Life at UCI

Facilities

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in Frederick Reines Hall. Additional research space, including high bay facilities, are housed in the adjacent Physical Sciences Research Facility and Rowland Hall.

Researchers and students have access to the special instrumentation necessary for the varied research interests of the faculty. In addition, the Department is well-served by fully equipped electronics, machine and glass shops. A state-of-the-art instructional computing lab provides access to a variety of Pentium PC’s and Linux workstations running popular software such as Internet Web browsers and Mathematica. The Aeneas Supercomputer, a 20-GigaFlop 64-node parallel supercomputer running Linux, supports leading-edge computational science across a variety of disciplines, ranging from particle physics and astronomy to atmospheric chemistry and computational fluid dynamics. The experimental particle physics and condensed matter theory groups also operate large clusters of UNIX workstations totaling well over 100 processors.

A high-speed ethernet provides network access to computers in the Department and to the Internet, with optical fiber links supporting selected high-bandwidth locations. High-speed links to the San Diego Supercomputer Center, to Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories, and to the National Center for Supercomputer Applications allow researchers to access additional supercomputer resources.

The Office of Academic Computing provides electronic access services to all UCI students. These services include e-mail accounts, Internet access, and access to class information resources using the World Wide Web.

The UCI Libraries serve the information needs of students, faculty, staff, and community members at two major, on-campus library facilities, plus a third major facility at the UCI Medical Center in Orange. UCI’s six-story, state-of-the-art Science Library is located adjacent to the Schools of Physical and Biological Sciences. It contains materials in astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geosciences, mathematics, medicine, physics, and allied fields. The facility features an Interactive Learning Center, a reference consultation and user self-search room, 2,200 reader stations, a current periodicals reading room, a microcomputer laboratory, a 24-hour study hall, special reading rooms for faculty and graduate students, and the technical services operations for the entire UCI library system. The Science Library offers reference assistance, computer-assisted reference service, instruction in library use and information management, and CD-ROM user self-search workstations. The second major library, the Main Library, is across the campus park from the Science Library and houses collections which support the arts, humanities, social sciences, and business and management schools.

UCI’s 2-million-volume collection is augmented by the 26-million-volume collections of the University of California library system, several systemwide cooperative acquisitions programs, and access to a growing number of electronic resources.
 

The Campus Setting

UCI’s location offers the cultural and economic resources of an urban area along with access to the scenic recreational areas of Southern California. Located five miles from the Pacific Ocean, the University is nestled in 1,489 acres of coastal foothills near Newport Beach. Campus buildings encircle the 21-acre Aldrich Park, and the campus itself is a natural arboretum planted with trees and shrubs from all over the world. UCI is surrounded by beautiful coastal rangeland and is adjacent to the San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve, part of the University’s land preserve system and home to a wide variety of migratory and nonmigratory waterfowl and other wildlife. These surroundings give the campus an open, almost rural feeling even though it lies midway between Los Angeles and San Diego in an area of rapidly growing technology development, international business and industrial complexes, and residential communities.

The Western Center of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is located on the campus, and the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering is adjacent to the campus. The UCI Medical Center, located in the City of Orange on a 33-acre site, is a major teaching hospital for the UCI College of Medicine. UCI has much to offer in cultural enrichment with world-renowned speakers and first-class events in dance, theater, music, arts, and film scheduled throughout the academic year.

A wide variety of campus recreation programs are available to graduate students and their families, including but not limited to exercise and dance classes, martial arts, team and intramural sports, weight training, and aquatics. On- as well as off-campus recreation activities are offered for every interest and skill level, from rock-climbing to sailing in Newport Bay. A new, state-of-the-art recreation center and 50-meter Olympic-size pool opened in fall 1999.

Bus transportation between the campus, the UCI Medical Center, and major housing areas, shopping centers, and beaches is convenient. In addition, the campus and surrounding communities are designed to encourage bicycle traffic. The abundance of bike trails in the area connect UCI to many student housing areas and to the beach and makes biking a popular activity throughout the year.
University Center, a commercial center linked to the campus by a pedestrian bridge, includes apartments, a movie theater complex, a post office, restaurants, and various shops and businesses. Also nearby are major department stores, award-winning restaurants, and major hotels and resorts. Cultural opportunities include repertory theaters, orchestras, choral groups, dance companies, galleries, and museums.

Professional athletic attractions are available in nearby Anaheim. The John Wayne Airport is two miles from the University, and the metropolitan attractions of Los Angeles and San Diego are within a one- to two-hour drive from the campus.

The temperate, Mediterranean climate is classic Southern California, and air quality is good. The proximity of the campus to the ocean provides ready access to water-oriented activities such as swimming, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, fishing, and tidepooling. UCI students, many of whom live in the nearby beach cities, enjoy the warm sun and prevailing sea breezes year-round. Local mountain and desert recreation areas are within easy reach and Catalina Island is just offshore. In short, more recreational opportunities are available than a conscientious graduate student can routinely utilize.
 

Housing and Child Care

A wide variety of affordable housing is available in the UCI area. Many graduate students choose to live at Verano Place or Palo Verde, popular on-campus apartment communities within a short walking distance of Frederick Reines Hall. Both areas provide housing for single and married graduate students and for families at rents considerably below comparable units in the local community. Apartments range in size from one to three bedrooms and typically offer carpeting, drapes, a stove and a refrigerator.

A number of graduate students choose to live off campus in Irvine or the nearby coastal communities of Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, Balboa Island, or Huntington Beach. Rents are comparable to those in other urban areas. The average commute from these areas is less than 20 minutes by car. Public transportation between the UCI campus and major housing areas, shopping centers, and beaches is available, and both the campus and the surrounding communities are designed to encourage bicycle traffic with bike trails connecting UCI to many housing areas and to the waterfront areas of Newport Beach. Nearby inland communities offer more affordable housing and include Costa Mesa, Tustin, and Santa Ana.

UCI’s Child Care Services offers five excellent child care centers providing full-time and part-time programs on campus. Fees vary by type of child care. Waiting lists are long and it is advisable to write or telephone Child Care Services as early as possible for information and enrollment instructions.
 

For Additional Information

For further information regarding graduate study in Physics and Astronomy at UCI, view our web site at: http://www.physics.uci.edu

Or contact:

University of California, Irvine
Graduate Student Affairs Officer
Department of Physics and Astronomy
4129 Frederick Reines Hall
Irvine, CA 92697-4575
(949) 824-5438
physgrad@uci.edu

Program in Chemical and Materials Physics (ChaMP)
http://www.champ.uci.edu

Office of Research and Graduate Studies
(949) 824-4611
http://www.rgs.uci.edu/grad/

Housing Office
(949) 824-7247
http://www.housing.uci.edu/

Child Care Services
(949) 824-2100
http://www.childcare.uci.edu/

UCI General Catalogue
http://www.editor.uci.edu/catalogue/

To apply for Graduate Admission electronically, go to: http://www.rgs.uci.edu/grad/prospective/app_online.htm
 
 

Nondiscrimination Statement The University of California, in accordance with applicable Federal and State law, University policy, and values, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran, special disabled veteran, or any other veteran who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized. The University also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access, and treatment in University programs and activities. Inquiries regarding the University's student-related nondiscrimination policies may be directed to: Ronald R. Wilson, Assistant Executive Vice Chancellor, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 524 Administration Building, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-1125; telephone (949) 824-5594. ADA Statement The information in this publication will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities, upon request. Requests should be directed to the Office for Disability Services, telephone (949) 824-7494; TDD (949) 824-6272. The campus and all buildings are accessible by wheelchair.   Campus Safety Per the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crimes Statistics Act, crime statistics for UCI are available online at www.police.uci.edu/studentright.html or by visiting the UCI Police Department.  Printed February 2001