Pop culture ‘hit’ dynamics; UCI water grants

Aug. 9, 2023

Two black-crowned night herons face off on the Anteater Recreation Center field. (Photo: Ian Parker)

UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

UCI Podcast: What makes a pop-culture hit?

UCI Podcast player featuring "What makes a pop-culture hit?"

Noah Askin, an assistant professor of teaching organization and management at the Paul Merage School of Business, has devoted his career to discovering the common ingredients of the pop-culture phenomenon colloquially known as a “hit.” In this UCI Podcast, Askin describes how he scoured the Billboard charts to investigate which characteristics of songs lead to their being successful and examined why bands were able to demonstrate sustained success over long-running careers. He also shares how general themes of creativity and collaboration seamlessly cross over from pop culture into professional networks and community relationships. A transcript is also available.

UCI receives 2 water-related grants

UCI has received two new grants totalling $2 million to study water-related issues: $500,000 for water pollution in China and $1.5 million for flood risks in Florida.

For the first grant, researchers from UCI and two Chinese universities are creating a handbook of best practices for mitigating water pollutants that pose serious risks to human health and environmental quality. Led by David Feldman, professor of urban planning and public policy and director of Water UCI, the project will examine how these factors are pursued in China and in the U.S. by focusing on pollutants emanating from wastewater treatment.

The second grant will focus on Florida’s Miami-Dade County, where extreme flooding during hurricanes and chronic inundation from high tides and rising groundwater levels present major risks. Led by Brett Sanders, a professor of civil & environmental engineering and urban planning & public policy, it will bring together experts in civil engineering, adaptation sciences and regional planning in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, Miami-Dade County and the Miami Foundation.

Everyone can benefit from yearly eye exams

a child wearing a superman shirt gets an eye exam at UCI Health

The American Optometric Association recently updated its recommendations for how often adults at low risk for vision problems should get eye exams every year instead of every other year. The changes make sense to Dr. Donny W. Suh, an ophthalmologist and chief of pediatric ophthalmology with the UCI Health Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. He notes that people tend to align with the old stereotype that regular eye exams are for those at risk of vision problems or older adults. He tells U.S. News & World Report that eye exams are not just about correcting vision but also checking overall eye health.

#UCICONNECTED

Professor co-authors book on California’s housing shortage

Nicholas Marantz, an associate professor of urban planning and public policy, and Paul Lewis, an associate professor of politics and global studies at Arizona State University, have co-authored a book that combines their research into issues surrounding homelessness in California. Regional Governance and the Politics of Housing in the San Francisco Bay Area explores the housing situation facing 101 cities in the Bay Area. Marantz credits UCI’s academic environment with helping birth the book. “The work that many of our Master of Urban and Regional Planning students do feeds into the classroom discussions that we have, and that inspires my thinking,” he says. “We also have a terrific cohort of Ph.D. students who, like many of the faculty, are doing cutting-edge research that pushes me to think critically about these issues.”

#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.

Manage your subscription