Dec. 16 - Flu season update; OC beach erosion
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Fog creeps up the hillside at the UCI Ecological Reserve’s Lookout Point. Photo by Ian Parker
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Video: Flu season update
In today’s UCI Minute, Bernadette Boden-Albala, director and founding dean of the UCI Program in Public Health, provides an update on the latest news and trends in this year’s flu season.
South OC coastline a ‘microcosm’ of beach erosion threat
As part of its series on beach erosion in Southern California, The Orange County Register took a close look at the shoreline from San Clemente to Dana Point. The paper interviewed UCI civil engineering professor Brett Sanders, who believes that the 2015 El Nino season created strong swells and warmer water that raised sea levels about 5 to 10 inches higher than average in San Clemente. “When an event comes along that pulls all the sand away from the riprap and it’s repeatedly exposed to wave action, the beach can never recover,” Sanders said. “That backwash, it digs the sand and pulls it offshore.”
COVID-19 bivalent booster deadline
Per the University of California Vaccination Programs Policy, all UCI students, as a condition of physical presence at a University location or in a University program, must receive a COVID-19 bivalent booster and attest to having received the booster or decline receiving the booster. UCI has set a deadline of Jan. 6, 2023 for students to comply with this policy requirement. The bivalent booster attestation or declination is required, even if you have previously had and submitted documentation of a booster dose given prior to Sept. 1, 2022.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
UC announces $80 million climate action grant
As part of a historic partnership between the University of California and the state to combat climate change, UC will award $80 million in research grants across the state. The funding is part of a landmark alliance with the state to bring cross-disciplinary, multi-sector expertise to bear on the climate crisis. Researchers from California institutions of higher education are invited to apply for the awards.
Friday fun fact
First in family: In the UC system, about half of entering transfers and more than a third of entering freshmen are first-generation students.
UAW strike update
The University of California and the United Auto Workers have entered private mediation to assist in contract negotiations. FAQs and updates are available on the provost's continuity webpage. Systemwide information is available on UC’s strike page.