Various researchers in UC Irvine’s School of Education are studying the wide range of technological innovations available to enhance education, including assistant professors Shayan Doroudi and Nia Nixon. One facet of Doroudi’s research focuses on how different technologies improve learning. A segment of Nixon’s work centers on developing AI-based interventions to promote inclusivity in team problem-solving environments. How are artificial intelligence tools currently affecting teaching and learning? What are some of the most promising applications that have been developed so far? How are AI tools being used to personalize learning experiences – and what are the benefits and drawbacks of that approach? What’s next? These are some of the questions Nixon and Doroudi address in this episode of the UCI Podcast. The music for this episode, titled “Computer Bounce,” was provided by Geographer via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

March is Women’s History Month, an opportunity to celebrate the numerous contributions that women have made to American society. In this episode of the UCI Podcast, we’ll shine a spotlight on women who have worked tirelessly to bring attention to injustice via the Black Lives Matter movement and others like it. Begun in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, BLM encompasses yearslong campaigns across several anti-carceral organizations striving to end state violence against African Americans. Jordie Davies, UCI assistant professor of political science, pays special attention to BLM as she examines the foundations of social movements that have emerged in response to anti-Blackness for a new book. She’ll teach us the history behind BLM and anti-carceral groups catalyzed by women, forecast what may be on the horizon, and discuss her recent publication on the process of building solidarity and sharing power in multiracial coalitions. The music for this episode, titled “Awake,” was provided by Emmit Fenn via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

In this special episode of the UCI Insider podcast, director of Financial Aid & Scholarships, Becki Sanchez, and senior associate director of Financial Aid & Scholarships, Crystal Maudale, explain the changes found in the simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Bridget R. Cooks, UC Irvine professor and Chancellor’s Fellow of art history and African American studies, was invited to participate on the advisory committee for an upcoming six-month exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art titled “The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism.” She also wrote a piece detailing the history of Harlem Renaissance shows for the event’s official catalogue. What is the Harlem Renaissance? Cooks will answer that question in this episode of the UCI Podcast. In addition, she’ll tell us what it’s like to serve alongside some of her heroes, why her career is exactly what she’s “supposed to be doing” and how time spent at a museum can benefit everyone. This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at UCI’s ANTrepreneur Center. The music, titled “Don’t Fret,” was provided by Quincas Moreira via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

Who are UCI’s Underground Scholars? In 2018, students established the Underground Scholars Initiative to create pathways into higher education for incarcerated, formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals. After three years, USI members advocated for a staff-led program, leading to the formation of the Underground Scholars Program in October 2021. The two groups are separate but aligned in their mission to provide support services for such students. Shawn Khalifa – an undergraduate with a compelling story – is one of 44 participants currently in UCI’s Underground Scholars Program. He began serving a life sentence for first-degree murder at the age of 15. Released 16 years later, Khalifa is now on track to graduate in June with a degree in sociology. His journey highlights the transformative power of education and support in changing lives and trajectories. In this UCI Podcast, Khalifa candidly opens up about his personal history and reveals how his lived experiences ignited a passion for a future career in which he helps develop policies promoting systemic transformation in education. This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at UCI’s ANTrepreneur Center. The music, titled “Road Home,” was provided by VYEN via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

Supported by funding from the National Science Foundation since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Roxane Cohen Silver focuses her research on how major tragedies – both mass violence and natural disasters – are depicted in the media and how this may affect the health – physical and mental – of consumers. After the events of 9/11, there have been a series of events that have allowed the Distinguished Professor of psychological science, medicine and public health and her research team to continue their important work: the war in Iraq, which began in March 2003; the bombing at the Boston Marathon in April 2013; the Ebola virus outbreak in 2014; the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June 2016; and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic and then the war between Russia and Ukraine. In this UCI Podcast, we talk to Professor Silver about her findings and why graphic images leave an indelible mark on those who see them, how social media adds a new layer to the availability of that content, and what people can do to decrease the negative consequences that too much exposure to gruesome photos and videos can have on their health. This episode was recorded in the podcast studio in the ANTrepreneur Center. The music, titled “Invisible Beauty,” was provided by Aakash Gandhi via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

In this episode of the UCI Podcast, Sheri Ledbetter, UCI's director of internal and critical communications, speaks with Dale Leaman, the executive director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The discussion centers on requirements prospective students should keep in mind when applying to UCI and the other UC campuses. There is also some information about the emerging role of artificial intelligence in the admissions process, from the perspective of students and admissions office staff who are processing thousands of applications. Leaman brings an extensive background to higher education with 28 total years with the University of California and the last 11 with UCI. He’s been the executive director of undergraduate admissions for the past five years.

Schools shape the lives of students in many ways. Along with teaching the basic skills that will help them function in and contribute to a society – such as reading, writing and arithmetic – ideally, a school will also help young people identify their strengths in order to reach their full potential. In addition, schools educate students about identities. From early labels like “kindergartner” or “English-language learner” to later designations such as “honor roll student,” how do assigned categories affect a young person’s life? This is the topic of "Schooled and Sorted: How Educational Categories Create Inequality," a new book by Andrew M. Penner, UCI professor of sociology; Emily K. Penner, UCI associate professor of education; and Thurston Domina, professor of educational policy and organizational leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this UCI Podcast, we talk to the Penners about the challenges and opportunities presented by educational categorizations. The married co-authors also offer examples of how we can create categories that help instead of harm students. Music for this episode, titled “Metamorphosis,” was provided by Quincas Moreira via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

In this episode of the Anteater Insider podcast, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Patty Morales and fourth-year Education Sciences student Ella Lee discuss the barriers UCI students face along the way to graduation and how the university is working to address those barriers through analytics and data partnerships to support student progress.

Ian O. Williamson, dean of UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business, is a globally recognized expert in the field of human resource management, a reputation earned by traveling the world over to examine how talent pipelines affect organizational and community outcomes. In this UCI Podcast, Williamson identifies significant changes in business during the last decade, analyzes how the pandemic altered business education and forecasts the future of work for employers and employees. This episode was recorded in the podcast studio in the ANTrepreneur Center. The music, titled “Swimming Lessons,” was provided by Bail Bonds via the audio library in YouTube Studio.