March 17, 2026

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

UC IRVINE NEWS

Engineering+ Sustainability Institute

A new Engineering+ Sustainability Institute in the Samueli School of Engineering is dedicated to improving the supply chain for hard-to-obtain technical materials. The unit taps into metallurgy and electrochemistry expertise, two UC Irvine strengths. “We envision opportunities to innovate extractive chemistry vectors for waste valorization, layered with electrochemistry, as well as novel alternatives for ore metallization and purification,” said Diran Apelian, co-director and Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering. “In brief, we will create value from waste streams through recovery and purification technologies.” Funding was provided by Henry and Susan Samueli as part of a $50 million gift in 2023.

Alumni Through the Decades: 1970s

When Craig Odell Raynsford ’77 (B.A. history) arrived at UC Irvine in the early 1970s, the campus was still finding its footing as one of the newest universities in the UC system. Raynsford rowed crew at dawn in Newport Bay, helped establish a fraternity chapter and even met his wife, Kathleen Raynsford ’77 (B.A. art history) when campus life was just beginning to take shape.

Chasing waves again

Diane O'Dowd – a lifelong athlete who surfs, swims, skis and backpacks – sees no reason to slow down at 68. When years of crippling pain in her lower back and legs became unbearable, she turned to UCI Health spine surgeon Dr. Nitin Bhatia, who performed a lumbar decompression to relieve pressure on her spinal nerves and a spinal fusion to stabilize the slipping bone. The pain vanished. "I can do everything I did before, and I've even added pickleball," said the UC Irvine professor emeritus of developmental and cell biology.

UC NEWS

Accessibility webinars

Changes to federal accessibility regulations will soon take effect. To help colleagues prepare, the University of California Office of the President digital innovation and technology team is hosting a webinar series, Practical Accessibility: Basics You Can Apply Today. Geared toward beginners and nonspecialists, the webinars offer practical guidance on improving the accessibility of everyday digital content through basic techniques and built-in tools you can start using right away.

#IamUCI

Dr. Joseph Carmichael recognized

Dr. Joseph Carmichael, chief medical officer and senior vice president at UCI Health, has been recognized as a CMO to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review. “Carmichael is a linchpin in the transformation of UCI Health into a leading academic health system recognized for high-quality, safe care, including numerous Leapfrog ‘A’ hospital grades for its flagship hospital,” Becker’s says of the nationally leading colorectal surgeon and researcher.

#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.