May 11, 2026

Aldrich Park is in full bloom with shades of fuchsia, crimson and lavender. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Men’s volleyball team to play for national championship today

UC Irvine advanced to the NCAA Championship match with a 3-1 victory over fourth-seed Ball State in a national semifinal on Saturday. The Anteaters (21-8) advance to the title match for the fifth time in program history and will play Hawai'i today at 4 p.m. The match will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at Pauley Pavilion. If you can make it to the game, you can buy tickets.

Spotlight OC goes to the mercado

María G. Rendón, associate professor of urban planning and public policy, above, led a lecture at Mercado González Northgate as part of the new Spotlight OC program.

Spotlight OC – a project of Continuing Education, the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational & Community Partnerships, University Advancement & Alumni Relations and the School of Social Ecology – unites residents through learning and networking. Its first outing was at the Mercado González Northgate, a 37,000-square-foot, immersive Mexican food hall and grocery store in Costa Mesa designed to feel like a traditional, vibrant Mexican mercado. “In my urban planning classes, I introduce my students to third spaces,” said María G. Rendón, associate professor of urban planning and public policy. “Not your home. Not your work area. Those places where you just get to hang out and relax and spend some time with friends and family. This place is one of those third spaces where people of different classes and racial and ethnic backgrounds get to come together and learn from one another and share food and culture in each other's presence. These places are very important in society.”

Do you know the signs of stroke?

When a blood clot cuts off life-giving oxygen to the brain during a stroke, up to two million brain cells can be destroyed per minute. Ischemic strokes – by far the most common type – strike fast and every minute counts to get care that reduces the risk of lasting disability or death, said Dr. Mohammad Shafie, vascular neurologist and associate director of the UCI Health Comprehensive Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center. “The longer the blockage lasts, the greater the damage,” said Shafie. “That’s why it’s critical to get medical help as quickly as possible when signs and symptoms appear.” Learn the B.E. F.A.S.T. acronym to recognize the signs of stroke.

UC NEWS

Improving reliability and stewardship

The Technology Delivery Services has completed a major behind-the-scenes upgrade that strengthens the technology foundation that teams rely on every day. The UC Office of the President retired all remaining systems and moved them into a modern cloud environment to clean up and modernize hundreds of aging systems and remove security vulnerabilities. By doing so, teams benefit from a safer, more stable environment that supports daily operations without interruption.

#UCIconnected

From the classroom to community leadership

When Minnesota natives Jamison Whiting ’21 (left image, on the left) and Bowen Cochran ’22 met for coffee before their first year at UC Irvine Law in 2018, they had no idea they were laying the foundation for a partnership that would be tested by ICE activities in Minneapolis. Today, their affection for their city has taken on profound significance. Whiting was elected on Nov. 4, 2025, to the Minneapolis City Council representing Ward 11, and Cochran was his campaign manager and now his top council aide – positions they assumed on Jan. 5. “It’s surreal,” said Whiting. “These policy and legal conversations were ones we used to have sitting outside class at UC Irvine Law. Now we’re having them with the mayor, with the governor and with our colleagues on the council.”

#UCIconnected spotlights interesting updates from the UC Irvine community. #IamUCI spotlights profiles of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected or #IamUCI hashtags.

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