Oct. 14, 2025









Students make their way around campus on a rainy fall day. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

2025 White Coat Ceremony

UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences white coat ceremony










The School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences welcomed the newest generation of pharmacists at the 2025 White Coat Ceremony, where the incoming class of 2029 donned their pharmacist white coats for the first time. This year’s event is the first to follow the full accreditation of the school’s Pharm.D. program. “The white coat you will receive today represents your devotion to the pursuit of pharmacy education, your promise to care for patients, and your pledge to uphold the Oath of a Pharmacist,” said Jan Hirsch, founding dean.

OC Vote Center

"I Voted" stickers








The UC Irvine Libraries’ Gateway Study Center will be home to the OC Vote Center for the upcoming fall 2025 special election. It will be equipped with resources for new and student voters. The Libraries' Informed Voter Guide points to resources that help answer questions about voting as well as help voters become more informed about the candidates and issues on the ballot. The guide also includes links to fact-checking sites, news, voter registration info and more. To register to vote and for more details about the fall 2025 special election, see the OC Vote and UC Irvine Zot the Vote webpages.

Speak Up For Science graphic header

Researchers awarded multidisciplinary grant

(Engineering researchers, from left, Lorenzo Valdevit, Daniel Mumm and Xian Shi)










Engineering researchers (from left) Lorenzo Valdevit, Daniel Mumm and Xian Shi










UC Irvine engineering researchers have been awarded a multidisciplinary grant from the National Science Foundation’s Designing Materials to address challenges in designing material systems capable of withstanding the extreme conditions inside rotating detonation engines. Professors Lorenzo Valdevit and Daniel Mumm from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Assistant Professor Xian Shi from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will receive $2 million for their project titled “Thriving While Detonating – Materials for Extreme Dynamic Thermomechanical Performance.” The team is one of only 25 nationwide selected for funding. #SpeakUp4Science

UC NEWS

CUCSA All-Staff Town Hall

a man sitting in a chair talking to a physician in a patient exam room










All UC staff are invited to join the Council of UC Staff Assemblies All-Staff Town Hall from 11 a.m. to noon on Oct. 22. This virtual event will feature a presentation from the Benefits Programs & Strategy team in Systemwide Human Resources, who will provide an overview of 2026 open enrollment and share important changes to this year’s benefits offerings. This session is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from UC’s benefits experts and get questions answered ahead of the open enrollment period (Oct. 30 to Nov. 21). Register and submit your questions in advance through the Zoom registration link.

#IamUCI

A practicum with global reach

MPH graduate Sraoshi Barua









Every year, tuberculosis claims more than a million lives. Sraoshi Barua, a graduate student researcher, joined the fight against one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases without ever stepping inside a lab. For her practicum, Barua worked remotely with a team studying ways to advance TB diagnostic testing. The team’s findings, now under review by the World Health Organization, could influence guidelines – improving how the disease is detected and expediting treatment worldwide.

Cheryl Wisseh receives clinical research award

Cheryl Wisseh









Cheryl Wisseh, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy, has been chosen to receive a clinical research Loan Repayment Program award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, an institute within the National Institutes of Health. With the Loan Repayment Program, the NIH pays the education debt of researchers who are doing work that supports the mission of the organization. Wisseh was selected for the award in recognition of her project “Team-based, community-engaged, access-enhanced and dyadic support approaches to improve adherence among adults living with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

#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

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