March 2017
Azim Shariff, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior is quoted in South China Morning Post for his research on Artificial Intelligence. In this article, Shariff's research alludes to the issues that Artificial Intelligence faces under today's technological limits.
March 2017
Stressful events are a catalyst for polarized beliefs
People who experience adversity are likely to become more extreme in their existing political beliefs, according to a recent study led by Roxane Cohen Silver, Professor of Psychology & Social Behavior.
Both the number of past stressful events and those occurring over the prior year consistently predicted more firmly held opinions, whether conservative or liberal.
“We found that adults who experience a range of adverse events over their lifetimes, such as serious illness or a community disaster, are more likely to express extreme or polarized views on a variety of topics. This appears to be the case even when those topics, such as political opinions, have little or nothing to do with the adverse events they encountered,” Cohen Silver said. “Our study suggests that traumatic experiences may lead to long-lasting changes in a person’s tendency to become more polarized in his or her political attitudes.”
March 2017
David Feldman, Professor of Planning, Policy and Design, is quoted in CBC News for his insight towards the status of the California drought after the recent rainstorms. In the article, he illustrates the importance in recognizing other larger problems besides simply knowing whether the drought in California is over.
March 2017
Nícola Ulibarrí, Assistant Professor of Planning, Policy and Design, wrote a feature for The Sacramento Bee. In light of the recent events with Oroville Dam, she educates readers on the need to "strengthen the regulatory process to ensure safer operations of dams." In this article, she outlines the steps needed to reduce the likelihood of the country's dams from failing.
March 2017
We are pleased to announce that the School of Social Ecology March 2017 E-Newsletter is now available online. In this issue, we are featuring news, recent and upcoming events, and accolades.
February 2017
Charis Kubrin, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, is quoted in Wired for identifying the fatal assumptions about immigration and crime that the Trump administration has based their executive orders on. Citing research, she illustrates that there is no evidence to support his claims that immigration and crime are connected.
February 2017
Charis Kubrin and Carroll Seron, Professors of Criminology, Law and Society, is featured in The Mercury News for their research on AB 109, the first of its kind. Kubrin explains that the recent death of Whittier Officer Keith Boyer is not an accurate reflection of the current trends and research associated with AB 109.
February 2017
Charis Kubrin and Carroll Seron, Professors of Criminology, Law and Society, are featured in KABC-TV Los Angeles for their research on AB 109. Their research is the first and only systematic evaluation of AB 109, compiled of a series of papers which looks at crime data and statistics across the state before and after the implementation of AB 109. Citing research and many other factors, Kubrin cautions against drawing too many conclusions connecting criminal justice reform and crime without evidence in light of the recent statements Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper noted about the effects of the recent criminal justice reform.
February 2017
Long-term impact of climate change on US cities is rising, UCI researchers find
Global climate change is being felt in many coastal communities of the United States, not always in the form of big weather disasters but as a steady drip, drip, drip of nuisance flooding.
According to researchers at the University of California, Irvine, rising sea levels will cause these smaller events to become increasingly frequent in the future, and the cumulative effect will be comparable to extreme events such as Hurricane Katrina or Superstorm Sandy.
“Catastrophic storms get a lot of media attention and are studied, but we wanted to know more about the non-extreme events,” said Amir AghaKouchak, UCI associate professor of civil & environmental engineering and co-author of a new study on cumulative hazards in the American Geophysical Union journal Earth’s Future.
“These diffuse floods happen multiple times a month or year,” he said. “They don’t kill anyone, they don’t damage buildings, but over time they have extremely high-cost outcomes, and it happens without us realizing it.”
Lead author Hamed Moftakhari, a UCI postdoctoral scholar, said that people in often-hit regions have begun the process of adapting to the problem. “In a recent social science survey, people weren’t really interested in knowing the depth of the water. They just wanted to know how long they would be flooded,” he said. “Their main concern was finding out when they could get back to their schools and businesses.”
But public officials can’t afford to take cumulative hazards in stride, said co-author Richard Matthew, UCI professor of planning, policy & design. Policymakers faced with limited capital funds frequently defer action or make incremental improvements when major investments may be critical to fortify their communities. The team created a cumulative hazards index to pinpoint which locations would experience the greatest long-term risk.
February 2017
Charis Kubrin, Professor of Criminology, Law & Society is interviewed on KCRW 89.9FM to evaluate the accuracy of Trump's executive orders stating that undocumented immigrants “present a significant threat to national security and public safety.” In this interview, she cites research as to the actual amount of danger posed by immigrants.