Science & Technology

UCI astronomer wins NASA Habitable Worlds grant to study surface reflectivity of exoplanets

Astronomers can learn a lot about planets outside our solar system, including whether they’re capable of supporting life, by studying their surface albedo, or reflectivity. Aomawa Shields, UCI Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy, recently won a grant from the NASA Habitable Worlds program to research this characteristic of planets orbiting relatively […]

UCI scientists see order in complex patterns of river deltas

Landforms ‘self-organize’ to withstand human and natural disturbances

New faculty faces

Hiring of 57 educators goes a long way toward strategic plan goal of adding 250 by 2021

UCI chemist helps create tool that anticipates molecular actions

An international team of scientists including Kieron Burke, UCI professor of chemistry, has created a machine-learning algorithm that predicts molecular behavior. The breakthrough may aid in the development of pharmaceuticals and materials to enhance the performance of batteries, solar cells and digital displays. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers describe how their […]

Joint venturer

New professor has a knack for translating biomedical inventions into commercial treatments

Conference Targets Digital Citizenship for Young People

EVENT: Civic engagement in a networked world will be the featured discussion at the 8th annual Digital Media & Learning Conference. WHEN/WHERE: All day, Oct. 4-6, UCI Student Center (bldg. 113, grid E8 on campus map: http://bit.ly/2cqfB8r) INFORMATION: Media planning to attend should contact Mimi Ko Cruz at 949-824-4587, mcruz@hri.uci.edu, or Brian Bell, 949-565-5533, bpbell@uci.edu. Attendance and […]

ARPA-E funds UCI-led study of kelp farming

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has awarded $1.8 million to UCI oceanographic engineer Kristen Davis to study offshore kelp cultivation. “Macroalgae are fast-growing and highly versatile; they can be used for feedstock, fuels, chemicals and many other commercial products,” said Davis, assistant professor of civil & environmental engineering and Earth system […]

Little green flashes unlock secrets of catalytic reactions

UCI researchers have devised a new fluorescence microscopy technique for observing individual molecules during catalytic reactions. Their work, published recently in the prestigious German journal Angewandte Chemie, is aimed at helping scientists and engineers better understand the fundamental workings of catalysis, the basis of multibillion-dollar industries in polymer plastics and pharmaceuticals. “Most studies of catalytic […]

UCI heads $8 million NSF-funded project to develop brain-computer interface

Implantable technology to restore sensation and walking in spinal cord injury patients

UCI part of NSF-funded study of big data ethics

From mobile phone applications to website search engines, wearable technology to social platforms, consumer data has become highly obtainable and trackable. The result is an ethically questionable free-for-all in research and marketing, but consumers aren’t the only ones concerned about how their personal information is being collected and utilized. UCI is one of six institutions […]