News

Here's the latest news from AirUCI — our events, our people, our science.

 

2023

Thursday, August 17, 2023

In a Spectrum News spot that was broadcast on August 17, 2023, a study by AirUCI faculty Claudia Czimczik is cited.  Claudia's team conducted research at Toolik Lake in Alaska where they found that a common ecosystem called the “tussock tundra” had turned into a year-round source of ancient carbon dioxide because permafrost is thawing buried underneath the snow.  The study, on which AirUCI grad student Shaun Pedron is lead author, was published in the August 12, 2023 edition of AGU AdvancesView the broadcast

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

On August 8th, two AirUCI undergrads will present posters at the annual SoCal Undergraduate Chemistry Research Symposium: Patricia Morris (Finlayson-Pitts group) and  Dhyvia Manickam (Smith group).  The poster sessions are hosted at the ISEB atrium and the event will end with an award ceremony at 2:15PM.  

Friday, August 4, 2023

AirUCI faculty Kim Fortun was quoted in an August 4th Orange County Register article that asks why women seem more concerned about climate change than men.  Kim has found that women typically act as caretakers in families and communities more than men do, and this caretaker connection has been evident as she's organized community meetings where women outnumber men in attendance.  [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries. Sign-up here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/news/ocregister

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin was quoted in an August 2nd Vox article about the unusual hurricane season this year.  With global ocean temperatures at record levels, more hurricanes were expected but a strong El Nino in the Pacific is tamping down hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, as El Ninos tend to do.  “There is a relationship between sea surface temperature warming and potential intensity of tropical cyclones, but also there’s a number of other factors at play,” says Jane. “It doesn’t really work to just say, ‘Because temperatures are increasing, we’re going to see more storms or stronger storms.’”  And the global climate is shifting into uncharted territory, so researchers must continue to adapt in order to anticipate these storms.  Read the article

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

A new study published by AirUCI faculty Steve Davis the problem of and its effect on the environment.  While eliminating food waste should reduce adverse environmental effects of food production, the study found a “rebound effect” whereby efficiency improvements cause price decreases so consumption increases. They suggest that this outcome could offset up to 71 percent of the benefits of cutting down on food loss and waste. “There is a tension between the two objectives of eliminating food waste and increasing food security,” Steve says. “Improving supply chain efficiency and thereby lowering food costs could help make food more affordable in less-advantaged countries. But, especially in those places, we may need to adjust our expectations about the environmental benefits of avoiding waste and loss.”  Read the article

Friday, July 28, 2023

In a July 27th article in the Financial Times, AirUCI faculty Jack Brouwer is quoted on the difficulties that drivers of hydrogen-powered cars are having in finding fuel stations.  He also talks about the issue of sustainable energy credits, saying the reason the cost of hydrogen has surged is that state subsidies are being gobbled up by big businesses jumping into sustainable energy, such as biodiesel. These businesses “took all of the credits” that had been going to companies making and distributing hydrogen, Jack said. California’s legislature and governor know about this problem in hydrogen subsidies but for now it hasn’t been fixed.  Read the article (subscription may be required but is easy)

Thursday, July 27, 2023

AirUCI faculty Michael Fortun has published a new book entitled "Genomics with Care: Minding the Double Binds of Science".    The book examines affective, cognitive forces that have shaped the field of genomics with a particular emphasis on the study of care in science.  Congratulations, Mike!  Read the review

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin was quoted in a July 25th Washington Post article describing the problems posed by having over 300 heat indexes, each measuring extreme heat by different standards.  Over a summer when worldwide heat records are surpassed almost daily, having no single heat index complicates communication to the world's populations.. “The problem is we’ve hardly ever reached these levels of temperature and humidity in the historical record,” says Jane, “yet we see people dying in that very regularly.”  She recommends using the heat index to gauge the heat stress you might encounter over the course of an average day.  However, since other factors such as sunlight and humidity affect heat, she says it's best to defer to a local index when possible, such as the one New York City utilizes.  Read the article

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

A first-of-its-kind study led by AirUCI faculty Jun Wu suggests pregnant women exposed to a higher level of air pollution may have a higher risk of spontaneous premature rupture of membranes (SPROM), a critical obstetrical problem that can significantly increase maternal and fetal mortality. “Ozone appears to be more harmful among the air pollutants that we studied so it warrants further targeted research in different locations to explore this association,” says Jun.  Read the article

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

A first-of-its-kind study led by AirUCI faculty Jun Wu suggests pregnant women exposed to a higher level of air pollution may have a higher risk of spontaneous premature rupture of membranes (SPROM), a critical obstetrical problem that can significantly increase maternal and fetal mortality. “Ozone appears to be more harmful among the air pollutants that we studied so it warrants further targeted research in different locations to explore this association,” says Jun.  Read the article

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