Content Authored by: Imran Ghori

Highlanders move into campus housing under new safety rules

It was a different kind of moving day experience for UC Riverside students beginning the fall quarter. Instead of crowds of students and their families packed into parking lots amid a buzz of activity, a small number of students and their families unloaded their belongings in staggered 30-minute intervals over four days from Sept. 25-28. Their...

By Imran Ghori |

Emergency fund created to help employees during pandemic

UC Riverside is launching a program to aid employees hardest hit by the coronavirus with grants of up to $1,000 to help cover unexpected expenses. Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox announced details of the UCR COVID-19 Employee Emergency Fund in an email to campus employees on Thursday, Sept. 24. “Understanding that COVID-19 is inflicting great medical and...

By Imran Ghori |

Reduced numbers, regular testing planned for fall student housing

UC Riverside will have fewer students living on campus and will test them regularly for the coronavirus as part of its fall quarter housing plan. About 900 students are expected to move into the residence halls this weekend, compared to 4,200 in a typical year, said Robert Brumbaugh, senior director of Housing Services. Symptom monitoring and...

By Imran Ghori |

Professors named Freedom Scholars

Two UC Riverside professors are among a dozen academic leaders selected for the inaugural Freedom Scholars program, which promotes those advocating for economic, racial, and social justice. Alisa Bierria, an assistant professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies; and Dylan Rodriguez, a professor of Media and Cultural studies; will each receive...

By Imran Ghori |

Creating a signature UCR beer

For decades, UC Riverside-grown citrus has inspired a variety of products around the world. Now it can be found in signature beers sold only on campus. As many as five signature varieties including a lemon lager, mandarin ale, and grapefruit IPA, are on tap at the Barn’s Patio Bar, which reopened this summer after an expansion. The brews are the...

By Imran Ghori |

COVID-19 lab begins testing campus community

UC Riverside has begun testing students, staff, and faculty members for the coronavirus with the opening of a new diagnostic lab on campus this month. The lab, located at the Multidisciplinary Research Building, or MRB, began operations in early September. The facility allows the campus to conduct its own independent testing at a faster rate and...

By Imran Ghori |

YuJa has become a major platform for UCR’s remote instruction

UCR faculty members and students have turned to a number of online platforms for remote instruction and learning in the last several months. This summer, integrated video platform YuJa has gained popularity. The campus began using YuJa in June after searching for a single platform that could cover all instructional needs, said Israel Fletes...

By Imran Ghori |

Pierce Hall renovation progresses

A $62.3 million renovation of Pierce Hall is nearing completion of its first phase while work on the second phase is underway. The first phase improvements can be seen in the north and south wings, which now feature freshly painted hallways, brighter lighting, and modernized class and research laboratories. The 114,000-square-foot facility, built...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR virologist receives prestigious award from alma mater

Juliet Morrison, an assistant professor in UCR’s Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, has been honored by her alma mater, Bard College, with the John and Samuel Bard Award in Medicine and Science. The award honors scientists who demonstrate a breadth of concern and depth of commitment characterized by the pioneering father-and-son 18th...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR police officer top of his class

UC Riverside Police Corporal John Enriquez ’06 was recently named “Course MVP” by law enforcement officers across the country as part of a class he completed while obtaining a master’s degree. Enriquez was selected for the honor by about 250 others enrolled in the program at the University of San Diego. “The fact that I was chosen was very humbling...

By Imran Ghori |

Campus COVID-19 testing lab to open

UC Riverside is opening a diagnostic lab that will allow for expanded and rapid testing of students, staff, and faculty members for the coronavirus. The COVID-19 testing lab, located at the Multidisciplinary Research Building, or MRB, successfully tested its first sample on Aug. 12 and opened in early September. The lab will allow the campus to...

By Imran Ghori |

Chemistry professor receives research grant

Yinsheng Wang, a UC Riverside distinguished professor of chemistry, has won a highly competitive research grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, or NIEHS. Wang was one of five scientists nationally to receive the Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary Environmental Health Research, or RIVER, award which provides grant...

By Imran Ghori |

SOM dean honored on Riverside mural

Dr. Deborah Deas, vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of UCR’s School of Medicine, is one of the subjects honored as a Riverside influencer on a new series of murals. Deas was nominated for the recognition by Arts for IE, a regional arts collaborative made up of the Riverside Arts Council, Arts Connection, and Music Changing Lives. She is...

By Imran Ghori |

Bioengineering professor receives award for student mentoring

Huinan Liu, an associate professor of bioengineering, is the 2019-20 recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement. The award is presented at the end of each academic year to faculty members with a distinguished record of fostering undergraduate research or creative activity. The selection is...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR Career Center creates new internship opportunities

The UC Riverside Career Center is partnering with the University Innovation Alliance, other campus partners, employers, and community organizations in creating an internship program offering students real-world job skills before they graduate. In a pilot program this summer, six UCR students from multiple disciplines are working together on a U.S...

By Imran Ghori |

A busy summer for campus construction

Summer has been busy at UC Riverside as new buildings continue to take shape. Several major projects are nearing completion or have reached significant milestones. They include: • The Dundee Residence Hall and Glasgow Dining Hall, which is expected to open this fall. The project consists of three buildings: a 51,000-square-foot, two-story dining...

By Imran Ghori |

Early Childhood Services reopens with enhanced safety protocols

UC Riverside’s Early Childhood Services welcomed children back on Monday as it reopened its center almost five months after it closed due to COVID-19. The child care center will operate at a reduced capacity for the summer and has put in place enhanced safety and hygienic protocols, said Davina Bailey, director of Early Childhood Services. “The...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR team receives COVID-19 research grant

A UC Riverside research team is among 20 groups receiving funding to investigate problems related to COVID-19. Elena Kozlova, a doctoral student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program, is working with Margarita Curras-Collazo, an associate professor of neuroscience, on the project. They are partnering with Ruth Gutiérrez Aguilar, a professor of...

By Imran Ghori |

New Alumni Association president begins term

UC Riverside was a relatively small campus when Randy Olson graduated in 1980, but it had a huge impact on his life. Olson, who began a two-year term as president of the UCR Alumni Association board on July 1, hopes to provide the same opportunities to current and future students. “If a new student can walk out with the same experience I had that...

By Imran Ghori |

New campus signs and posters help navigate COVID-19 safety rules

A new signage program at UC Riverside will provide an easier way to navigate health and safety rules on campus due to COVID-19. The visual cues and wording reinforce public health information with messages such as “Face Covering Required” and “Keep Yourself Healthy.” Posting of more than 5,000 signs on campus buildings began in late July...

By Imran Ghori |