Sept. 27 - COVID forecast, selfie contest
Section 1
A year in the making: students gathered in Aldrich Park, classrooms and other campus locations during the first day of in-person learning on Thursday. Photo by Steve Zylius
Each day, a UCI expert will answer one of your questions about COVID-19, vaccinations, variants or the future of work. Submit questions via email.
Today’s question is answered by Dr. Susan Huang, medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention for UCI Health:
Has the impact of the delta variant peaked, or will we see more cases as winter arrives?
I doubt we'll make it through the winter without another surge, but the height will be heavily mitigated by vaccines and boosters. Here in California we have hope for a smaller wave (maybe the same as what we just experienced) vs. less vaccinated states ... I think it's highly unlikely that it's all downhill from here, but that may be a real possibility in the spring.
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Professor’s short film wins award at Mexican animation festival
“Annah la Javanaise,” which was written, directed and produced by Film and Media Studies Professor Fatimah Tobing Rony, was awarded Best Short Film at Mexico’s global animation festival, El Festival Pixelati. Annah la Javanaise is what they called a 13-year-old girl who came to work as a maid and model for French painter Paul Gauguin in 1893. Rony’s short is a reimagining of her story. “Annah la Javanaise” will be shown in the School of Humanities’ McCormick Screening Room on Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Chen Li receives NSF grant for collaborative data analytics
Collaborative Machine-Learning-Centric Data Analytics at Scale, a three-year research project led by Computer Science Professor Chen Li of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, recently received $1.2 million in NSF funding. Cloud-based services allow for greater collaboration and sharing online, but there can be challenges when the joint analysis of large amounts of data is done by workers who are in different time zones or from varying companies, disciplines and backgrounds. Working with Assistant Professor of Public Health Suellen Hopfer and UCLA Computer Science Professor Wei Wang, Li will study these challenges with a goal of developing new techniques to improve the cloud-based systems. The project builds on the Texera system currently used by UCI Public Health.
UCI, NASA JPL scientists uncover threat to Antarctica's floating ice shelves
Glaciologists at UCI and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have examined the dynamics underlying the breaking off of a Delaware-sized iceberg from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf in July 2017, finding the likely cause to be a thinning of “ice melange.” That is a slushy concoction of windblown snow, iceberg debris and frozen seawater that normally works to heal rifts, according to the paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and co-authored by Eric Rignot, professor of Earth system science.
Gift establishes new surgical oncology fellowship training program
The donation from the John Wayne Cancer Foundation announced today will support advances in research, teaching and service activities in surgical oncology and establish the John Wayne Cancer Foundation Endowed Chair in Surgical Oncology. The gift will also fund the UCI John Wayne Cancer Foundation Endowed Fellowship in Surgical Oncology.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
Upcoming travel webinars focus on hotels and car rentals
The Central Travel Office continues its efforts to educate and inform UC travelers on the benefits of booking within the systemwide program. On Wednesday, Hertz provides updates on the car rental industry, status of its fleet and safety response to COVID-19. All attendees will be entered for a chance to win a rental upgrade. On Oct. 6, Club Quarters shares information on its hotels, amenities and safety protocols. All attendees will be entered for a chance to win a weekend stay certificate at any CQ location. Promotions are sponsored by vendors, not the UC. Previous webinar recordings can be found in the Video Library and FAQs in Resources.
President Biden receives his COVID-19 booster
Biden’s third shot came only days after federal regulators moved to allow millions of Americans to get Pfizer booster shots if individuals received a second dose of that vaccine at least six months ago and met new eligibility rules, The New York Times reports.
Flu season and COVID: How to navigate a potential ‘twindemic’
Health experts expect the flu season to be earlier and worse than last year, reports The Wall Street Journal (video).
UCI IN THE NEWS
Challenges to public-health mandates escalate as Long Island, nation face fights over COVID-19 rules
Newsday, Sept. 24
Cited: Michele Goodwin, Chancellor's Professor of law and director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy
Black female biologist tests, entertains and explains science on TV, social media
The Washington Post via sfgate.com, Sept. 26
Cited: Raven Baxter, director of Diversity Initiatives, School of Biological Sciences
UC Irvine welcomes inaugural class of pharmacy school with white coat ceremony
Daily Pilot, Sept. 24
Cited: Jan Hirsch, founding dean of the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
#UCICONNECTED
Fourth-year engineering student Brian Zeek takes a selfie on the Arts Bridge facing the Water Tower. Through Oct. 5, Anteater students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to enter the UCI Landmark photo contest for a chance to win a gift card to @thehillatuci and a spot on the UCI Instagram feed.
To enter, post your pics on social media from any of the Top 10 campus landmarks listed below with #UCIPride or submit via email. The landmark sites are:
- Water Tower (BC Anteater/UCI Athletics)
- Student Center
- Infinity Fountain
- Bronze Anteater (Bren Center)
- Esports Arena
- Aldrich Park
- Maya Lin Water Table
- Langson Library
- Science Library
- Jao Sculpture garden
#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.
COVID-19 NOTIFICATION AND RESOURCES
2 new campus cases
Two on-campus students tested positive for COVID-19 during the period from Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.
Remember to upload your vaccine record
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.
For COVID-19 questions
UCI Forward - information on campus status and operational updates
UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health
UCI Coronavirus Response Center - available at covid19@uci.edu or via phone at (949) 824-9918
Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services - assistance with vaccines and vaccine uploads; available at contacttracing@uci.edu or via phone at (949) 824-2300
Program in Public Health chatline - answers to questions about COVID-19
For questions specific to your personal health situation, please contact your doctor or healthcare provider.