News

May 2013

Roxane Cohen- Silver, Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior, was interviewed on Huffpost Live by Mike Sacks about American Terror Exceptionalism.

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April 2013

The research of Professors Elizabeth Cauffman and Jodi Quas was featured at a roundtable discussion on “Connecting the Dots – Gun Violence, Sex Trafficking and Orange County’s Abused and Neglected Children” on April 12, 2013 at UC Irvine.  Approximately 35 local legislators and community leaders, from both county agencies and non-profits, attended this important event focused on understanding how the scientific data can inform public policy development and implementation.

April 2013

UC Irvine ranks first in the U.S. and fourth in the world among the 100 best universities less than 50 years old, according to an analysis by Times Higher Education. UC Irvine is also the youngest university to gain membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. UC Irvine was founded in 1965.

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April 2013

The Honorable Gaddi Vasquez, former Orange County Supervisor, Director of the Peace Corps, 8^th United States Ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture, and currently Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for Southern California Edison will be Social Ecology's 2013 commencement speaker. Commencement will be held on Friday, June 14 at 9 a.m.

More Information about Commencement

April 2013

Daniel Stokols, Chancellor’s Professor of Planning, Policy and Design and Psychology and Social Behavior, has taught an environmental psychology class at UC Irvine since 1973. He figures that translates to roughly 8,000 students. Since his course went online in June, however, a staggering 150,000 more have taken it. His popular Environmental Psychology class is available through iTunes U here. Recently, Professor Stokols’ lectures have been translated into Mandarin, which can be viewed here.

April 2013

Negative emotional responses to everyday annoyances have cumulative effect

Irvine, Calif., April 2, 2013 – Our emotional responses to the stresses of daily life may predict our long-term mental health, according to a new study led by a UC Irvine psychologist. The research, which appears online in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that maintaining emotional balance is crucial to avoiding severe mental health problems down the road.

Susan Charles, UC Irvine professor of psychology & social behavior, and her colleagues conducted the study in order to answer a long-standing question: Do everyday irritations add up to make the straw that breaks the camel’s back, or do they make us stronger and “inoculate” us against later tribulations?

Using data from two national, longitudinal surveys, the researchers found that participants’ negative emotional responses to daily stressors – such as arguments with a spouse or partner, conflicts at work, standing in long lines or sitting in traffic – predicted psychological distress and self-reported anxiety/mood disorders 10 years later.

“How we manage daily emotions matters to our overall mental health,” Charles said. “We’re so focused on long-term goals that we don’t see the importance of regulating our emotions. Changing how you respond to stress and how you think about stressful situations is as important as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine.”

April 2013

Congratulations to Social Ecology alumna Deborah Takahara '92, who will be co-anchor of the primary evening news with Jeremy Hubbard on Channel Fox31 in Denver starting on April 8. Takahara has been with Fox31 Denver for seven years. She joined the station as weekend co-anchor in 2006 and then became the Monday-Friday co-anchor of the 7pm newscast on KWGN in 2011 with Hubbard.

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April 2013

The following people from the School of Social Ecology will be honored at the Celebration of Teaching Awards Ceremony on April 12, 2013:

Lecturer of the Year

• Donna Schuele, Ph.D., J.D
  Criminology, Law and Society

Excellence in Undergraduate Education

• Douglas Houston, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor of Planning, Policy and Design

Pedagogical Fellow Honorees

• Victoria Lowerson, Planning, Policy and Design
• Nicole Matthews, Psychology and Social Behavior
• Anaid Yerena, Planning, Policy and Design

April 2013

Christien Rodriguez, a Psychology and Social Behavior major at UC Irvine, passed away on March 8, 2013. As co-founder of T-Time, a support group for transgender, gender queer and gender questioning students, and an active member of the UCI LGBT Resource Center's Speakers Bureau, he contributed to the larger educational mission of UC Irvine for several years by giving presentations across campus. Those who knew him remember his keen intelligence, caring style of engagement, and heartfelt advocacy on behalf of marginalized, under-represented, and underserved populations.

A memorial fund to honor Christien's memory has been set up. The Christien Rodriguez Memorial Fund is an emergency funding source for UC Irvine students in good standing who are experiencing a financial crisis as a result of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, perceived orientation or gender, or work with the LGBTQIA community. Students of all sexual orientations and gender identities may apply for assistance.

If you would like to donate to the Christien Rodriguez Memorial Fund please click here.

March 2013

Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor of Social Ecology, is featured as one of the OC's A+ Team in Coast Magazine. She is one of "the world's best, brightest and most successful people."

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