UCI students say 'thank you' to campus custodians »
The UCI community thanked some of its hardest-working members Wednesday, May 2, as part of "Appreciate Our Custodians," a Ring Mall event hosted by Pi Gamma Mu, the School of Social Sciences' honor society. The group collected 100 thank-you notes featuring messages such as "Dear UCI custodians ... you are all very appreciated on this campus, and I stand in solidarity with you all." They plan to affix the cards to a poster and deliver it to Facilities Management next week. "We will ask for the poster to be displayed in an area where the custodians will be able to see it," said Vi Ly of Pi Gamma Mu, adding: "We want to create opportunities in which our students can show their appreciation toward those who have maintained the tidiness and safety of our campus."
Media Contact »Related topics: Custodians, Events, Campus, Students, Staff, Faculty, Social Sciences
Leading Iranian biologists attend campus symposium »
Thirteen top Iranian biologists recently visited UCI and other U.S. sites as part of an educational exchange program run by the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academies, and the World Learning organization. A three-day symposium at the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences & Engineering included presentations by the Iranian scientists and speakers from UCI, UC Santa Barbara, Colorado State University and the U.S. National Park Service. Preserving open space, protecting endangered animals, and studying the interface between urban populations and the surrounding landscape are concerns in both countries. Ecologists representing the University of Tehran, the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Isfahan University of Technology and Malayer University attended. "All of us gained new ideas about how to preserve our shared Earth as we deal with similar ecological issues in our respective countries," said Albert Bennett, dean of UCI's School of Biological Sciences. "Our Iranian guests gained and shared an abundance of knowledge in addition to culture and friendship. We were honored to have them join us." The group also traveled to Crystal Cove State Park for a tour of the Park & Marine Research Facility and the Crystal Cove Alliance headquarters, and they hiked Irvine Ranch Conservancy lands with executive director Mike O'Connell to view field experiments related to native plant habitat and restoration. Elsewhere in the U.S., the scientists visited the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, the headquarters of National Geographic, New Mexico State University and wildlife areas in that state.
Media Contact »Related topics: Ecology, Iran, Symposium, Exchange Program, Beckman Center, Campus, Society & Politics, Science & Technology, Environment & Energy, Faculty, Staff, Public, Alumni, Students, Biological Sciences
UCI men’s volleyball championship celebration to be held Tuesday at Student Center »
UC Irvine is hosting a campus celebration to honor the 2012 men’s volleyball national championship team at noon, Tuesday, May 8, at the Anteater Stairs and Amphitheater in the Student Center. Following a short program, those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet the athletes and obtain autographs and take photos. The Anteaters defeated USC, 3-0, Saturday night to capture the program’s third national title in the last six years. They ended the regular season ranked No. 1 nationally with a 26-5 overall record and were led by first team All-Americans Carson Clark and Kevin Tillie. Clark was named the championship's Most Outstanding Player.
Media Contact »Related topics: Men's volleyball, national championship, Campus, Students, Athletics
Researchers engineer novel hybrid tissue for use in heart valves »
UCI biomedical engineers have created a hybrid tissue made with an extra-thin layer of metal mesh that marks the next step in their efforts to develop the first patient-specific heart valve with self-regenerative capabilities. Assistant professor Dr. Arash Kheradvar and graduate student Hamed Alavi said their novel tissue is expected to be biomechanically resilient against the physiological stresses inside the cardiovascular system and can be used to repair damaged heart-valve leaflets. Their work is featured on the cover of the April 2012 issue of Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods (pictured). Alavi and Kheradvar believe engineered tissue such as theirs will be part of a new generation of replacement heart valves with the potential to last a patient's lifetime. "I cannot wait to see the day when this technology is used in patients and helps them to have a better life," Alavi said.
Media Contact »Related topics: Biomedical Engineering, Kheradvar, Alavi, Research, Health & Medicine, Science & Technology, Students, Faculty, Engineering
Math department's Yifeng Yu garners $400,000 NSF award »
UCI assistant professor of math Yifeng Yu has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, one of the most prestigious awards available to a young faculty member. Recipients are "junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations." Yu, who came to UCI in 2008, will get more than $400,000 for a project on nonlinear partial differential equations theory and its applications in science and engineering, such as optimal control and combustion. In particular, he will study how to predict turbulent flame speed and intensity. The project involves using mathematics to help combustion science and engineering - with implications for clean energy - as well as furthering the education of the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math professionals. Besides supervising graduate students, Yu will participate in several well-established educational programs at UCI, including California Mathcounts, the Irvine Area Math Modelers, the SURF program and the Freshman Seminar Program. "I am extremely grateful to receive this award, which will let me continue my research and teaching," Yu said.
Media Contact »Related topics: Yu, Mathematics, Awards, NSF, Science & Technology, Students, Alumni, Faculty, Physical Sciences
