Environment & Energy

UCI engineer garners Hydrologic Sciences Medal

The American Meteorological Society has awarded Efi Foufoula-Georgiou the 2017 Hydrologic Sciences Medal for “her pioneering contributions to the science of hydrometeorology and for visionary and sustained leadership in advancing interdisciplinary hydrologic research.” A UCI Distinguished Professor of civil & environmental engineering, Foufoula-Georgiou is considered one of the world’s leading hydrologists and water resources engineers. Her research focuses […]

UCI makes Princeton Review’s Green Honor Roll for 4th straight year

For the fourth year in a row, UCI has won a spot on The Princeton Review’s Green Honor Roll, which rates schools on the environmental friendliness of their policies and practices, academic offerings and quality of campus life. Out of 640 colleges surveyed for the 2017 list, UCI was one of just 21 to earn a perfect score. UC Santa Cruz […]

Why are New England’s wild blue mussels disappearing?

UCI-led study tracks the decline of important coastal shellfish

UCI fields airborne team for NASA atmospheric study

UCI atmospheric chemist Don Blake is about to rack up some serious air miles. As co-principal investigator, along with UCI Earth system scientist Michael Prather, on the upcoming NASA Atmospheric Tomography Mission, Blake will fly from the North Pole to New Zealand, east to the tip of South America, and then north to Greenland. He will […]

Climate change’s effect on Rocky Mountain plant is driven by sex

UCI study of valerian is first to detail gender-specific species responses to global warming

Michael Prather

NOAA names Michael Prather to climate assessment panel

Michael Prather, UCI professor of Earth system science, has been appointed to the Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment by the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration. The panel provides input on climate assessment activities to NOAA, which relays the information to the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy. Prather’s term lasts one year.

El Niño could drive intense season for Amazon fires

UCI, NASA analysis suggests higher risk than previous drought years

Michael Prather wins Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award

Michael Prather, professor of Earth system science at UCI, has won the California Air Resources Board’s elite Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award for fundamental contributions to the scientific understanding of the role and impacts of various air pollutants and greenhouse gases. His research group integrates global modeling with satellite measurements of the composition and chemistry of […]

Chemists find new way to recycle plastic waste into fuel

Approach tackles most commonly used synthetic plastic

UCI chemists help find way to recycle plastic waste into fuel

Millions of tons of plastic bottles, bags and other trash littering the oceans and clogging landfills could be turned into reusable fuel, thanks to research by the University of California, Irvine and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. UCI chemist Zhibin Guan is among those who have figured out how to dissolve the strong bonds of polyethylene […]