Sept. 29, 2025

Students walk around Ring Road during the first day of the Fall quarter. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

UC Irvine acquires OCMA

UC Irvine has completed its acquisition of the Orange County Museum of Art, officially launching a newly unified institution: the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art. The UC Irvine Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art also will maintain its Von Karman Avenue gallery in Irvine. Both OCMA and the Irvine Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute of California Art will continue their scheduled programming as a unified identity is developed. A transitional landing page directs visitors to the websites of both institutions, ensuring continuous access to exhibitions and resources. The new UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art brings together two extraordinary legacies of collecting, research and exhibition – to create one of the most comprehensive art collections in California.

Julie Washington discusses her love of language and the future of teaching

In this episode of The UC Irvine Podcast, Julie Washington, interim dean of the School of Education, discusses her origin story and the work she’s leading with UC Irvine’s Language Variation and Academic Success lab and Learning Disabilities Research Innovation Hub, which is funded by the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She also shares the positive impacts of AI in education, why research drives practice in the field and how she plans to lead her school and maintain its nationally recognized reputation during this time of federal funding uncertainty.

Fiber improves metabolic health

(Researchers [from left] Won-suk Song, Cholsoon Jang, Sunhee Jung and Hosung Bae examine the mass spectrum of inulin-fiber-derived microbial metabolites.)

A simple dietary change that increases fiber intake can reshape gut bacteria to prevent sugar from damaging the liver and causing disease, according to UC Irvine researchers. Their findings show that consuming a type of dietary fiber called inulin, abundant in vegetables, changes the bacteria in the gut to promote the consumption of harmful dietary fructose. “This leads to less fructose spillover to the liver, preventing fructose-induced fatty liver disease and insulin resistance,” said Cholsoon Jang, assistant professor of biological chemistry, who leads the Nutrient Metabolism & Disease Lab. “By identifying specific gut bacteria and metabolic pathways involved, our findings can guide personalized nutrition strategies.” The work was supported in part through grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. #SpeakUp4Science

Technology that stimulates heart cells

Light-triggered signals can improve heart function, according to a study from UC Irvine researchers. The development enables a biotechnology that delivers these signals to the heart, improving its function, without requiring genetic modifications or invasive procedures. “We show for the first time that light can be converted into cardiac stimulatory cues, with synthetic materials made of biomolecules,” said Herdeline Ann Ardoña, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “This can be beneficial for downstream medical applications, such as in cardiac pacemaking technologies, or helping direct therapeutic patient-derived stem cells to better mimic adult heart cell features.” The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, supported the work. #SpeakUp4Science

UC NEWS

Poll shows support for UC among California voters

According to a new poll from the Institute of Governmental Studies, the University of California and its 10 campuses across the state have strong support from California voters. A majority of respondents agree that UC helps students get ahead, provides vital health care services and produces critical research that benefits California communities. “It is clear from these results that Californians not only value the University and its educational, research and health care contributions, but that voters want to see funding for UC prioritized in this time of financial uncertainty,” said Meredith Vivian Turner, UC senior vice president of external relations and communications.

#IamUCI

Becker’s recognizes Chad Lefteris as a CEO to Know

Chad Lefteris, the chief executive officer and president at UCI Health, has been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of its 2025 academic medical center “CEOs to Know.” Lefteris’ role has overseen historic growth for one of the state’s largest academic health systems, advancing telehealth and home-based preventive care. “He has overseen transformative projects, including the $1.3 billion UCI Health – Irvine medical campus, the first all-electric acute care hospital in the nation. Under his leadership, the system expanded through the acquisition of four hospitals in Orange and Los Angeles counties, significantly increasing regional access to academic medicine," Becker's writes.

#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. UC Irvine Libraries offers free subscriptions to The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.