June 8, 2026

Mother nature’s perfectly imperfect birdbath: Two Lesser Goldfinches bathe on a UC Irvine storm drain cover on a hot day. (Photo by Shari Atilano)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Global learning without borders

What does it mean to prepare students for a global workforce? At the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, it’s about bringing the world directly into the classroom. Through the Global Classroom Initiative, led by Michael Hoyt, chair and professor of population health & disease prevention (above, third from left), students are engaging in real-time, cross-cultural learning experiences with peers and instructors around the world – all without leaving UC Irvine. “Public health challenges don’t exist in a vacuum and neither should our classrooms,” said Hoyt. “This kind of exchange helps students understand that while our contexts may differ, the core questions and methods we use are often shared.”

Law clinic helps farmworkers purchase their mobile home park

The School of Law’s Community and Economic Development Clinic recently represented Salinas residents in the purchase of their mobile home park, Alisal Country Estates, for $12 million. CED began representing Alisal Country Estates, Inc. in spring 2025. Subsequent clinic teams have assisted Alisal in setting up a cooperative legal structure, drafting governance policies and securing financing to make the purchase possible. “Meeting residents in person made the work feel very real,” said Alyssa Hamamoto, third-year law student. “It was rewarding to see how much this acquisition meant to the community and to know that our work could help residents preserve affordable housing and gain greater control over the future of their community.”

Alumni through the decades: 2010s

Lawrence Dalusung ‘12 (B.A. film and media studies), arrived at UC Irvine undeclared, discovered his love for film in his third year and built a career at some of the biggest studio names in the business.

UC NEWS

UC’s role in California agriculture

Here’s a little-known fact: California’s farming industry provides a third of the nation’s vegetables, and 75 percent of its fruits and nuts. But all that abundance on your plate didn’t happen by accident – it’s the result of federal support for science and work by the University of California that traces its roots back to 1868 when UC was chartered as California’s land-grant university under the Morrill Act.

#IamUCI

Turning challenges into opportunities

When Chidera Okoroama, a business information management senior in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, looked to join a student club, she created one she wanted to be a member of. As founder and former president of Black in Tech, Okoroama built a thriving organization to empower Black students interested in technology by creating community. “I believe that being a computer scientist is about more than just syntax and algorithms,” she said. “It is about building systems, both digital and social, that empower people. As I prepare to graduate with the Class of 2026, I look back at my time in ICS as a period of profound transformation, moving from a student struggling in silence to a leader advocating for collective success.”

#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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