Jan. 6, 2025

Fall colors linger near the Multipurpose Science & Technology Building. (Photo: Steve Zylius/UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Boosting oral care in local underserved communities

Junior Nataly Campos and senior Kathy Duong are co-presidents of the Anteater Smile Project, created in 2020 by students in UC Irvine’s chapter of the Tau Sigma national honor society. The volunteer-based club raises awareness of oral health while also improving the overall well-being of underserved populations. A central aspect of the Anteater Smile Project’s work is oral health education, which members foster through their partnership with Scholarship Prep Orange County. The UC Irvine students visit at least once a month, hosting interactive presentations for transitional kindergarten through 4th grade classes about oral hygiene.

Study probes Alzheimer’s disease among indigenous Californians

Funded by a nearly $2 million grant from the California Department of Public Health, Dr. Luohua Jiang, a professor of epidemiology & biostatistics in the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, is studying Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among American Indian and Alaska Native communities in California. She aims to address health inequities and improve poorly funded ADRD research and care for these historically underserved populations. “We are looking at a seismic demographic shift in the U.S. Native population aged 65 and older, which is projected to increase 3.7-fold by 2050,” Jiang said. “Identifying the top modifiable risk factors in this population is critical to prevent or delay this surge and develop targeted interventions.”

Anteater astronaut talks space travel in live streamed lecture

Tracy Dyson, a former postdoctoral scholar in chemistry at UC Irvine, has completed three voyages in space — in 2007 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, six months in 2010 serving on the International Space Station, and six months on the ISS in 2024. She will recount those experiences in a lecture at the Beckman Center on Jan. 15. The free lecture, which is open to the public, will provide an exceptional opportunity for the Orange County community, including school children age 10 and older, to see an astronaut in person (along with other distinguished scientists from UC Irvine) and learn first-hand about science, space, and what it takes to become an astronaut. The talk will be live streamed in an overflow room to accommodate all visitors.

UC NEWS

2025 tax and benefits reminders

The beginning of the year is a great time to make sure your UC benefits are in order. Brush up on FSA eligible expenses and carryover rules; review tax information and deadlines and plan for updated IRS contribution limits. And to ensure that UC can reach you with important benefits, keep your contact info current.

#IamUCI

Undergrad strives to make the internet click

The psychology behind digital products and the audiences interacting with them has always fascinated Giovanna Mancinelli, a senior majoring in informatics. She is now collaborating with other students to make digital platforms more apt to subconsciously please target audiences, honing her craft via course projects and club events such as Design at UCI’s Design-a-thon. Whether she’s developing an app exposing children to different musical instruments or recommending foods based on a person’s preferences, Mancinelli centers her designs around what would be most useful for the consumer. “In my classes, I focus on the layout of apps. What’s going to be on the homepage? What should be hidden behind a menu? I think that looking at the map to go somewhere versus typing in the address should actually be two separate tabs,” she says. “It’s my job to advocate for the user.”

#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.

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