Photo Credit: Jiri Turek/Forbes

The UCI community mourns the loss of beloved alumnus, friend and supporter Vincent Steckler ‘80. The former CEO of Avast Antivirus Software passed away in a tragic car accident on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at the age of 62.

Steckler earned both a B.S. in information & computer science and a B.S. in mathematics at UCI in 1980. He joined Avast as CEO in 2009 and transformed the company from a small regional business into a global provider of internet security. Steckler remained active in the Orange County community and was a strong advocate for equity and inclusion in the computing industry.

Steckler donated $1 million to the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences to support women in computing and endowed fellowships and scholarships. Most recently, a $10.4 million gift was made to UCI from the Steckler Charitable Fund, formed by Vincent and Amanda Steckler, to support art history students and to establish the Center for Responsible, Ethical, and Accessible Technology.

About half of the donation – $5 million – will establish the Center for Responsible, Ethical and Accessible Technologies within the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences. The unit will focus on creating a computing industry that’s inclusive, accessible, safe and equitable for all.

The other half of the gift – nearly $5.4 million – will largely be allocated to endowed funds that support graduate and undergraduate students pursuing coursework in art history by providing experiential learning, research-related travel, mentoring, career-building opportunities and fellowships.

The UCI community extends its sincerest condolences to the Steckler family and friends. Vince Steckler will hold a special place in the hearts of many at the UCI campus.

Per the family’s request, those who would like to share memories can do so by emailing condolences@avast.com.

IRVINE, Calif. — This year, four incredible UCI Graduate students, Janielle Vidal, Sophia Metcalf, Elissa Cobian, and Herschell Valenova Dayag earned Dynamic Womxn of UCI Awards. These prestigious awards celebrate and honor womxn leaders who leverage their graduate education to make a positive difference in the world. Each student has gone above and beyond to initiate change and fight for causes they believe in.

“These four scholars are incredibly impressive, both inside the classroom and in the community,” said Gillian Hayes, Vice Provost for Graduate Education. “We’re lucky to have such great ambassadors to UCI, and I know all four of them will continue to impact the world in positive ways.”

Janielle Vidal and Sophia Metcalf received the Academic Achievement Award, which honors members of the UCI community who have contributed academic research/theory that advances knowledge, narratives, and/or pedagogy that elevates Womxn and BIWOC (Black, Indiginous, Womxn of Color) issues in their field.

Janielle is a PhD candidate in Environmental Health Sciences and deeply cares about advocating for underserved populations at UCI.

 “She has repeatedly been called on to do extra-curricular racial bias training as one of a handful of Black PhDs in UCI’s Medical School. Her work has contributed to several substantial changes at UCI’s Medical School,” writes UCI’s Womxn Hub. 

Janielle sincerely hopes to be an inspiration and role model for other Black women.

 “I wish for others to see me (a Black woman from Jamaica) and know they can reach similar, if not better heights given the resources to do so,” said Janielle. 

After graduating from UCI, Janielle hopes to use the insights from her graduate education to help agencies make critical decisions to improve human health. 

Sophia, who just graduated with her MFA in Acting, co-founded UCI’s first queer theatre company, Brick Theatre, and has been actively involved in Students Mobilizing Change (SMC). She also serves as an Inclusive Excellence Ambassador for UCI’s Office of Inclusive Excellence. 

“UCI has an impressive cadre of high achieving and community engaged leaders, and it was an honor to be nominated with them,” Sophia said.

As a teaching assistant, Sophia has continuously created a safe and collaborative learning space. Post-graduation, they plan to continue teaching and engaging in the New York City social justice community with the goal of changing students’ lives for the better. 

Elissa Cobian, an MA candidate in Public Policy, received the Outstanding Social Justice Activist Award. Elissa worked tirelessly to promote CalFresh, a federally-funded nutrition assistance program that provides financial resources to people experiencing food insecurity, as a way to combat malnourishment and poverty. Elissa created tutorial videos, handouts, and guides to help break down the application process for students and eliminate any barriers. Her work has been instrumental in helping students ensure their basic needs are met.

Herschell Valenova Dayag, an MPH student in Public Health and advocate for preventative care, received the Dynamic Womxn of the Year Award, which honors individuals who have gone above and beyond to make a significant contribution to the UCI community. 

“To me, this award represents the momentous hurdles I have overcome to earn my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, while actively making a difference in the UCI community for over 7 years,” said Herschell. “Being bestowed with this prestigious accolade is a culmination of the first-rate education I received from UCI’s Public Health Program’s cutting-edge training, its esteemed faculty, and the guidance of my distinguished medical mentors. I am proud to be honored as a fellow UCI trailblazer alongside such inspirational womxn on our campus.”

Herschell’s experiences at UCI have fueled her continued dedication to education, research, mentoring, and community service. After graduating, she is committed to using her skills to empower others and create a healthier future.

These phenomenal students exemplify how UCI graduate students are the future leaders of the world. On behalf of the UCI Graduate Division, congratulations to all of the award recipients and thank you for your incredible work!

The 2021 Latinx Excellence and Achievement Awards took place April 1 as a virtual gala. In its fourth year, UCI’s LEAD remains the only celebration and awards event in the University of California system focused on Hispanic and Latinx graduate student success.

This year’s event welcomed remarks by Chancellor Howard Gillman and UCI Foundation Trustee Gaddi Vasquez and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. It recognized graduate research excellence and achievement in all 15 academic units at UCI based on nominations from the senior leadership in the units. Here is a list of the recipients.

The Latino Excellence and Achievement Awards began in 2018 as the inspiration of Ph.D. in Education graduate Veronica Ahumada Newhart, who believed that as a federally designated Hispanic Serving  Institution, the time had arrived to celebrate the accomplishments of UCI’s Hispanic and Latinx community. Currently, Latinos are 39.4% of the state population in California but are only 11.4% of the graduate student population at UCI. LEAD aims to raise awareness of challenges in the graduate community, increase visibility of success, and inspire the Hispanic/Latinx community to advance in graduate and postdoctoral programs.

In addition to recognizing a graduate student in each academic unit, LEAD recognized 5 campus-wide awardees: Outstanding Community Builder Award to José Mayorga, M.D., assistant clinical professor of family medicine; Distinguished Staff Leadership Award to Burt Alvaro Slusher, M.S., director of recruitment and admissions for specialty masters programs, Merage School of Business; Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award to Leo R. Chavez, PhD, distinguished professor and chair of anthropology, and Regina Ragan, Ph.D., professor of materials Science & engineering; and Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award to Héctor Tobar, M.F.A., UCI alumni and associate professor of literary journalism and Chicano/Latino studies.

Something new this year was the addition of a ZotFunder award to honor José Flores Velázquez, a former UCI Physics & Astronomy PhD student who passed away in 2019. Student LEAD awardees will receive fellowships from a memorial fund in honor of Velázquez.

The mission of LEAD is to: celebrate graduate student research excellence and achievement; recognize faculty, staff and alumni who provide support for excellence and success; and create a sense of community and institutional memory of academic and professional achievement in the UCI Hispanic and Latinx community.

Irvine, Calif., March 30, 2021 — The University of California, Irvine’s Ph.D. program in criminology, law & society placed second in the nation overall in U.S. News & World Report’s annual graduate school rankings – published online today – with 10 other fields of advanced study in the top 10 among public universities. Overall, 31 programs landed in the top 25 among publics, marking UCI as one of the leading locations in the country for students to pursue graduate degrees.

“UCI has established itself as a world-class public research university in a wide range of fields,” said Gillian Hayes, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate Division. “These rankings confirm that our campus offers challenging and intellectually rich opportunities for students of all backgrounds to achieve academic and professional excellence.”

Students in UCI’s interdisciplinary criminology program study and conduct research under renowned faculty who probe the causes and consequences of crime, its impact on society and its interplay with the law. Additionally, in January, UCI’s Master of Advanced Studies in criminology, law & society was named the nation’s best online criminal justice master’s program by U.S. News & World Report for the second year in a row.

The newly released rankings also highlight the continued rise of UCI’s School of Education, which improved from 20^th overall last year to 15^th – and seventh among public universities. It offers a world-class doctoral program featuring the benefits of an internationally acclaimed research and teaching faculty, a supportive scholarly community and selective cohorts admitted annually. As of June 2020, School of Education faculty served as principal investigators on grants exceeding a combined total of $96 million. This represented an all-time high for the school, the ninth consecutive year in which it established such a milestone.

Broad-based excellence in graduate study

Top 10 graduate programs at UCI include:

• Criminology, second among publics and second overall
• Literary criticism & theory, second among publics and seventh overall
• Education, seventh among publics and 15^th overall
• English, eighth among publics and 20^th overall
• Sociology, ninth among publics and 20^th overall

Top 10 School of Law specialty programs are:

• Clinical training, second among publics and sixth overall
• Tax law, third among publics and sixth overall
• Legal writing, fifth among publics and ninth overall
• Intellectual property law, seventh among publics and 19^th overall
• Constitutional law, eighth among publics and 20^th overall
• International law, eighth among publics and 22^nd overall

Other top 25 UCI schools and programs include: part-time MBA (12^th among publics and 26^th overall), law (15^th and 35^th), history (15^th and 30^th), economics (20^th and 40^th), medicine – research (20^th and 48^th), political science (21^st and 41^st), engineering (22^nd and 38^th) and public health (22^nd and 41^st).

Other law specialty programs in the top 25 are: dispute resolution (11^th among publics and 24^th overall), criminal law (11^th and 27^th), contracts/commercial law (16^th and 34^th), healthcare law (16^th and 37^th), environmental law (17^th and 32^nd) and business/corporate law (19^th and 44^th).

Other engineering specialty programs in the top 25 are: aerospace engineering (17^th among publics and 25^th overall), biomedical engineering (12^th and 29^th), environmental engineering (19^th and 28^th), computer engineering (20^th and 33^rd), materials engineering (20^th and 35^th), civil engineering (23^rd and 34^th) and mechanical engineering (23^rd and 41^st).

U.S. News did not evaluate any arts or sciences programs this year, as these are ranked in alternate years.

UCI is one of the top doctorate-granting institutions in the U.S. and has nearly 3,000 students engaged in advanced scholarship and world-class research.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit wp.communications.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.

IRVINE, Calif. – On March 4, 2021, UCI Graduate Division hosted its first ever virtual Grad Slam, where top scholars showcased their research in a three minute pitch for a chance to win cash prizes. The ten finalists spanned a diverse range of disciplines with each student working to leverage their graduate education to make a positive impact in the world.

Grad Slam is a systemwide competition that highlights the prestige and importance of Graduate Education while also increasing graduate students’ communication and presentation skills. UCI’s Grad Slam Champion will compete against the nine other UC champions for a grand prize of $7,000 in the systemwide finals on May 7th.

Amidst the pandemic, the UCI Graduate Division team re-imagined an ordinary pitch competition, creating a fully virtual, yet authentic experience. 

The remote nature provided a unique opportunity for the audience to get to know the finalists both personally and professionally. Each student had an introductory video where they spoke about their passions and hobbies. This video was followed by a three minute research pitch, and a live Q&A session with the host, Bri McWhorter. Each of these moments illuminated the ambition, talent, and diversity of the UCI graduate student body. In addition to being phenomenal grad students, these scholars are: musicians, painters, mountain climbers, rubix cube experts, tennis players, adventurers, and post card collectors. 

Leslie Heid, PhD student in Mathematical and Computational & Systems Biology, was named the Grad Slam Champion. Heid delivered a presentation on quantifying DNA methylation pseudotime to rewrite a cell’s fate to become a different cell. 

In her captivating pitch, Heid described the profound impact of her research: “Some day from a simple swab inside a patient’s cheek we could grow a replacement liver or kidney or replenish bone marrow with a perfect match and my work will be a vital step in unlocking this potential– once we succeed humanity will be changed forever.”

“Winning is a big confidence boost. Grad Slam is not easy but I feel like I can do anything now. I challenged myself, went outside my comfort zone, and succeeded. I am more optimistic about my PhD career and future prospects,” said Heid.

Jessica Vidmark, PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering, won 2nd place, and Hamsi Radhakrishnan, PhD student in Neurobiology and Behavior/Mathematical Computational and Systems Biology, took home 3rd place. Vidmark presented on deep brain stimulation to treat and understand movement disorders, and Radhakrishnan spoke about using water to image the brain. 

Prizes were $5,000 for the Grad Slam Champion, $2,000 for 2nd place, $1,000 for 3rd place, and all finalists received $250.

The virtual event was full of special surprises, and heartfelt moments. Leslie Heid’s daughter proudly cheered for her mother as she won the Grad Champion award. Family and friends cheered for the finalists from the live audience wall. 

Grad Slam concluded with a warm congratulations from the Graduate Division Dean, Gillian Hayes, “You truly are the beating heart of graduate education at UCI and I am so proud of your contribution to our campus this evening, you each did a wonderful job.”

Check out the full event on Vimeo.