a check made payable to: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the ASCR, v.v.i.
- mailing the form and check to:
Mr. Martin Matousek, Directors Office
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences
Flemingovo nam 2
16610 Prague 6
Czech Republic
Dr. Lisa Wingen, AirUCI Project Scientist, is participating in an outreach effort this school year as a "science coach" for a 5th grade teacher at Castille Elementary School in Mission Viejo. She will act as a resource and assistant for Mrs. Smiggs in implementing science enrichment activities for the class.
The American Chemical Society (ACS) sent Dr. Wingen a set of free supplies for 4th-6th grade chemistry students in the form of a two-part pH experiment that fit nicely into the classroom's science project on water quality of local lakes and streams. Along with answering chemistry questions when the teacher or her students have them, Dr. Wingen has also enrolled in the ACS Ambassadors Program which encourages chemists to help local communities to understand science concepts more deeply. She will use the resources from this program also to assist Mrs. Smiggs in her classroom.
As a former student and postdoc for AirUCI Director Barbara Finlayson-Pitts and Co-Director John Hemminger, Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson is a great friend to AirUCI. She flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station in 2007 and spent nearly six months aboard the ISS in 2010, where she performed three successful space walks totaling nearly 24 hours of EVA time.
She has kindly presented three public lectures sponsored by AirUCI — in 2007, 2011, and 2014 — all at the Beckman Auditorium and all to overflow crowds. She is now engaged in projects that represent new NASA initiatives, one of which is a program entitled "StationLife" which tells about life aboard the ISS. Tracy hosted the January 11, 2015 episode of the show, which focused on nutrition in space and how what we learn there translates to improvements in nutrition here on Earth.
We're so proud of Tracy and all her accomplishments, and she is a marvelous spokeswoman for NASA and for science in general!
View StationLife: Nutrition with Tracy as host
View the print program for her 2014 AirUCI public presentation
2014
AirUCI Co-Director and UCI Vice Chancellor of Research John Hemminger has been honored with a Festschrift in a special issue of the Journal of Phyical Chemistry C published by American Chemical Society Publications. The cover of the journal is made up of images from articles published by John (and several other AirUCI and UCI Chemistry colleagues). This special issue is a splendid tribute to John's brilliant career in Chemistry, and we couldn't be prouder!
The Department of Chemistry at UCI is making two new faculty positions available which are likely to be associated with AirUCI as well as the Chemistry Department in general. Following is the text of the advertisement for these positions:
FACULTY POSITIONS IN ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY at the University of California, Irvine
The Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine (Irvine, California) has two openings for outstanding scientists in atmospheric chemistry at the Full Professor level. These positions are part of an integrated, across-campus initiative in air quality and climate. We seek to build this initiative through cross-cutting and transformative research programs that complement existing activities at UCI, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary activities and those that combine fundamental laboratory research with field observations, theory and modeling. Areas of particular interest include particles and their roles in air quality and climate. Candidates must have a PhD in Chemistry or a related field and a demonstrated record of accomplishments in atmospheric chemistry. The position requires both the establishment of a vigorous research program and a strong commitment to excellence in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Applications must be submitted electronically via the Internet at: http://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF02661. Applicants should upload a cover letter, a curriculum vita (including a publication list), and a concise statement of proposed research. A separate statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion should also be included in the application materials. Names and contact information for three references must be provided; letters should not be requested at this time. Applications and supporting materials should be received by December 31, 2014 for full consideration. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.
AirUCI Graduate Student researcher Kurtis Malecha will participate in Rancho San Joaquin Middle School's "Ask a Scientist Night" on October 15, 2014. He will answer questions about science in general and our research in particular.
On October 10, 2014, high school students from the Lennox Academy will tour AirUCI's labs and learn about our research projects. They will be led by their teacher, Wilkin Lee, who attended our 2014 Summer Teacher Workshop and was inspired to introduce his students to the work of AirUCI.