Biological cleanup discovered for certain “forever chemicals”

University of California, Riverside, chemical and environmental engineering scientists have identified two species of bacteria found in soil that break down a class of stubborn “forever chemicals,” giving hope for low-cost biological cleanup of industrial pollutants. These bacteria destroy a subgroup of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, that have...

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Breaking the heat barrier of computer innovation

As our computers and other electronic devices become faster and more powerful, they are coming closer to an undeniable physical limitation: heat generated by the electrons that carry information as they move through semiconductors. “Making heat is a fundamental limit that will prevent the further development of electronic devices. So...

AI programs consume large volumes of scarce water

UCR study the first time estimates the huge water footprint from running artificial intelligence queries that rely on the cloud computations done in racks of servers that must be kept cool in warehouse-sized data processing centers.

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Forced water-use cuts made California more waterwise

Water use ticked up in California after the state lifted mandatory water-use cuts, but not levels before 2013 because of increased water efficiencies.

UCR team creates “quantum composites” for various electrical and optical innovations

UCR team has shown in the laboratory the unique and practical function of newly created materials, which they called quantum composites, that may advance electrical, optical, and computer technologies.

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Poverty is the 4th greatest cause of U.S. deaths

Poverty has long been linked to shorter lives. But just how many deaths in the United States are associated with poverty? The number has been elusive – until now. A University of California, Riverside, (UCR) paper published Monday, April 17, in the Journal of the American Medical Association associated poverty...

Most Californians are getting a tax deadline extension

For most Californians, this year’s tax season is a procrastinator’s dream come true. While most of the nation toils to meet next week’s April 18 filing deadline, just about all income tax payers in California don’t have to file their federal or state tax returns until Oct. 16 – thanks...

By David Danelski | | Business

One of every six autistic children are expelled from daycare

University of California, Riverside, study found that 16% of autistic children of surveyed parents were expelled from daycares resulting in more problems for them in elementary school.

Capturing heavier rains in an era of drought

UC Riverside public policy professor Kurt Schwabe was just awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Chair Fellowship to collaborate with Australian scientists to better capture and store runoff water as the planet warms.

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

UCR environmental engineers to referee California’s big rig truck emission regulation

They won’t be wearing vivid black and white striped shirts, but they could. University of California, Riverside, environmental engineers will soon serve as referees in California’s drive for big rig trucks to meet the state’s tailpipe emission standards. The referee program will provide testing services for vehicles potentially operating with...

Women on corporate boards increase company buyout value

The presence of women board members increased the value of companies targeted for acquisition by as much as 5%, study found.

By David Danelski | | Business

Confronting anti-vaccine activism with life-saving narratives

Health officials, public policymakers and community leaders should team up to disseminate accurate narratives about the life-saving benefits of vaccines.

Grants to assess the needs of California’s Asian American and Pacific Islander populations

The AAPI Data program at the University of California, Riverside, announced on Feb. 28 the awarding of $1.1 million in grants to research teams at five University of California campuses to probe the needs of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in California, and to provide a set of...

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

UCR-led analysis seeks online advertising protocols for data transparency, consumer privacy, and brand safety

Several Internet business experts see a technology that has made cryptocurrencies possible as a panacea to today’s online advertising accountability woes that stem from ad-tech giants hoarding the ad engagement data in their walled gardens. These experts now call for “Blockchain” technology to provide transparency to level the playing field...

By David Danelski | | Business, Science / Technology

Gun violence pressures elected officials to make reforms

With three mass shooting within a week leaving 24 Californians dead, public policy makers are searching for answers. • Six people on Jan. 16 were found fatally shot inside a home in the Central Valley community of Goshen, Calif., in a case police believe could be tied to organized crime...

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

Turning plastic waste into a valuable soil additive

University of California, Riverside, scientists have moved a step closer to finding a use for the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste produced every year that often winds up clogging streams and rivers and polluting our oceans. In a recent study, Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz, a UCR assistant professor...

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Culturally-informed mental health screenings improve student, school and community successes

As concerns about youth mental health, school shootings, and other forms of violence prompt more school systems to conduct mental health screenings, a UC Riverside-led analysis is urging school officials to proceed with deference to student family, cultural, and community backgrounds. Mental health screenings that focus solely on identifying at-risk...

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

UCR's founding School of Public Policy dean to step down after a groundbreaking run

As Anil Deolalikar prepared to step down this week as the founding dean of UCR’s School of Public Policy, he reflected on a groundbreaking career marked by repeatedly choosing a more challenging path. Consider when he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics at Harvard University in 1977 with...

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education

Pollution cleanup method destroys toxic “forever chemicals”

An insidious category of carcinogenic pollutants known as “forever chemicals” may not be so permanent after all. University of California, Riverside, chemical engineering and environmental scientists recently published new methods to chemically break up these harmful substances found in drinking water into smaller compounds that are essentially harmless. The patent-pending...

By David Danelski | | Science / Technology

Culture war battles at schools harm public education, UC report finds

Educators have sought to avoid controversy by pulling back on teaching lessons in civics, politics, and the history and experiences of America’s minority communities.

By David Danelski | | Social Science / Education