Around Town: Balboa Bay Resort presents beer fest Saturday
The Balboa Bay Resort will host a Beer Garden Festival from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, featuring local craft beer vendors, food and live music.
The event is part of the first Brew Fest Weekend at the resort, 1221 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach.
Admission to the festival is $75.80, including tax and gratuity. Tickets are available at balboabayresort.com/newport-beach-vacations/oktoberfest-festival.
Fairgrounds serves up cake, bake show this weekend
The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa will host the Cake Sweets & Party Expo from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The event will offer demonstrations, classes and shopping for those with a passion for baking, cake decorating and entertaining.
One-day admission is $45 for adults and $20 for children ages 9 to 12. Kids 8 and younger get in free.
Two-day tickets are $55 and $30.
The expo will be in The Hangar building. Enter Gate 3 off Fairview Road or Gate 4 off Arlington Drive.
For more information, visit cake-expo.com.
UCI student group to present 5K on Sunday
UC Irvine’s Public Interest Law Fund will present its third annual 5K (3.1-mile) race on Sunday to raise funds for students’ summer stipends.
The Public Interest Law Fund is an on-campus student group that raises money to provide summer stipends to UCI law students who complete pro bono work at government and nonprofit organizations that serve needy communities.
The race will begin at 9 a.m. at UCI’s Anteater Plaza. Registration is $25. UCI students and faculty can participate for $20.
To register, visit tiny.cc/pilf5k2015.
UCI to participate in international energy research
UC Irvine announced this week that it will be part of an international research consortium looking at water-related aspects of energy production and use.
The five-year, $50-million partnership, led by UC Berkeley in collaboration with UCI, includes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Davis, UC Merced, UCLA and Boston-based nonprofit Stockholm Environmental Institute.
A news release stated that the program is one of the technical tracks under the U.S. China Clean Energy Research Center, which was launched in 2009 by President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao to “accelerate the transition to an efficient, low-carbon economy while mitigating the long-term threat of climate change.”
The U.S. Department of Energy will provide $12.5 million for the effort, and other U.S. partners, including Southern California Gas Co. and Southern California Edison, will match that for a total of $25 million. The remaining $25 million will come from the Chinese Ministry of Science & Technology and its partners.
“Addressing the impact of water-resource scarcity and variability on energy systems in the U.S., China and around the world will require collaborative efforts like [this] to develop technical solutions,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a statement. “The U.S. consortium of university, nonprofit, industry and national laboratory partners … will leverage cutting-edge science and technology research capabilities to ensure our collective energy and water security.”
6 area high school students on OCTA Teen Council
Six area residents are among 18 high school students selected to the Orange County Transportation Authority’s 2015-16 Teen Council.
They are Gabriela Jimenez of Costa Mesa and Irvine residents Michael Du Jiang, Natalie Wang, Rachel Li, Shipla Rajagopal and Timothy Chen.
Council members participate in transportation-related discussions and projects with their peers and OCTA staff members to help provide insight into public transportation issues.
Teen Council members serve for one year. The group meets once a month during the school year.
Irvine Public Schools Foundation welcomes 2 appointees
The Irvine Public Schools Foundation appointed two new directors to its leadership team: Director of Communications and Marketing Kellie Pendergest and Director of Business Development Donald Suxho.
Before arriving at the foundation, Pendergest was director of advancement at St. John’s Episcopal School in Rancho Santa Margarita. During her seven years there, she helped increase fundraising participation among parents and community members by more than 80%, according to a news release.
Suxho previously worked with Sports 1 Marketing in Irvine, where he created sponsorship accounts, organized events and built professional connections for various clients.
Hoag applauded for gynecological program
Hoag Hospital has been redesignated as a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology by the American Assn. of Gynecologic Laproscopists and the Surgical Review Corp.
The designation recognizes surgeons and hospitals demonstrating commitment and ability to “deliver safe, effective, evidence-based care” for women. The program aims to help surgeons continuously improve the quality of care and patient safety.
In addition to the hospital’s designation, five physicians were named Center of Excellence designees: Lisa Abaid, John (Jeb) Brown, Matthew Clark, Catalin Marinescu and Albert Mendivil.