April 24, 2023
UCI Digest
Students and staff added crape myrtles to the Arroyo Vista lawn Friday as part of an annual event hosted by UCI Housing in partnership with Campus Planning and Sustainability.
From left, students Rosemary Hyon, Rodolfo Alcala-Dodalos, Dorothy Truong and Martha Huerta finish planting a tree. Students and staff added crape myrtles to the Arroyo Vista lawn Friday as part of an annual event hosted by UCI Housing in partnership with Campus Planning and Sustainability. To date, over 1,000 trees have been planted. (Photo: Steve Zylius/UCI)

UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

UCI Health gives sneak peek at all-electric hospital opening in 2025

UCI Medical Center Irvine-Newport is under construction. (Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)
The Daily Pilot previewed the futuristic hospital under construction as part of UCI Health – Irvine. The hospital and nearby ambulatory care center will be powered by a Central Utility Plant that doesn’t rely on carbon combustion or natural gas (except for backup diesel generators in case of a power failure), according to Joe Brothman, facilities and general services director for UCI Health. The 144-bed hospital broke ground in 2021 and is expected to open in 2025. On Friday, members of the media toured inside the 350,000-square-foot center.

UCI College Corps applications open

Students are invited to apply for cohort 2 of the UCI College Corps. Corps fellows will be placed in community organizations working on climate action and food insecurity. As part of the experience, fellows will earn up to $10,000, receive training and become part of a statewide cohort of young leaders.

Project includes community approach to wildfire impact

 Suellen Hopfer, PhD, assistant professor of health, society, & behavior at the UCI Program in Public Health is collaborating with the Communities for a New California Education Fund (CNC EF) in the San Joaquin Valley to foster community resilience, prevent wildfires, and protect their health.
In Central California, the vast valleys of isolated grass pose a wildfire threat to nearby residents. The public health dangers include exposure to pollutants associated with increased hospital admissions for heart and respiratory afflictions. Suellen Hopfer, assistant professor of health, society & behavior, is collaborating with the Communities for a New California Education Fund in the San Joaquin Valley to foster community resilience, prevent wildfires and protect health in the region.

UC NEWS

Free speech grant deadline extended to May 12

The UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement has extended the application deadline for its 2023-24 Valuing Open and Inclusive Conversation and Engagement Initiative to May 12. VOICE offers funds to UC students, staff and faculty conducting research or coordinating programs that further the center’s mission of exploring the intersection of expression, engagement and democratic learning and considering what can be done to restore trust in the value of free speech on college campuses and in society at large.

EVENTS

UCI Care: Denim Day is part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Denim Day
Wednesday (sponsored by UCI Care)

Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.

#UCICONNECTED

Earth Day reflection from student-athlete Erin Tharp

Water polo player Erin Tharp

Water polo player Erin Tharp shares, in part: “From a young age, I have had a deep connection to the Earth. Growing up, I spent many summers going to my grandparent's ranch in Northern California. These experiences formed my initial connection to Mother Nature and allowed me to appreciate her beauty as well as everything she offers us. By obtaining my master's in conservation and restoration science, I am dedicating my career to making the natural world a healthier place and doing my part to inspire the rest of the world to care and understand how their actions affect the environment.”

#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.

UCI IN THE NEWS

Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.
Scott Bartell, professor of environmental & occupational health, cited in KABC 7

'Forever chemicals' known as PFAS found in SoCal water as UCI researchers study impact

KABC, April 21
Cited: Scott Bartell, professor of environmental & occupational health

Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of informatics, cited in NBC News

TikTok users are demanding that their favorite musicians release sped-up songs

NBC News, April 22
Cited: Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of informatics

Bill Maurer, anthropology professor and dean, School of Social Sciences, cited in Marketplace

What would happen if paper money became obsolete?

Marketplace, April 21
Cited: Bill Maurer, anthropology professor and dean, School of Social Sciences

COVID-19 NOTIFICATION & HEALTH RESOURCES

Upload your vaccine and booster records

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By coming to campus each day, students and employees are attesting they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and are not COVID-19 positive. If you currently have symptoms of COVID-19 or recently tested positive, do not come to campus, or if you currently live on campus stay in your residence, and follow instructions for reporting your case or assessing symptoms on the UCI Forward page. Close contacts to a COVID-19 case are not required to stay home or quarantine, but should follow guidance for close contact instructions for masking and testing on the UCI Forward page.

Potential workplace exposure

UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.

UCI Forward – information on campus status and operational updates

UCI Health COVID-19 Updates – important information related to UCI Health

Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services – assistance with COVID questions including vaccines and vaccine uploads or to report a case, available at contacttracing@uci.edu or 949-824-2300

Employee Experience Center – employee information on COVID benefits

For questions specific to your personal health situation, please contact your doctor or healthcare provider.

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