April 4, 2023
UCI Digest
Clouds part for a sunny view of Ring Road, the student center and Aldrich Hall as seen from the Humanities Instructional building.
Clouds part for a sunny view of Ring Road, the student center and Aldrich Hall as seen from the Humanities Instructional building. (Photo: Steve Zylius/UCI)

UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

Waypoints Symposium launches national dialogue on data-driven student success

Higher education leaders from more than 30 institutions convened at UCI last Thursday and Friday for the inaugural Waypoints Symposium to discuss data-driven student success. Gathering at the Anteater Learning Pavilion, attendees were able to sit in small groups and discuss concepts involving both cultural and institutional change, such as defining academic integrity, curricular coherence, students as partners, governance around what data is needed, course policies and post-COVID flexibility.

Researchers find genetic link to nicotine and tobacco addiction

In a study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, UCI researchers discovered certain genetic backgrounds increase susceptibility to nicotine/tobacco addiction. “The DNA in our genome is known to contribute to drug addiction,” says first author Diana Carreño, a pharmacological sciences Ph.D. candidate at the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Which genes – segments of DNA – and nucleotides more greatly impact drug addiction is less understood.”

Recipes to soothe acid reflux

Recipes to soothe acid reflux
More than 60 million Americans suffer from acid reflux at least once a month, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. Acid reflux happens when powerful stomach acids flow back into the esophagus. One of the most common causes is a weakened or damaged lower esophageal sphincter that doesn't close properly. Ingredients known to calm acid reflux and improve digestive health are combined in these delicious recipes created by Jessica VanRoo, executive chef of the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. Give them a try and see if you're able to say goodbye to those antacid tablets.

UC NEWS

SpeechMatters podcast: Can human rights law help?

SpeechMatters podcast: Can human rights law help?
UCI School of Law Clinical Professor David Kaye joins SpeechMatters to tackle freedom of expression from a global perspective. The conversation touches on how tools like social media and AI might work for (and against) protesters around the world, and why “using the vocabulary of human rights” here at home and on our campuses can enhance expression. SpeechMatters is the podcast for the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.

EVENTS

LRP Orientation Webinar for Employees and Dependents
Thursday, noon (sponsored by HR Wellness)

After the ‘End of AIDS’: Collaboration, Care and Queer Sociality in Urban Amazonian Peru
Thursday, 2 p.m. (sponsored by Illuminations: The Chancellor’s Arts & Culture Initiative)

Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.

#UCICONNECTED

Coaching Youth Baseball and Softball with Sabermetrics

UCI economist Michael McBride

UCI economist Michael McBride – an avid baseball fan, self-described sabermetrics nerd and coach of many of his kids' baseball and softball teams – has launched a book series for coaches looking to improve their Little League, Pony and youth teams: Coaching Youth Baseball and Softball with Sabermetrics (free Kindle version available through Friday, April 7).

#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.

UCI IN THE NEWS

Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.
The Orange County Register logo

UCI receives ‘unprecedented’ grant to hire experts to address public health needs

The Orange County Register, April 3
Cited: Bernadette Boden-Albala, founding dean and director, Program in Public Health, and Steve A.N. Goldstein, vice chancellor for health affairs

Los Angeles Times logo

Opinion: Policing drag has a long history. There’s a reason politicians are at it again

Los Angeles Times, April 3
Author: Lucas Hilderbrand, chair and professor of film and media studies

New Books Network logo

Julia H. Lee, "The Racial Railroad"

New Books Network, April 1
Cited: Julia H. Lee, professor and chair of Asian American Studies

COVID-19 NOTIFICATION & HEALTH RESOURCES

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Daily COVID-19 symptom check

By coming to campus each day, students and employees are attesting they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and are not COVID-19 positive. If you currently have symptoms of COVID-19 or recently tested positive, do not come to campus, or if you currently live on campus stay in your residence, and follow instructions for reporting your case or assessing symptoms on the UCI Forward page. Close contacts to a COVID-19 case are not required to stay home or quarantine, but should follow guidance for close contact instructions for masking and testing on the UCI Forward page.

Potential workplace exposure

UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.

UCI Forward – information on campus status and operational updates

UCI Health COVID-19 Updates – important information related to UCI Health

Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services – assistance with COVID questions including vaccines and vaccine uploads or to report a case, available at contacttracing@uci.edu or 949-824-2300

Employee Experience Center – employee information on COVID benefits

For questions specific to your personal health situation, please contact your doctor or healthcare provider.

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