Watch out for wasps

With summer heat on the rise, UCI Health’s allergy and immunology expert Dr. Ashley Sandoval spoke to Forbes about the wasp family, called vespids, which includes the hard-to-distinguish paper wasp, white-faced hornet and yellow jacket. Wasp stings can usually be treated at home, but because the insects can sting repeatedly, the side effects can be dangerous, says Sandoval. Allergic reactions such as swelling in the lips, tongue, throat and mouth, a rapid heart rate or a sharp drop in blood pressure should be treated with a trip to the doctor.

Energy drinks: helpful or harmful?

Energy drinks are a popular way to power up before a morning jog around the neighborhood or a busy day at work. But are they truly necessary? UCI Health sports medicine specialist Dr. Christopher Kroner doesn’t think so. Generally, energy drinks aren’t needed by the average person,” he says. “I would recommend they be used rarely, only in a pinch.”

Summer programming roundup

Amid the intense summer heat, the University of California’s 10 campuses, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources are not cooling down their operations. UC continues to uphold its teaching, research and public service mission — even when school’s out for the summer. Among the programs spotlighted: the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences’ Aug. 3 “Choosing Your Major” conference at UCI, which enabled underserved high school students to learn about health science degree programs.

Live-Online LSAT Strategy Workshop
Wednesday, 6 p.m. (sponsored by Division of Continuing Education)

A taste of empowerment

Flavors from Afar in Los Angeles is more than an Ethiopian restaurant, it is a taste of the important work being performed since 2010 by UCI alum Meymuna Hussein-Cattan ’03. Through her nonprofit Tiyya Foundation, Hussein-Cattan, who was born in a Somali refugee camp as her parents fled Ethiopia, creates economic opportunities for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Southern California. Each month, a different refugee or asylum seeker offers an authentic menu of their traditional cultural dishes. “When someone is starting over in a new country, they’re always the student,” Hussein-Cattan says. “They’re learning a new language, a new system. At Flavors from Afar, our chefs get to be the expert; they get to teach.”

#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.

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