August 19, 2024

UC IRVINE NEWS

Researchers highlight urban planning’s impact on flood severity

UC Irvine researchers have found that building density and street networks can affect the intensity of global warming-impacted flooding. Brett Sanders, a Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering and professor of urban planning and public policy, (above left, with Ph.D. candidate Sarah Balaian and Associate Professor Mohammad Javad Abdolhosseini Qomi) said the study used thousands of flood simulations across many different urban forms. “We created a physics-based dataset of flood depth and velocity for types of city layouts seen globally and then used data analysis techniques to derive a relatively simple formula that can be used for planning and vulnerability assessments globally,” Sanders said. “The equation can also be taught in our classes so that the next generation of civil engineers is able to anticipate the potential impacts of land development on flood hazards.”

Could cognitive tests save America from gerontocracy?

America’s democracy may not be the strongest, but it is the oldest! In this comedic segment that aired on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show on Aug. 14, Grace Kuhlenschmidt explores the drawbacks of having a gerontocracy by chatting with UC Irvine neurologist and neuropolitics researcher Dr. Mark Fisher, who explains how the brain deteriorates and what’s really covered on a cognitive test.

New cancer center in Orange County triples space for latest treatments

The opening of the state-of-the-art Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building at UCI Health ― Irvine brings cancer treatment and research even closer to the residents of south and coastal Orange County. “With our opening in Irvine, patients who are diagnosed with cancer in Orange County will be able to find the latest, most innovative treatment, including clinical studies that can save their lives,” said UCI Health hematologist-oncologist Dr. Emad Elquza. “We felt that the patients of Orange County needed a cancer center like ours in their backyard so they can have these treatments closer to home.”

UC NEWS

UC President Drake provides update on campus climate issues

On Aug. 19, UC President Michael Drake released a statement about freedom of expression to all campuses. Updates to campus policies, Drake said, will include:

• Clarifying and reinforcing requirements for policies impacting expressive activities, including policies that prohibit camping or encampments, unauthorized structures, restrictions on free movement, masking to conceal identity, and refusing to reveal one’s identity when asked to do so by university personnel;

• Developing a framework for consistent implementation of our policies and for consistent responses to policy violations;

• Issuing guidance for notifications about campus climate resources and policies, in response to the California State Budget Bill; and

• Launching a UC Campus Climate Initiative to help all UC sites develop campus climate action plans for fall 2024 and beyond.

“Some of this work has already begun, and you will hear more about it from your campus leadership in the coming weeks,” Drake said. “Our ultimate goal is for all of our community members to feel supported in their ability to express themselves, and to pursue their studies, research, patient care and other work on our campuses.”

#IamUCI

Professor awarded two grants to support intellectual virtues project

Distinguished Professor of philosophy Duncan Pritchard received two national grants to support Anteater Virtues, an innovative educational initiative designed to bring intellectual virtues into the heart of the UC Irvine curriculum. In addition to its reach across campus, the Anteater Virtues project has helped to bring intellectual virtue instruction into other educational settings, such as the Discovery Cube Museums in Santa Ana and Los Angeles and UC Irvine’s incarceration education project LIFTED.

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