2025 Media Watch Archives

Brett Sanders, a professor at UC Irvine, said the study to find pockets of sand that can be used for beach replenishment is a “really great opportunity.” “ We have very limited data on the availability of sand along the coastline of southern Orange County,” Sanders said, adding that finding sand closer to San Clemente will open up savings for taxpayers.  The beaches of Orange County, he added, are “enormously important for the economy of the region” as they drive tax revenue by attracting people to local hotels and restaurants. “When coastal communities look at the cost of maintaining the beaches, they look at the potential losses they might find in the future if they didn't have beaches,” Sanders said. Read More

Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth system sciences at the University of California, Irvine, told me in an interview that because land subsidence occurs in increments, the crisis is usually overlooked. “It lacks the dramatic visibility of acute disasters like earthquakes and floods, allowing authorities to underplay its risks,” says AghaKouchak. In Iran, “this invisibility is a key reason land subsidence remains on the sidelines in national disaster planning, despite its profound long-term consequences,” he adds. Read More

“As physicians, we know that many of the most common diseases could be prevented—or even reversed—through sustained behavior change. Behavior change is far more complex than medical adherence—it requires motivation, consistency, and long-term effort”, writes Hamid Djalilian M.D., professor of otolaryngology, neurosurgery, and biomedical engineering and Director of Otology and Neurotology at the University of California, Irvine. Read More

UCI doctoral candidate Mya Le Thai has developed a nanowire-based technology that allows lithium-ion batteries to be recharged hundreds of thousands of times. … After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills. A team of researchers at UCI had been experimenting with nanowires for potential use in batteries, but found that over time the thin, fragile wires would break down and crack after too many charging cycles. Read More