Sept. 21 - Cobalt-free car batteries; low-income Latino health issues
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“Environmental Graphiti” by artist Alisa Singer is on display at the UCI Student Center’s ballroom lobby. Photo by Ian Parker
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Huolin Xin is a professor of physics & astronomy. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
UCI researchers develop cobalt-free cathode for electric car batteries
Researchers at UCI and four national laboratories have devised a way to make lithium-ion battery cathodes without using cobalt, a metallic element plagued by price volatility and geopolitical complications. (Cobalt is a rare metal whose mining, especially in developing countries, often involves child and forced labor, environmental degradation and bloody civil conflict.) In a paper published today in Nature, scientists including UCI’s Huolin Xin, a professor of physics & astronomy, describe how they overcame the thermal and chemical-mechanical instabilities of cathodes composed substantially of nickel – a common substitute for cobalt – by mixing in several other metallic elements.
UCI Podcast: Health issues facing Latinos in underserved communities
Dr. Charles Vega discusses the success of PRIME-LC, UCI's Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community. PRIME-LC addresses health issues facing Latinos in underserved communities. A transcript is also available.
For more stories, visit UCI’s Hispanic Heritage Month and Beyond.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
California begins distributing new COVID booster shots
California’s public health department has received 2.8 million doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine that targets the omicron subvariant BA.5, the dominant version of the virus. So far, about 618,000 shots have been administered since Sept. 6, when it first became available.
EVENTS
Men’s Soccer vs. Loyola Marymount
Thursday, 7 p.m.
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.
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.
Impact of extreme heat on Latino communities
KABC (video), Sept. 20
Cited: Michael Méndez, assistant professor of environmental planning & policy
China’s ‘hidden epidemics’: the preventable diseases that could reshape a nation
The Guardian, Sept. 20
Cited: Wang Feng, professor of sociology
80% of Pregnancy-Related Deaths in U.S. are Preventable, Half Occur After Giving Birth
Healthline, Sept. 20
Cited: Tim Bruckner, professor of public health
#UCICONNECTED
Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Educational Partnerships.
Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio wins Distinguished Educator award
Each year, the Irvine Chamber’s Distinguished Educators program recognizes exemplary Irvine educators and programs that have contributed to the educational process through direct student involvement or partnership activities. On Sept. 15, the first day of Hispanic Heritage month, the program recognized Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for UCI’s Center for Educational Partnerships and former director of the UCI History project, as well as two UCI alums, Emily Liu, professor at Irvine Valley College, and Virginia Nguyen, teacher at Portola High School. Congratulations to a trio of distinguished Anteaters!
#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.