Monthly Archives: June 2018

U.S. News & World Report: “Schools Use Esports as a Learning Platform” by Constance Steinkuehler

June 13, 2018

Constance Steinkuehler, professor of informatics, writes: “Through the spring season, our research team at University of California—Irvine has carefully observed students, parents and coaches, and we’ve made some exciting discoveries. Already we have seen some students shift from a focus on their own individual glory to their team’s best interest, and from a reactionary stance toward their performance (“We lost and it stinks!”) to a proactive stance (“OK, that didn’t work. What can we do differently next time?”).”

Read the full story at U.S. News & World Report.

Digital Media Anthropologist Alexander Cho Receives President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

Alexander Cho, whose research focuses on how young people use digital and social media, has been awarded a President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship within UCI’s Department of Informatics. The University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP), originally established in 1984, supports research, teaching and services that promote diversity and equal opportunity.

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The Atlantic: “The Most Honest Out-of-Office Message” (Gloria Mark cited)

June 12, 2018

Research has shown that returning to email after a brief hiatus can be stressful. In a 2012 study, Gloria Mark, a professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies how information-technology use affects people, prohibited some office workers from using email at all for one workweek, and let others maintain their usual use. She strapped heart-rate monitors on all of them. Mark found that the participants who were cut off from email experienced significant reductions in their stress levels, as indicated by changes in their resting heart rates. When people return to their regular routine, so does the stress, she says.

Read the full story at The Atlantic.

ICS Students Christian Morte and Ayesha Syed Honored with Chancellor’s Award of Distinction

At UCI’s graduation, 49 students will wear a blue and gold shoulder cord with their commencement regalia, indicating that they are recipients of the 2018 Chancellor’s Award of Distinction. The UCI Alumni Association honors outstanding graduating seniors with this award to acknowledge their “exceptional academic achievement and commitment to cutting-edge research, leadership and service to UCI.” Two students from the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) have been honored this year with this distinction: Christian Morte and Ayesha Syed.

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Informatics Ph.D. Student Mustafa Hussain Named i3 Teaching Fellow

June 8, 2018

The iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) has named informatics Ph.D. student Mustafa Hussain as one of its 2018 Teaching Follows for its summer program, comprising two weeks of instruction in research design and programming. i3 is an undergraduate research and leadership development program that prepares students from underrepresented populations for graduate study and careers in the information sciences. The 2018 Fellows were selected from a competitive pool of candidates.

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Verge: “Game developer pranks player after he threatens to shoot up studio” (Katherine Lo quoted)

June 7, 2018

Katherine Lo, an online harassment researcher at the University of California Irvine, says it’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to threats and harassment — and that in many cases, this may not be the right one. “I worry that the message being projected here is that this is the ideal way to handle threats, or that no threat should be interpreted as genuine. In many cases that’s not a viable option,” says Lo.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Ingenuity 2018 Recognizes Influential Individuals and Celebrates Student Innovation

June 5, 2018

Ingenuity 2018 opened with Gregory Washington, dean of the Samueli School of Engineering, welcoming everyone to this sixth annual celebration of activity and technology at UCI. He praised the event’s showcased projects as products of “the smartest and most innovative group of students.” Indeed, the award-winning projects represented top work from the School of Engineering and from the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). Washington was also pleased to introduce technology leader Bruce Horn, Intel Fellow and CTO for the Saffron Technology Group, as the evening’s keynote speaker.

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UCI’s Game Design Program Ranked Third in State, 17th in Nation by ACR

June 1, 2018

Animation Career Review (ACR) has released its 2018 Game Design School Rankings, and UCI is again third best for game design in California, fourth best on the West Coast, and sixth best among public colleges. Furthermore, UCI improved in the national ranking compared to 2017, moving up to 17th best in the nation. Also, in a new category this year, UCI was ranked 12th best in the nation among schools offering a games-related B.S. degree program.

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