Oct. 27 - Smog and Alzheimer’s; open enrollment
Section 1
Anteater Time Machine: With Halloween approaching, we dug up this archive photo of early 1980s students wearing “nerd” costumes.
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Masashi Kitazawa (left), an associate professor of environmental and occupational health, and Vivek Swarup, an assistant professor of neurobiology and behavior, will lead a study on air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease.
Study will look at smog’s role in Alzheimer’s
Does air pollution exacerbate or help cause Alzheimer’s disease? UCI scientists have received a $2.3 million federal grant to assess the neurotoxicity of particulate matter and how it interacts with genetic factors linked to the condition.
Open enrollment begins today
The annual time window for faculty, staff and retirees to review and change their UC benefit options runs today through Nov. 18. For details, plan information, FAQs, webinar signups and more, visit UCI’s open enrollment website.
Reminder: COVID testing site closing
The Student Center’s PCR testing site for COVID-19 will close permanently Friday as UCI shifts to distributing home antigen tests. Home test kits are now available at four campus locations: the Student Center Information Center, the Science Library, CTVNS and EH&S. Additionally, resident students may pick up antigen test kits in their housing communities. For hours and more information, visit UCI Forward.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
Free speech center podcast: educational gag orders
Episode 9 of SpeechMatters, the official podcast of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, is titled “Notes from the Field: Fighting Educational Gag Orders” and features Center Executive Director Michelle Deutchman and two former center fellows discussing their efforts to protect free speech and academic freedom from censorious state legislation. A transcript is also available.
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.
People on Blood Pressure Meds May Be Less Likely to Develop Dementia
Healthline, Oct. 25
Cited: Elizabeth H. Dineen, cardiologist and assistant clinical professor
Marijuana Users May Feel More Post-Surgery Pain: Study
HealthDay News, Oct. 24
Cited: Dr. Shalini Shah, UCI Health anesthesiologist and chief of pain medicine
Will the Haitian Crisis Lead to Yet Another Military Intervention?
The Nation, Oct. 27
Cited: Amy Wilentz, professor of English
#UCICONNECTED
Franklin Dollar, assistant professor of physics & astronomy, grew up on a reservation with no electricity or running water. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
From life without electricity to the ultimate laser system
He grew up on a Wine Country reservation that didn’t have electricity until he was in high school. Today, Franklin Dollar is conducting experiments with the most powerful laser in the U.S. — the Zetawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System, better known as ZEUS. He’s also associate dean of graduate studies and an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UCI. In a new profile, Optica.org chronicles Dollar’s intriguing story. You can also read a 2017 UCI article about him.
#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.