Aug. 31 - O.C. oil spill project; heat wave tips
Section 1
Wood plank circle at the Sue & Bill Gross Nursing and Health Sciences Hall. Photo by Ian Parker
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Dangerous SoCal heat wave begins today
The year’s worst heat wave so far has begun to impact temperatures in Southern California and will continue through the weekend and into early next week. OC’s Health Care Agency has issued a high temperature alert for the county with tips for handling the heat wave. An estimated 600 deaths each year are the result of direct and indirect exposure to excessive heat, with adults over age 65 several times more likely to die of heat-related cardiovascular disease than the general population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The following links can help you safely navigate the heat wave:
Tips for Preventing Heat-Related Illness
Seniors and Heat-Related Illness
Children and Heat-Related Illness
Protecting Your Pets During Hot Weather
UCI researchers probe oil spills and evolution of beach microorganisms
Last October, a ruptured pipeline leaked thousands of gallons of oil off the coast of Huntington Beach. Amid the ecological disaster, two marine science doctoral candidates, Melissa Brock and Joana Tavares, saw an opportunity to embark on a study of the spill. Thus began the Southern California Oil Spill Project at UCI. Using powerful microscopes and DNA extraction, the two students compare the composition and health of phytoplankton and other microorganisms following the 25,000-gallon oil spill and contrast them to samples collected over the last decade by UCI students along the Orange County coast.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
FDA authorizes anti-omicron booster shots
This morning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first new coronavirus vaccine since late 2020, enabling millions of Americans to receive new booster doses targeting omicron subvariants as early as next week. The agency cleared two shots targeting the BA.5 variant of omicron, a Pfizer dose for people as young as 12, and a Moderna dose for anyone 18 and older. Officials hope the updated vaccines will help curb a potential fall and winter surge in COVID-related infections and deaths.
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.
How Quickly Can You Get Infected With Omicron After An Exposure?
HuffPost, Aug. 29
Cited: David Souleles, campus public health response team director
How About Hydrogen?
Society of Women Engineers, Fall 2022
Cited: Iryna Zenyuk, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering
What We Know About Breakthrough Monkeypox Cases
Healthline, Aug. 26
Cited: Oladele A. Ogunseitan, professor of population health & disease prevention
#UCICONNECTED
UCI’s Anita Casavantes Bradford is an associate professor of Chicano/Latino studies and history.
Scholar exposes troubled history of child migration to US
In her new book, Suffer the Little Children: Child Migration and the Geopolitics of Compassion in the United States, Professor Anita Casavantes Bradford takes a critical look at the U.S. response to unaccompanied child migrants from before World War II to the present. Using archival sources spanning decades of policies, practices and programs, the Chicano/Latino studies scholar and historian details a persistent theme in which American foreign policy and domestic political objectives are prioritized over children’s best interests.
#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.