April 26, 2023
UCI Digest
A student paints a cork plant saucer at the Sustainability Resource Center booth on Ring Mall.
A student paints a cork plant saucer at the Sustainability Resource Center booth on Ring Mall. Photo: Steve Zylius/UCI

UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

UCI professor documents California fossil fuel industry layoffs

graphic of fossil fuel emissions
A new report by Virginia Parks, professor of urban planning and public policy, documents the difficult post-layoff job search and working conditions of hundreds of California fossil fuel workers in the aftermath of the 2020 closure of the Marathon Martinez oil refinery in Contra Costa County. One of the first, in-depth, representative studies of displaced fossil fuel workers, the report finds that while the laid off workers broadly support the region’s transition to a clean energy economy, they faced significant financial strain, mental health challenges and difficulty securing high-quality, union jobs in the aftermath of the refinery shutdown.

Live Well: Spring food cravings

Made with white beans, spring peas and roasted shallots, this fresh dip is a protein-rich, high-fiber, low-fat snack that promotes gut and heart health.
Paying attention to how your daily diet affects you — in both good and bad ways — can help you prioritize the foods that renew your body and energize your brain. Incorporating more nutrient-rich seasonal foods is a great way to stay healthy all year.  Jessica VanRoo, executive chef of the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, part of UCI Health — has prepared some delicious springtime recipes to help you prepare for the longer, sunnier and more active days ahead.

UCI-led research shows promise for post-treatment behavior therapy

Michael Hoyt, an associate professor of population health and disease prevention
UCI’s Michael Hoyt, an associate professor of population health and disease prevention, has developed new behavioral therapy that could provide much needed support to young adult testicular cancer survivors. Their research, published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine, showed positive results for Goal-focused Emotion-regulation Therapy, a six-session intervention aimed to enhance self-regulation through improved goal navigation skills, improved sense of meaning and purpose, and better ability to regulate specific emotional responses. Those who received the GET intervention showed less depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to those receiving other forms of therapy.

UC NEWS

CDC issues updated COVID-19 recommendations

On April 19, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. The Moderna and Pfizer monovalent two dose primary series is no longer recommended for use in the U.S., and those who have never been vaccinated are now recommended to receive one bivalent dose instead of the discontinued two dose monovalent series. The CDC also recommends an additional bivalent dose for those 65 years and older and for those who are immunocompromised. For those students and employees who are currently compliant with the UC Vaccine Policy, no additional action is required as a result of these updated CDC recommendations. If you have questions about the updated recommendations please call or email Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services at 949-824-2300 or contacttracing@uci.edu. For updated information, please visit UCI Forward.

EVENTS

Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles & Villalobos Brothers
Friday, 8 p.m. (sponsored by Irvine Barclay Theatre)

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

UCI hosts Sustainability Challenge

Michael Houlihan (left) and Bonnie Harvey, the founders of Barefoot Wine, attended the kickoff event as keynote speakers. ANTrepreneur Center.

The Sustainability Challenge is the second Hacking Student Success event, which was created by the Office of Data and Information Technology and the ANTrepreneur Center to give students an opportunity to address campus issues that affect their own experiences and the resources to develop solutions that can make a real impact in their community. The ANTrepreneur Center created five categories to guide student projects this year: Energy, water, air, liveable spaces and food/waste. Keynote speakers this year included Michael Houlihan (left) and Bonnie Harvey, the founders of Barefoot Wine.

#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.
Jacqueline Burns, doctoral candidate in political science, cited in CBS news

What’s next for Sudan after 72-hour ceasefire

CBS News, April 24 (Video)
Cited: Jacqueline Burns, doctoral candidate in political science 

Leigh Turner, professor of public health, cited in ABC News

Be wary of unproven eye drop treatment with amniotic fluid, FDA says

ABC News, April 25
Cited: Leigh Turner, professor of public health

 Claudia Kawas, a professor of clinical neurology, cited in Yahoo! news

Are Biden and Trump too old to be president?

Yahoo News, April 26
Cited: Claudia Kawas, a professor of clinical neurology

COVID-19 NOTIFICATION & HEALTH RESOURCES

Upload your vaccine and booster records

Employee Upload button
Student Upload button

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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