Baseball tournament; smog & pregnancy disorders

May 30, 2024

Anteater Time Machine: From a temporary observation platform in 1964, two women gaze at the construction of UC Irvine.

UC IRVINE NEWS

Anteaters begin postseason bid Friday in Oregon

The men’s baseball team returns to the postseason for the first time since 2021 and the second time under head coach Ben Orloff. The Anteaters finished the regular season with an overall 43-12 record (tying the program's most wins in the regular season), and placed second in the Big West with a 22-8 record. It is the 10th postseason appearance for UC Irvine as a Division I program, eighth as an at-large, and 15th overall. This regional opener will be the first-ever meeting between the Anteaters and the Nicholls State University Colonels. Play begins Friday at 1 p.m. in Corvallis, Oregon. All games this weekend will be shown on ESPN+ along with radio broadcasts on KUCI 88.9 FM with Mark Roberts.

Study connects smog and pregnancy disorders

UC Irvine researchers have found an increased risk for a severe form of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, preeclampsia and eclampsia, caused by exposure to fine particulate matter and its components, including black carbon and organic matter. “Although everyone is affected by air pollution, the risk may disproportionately be higher among women of certain socioeconomic backgrounds, such as women living in poverty and the minority populations in our study, subsequently increasing the burden of HDP,” said Yi Sun, a former postdoctoral researcher at UCI Public Health. “Identifying the main sources of air pollution associated with HDP is also important to initiate actions targeting this highly modifiable risk factor to mitigate those adverse effects on reproductive health and future generations.”

Engineering students exhibit musical inventions

Leo Harjanto and Naya Sterritt perform with the Wube Tubes at E-SONIC

The Creophone, Wube Tubes and Saxatar are three of the musical instruments invented by engineering students for an unusual UC Irvine contest. The creations variously harnessed brainwaves, captured the wind and recycled instrument parts. Such was the imaginative spirit on display at the first Engineering-Symphonic Orchestra New Instrument Competition on May 20. The contest “is all about having the courage to go after new and wild ideas,” says Samueli School of Engineering Dean Magnus Egerstedt, who together with Pacific Symphony President John Forsythe conceived the contest over lunch. “I want our students to have creative confidence – the confidence to embrace a new problem or stand in front of an empty score sheet and imagine something that didn’t exist before.”

SAVE THE DATE

UCI Wind Ensemble
Monday, 8 p.m. (sponsored by Claire Trevor School of the Arts)

For more events, visit UCI Today.

#IamUCI

#IamUCI: Kanomé Jones ’24, J.D.

On April 11, Kanomé Jones, the first Black woman to be editor-in-chief of the UC Irvine Law Review, argued a pro bono case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as part of UCI Law’s Appellate Litigation Clinic. After graduating in May and taking the bar exam in July, she will move to New York City to join the litigation practice group at Fenwick & West. At the firm, Jones will work in intellectual property and patent law while continuing her pro bono advocacy, championing diversity in the legal profession and mentoring law students.

#IamUCI: Leonardo Alaniz ’24, M.D.

Leonardo Alaniz hasn’t taken the typical path to becoming a doctor. He entered medical school with a degree in finance, backed by two years as a district manager for General Motors and running his own dealership. An anatomy course changed everything for him, sealing his desire to pursue a medical degree. Before embarking on his six-year internship at UC Irvine, Alaniz plans to “travel as much as possible,” including a two-week family vacation to Thailand and a possible road trip across the western U.S. with his dogs.

#UCIconnected spotlights interesting updates from the UC Irvine community. #IamUCI spotlights profiles of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected or #IamUCI hashtags.