New UC Irvine faculty member Aomawa Shields studies the climate on distant planets. Her aim: find those most likely to host alien life.

UCI is sustaining its outsized reputation for tracking and tackling environmental challenges

The School of Physical Sciences is deeply saddened by the loss of Ralph Cicerone. He played a central role in moving UCI to a premier position as a top research university. His design for the Department of Earth System Science was unique and well ahead of its time, bringing together top scientists to study a problem of crucial importance to humanity: climate change. Ralph will be dearly missed. To leave tributes and condolences go to ps.uci.edu/memorial/RalphCicerone. 

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“Imagine if you could dip a plastic bottle in the ocean and have that container take the salt out of the water in front of your eyes." – Shane Ardo, UCI Professor of Chemistry, describing his invention to desalinate seawater using using the sun’s energy.