Top school just streets away

Susan Menning

UC Irvine is thrilled to be part of the Daily Pilot’s new Campus

Forum page.

As our connection with the local community continues to grow and

deepen, this column provides an unprecedented opportunity to bring

readers -- on a regular basis -- news, information and insights from

one of Orange County’s primary sources of education, research and

innovation.

But first a little background.

UCI celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Since our first day

of classes in fall 1965, we’ve become interna- tionally recognized

for our efforts to improve lives through research and discovery,

create excellence in scholarship and teaching and engage and enrich

the community.

With more than 24,000 students, UCI is among the fastest-growing

campuses in the University of California system. We are consistently

ranked among the nation’s best public universities, and three UCI

researchers have won Nobel Prizes. Our annual economic impact on

Orange County exceeds $3 billion, and we are a vital contributor to

the region’s talent-rich workforce.

How does all this benefit our neighbors? In many ways ... and

you’ll be learning much more about them, and how to take advantage of

UCI’s wealth of community resources, in the coming months. But by way

of introduction -- for those of you who have not yet connected with

us -- here’s a brief overview.

Our researchers in the physical sciences, engineering and social

ecology are taking on some of the greatest environmental challenges

of our time, increasing understanding of the human impact on climate

change, global warming and air and beach-water pollution.

At UCI Medical Center and the School of Medicine, we’re making

major strides in such areas as cancer genetics, neurodegenerative

diseases, women’s health, geriatrics and ophthalmology, to name just

a few. Our Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, located at the

medical center in Orange, is the only National Cancer

Institute-designated facility in Orange County and one of only six

nationwide selected by NCI to test the effectiveness of promising new

cancer-prevention drugs.

UCI’s Reeve-Irvine Research Center -- named after actor

Christopher Reeve -- promotes the coordination of scientists around

the world seeking cures for paraplegia and quadriplegia and is a

leader in the use of human stem cells to aid in the treatment of

spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

The Center for International Writing and Translation champions

writing and explores the many facets -- theory, practice and politics

-- of translation. The Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and

Memory is unlocking the secrets of how memories are created and

preserved. And the Center for the Study of Democracy is cultivating a

global understanding of the democratic process.

A joint effort with UC San Diego, the California Institute for

Telecommunications and Information Technology -- Calit2 -- is

advancing research that will drive the next generation of products

and benefit both California’s and the nation’s economy. And in the

Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, experts are

integrating computing with healthcare, communications, security and

many other aspects of daily life.

In the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, the National Fuel Cell

Research Center is working to develop clean-burning fuels and power

plants to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels. Experts in the

School of Social Ecology, one of the top U.S. centers for research on

gangs and violence, are groundbreakers in reducing crime and

improving our justice system. And in the School of Physical Sciences,

organic chemists are creating the building blocks for better and

safer medicine.

UCI’s high-impact activities in the community are equally

broad-reaching. Our 85,000 alumni, many of whom continue to live and

work in Southern California, include accomplished scientists and

teachers, doctors and engineers, award-winning authors and poets,

professional and Olympic athletes and acclaimed visual and performing

artists.

Through long-standing partnerships with K-12 schools, UCI’s

academic-preparation programs touch the lives of tens of thousands of

California students, providing support in areas ranging from the

arts, literacy and history, to math, science and college preparation.

University Extension enrolls more than 25,000 students annually,

offering continuing education and certificate programs that support

business, professional and personal growth. And the UCI Libraries,

the region’s largest information resource, draw more than 1 million

community visitors each year.

The Claire Trevor School of the Arts, through venues such as the

Irvine Barclay Theatre and Beall Center for Arts and Technology,

offers a vast range of dance, drama, music and studio art programs.

And the annual Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellows Series brings noted

scholars from around the world to interact with campus and community

-- adding the hundreds of public lectures, workshops and other events

held at UCI each year.

Sports fan? UCI has something for you too. Competing as an NCAA

Division I athletic program in the Big West Conference, UCI teams

have captured 21 national titles in eight sports. Nearly 400 of our

student-athletes have earned All-American honors, and more than 30

students and alumni have participated in Olympic competition.

In the coming months, we’ll take an in-depth look at many of these

areas and how they benefit the local community, the nation and the

world. And we’ll keep you up-to-date on campus events you, your

family and friends may wish to attend.

We’d also like to hear from you: Tell us what’s on your mind, what

you’d like to know more about and how we can help you become better

connect- ed with the top-ranked research university right here in

your backyard.

* SUSAN MENNING is assistant vice chancellor of communications at

UC Irvine. She can be reached at uciconnect@uci.edu.