Year in Review
Robots and Rubik’s Cubes. March Madness and Middle Earth. Squid-inspired space blankets and Shakespeare on trial. In 2019, UCI had yet another remarkable run of scientific discoveries, creative splashes, medical breakthroughs and academic feats. The men’s basketball team won its first-ever game in the NCAA tournament. UCI’s stellar blend of educational excellence and accessibility dethroned Princeton University as the No. 1 campus on Money magazine’s list of “best colleges in America” and earned UCI top billing among public universities on Forbes’ “best value colleges” survey. In addition, the campus attracted more in-state freshman applications than any other California university, including the most from first-year Latino, Asian American, low-income and first-generation students. To build on that momentum, in October, UCI unveiled Brilliant Future, a $2 billion fundraising campaign and alumni engagement effort. Here’s a look at some 2019 highlights:
Entertaining and informing
Hoops hoopla
Featured stories:
- LIFEvest proves to be life-changing – Financial literacy program for teens gives incoming, first-gen freshman the confidence and skills to pursue college degree
- Brain Explorer Academy expands young minds – Innovative outreach effort encourages youngsters to consider STEM careers
- Studying the students – UCI pilots national survey on undergraduate life and learning, aiming to improve both
Dyandra Magdaleno is awarded a certificate by Andrew Policano, former dean of the business school and founding faculty director of its Center for Investment and Wealth Management. This fall, Magdaleno will return to UCI as an incoming freshman. Photo: Xiaohan Liu
Underwater sleuth – UCI researcher investigates threats to coral and other ocean life
AI masters Rubik’s Cube – Algorithm sets stage for robotic systems that can think and reason
Toddlers choose broccoli over cake if asked the right way – Study analyzes youngsters’ decision-making process
Antarctica losing six times more ice mass annually now than 40 years ago – Climate change-induced melting will raise global sea levels for decades to come
Featured stories:
- Arts trek – Class embarks on 1,900-mile mission to examine artworks embedded in the environment
- In defense of smartphones and social media – Study finds little evidence of harm to teens
- Dissecting Disneyland – New UCI course examines inner workings and idiosyncrasies of theme park
- MOOCS with a message – UCI faculty create massive open online courses to counter extremism
Class goes on mission to explore artworks embedded in the environment. Photo: James Nisbet
