UCI Conversations

October 26, 2022

UCI Men’s Basketball Head Coach Russ Turner speaks about the upcoming 2022-23 season and the potential of his young team. But first he talks about growing up in a small town in Virginia and loving all sports. Through hard work and perseverance he created opportunities to coach at the high school, college and NBA level. Thirteen years ago he came to UCI and has been a “game changer” ever since. Listen to this interview and see why...

October 12, 2022

It has been a year like no other as a Nobel Prize winner. With the recent announcement of the 2022 Nobel laureates, the warp speed life of Sir David of Bellshill may get a little bit back to normal...but never quite return to the way it was. Listen in to this exclusive interview as he recounts many of the highlights of his momentous Nobel year!  Zot! Zot! Zot! 

Rams COO Kevin Demoff with SUPER BOWL trophy, owner Stan Kroenke and VP Tony Pastoors (photo courtesy LA Rams)

August 10, 2022

The LA Rams concluded their 2022 UCI Training Camp today, but not before Rams COO Kevin Demoff sat down for an up-close and personal look at his life, his career and last year’s amazing SUPER BOWL run... bottom line is his career was made up of incremental steps that he had no idea where it would lead...in Kevin’s case he ends up holding the Super Bowl trophy...WOW :) 

August 3, 2022

Los Angeles RAMS General Manager Les Snead talks about his life, his football road and the SUPER BOWL...remarkable insights and stories! His championship winning team is here for their annual pre-season training camp from July 29-August 10. Go to  www.therams/trainingcamp  for free tickets...AND don’t miss this great interview!

July 27, 2022

Senior Associate Athletic Director of Facilities & Operations Paul Hope has 40-years of experience at UCI. He loves athletics, his colleague/friends and our great institution. Tune-in for a ‘behind the scenes’ tour through time...Bren Center, Anteater Baseball Field, the Santora Elite Fitness Center and much more...AND a touching Kobe story. July/Aug is super busy when you have the Super Bowl Champ LA RAMS here for training camp! Free reservations can be made at  www.therams.com/trainingcamp                 DON’T MISS IT! 

July 6, 2022

DACA Grad Student Jaime ‘Halo’ Esquivel is working in the Reinkensmeyer Engineering Lab for 8 weeks as part of the ‘Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship’(S.U.R.F.) at UCI. Getting here has not been an easy road, but if you listen you will hear his footsteps to success thru perseverance, dedication and hard work; that combined with gratitude, desire and learning from his mistakes. His passion is for space exploration and he is on the move...! 

June 29, 2022

Women’s Crew Rowing Coach Mike Sullivan loves the feel of a boat gliding through the water and the team effort it takes. He rowed for UCI from 1970-74 with great success and never strayed far from the sport during his computer career at Stanford. After retiring, in September 2020 he returned to the back bay UCI CREW boathouse to coach and body surf. He enthusiastically proclaims, “it’s been FANTASTIC”! The endless summer continues...listen in to this highly entertaining and informative interview...

June 22, 2022

'LIVE' interview with UCI Public Health/Pandemic Expert-Professor Andrew Noymer making his 7th visit to 'UCI Conversations'. Hopefully this relaxed interview is not the calm before a big fall wave! Professor Noymer admits to being "worried about the coming winter". Eye opening details...lean-in & listen!

June 1, 2022

Last week, Nobel Laureate David MacMillan’96 and his wife chemistry PhD Jean Kim returned to UCI for the first time since his Nobel award was announced. He participated in a series of lectures, Q&A’s and celebrations. Listen in to get a peek at what it is like to win a Nobel prize. The couple is embracing it, having the time of their lives and also looking forward to the new Nobel winners being announced in October. We also explore just what is “asymmetric organocatalysis”, which was recognized with the Nobel...and much, much more! Zot! Zot! Zot!

May 25, 2022

Nobel Laureate in Chemistry David MacMillan’96 returns to UCI this week, for the first time since winning the Nobel Prize (October 2021). Listen to this re-broadcast of his exclusive KUCI interview soon after the award was first announced. Get to know this Nobel Prize winner up close and personal in this revealing, honest, and humorous exchange...WOW! WOW! WOW!

May 18, 2022

Special LIVE broadcast of 'UCI Conversations' show with Kevin and Giving Day co-hosts PhD marine researcher Joana Tavares and Humanities Undergrad Jose C. The team helped out with phone-in guests and additional insights of what makes UCI such a special place. Don't miss this action packed show with phone calls from Germany, Hollywood and Armenia soCal... CONGRATULATIONS to ALL for a GREAT GIVING DAY!

May 11, 2022

Vice Provost of Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate Division Professor Gillian Hayes LOVES HER JOB! Her background with academics & in academics, growing up at Deloitte, and running a private sector company have all contributed to her fast rise in university administration. She came to UCI because of the amazing research programs & great colleagues, but she stays at UCI because “it is one of the very few places that refuses to accept that equity, diversity and inclusion cannot co-exist with quality education”. You put all that together and she is a DYNAMO on the run...listen in!

May 4, 2022

UCI Political Science Professor Jeff Kopstein shares Eastern European history, his personal experience and years of study in this truly informative interview about our current world crisis.  It is sobering, unsettling and powerful. Insights that go far beyond what you see on TV every night...don’t miss this interview...

April 27, 2022

UCI PhD Marine Researchers Melissa Brock & Joana Tavares speak with passion, drive and commitment. In this interview, they recall jumping into action when an oil spill appeared in October and describe how the work still continues. They also speak from experience with first hand knowledge, love and humor for this GREAT PLANET THAT WE CALL HOME...AND they recommendations. Don’t miss this interview with two excellent science communicators who know their stuff!

April 20, 2022

From her grandmother’s amazing escape from Vietnam...to Disneyland...to future Nobel Prize winners, UCI Chemistry Professor Vy Dong is always learning! From attaining her PhD, she learned great confidence, but also that there is so-o-o much that she doesn’t know...like, “we are all students throughout our life”. She also learned that “adversity is a part of life, no matter where you are... it never really goes away”. Professor Dong is strongly encouraging, supportive and dedicated. Listen in to this remarkably positive and revealing interview...

April 6, 2022

Although Professor “Roxy” Cohen Silver recently became the Vice Provost of Academic Planning & Institutional Research her stature in her field continues to be renowned. She is an internationally recognized expert on stress, trauma & coping. Her research has included 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombings, and the Orlando Nite Club shootings. She is a force of nature in her work habits and has strongly held beliefs, but she is also not afraid to admit she does not have all the answers. Don’t miss this VERY interesting and engaging interview with this long time campus leader. *

Also don’t miss revealing outtakes at the end of the show.

March 30, 2022

From MOCA to the Guggenheim 'Temple of Spirit' Museum to Langson IMCA-Kim Kanatani has come a long way... as the new Director of the Langson Institute and Museum of CA Art (IMCA) she will be leading the way to create a new landmark for UCI. This interview includes the BREAKING NEWS announcement for the new IMCA home and descriptions of the two major art collections plus much, much more... It's art like you have never seen it before...