Dec. 10, 2024

Fog settles over Aldrich Park on a chilly December morning. (Photo: Steve Zylius/UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Latest UCI-OC poll provides election postmortem

Produced by the School of Social Ecology, the latest UCI-OC Poll found that while a slim majority of voters preferred Kamala Harris to Donald Trump, most also believe that the U.S. and California are on the wrong track, and that voter turnout declined by more than 10 percentage points between 2020 and 2024. Among the findings: More than 6 in 10 registered voters disapprove of President Biden’s performance, and only 20 percent of voters say that their economic situation is better today than it was four years ago. “The results from this poll are instructive for not only Orange County but also the nation,” said Dean Jon Gould. “As one of the nation’s few truly purple counties, there is a lot in O.C.’s electoral results – and, most importantly, the reasons for them – that the two parties and elected leaders should take to heart as they seek to chart a path forward.”

Two ROTC cadets selected for coveted Air Force pilot training

Two seniors who will graduate in June to become officers after serving in the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps have been chosen for highly coveted flight training in the U.S. Air Force. “Every time I climb into an aircraft, even if it’s something I’ve never flown before, it just feels right,” said Dennis Melka, an Earth system science major who grew up in the Czech Republic. “Flying is breathtaking and stressful at the same time, said Larissa Castro, a political science major who hails from San Diego. “Every single day that you fly, it’s different.” Because UC Irvine does not have its own AFROTC unit, Castro trained at Cal State San Bernardino, while Melka trained at UCLA.

Few childhood cancer survivors receive recommended screenings

A recent study led by Joel Milam, a professor of epidemiology & biostatistics found that fewer than 40% of childhood cancer survivors undergo recommended screenings for the late effects of treatment. A lack of awareness of survivorship guidelines on the part of both the patient and clinician could be part of the issue, he says.

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Anteaters men’s basketball garners national attention

With the NCAA NET Rankings placing the team at #26 nationally and a CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll ranking them #1, the men’s basketball team is also getting some love on social media. @jloose128 recently (i.e. before the unbeaten Anteaters won a ninth straight game) posted on X: “8 unbeaten teams remain!”

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