June 9, 2026

Claire Trevor School of the Arts jazz students log some practice time during a bi-weekly Friday jam session outside of Winifred Smith Hall. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Students showcase innovation

Innovation and entrepreneurship were on display at the 2026 Beall Butterworth Competition, a six-month contest that culminated in an on-campus demo day and awards ceremony on May 15. While the competition is open to all UC Irvine students, teams must be composed of at least one student from the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences in the Butterworth Product Development category and one engineering student in the Beall Student Design category.

Space radiation

According to a new study from UC Irvine researchers, deep space radiation could pose potential danger to female astronauts, particularly as NASA prepares for extended missions beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field, including a future journey to Mars. “With women making up more than a quarter of astronauts eligible for flight assignments, our findings underscore the importance of understanding sex-specific health risks in space exploration,” said Dr. Ulrike Luderer, professor of environmental & occupational health (above). “As we plan for longer space missions, it’s critical that we better understand these risks so we can develop effective strategies to protect astronauts – especially women – from long-term harm.” NASA supported the work. #SpeakUp4Science

Raising awareness

(Employees and community partners gather at UCI Health – Orange to mark Gun Violence Awareness Day.)

UCI Health employees, Orange County elected officials and community organizations came together on June 5 in recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day to raise awareness about the growing number of gun violence-related injuries and deaths. “In this year alone, more than 5,000 people across the country will have died from gun violence. Almost 100 of them are children,” said Dr. Theresa Chin, UCI Health emergency, burn, trauma and critical care surgeon. “We at UCI Health work closely with community partners to help alter the cycle of gun violence, address patients where they are at and prevent further injuries.”

UC NEWS

The unsung heroes behind D-Day’s success

June 6 marked D-Day, the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy that changed the course of World War II. What most people don’t know is that D-Day was supposed to happen on June 5. But a storm emerged that day in the notoriously volatile English Channel that would have made any amphibious landing a disaster. The success of the entire operation hinged on the ability to predict the weather – using UC research.

#IamUCI

Conducting his dreams

Like many kids, Hitesh Benny ’26, bachelor of arts in music and business administration, did not practice his violin unless his parents made him. But everything changed when he had the opportunity to arrange and conduct a piece for his high school string orchestra. Benny honed his skills in community college, transferred to UC Irvine as a business administration major and then auditioned for the music major as a vocalist. “I made this unconventional decision to study as a vocalist, but everybody knew that I wanted to be a conductor,” he said. “[Assistant professor] Geoffrey Pope has given me an unprecedented level of access and opportunity to study and soak up everything he does. The great privilege I have had here, without a doubt, is the level of experience I’ve gotten as his assistant conductor.”

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