May 17 - Confronting extremism, virtual cultures
Section 1
UCI flies a flag at half-staff to honor victims of the shootings in Buffalo and Laguna Woods. Read the message from Chancellor Gillman on confronting violent extremism. The Office of Inclusive Excellence is hosting a virtual forum on Healing in the Face of Extremism today at 3 p.m. Students, faculty and staff are invited to join. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
UCI-led research recommends extending California’s prescribed burning season
Prescribed burning of ground-level shrubs, branches and leaves is a time-tested tool to help prevent wildland fires from getting out of control, but a team led by UCI researchers suggests that the practice isn’t used frequently enough. Labeled “Rx burns” by prescribed-fire experts, these typically low-intensity blazes consume surface fuels on the forest floor while preserving trees. Controlled burns can revitalize forest ecosystems and reduce wildfire intensity during an outbreak, creating safer working conditions for firefighters.
Virtual cultures in pandemic times
A new documentary, “Virtual Cultures in Pandemic Times,” chronicles a UCI research team’s efforts to understand COVID’s impact on lives online. Through interviews with the team and participants from Argentina to Sri Lanka to the U.S., the film highlights the escape that digital worlds provide from the mental and emotional toll COVID-19 has taken.
PrisonPandemic website relaunches
The School of Social Ecology relaunched the PrisonPandemic website on May 11. Created by faculty members and doctoral students, the digital archive collects and preserves the stories of people who are incarcerated in California prisons, jails and immigrant detention centers; their family members and loved ones; and corrections staff. The relaunched version is now full-text searchable and features more lockup facilities, hundreds of new stories and improved audio playback features.
EVENTS
College Coach Program
Thursday (sponsored by HR Wellness)
Uncanny Beliefs: Superstition in Modern Chinese History
Thursday, 9:15 a.m. (sponsored by School of Social Sciences)
Accessibility Demystified: Global Accessibility Awareness Day Webinar
Thursday, 10 a.m. (sponsored by the University of California)
The Art of Negotiation Virtual Workshop
Thursday, 11 a.m. (sponsored by Institute for Clinical & Translational Science)
Extreme Wildfire Impacts to Undocumented Latina/o and Indigenous Migrants
Thursday, 11 a.m. (sponsored by School of Physical Sciences)
Practicing Mindfulness Through Japanese Tea Ceremony
Thursday, noon (sponsored by Staff Assembly’s Education & Enrichment Committee)
Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Neighborhood Became the Future of American Democracy author George J. Sanchez
Thursday, 1 p.m. (sponsored by School of Social Sciences)
Designing an Engaging and Visually Appealing Canvas Course Space
Thursday, 1:30 p.m. (sponsored by the Division of Teaching Excellence & Innovation)
Open House & Art of Healing Showcase
Thursday 4 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Counseling Center)
The Transborder Supply Chain: Migration, Urban Development, and Labor in the Tijuana-San Diego Metropolitan Region
Thursday, 5 p.m. (sponsored by School of Social Sciences)
Conversation Kitchen featuring A People’s Guide to Orange County
Thursday, 6 p.m. (sponsored by Illuminations: The Chancellor’s Arts & Culture Initiative)
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.
UCI doctoral candidate to present at the White House
Spectrum News 1, May 17
Cited: Justine Bautista, doctoral student, School of Social Ecology
Omicron's Latest Subvariant, BA.2.12.1, May Present 3 Misleading Early Symptoms
Good Housekeeping, May 14
Cited: Dr. Susan Huang, medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention
About 1 in 10 People Hospitalized with COVID-19 Are Readmitted or Die Within 30 Days
Healthline, May 15
Cited: Bernadette M. Boden-Albala, director and founding dean, Program in Public Health
#UCICONNECTED
Alumnus Skyler Gray is changing theater industry, one production at a time
Alum Skyler Gray ’11, directing and stage management, continues to push the boundaries of new play development. Having entered UCI as a music theater major, in his second year Gray was struck by a drunk driver, forcing him to confront his dream career as a stage performer. After the accident, professors Keith Fowler and Don Hill in the Department of Drama inspired Gray to pursue a career shift. They both showed him that there is a world outside of being on stage.
Update: 1 more Anteater heading to Nobel conference
Because of a press release error, an item in Thursday’s digest inadvertently omitted one of the UCI students who will mingle with Nobel laureates in Germany this summer under a UC fellowship program for outstanding young scientists. The missing name was chemistry student Andrew Cypcar.
#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.