Oct. 14, 2024

UC IRVINE NEWS

NASA funds professor’s study on health impact of urban heat & pollution

Jason Douglas, PhD, vice chair and associate professor of health, society, and behavior

NASA awarded Jason Douglas, vice chair and associate professor of health, society & behavior in the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, nearly $654,000 to study how urban heat, air pollution and access to greenspaces affect public health in southeast Los Angeles. Using satellite observations and on-the-ground sensors along with socioeconomic and health data, Douglas aims to better understand what its residents are up against as more frequent heat waves occur,” he said. “We want this tool to support community action and advocacy for environmental justice.”

Newly engineered enzyme advances disease treatments

John Chaput, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences

UC Irvine-led researchers have engineered a new enzyme that has advanced the discovery of potentially more powerful and precise therapeutic options to treat cancer and autoimmune, metabolic and infectious diseases. “This achievement represents a major milestone in the evolution of synthetic biology and opens up exciting possibilities for new therapeutic applications by significantly narrowing the performance gap between natural and artificial enzyme systems,” said John Chaput, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences.

New Honoring and Celebrating Our Community Calendar unveiled

a man and a woman dancing at La Bienvenida event

The Office of Inclusive Excellence has introduced a new calendar to support learning, cross-cultural connection and meaningful recognition of holidays and celebrations across our campus community. The calendar is not intended to be an exhaustive list of religious traditions or observances, and students and employees may request religious accommodations for observances that are not listed here. Additional information about religious accommodation policies can be found through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.

UC NEWS

How to personalize your UC application

In UC application forms, Personal Insight Questions are used to get to know applicants and to learn about their accomplishments, talents, interests and experiences. This video explains the eight questions and how to choose the one that best resonates with your own experiences.

#IamUCI

UCI Health physician recognized by prominent journal

Dr. José Mayorga

UCI Health family medicine physician Dr. José Mayorga has been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of its “Hispanic and Latino Leaders to Know” for his advancement of the health of medically underserved communities. As the executive director of the UCI Health Family Health Centers in Anaheim and Santa Ana, Mayorga has positively impacted the lives of thousands of adults and children in Orange County. In 2023, the centers in Santa Ana and Anaheim provided care to nearly 28,000 predominantly Latino patients, 97% of whom live below the federal poverty level.

#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.

UC IRVINE NEWSMAKERS

Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. UCI Libraries offers free subscriptions to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.