Content Authored by: Imran Ghori
Study abroad program grows in popularity
A UC Riverside program offering students an opportunity to study abroad in faculty-taught courses reached a milestone this summer with its largest number of classes and enrollees since the pandemic. The Faculty-Led Education Abroad Program, or FLEAP, had 109 students in nine courses, its highest number since 2018 when it had 119 students. The...
Staff fair kicks off the fall
The Community Partner Fair returns to UC Riverside on Sept. 18, providing opportunities to learn about resources and services as the new academic year starts. The fair, sponsored by UCR Staff Assembly, will feature more than 40 vendors, activities, shaved ice, and prize drawings. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. under the arches in front...
Arts Building improvements underway
A summer renovation project of UC Riverside’s Arts Building will help fix drainage problems at the site. Since June, the building has been surrounded by fencing as construction crews began work. The project involves removing concrete in some areas of the outside plaza level of the building. A new concrete surface has been added in these areas with...
NSF grant supports science to policy program
UC Riverside has received a nearly half-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to build on a program training graduate students in science communication and create a national framework for science policy training. For six years, the Science to Policy program, or S2P, has offered a certificate course providing students the tools...
New campus plantings tests water savings
UC Riverside is testing out a new ground cover plant that could reduce water usage while keeping the campus looking green. Kurapia, a low-growing leafy ground cover, was planted at the Pentland Hills and Glen Mor student residence halls by Facilities Services in late June. The landscape crew is testing out the plant, which requires less water than...
Entomology student honored by national society
A doctoral student in entomology is being honored by the world’s largest entomological society for her contributions to the field. Sakshi Watts is one of the student honorees being recognized by the Entomological Society of America in its 2024 Awards and Honors. Each year, the group honors scientists, educators, and students who have distinguished...
New School of Medicine building wins design/construction awards
UC Riverside’s new School of Medicine instructional building won two awards from a construction industry trade publication. The School of Medicine Education Building II, which opened in September 2023 after two years of construction, received the Award of Merit in the Excellence in Sustainability category and an Award of Merit in Higher Education...
Prep work begins for new classroom and instructional lab building
Preliminary work has begun on UC Riverside’s new instructional building complex. The area around Parking Lot 19, south of the UCR Soccer Stadium, was fenced off in June as crews begin demolishing the asphalt surface to prepare the site for construction of the Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Facility. The 100,700-square-foot four-story building...
UCR chef wins gold medal in national cooking challenge
A chef with UC Riverside Dining Services won a gold medal in a national cooking competition hosted by the National Association of College & University Food Services. Tye Nielsen, a culinary manager for Dining Services’ catering division, faced five other finalists at the National Culinary Challenge at the association’s national conference in...
Physics Building roof replacement begins
UC Riverside’s Physics Building will get a new roof as part of a renovation of the aging building. Construction work began June 17 with the work expected to be completed by September in time for the fall quarter. The project involves completely demolishing the roof and replacing it with a new roofing system, said Fernando Nunez, a project manager...
UCR advisor helped eliminate “probation” from academic language
The University of California has dropped the word “probation” from academic regulations – a change that a UC Riverside academic advisor helped push forward. The UC Academic Senate voted overwhelmingly on June 21 to remove the term probation and replace it with academic notice to alert students when they are falling behind in their studies. Brett...
UCR wins national award for redesigned alumni website
UC Riverside won a national award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE, for its marketing and communications outreach to alumni. University Relations won a silver CASE Circle of Excellence Award from the nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement in alumni relations, communications, development...
New scooter racks installed on campus
Electric scooter, skateboard, and bicycle riders will have more places on campus to park their rides. Facilities Services installed 18 new racks in several spots around UC Riverside’s Highlander Union Building, or HUB, in late June. The new racks fit both scooters and skateboards, said Manny Sanchez, facilities supervisor for the HUB. The racks...
North District housing complex walls go up
Three large cranes, more than 10 stories high, tower over UC Riverside’s North District Phase 2 project, lifting wall panels and setting them into place. Construction crews at the project site have been repeating those steps over the last few weeks as the student housing project moves forward with the next phase of construction. West of the first...
Outstanding staff recognized at awards ceremony
A dozen UC Riverside staff members were honored by UCR Staff Assembly as part of its annual Outstanding Staff Awards recognizing those who go above and beyond their duties. The awards were presented at a Monday, June 3 ceremony at the Barn Stable. The awards recognize staff members for excellence in their work, commitment to the university’s...
UCR Library archives inspire literary and arts magazine
The UC Riverside Library’s vast collection of rare manuscripts, photographs, books, and other material in its Special Collections and University Archives has long been a valuable resource for scholars researching history. A new arts and literary magazine published by the library showcases writers and artists who used it as inspiration to create new...
Keeping the campus in bloom
Bright blooms can be spotted around the UC Riverside campus with new spring flower plantings. In May, Facilities Services planted over 800 flowers in key areas of campus that are expected to bloom all summer long. It’s part of a regular rotation to provide variety and vibrant colors timed to different seasons by the Landscape Services team. At the...
Psychology researcher named AAAS Fellow
UC Riverside psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky has been named a 2023 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS. As part of the organization’s 150th anniversary class, she joins one of the world’s largest general scientific societies. Election as a fellow honors members “whose efforts on behalf of the...
Batchelor Hall renovation nearing completion
A major renovation of UC Riverside’s Batchelor Hall is nearing completion after almost two years of construction. The work, which includes significant upgrades to the building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, will be finished by the end of June. Work began in fall 2022. Old and outdated pipes, wiring, and mechanical equipment across...
History professor wins Emory Elliott award for book on Native women
Historian Alejandra Dubcovsky is the winner of the 2023 Emory Elliott Book Award for outstanding publications authored by faculty members in UC Riverside’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, or CHASS. Dubcovsky, a professor of history, was honored for her second book, “Talking Back: Native Women and the Making of the Early South,”...