Campus COVID-19 lab expands capacity

UC Riverside’s COVID-19 laboratory has added more space and staff as testing on campus continues to ramp up. About two months after opening, the diagnostic lab has increased its capacity as part of the campus’s regular coronavirus testing of students in residence halls. “We’re always trying to streamline and make the process faster,” said Kathy...

By Imran Ghori |

The Barn reopens for service

The Barn reopened to customers Monday, Nov. 2, following a temporary closure, a cautionary measure taken after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus last month. During the two-week shutdown, the employee and other staff members who had been in contact with the individual remained in quarantine. Staff members immediately conducted an...

By Imran Ghori |

Amplifying Black voices at UCR

As a UC Riverside admissions recruiter, Dominique Beale has been a point person for Black students considering whether or not to enroll at the university. Beale is now taking that perspective to a larger audience with a podcast that shines a spotlight on Black voices on campus. Launched in September, “Blue, Gold & Black” features Beale engaging in...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR joins drug discovery consortium

UC Riverside has joined the University of California Drug Discovery Consortium, or UC DCC , "a cross-campus initiative aimed at building a drug discovery community that actively promotes research translation through industry partnerships." UC DDC provides UC researchers with funding and mentorship to advance the creation of drugs that address...

By Iqbal Pittalwala |

UCR Alumni Association launches online student mentorship program

The UC Riverside Alumni Association is offering a new way for students to connect with alumni and receive career advice. The UCR Career Network, launched this fall, is an online platform where students and alumni can search for profiles and network with those holding common career interests. The platform is powered by PeopleGrove, a software...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR honors three graduates with 2020 Alumni Awards of Distinction

Three UC Riverside graduates were presented with the 2020 Alumni Awards of Distinction in an online ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17. Anthea Hartig M.A. ’89, Ph.D. ’01, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award; Dr. Pedram Salimpour ’90, CEO and co-founder of Pierce Health Solutions...

By University Communications |

UCR among top global universities for plant and animal science in U.S. News list

UC Riverside has been ranked the No. 26 university in the world for plant and animal science by U.S. News and World Report in its 2020 Best Global Universities list. The rankings, released Oct. 19, focused on academic research and reputation in evaluating nearly 1,500 top institutions across 86 countries. UCR placed No. 158 in the overall rankings...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR Staff Assembly reimagines its role during the pandemic

Since the UCR Staff Assembly first formed over 35 years ago, it has brought together campus employees through its general meetings, fairs, and holiday events. The switch to remote work due to the pandemic has resulted in a reimagining of how the volunteer organization connects with the campus, said Dennis McIver, a University Honors counselor and...

By Imran Ghori |

Major housing and dining complex opens to students

After nearly two years of construction, UC Riverside has opened a major new student housing and dining complex at the north end of campus. The Dundee Residence Hall is the first new student housing project completed in six years. Together with the nearby North District housing project under construction, the project will help UCR meet its...

By Imran Ghori |

Education researchers create anti-racism guide

Racism is not an easy topic for teachers to tackle, especially when it comes to younger children. But it is important to begin that conversation at an early age, according to education researchers at UC Riverside. A new anti-racism teaching guide titled “Addressing Race and Racism in the Early School Years,” released in September, provides teachers...

By Imran Ghori |

On the COVID-19 frontline

William Rall, senior administrative director of Student Health Services, or SHS, at UC Riverside, arrived on campus in August 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Rall, who has 16 years of health care experience at UC Irvine Health and Kaiser Permanente, began his new role with no first-hand knowledge of SHS operations before the...

By Iqbal Pittalwala |

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 |

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 |

Creating a healthier campus

Historically, when creating healthy campuses, universities have focused on the health of students but not of administrators, faculty members, and staff. A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside, has challenged this trend by focusing on the health of the entire campus community. Reporting in Progress in Community Health...

By Iqbal Pittalwala |

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 |

Money magazine ranks UCR among nation’s top 50 universities

UC Riverside ranked No. 48 of 739 U.S. colleges in Money magazine’s Best Colleges for Your Money 2020, published Aug. 25. UCR was No. 32 among public universities. Among universities that accept half of their applicants, Money ranked UCR No. 13 in the country. And on its “Most Transformative Colleges” sublist — which weighs graduation rates...

By J.D. Warren |

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 |