Brian Bell
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Articles by Brian Bell
California invests $38 million to launch UC system climate institute
The State of California has approved an investment of $38 million to fund the establishment of a climate research institute. Researchers from multiple UC campuses will participate in institute activities. UC Irvine researchers will contribute their expertise in wildfires, coastal issues, urban flooding, desert ecosystems and more.
Weathering the storm
As an El Nino condition is gathering strength in the tropical Pacific Ocean this year, researchers from various schools around the UC Irvine campus are preparing to monitor its effects. Those may include high surf and tides at our region’s beaches and heavy precipitation that can cause landslides and flooding in inland areas. One of these investigators is Connor Broaddus, a Ph.D. candidate and soon-to-be postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Earth system scientist Jin-Yi Yu says 2026-27 El Niño could be the strongest ever
There is a super El Niño brewing in the tropical Pacific Ocean. That means the sea surface temperature in this region is much higher than normal, a condition that has, in the past, led to heavy rainfall in the Southwestern United States during the winter months. Will this year’s El Niño bring torrential rainfall to Southern California in the coming months, and will that and other El Niño-driven weather cause flooding and erosion on our sensitive coastline?
Two UC Irvine professors named fellows by the American Physical Society
Juan Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux, UC Irvine professor of physics and astronomy, and James Owen Weatherall, Chancellor’s Professor and department chair of logic and philosophy of science, have been elected as fellows by the American Physical Society, a recognition granted to physicists who have made exceptional contributions to the field of physics.
Earth system scientist Henri Drake honored as 2026 Packard fellow
Henri Drake, UC Irvine assistant professor of Earth system science, has been named a 2026 Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Drake is one of 20 fellows to receive an individual grant of $985,834 distributed over five years to be used in a way that best advances their research. Drake heads a laboratory that focuses on the geophysical fluid dynamics of the ocean and their role in the evolution of the Earth system.
Pierre Baldi to receive 2027 IEEE CIS Neural Networks Pioneer Award
Pierre Baldi, Distinguished Professor of computer science at UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, will receive the 2027 IEEE CIS Neural Networks Pioneer Award from the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. The award recognizes significant contributions to early concepts and sustained developments in the field of neural networks.
a virtual journal and essential blog of the classical music scene in greater Boston
George Chadwick The selection of three American composers, each of them famous enough in past decades to be included on the Hatch Shell proscenium arch—Edward MacDowell (1860-1908), Amy Beach (1867-1944) and George Chadwick (1854-1931)—set the theme for Odyssey Opera’s season opener. However, all of the works which Gil Rose conducts can safely be construed as a novelties. Rose has never been one to protect himself in familiar repertoire.
Energy Law: Month in Review - September 2026
REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS Massachusetts Ratchets Up State and Local Regulation of AI Data Centers In early September, Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts signed an executive order requiring that artificial intelligence data centers secure the approval of local communities as a precondition to proceeding with a given project.
Department of Energy selects UC Irvine-led, AI-driven geothermal energy project
MAESTRO project experts will use AI to discover and tap into geothermal energy resources safely and economically. Department of Energy-funded initiative was established to improve energy independence and security in the United States. Researchers from UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, four national laboratories (Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley and Pacific Northwest) and private enterprises are involved. Irvine, Calif.
a virtual journal and essential blog of the classical music scene in greater Boston
Seventy-five years ago, on October 6, 1951, the first transmission from a new-fangled FM transmitter began emanating from the crest of Great Blue Hill in Milton, Massachusetts, hence WGBH. October 6th marks the 75th anniversary of the station. The new entity first located its studios in Symphony Hall, and first signed on with a complete Boston Symphony broadcast, live from Symphony Hall.
When it comes to El Niño, it's best to be prepared
UC Irvine researchers are tracking a looming El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean. The phenomenon could bring heavy surf, higher-than-usual tides and abundant rainfall, leading to flooding. Public health specialists offer advice on how to protect yourself and your family in the event of extreme weather originating with El Niño. El Niño is a periodic warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean in the summer and fall that can cause above-average rainfall in the U.S. Southwest the following winter and spring.
NSF advances plan to build world's most powerful laser
The National Science Foundation has awarded a round of funding toward a total of $13.7 million to advance the development of the world’s most powerful laser into its final design phase. The NSF Optical Parametric Amplifier Line laser facility, being developed with participation by UC Irvine researchers, will serve as a shared resource by the global scientific community in fields including particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
Efi Foufoula-Georgiou elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 24, 2026 — Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Distinguished Professor of civil and environmental engineering and Samueli Endowed Chair in engineering at the University of California, Irvine, has been elected an international fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The car in your garage can power your house
Vehicle-to-home charging lets people power their homes when needed with energy stored in batteries in their V2H-enabled, plug-in electric vehicles. V2H is becoming more common thanks to efforts by UC Irvine engineers and external partners such as KB Home, Kia Corp. and EV charging technology developer Wallbox, who have been working together to address structural, technical and regulatory issues.
Energy Law: Month in Review - August 2026
Welcome to Dorsey’s Energy Law: Month in Review. We provide this update to our clients to identify significant developments in the previous month. Please reach out to any of the authors, listed above, to discuss these issues.
Apopka commissioners balk at budget cuts to Christmas, Halloween, other celebrations Original
Apopka city commissioners spent hours Tuesday poring over what Mayor Nick Nesta called a “bare bones” budget only to raise concerns over some proposed cuts — such as funding for longtime community celebrations including Christmas, Easter and Halloween. Nesta, in his fifth month as mayor, said the austere proposal was what they and residents told him they wanted to see.
Once thriving, now threatened
White-tailed kites live on the UC Irvine campus in small numbers. The birds once flourished across Orange County but are now down to fewer than 10 nesting pairs. Campus environmental scientists and volunteers are helping to monitor the birds and protect their habitat. As Orange County’s oak tree-dotted rolling hills have given way to housing subdivisions, business parks, shopping centers and college campuses, the white-tailed kite has felt the squeeze.
AI system developed by UC Irvine physicists helps explain why neutrinos have mass
An AI model builder developed at UC Irvine can autonomously design particle physics theories, a task traditionally only carried out by humans. The approach enables efficient exploration of new theoretical frameworks, helping uncover promising neutrino models for scientific study. Applications could expand to other theoretical model-building problems in the future. The National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy provided research support.
UC Irvine astronomers discover a new Earth-like exoplanet
The new planet is about twice the size of Earth. The planet’s atmosphere may be the right thickness for life to survive on the planet’s surface. The study helps reveal how Earth-like planets close to our solar system may be more common than thought. Irvine, Calif., June 30, 2026 — A team led by astronomers at the University of California, Irvine reports the discovery of a new Earth-like exoplanet orbiting a star about 25 light-years from our solar system in our home Milky Way galaxy.
Biomedical engineers send cartilage tissue experiment to outer space
Researchers in UC Irvine’s Department of Biomedical Engineering are relying on the microgravity environment of the International Space Station to help build new cartilage tissue. For a project funded by the National Science Foundation, the UC Irvine researchers began by preparing cartilage-producing cells for the trip to space.
The house of the future
UC Irvine students travelled to a SoCalGas demonstration home and microgrid 30 miles from campus to learn about sustainable energy technologies. Similar equipment will potentially be used to demonstrate the viability of blending hydrogen with natural gas in a confined area on campus. The students enjoyed a lunch of tacos cooked on a hydrogen-powered stovetop. A small group of UC Irvine students recently toured one of the most normal things ever – a suburban house. But this home is anything but.
Winter Park trying to save more of its historic homes from wrecking ball Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The city of Winter Park touts itself as a community with unique character, due in large part to its historic architecture. But some residents are worried builders and bulldozers are chipping away at its past, one home at a time. Among the endangered buildings are works by the city’s most-famous architect, James Gamble Rogers II.
Slayyyter catapults herself into the mainstream with a breakout year
Ben Affleck 3 hours ago Jennifer Lopez Makes Rare Candid Comments About Ben Affleck Divorce: "I Was Like, You Need F---ing Figure Yourself Out” InStyle - Meg Walters • 3h "After my last divorce, I just sat there," she admitted. Jennifer Lopez is getting candid about the fallout after her divorce from Ben Affleck. In a new interview, the actress and singer explained how she was forced to sit and reflect after filing for divorce two years after tying the knot with the …
UC Irvine physicists measure two neutrino parameters with unprecedented precision
Neutrinos are one of the fundamental particles comprising the universe. The findings mark the beginning of a broader program of measurements with critical implications for particle physics and astrophysics. In the United States, this research is funded by the National Science Foundation. Irvine, Calif., June 11, 2026 —Electrons, protons and neutrons comprise all the atoms that make up the universe. Another particle, the neutrino, is less understood than its atomic counterparts, but that is changing.
Nobel laureate who studies the accelerating expansion of the universe delivers 2026 Reines Lecture
The quest to understand what is causing the rapidly accelerating expansion of the universe was the centerpiece of this year’s Reines Lecture hosted on June 1 by the UC Irvine School of Physical Sciences. Guest lecturer Adam Riess, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Thomas J.
Energy Law: Month in Review - May 2026
Welcome to Dorsey’s Energy Law: Month in Review. We provide this update to our clients to identify significant developments in the previous month. Please reach out to any of the authors, listed above, to discuss these issues.
Wearable sweat sensor monitors multiple biomarkers continuously for 21 days
University of California, Irvine researchers have invented a wearable, wireless, battery-free, bioelectronic sensor to monitor users' health by analyzing molecular biomarkers in human sweat. The device is called the In-Situ Regeneratable, Environmentally Stable, Multimodal, Wireless, Wearable Molecular Sweat Sensing System, or IREM-W 2 MS 3 , and is described in a study published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering . Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates.
Wearable sweat sensor monitors multiple biomarkers continuously for 21 days
Design and function of IREM-W2MS3 bioelectronic device. Worn as a flexible skin patch and paired with a standard Android smartphone or a custom wrist-watch-like reader, the system simultaneously tracks cortisol, glucose, lactate and urea in sweat. Credit: Jerome Rajendran / UC Irvine University of California, Irvine researchers have invented a wearable, wireless, battery-free, bioelectronic sensor to monitor users' health by analyzing molecular biomarkers in human sweat.
UC Irvine researchers invent a wearable sweat sensor for long-term health monitoring
A sweat-monitoring wearable device developed by UC Irvine researchers enables real-time and continuous tracking of a variety of health conditions through sweat analysis. The sensor is designed to be worn continuously outside of laboratory or clinical settings and can detect molecules in perspiration that are signs of stress, cancer, kidney disease and mental health issues. The project was funded by the Samueli School of Engineering.
UC Irvine team identifies where renewable hydrogen delivers the greatest social benefit
A new UC Irvine study uses monetized life-cycle analysis to compare hydrogen, direct electrification and fossil fuel pathways across heavy-duty transport and industrial sectors. The researchers concluded that renewable hydrogen applied in certain sectors offers greater social value, which includes reduced climate change impacts, cleaner air, improved public health and lower demand for natural resources.
Energy Law: Month in Review - April 2026
Welcome to Dorsey’s Energy Law: Month in Review. We provide this update to our clients to identify significant developments in the previous month.
Water, warming and a world at risk
Having been on campus for a quarter of those 60 years, Amir AghaKouchak, Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing, has helped increase the institution’s renown with his lab group’s research on the effects of water resources and climate extremes on the environment and infrastructure systems. On the occasion of Earth Day 2026, AghaKouchak is being recognized as a Frontiers Planet Prize national champion.
Water, warming and a world at risk
A UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering, Amir AghaKouchak was named a 2026 Frontiers Planet Prize national champion. The sole winner from the U.S., he’s in the running for one of three $1 million prizes to be awarded later this year. AghaKouchak credits his postdocs, students, collaborators and colleagues at the campus’s Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing along with UC Irvine’s culture of interdisciplinary collaboration.
UC Irvine-led study achieves brain-controlled walking with artificial sensory feedback
An interdisciplinary, multi-institution team is the first to use a bidirectional brain-computer interface to control the gait of a walking exoskeleton. The system enables patients suffering spinal cord impairments to regain both the ability to walk and the associated sensation, which results in safer, more realistic movement. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation.
UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse ‘quantum scrambling'
A problem in quantum computing called “quantum scrambling” hampers the technology’s development. Scrambling results in the loss of data in a quantum computing system, an issue previously thought to be irreversible. A UC Irvine team has discovered a way to reverse the scrambling process. Irvine, Calif., April 13, 2026 — Quantum computers stand to revolutionize research by helping investigators solve certain problems exponentially faster than with conventional computers.
Energy Law: Month in Review - March 2026
Welcome to Dorsey’s Energy Law: Month in Review. We provide this update to our clients to identify significant developments in the previous month. Please reach out to any of the authors, listed above, to discuss these issues. REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS NRC Issues Permit for Construction of Advanced Nuclear Reactor in Wyoming For the first time in nearly a decade, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a construction permit for a new commercial nuclear reactor.
Plant Doctor: Dahlias popular with transplanted Northerners present challenges locally
Q: Large dahlia flowers have been a favorites of ours. How well do they grow in Central Florida and what care is needed? A: Dinner-plate-sized dahlia blooms, as well as smaller ones, have been favorites of many gardeners - especially those moving here from the more-northern states. But locally they can be a challenge. Dahlias don’t like the summer heat and humidity. Plus they don’t overwinter in the ground or as stored tubers.
UC Irvine researchers engineer a light-powered biohybrid cardiac interface
UC Irvine researchers have designed a device that makes heart tissue respond to pulses of light. Combining polymer layers with heart cells, the invention can be used in the future to test cardiac therapeutics safely and effectively. Other possible applications include soft, biocompatible heart patch implants controlled by light. Funding was provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Seth Cohen to become new dean of UC Irvine's School of Physical Sciences
Irvine, Calif., March 18, 2026 – Seth Cohen, an internationally recognized inorganic chemist, scholar and educator, has been appointed dean of the School of Physical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, effective Aug. 1. He comes to UC Irvine after nearly 25 years at UC San Diego, where he is a Distinguished Professor and Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
First-of-its-kind ion pump developed for seawater desalination, energy and biomedical applications
The RBIP. a, Schematic illustration of the RBIP structure and double-layer impedances. b,c, Plan-view (b) and cross-sectional (c) scanning electron microscopy images of the fabricated RBIPs. d, A photograph of a sample before its assembly. e, A photograph of the RBIP performance characterization set-up. Credit: Nature Materials (2026).
Research group co-led by UC Irvine develops first-of-its-kind ion pump
A research team co-led by a UC Irvine chemistry professor has developed a new device that removes salt and other charged compounds from water efficiently and effectively. The ratchet-based ion pump works without moving parts or chemical reactions. Applications include desalination, harvesting lithium ions from seawater and biomedical devices. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and the European Research Council.
Energy Law: Month in Review - February 2026
Welcome to Dorsey’s Energy Law: Month in Review. We provide this update to our clients to identify significant developments in the previous month. LITIGATION AND DISPUTES Court of Appeals Invalidates Duke Energy Fuel Cost Recovery The North Carolina Court of Appeals reversed an order of the North Carolina Utilities Commission (“NCUC”) approving an energy fuel-cost recovery request by Duke Energy.
Antarctica has lost 10 times the size of Greater Los Angeles in ice over 30 years
“The grounding line is where continental ice meets the ocean, and measuring the movement of grounding lines with satellite-based synthetic aperture radar has been our gold standard for documenting ice sheet stability,” said lead author Eric Rignot, UC Irvine distinguished professor and Donald Bren Professor of Earth system science.
Antarctica has lost 10 times the size of Greater Los Angeles in ice over 30 years
UC Irvine and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists analyzed three decades of satellite data to measure the retreat of ice sheets over the entirety of Antarctica. The study found more than three-quarters of Antarctica’s coast-reaching glaciers to be stable, with the other quarter undergoing aggressive melting. Research relied on a patchwork of international and commercial satellite systems. NASA provided funding support.
UC Irvine researchers expose critical security vulnerability in autonomous drones
UC Irvine researchers discovered an attack technique that defeats autonomous target-tracking drones. The approach uses an umbrella with a unique graphic pattern that draws drones in to be captured with a net or forced to crash. Research has implications for border security, law enforcement and personal privacy. The UC Irvine team is sharing its results at a prestigious security conference. Funding was provided by NASA and the National Science Foundation. Irvine, Calif., Feb.
Widening beaches make California 500 acres bigger than it was 40 years ago
California’s beaches have, on average, widened in the past four decades. Areas of severe beach erosion are offset by areas of dramatic beach expansion. Researchers used satellite data and newly developed signal processing techniques to observe coastal changes over time. Funding was provided by NASA and the United States Geological Survey. Irvine, Calif., Feb.
Widening beaches make California 500 acres bigger than it was 40 years ago
A bird’s eye view of San Clemente State Beach in Southern California shows Pacific Ocean waves lapping onto shore, a cluster of umbrellas and, to the far right, a rail corridor that serves passenger and freight trains. UC Irvine’s Brett Sanders says San Clemente is one of many examples of beaches in California that demonstrate their value in multiple ways.
Widening beaches make California 500 acres bigger than it was 40 years ago
California’s beaches have, on average, widened in the past four decades. Areas of severe beach erosion are offset by areas of dramatic beach expansion. Researchers used satellite data and newly developed signal processing techniques to observe coastal changes over time. Funding was provided by NASA and the United States Geological Survey. Irvine, Calif., Feb.
Global warming is speeding breakdown of major greenhouse gas, research shows
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-global-breakdown-major-greenhouse-gas.html by Brian Bell, University of California, Irvine Excerpt: Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have discovered that climate change is causing nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance, to break down in the atmosphere more quickly than previously thought, introducing significant uncertainty into climate projections for the rest of the 21st century.
UC Irvine scientists: Global warming is speeding breakdown of major greenhouse gas
UC Irvine researchers found that the time nitrous oxide remains in the atmosphere is being shortened by human-caused climate change. The difference in N2O lifespan has direct impacts on atmospheric ozone that protects Earth’s surface from solar radiation. The findings point to a need to reassess climate models and projections. This project received funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Irvine, Calif., Feb.
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