Brett Sanders leads Doheny Beach walk & talk on our changing shoreline
DATE
Sat, 08/22/2026 - 7:30am - 9:30am PDT
LOCATION
Doheny State Beach
DETAILS
The iconic Southern California coastline is more than just a summer vacation spot, it’s a dynamic, shifting landscape currently caught in a tug-of-war between nature and infrastructure. Join Spotlight OC for an immersive beach walk at Doheny State Beach, led by UC Irvine Chancellor's Professor Brett Sanders. This isn’t your typical stroll in the sand; we’re diving deep into the literal “ground” beneath our feet to understand why our beaches are changing and what the future holds for our coastal community. Stick around after the walk for light refreshments and a chance to network with fellow Orange County residents, professionals and environmental enthusiasts.
During this walk, we will explore:
- Why sand accumulates along the shoreline to form a beach
- Where the sand on Southern California beaches comes from
- How and why beaches change from season to season
- The benefits of beaches to people and ecosystems
- How beaches are impacted by human development
- What can be done to protect beaches?
The fee is $50 or, if you are UC Irvine alumni, $30 with the discount code Alumni 20.
Partcipating Faculty
Brett Sanders is a Chancellor’s Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Urban Planning and Public Policy, with primary expertise in flooding and erosion risks and response measures. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.S. and PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Michigan emphasizing environmental fluid mechanics and computational methods. He currently serves as Director of the UC Irvine Climate Collaboration, an initiative that unites interdisciplinary faculty teams with external partners to address urgent climate, resilience and sustainability challenges in Orange County, California and beyond.
Dr. Sanders is a Fellow of the Engineering Mechanics Institute of ASCE, the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of ASCE, the International Association for Hydro-Environment Research, and the Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence. He also serves as an Advisor to the California Coastal Commission on wetland restoration, an Advisor to the California Ocean Science Trust and California Department of Insurance on flood risk modeling, and Chair of the Orange County Climate Resiliency Task Force. He was recognized as one of the Most Influential People in Orange County by the OC Register. Check out floodlab.eng.uci.edu
