Media Watch
How to get ready for an endless flood season
MSN -
It's often difficult to predict whether your home will experience flooding because governments have not done a good job publicizing information about flood risks, says Brett Sanders, professor of civil and environmental engineering, urban planning, and public policy at the University of California, Irvine. The most widely available flood maps are from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and they've been shown to "systematically underestimate the areas at risk," Sanders says. Read More
On a hydrogen hunt in San Francisco
Financial Times -
Jack Brouwer, an engineering professor [and Director Advanced Power and Energy Program] at University of California, Irvine who has worked for years on hydrogen issues, told me the reason the cost of hydrogen had surged is that state subsidies are being gobbled up by big businesses jumping into sustainable energy, such as biodiesel. These businesses “took all of the credits” that had been going to companies making and distributing hydrogen, he said. California’s legislature and governor know about this problem in hydrogen subsidies but for now it hasn’t been fixed. [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries. Sign-up here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/news/ft] Read More
Engineer Armenia: Sustainable solutions for the homeland
The Armenian Weekly -
Karina Khadarian, founder and CEO of Engineer Armenia, was just two years into college as a chemical engineering undergraduate when she decided that she had to do something to impact change in the homeland. … She developed a team at the University of California, Irvine, starting with 19 volunteers, most of whom were not of Armenian descent and had no relationship with Armenia. As a student volunteer in other engineering organizations on campus, she began by networking with and recruiting UCI students. Read More
OC’s Wealthiest: Henry Samueli
The Orange County Business Journal -
Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan, said in June that they are donating an additional $50 million to the University of California, Irvine. Their latest gift is for engineering-focused research aimed at improving health, the environment and society as a whole, and will lead to the creation of three new multidisciplinary research institutes at the existing Henry Samueli School of Engineering. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
OC’s Wealthiest Avoid ‘Richcession’
Orange County Business Journal -
It’s been a banner period of fundraising for the University of California, Irvine. After topping $200 million in giving to the school in 2022, UCI has already announced several high-profile donations in 2023, including a June gift of $50 million from Broadcom Inc. Chairman Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan. … The latest gift from the Samueli family to UCI will be used for engineering-focused research … the gift puts the couple’s reported giving to UCI past $300 million. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
As water shortages intensify Iran’s heat wave, authorities shift blame
The Washington Post -
Over decades of U.S. sanctions and hostile relations with the West, Tehran has subsidized agriculture to secure food and jobs. The sector consumes some 90 percent of available water, said Soroosh Sorooshian, director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing [and Distinguished Professor of civil & environmental engineering] at the University of California, Irvine. As years pass, wells must be dug deeper. [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries. Sign-up here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/news/post] Read More
Newsletter – The Week in Opinion
Los Angeles Times -
Let’s look back at the week in Opinion. … Disasters like the Rolling Hills landslide are foreseeable. The warnings are all around us. The benchmarks we’ve used to guide important decisions in the past — such as whether to build houses near a canyon in an area where landslides are not uncommon — won’t serve us in the future. Scientific models and forecasts have limitations, writes UC Irvine engineering [and FloodRISE UCI] professor Brett Sanders, but they should guide us in this era of rapid climate change. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
Barrier wall to protect rail line in San Clemente from landslide debris as services set to resume
KABC -
Passenger train service through San Clemente is set to resume again following several shutdowns caused by a sliding slope under Casa Romantica. A temporary wall has been placed to protect the rail line from falling debris. Experts like Brett Sanders, who's a professor of civil and environmental engineering, urban planning and public policy at UC Irvine, are studying the shifting landscape and said the slope is made up of materials that loosen up when moisture sets in. "It's more of like a mixture of soil," Sanders said. "A mixture of sand, and gravel and silts that when wetted, starts to flow like a liquid." He said people across Southern California live on hillsides just like the one in San Clemente. Sanders said residents need to be aware that this could happen to them. Watch More
Opinion: Disasters like the Rolling Hills landslide are foreseeable. The warnings are all around us
Los Angeles Times -
Brett Sanders, UCI professor of civil and environmental engineering, urban planning and public policy writes, “The environment is changing faster now than it has in decades. We are seeing it before our eyes, and especially in the news with reports like Earth’s hottest day ever recorded (July 3, 2023), unprecedented precipitation and severe flooding in California this year, and now a major landslide on ground that was once thought to have stabilized. What this means is that our understanding of the past — benchmarks that we have long used to guide our preparedness and decision-making about environmental risks — aren’t enough to prepare for the future.” [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More
University Of California Irvine Expert Recognized By Carnegie Corporation
India Education Diary -
Kyriacos Athanasiou, University of California, Irvine Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering, has been named a “Great Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This year’s list, announced today, honors 35 naturalized citizens whose contributions and actions have enriched and strengthened American society and democracy. Read More