News and Notes for the city of Irvine
for July 2018
Cyber security
Those worried about issues of privacy and the security of our nation’s digital infrastructure may take solace in the giant Cylance logo now watching over the Irvine Spectrum area from atop one of the twin glass towers. The company, which recently announced it raised $120 million in funding, applies artificial intelligence, algorithmic science, and machine learning to cyber security to prevent the most advanced security threats in the world. Some 350 employees have relocated to Cylance’s new worldwide headquarters across six floors of 400 Spectrum Center Drive. “Irvine continues to be a strategic advantage for us as we continue our rapid pace of innovation and accelerate market leadership,” said Stuart McClure, chairman and CEO at Cylance. “Cylance’s roots are in Irvine, which brings many of the same advantages as Silicon Valley – a confluence of people, properties, universities and companies – while forging a unique identity,” McClure says. Cylance also supports local research and development efforts. The company sponsors UCI’s Center for Machine Learning & Intelligent Systems, providing funds to bring speakers to campus and to recruit doctoral students, and is also a corporate partner of UCI Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.
First in class
UCI’s class of 2018 graduated in recent weeks, with some 7,000 students and their families in town for commencement ceremonies. In a remarkable testament to the American dream of a college education being fulfilled in Irvine, 50 percent of the bachelor’s degrees awarded went to first-generation college students. That’s a key reason UCI has twice earned the top spot among the nation’s universities that do the most to help students achieve the American dream, according to New York Times ranking. This year, UCI granted bachelor’s degrees to more than 2,000 Latino students (2,014), almost double the number awarded five years ago (1,034) and more than triple the total 10 years ago (637). UCI remains a popular choice for California’s Latino high school graduates, receiving more fall 2018 applications from them than any other UC campus. “This graduating class continues to highlight how well UCI serves the people of our state by offering a world-class education to our best and brightest students, regardless of their financial circumstances, and acting as a powerful engine of upward economic mobility,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman.
Tunnel vision
Chicago beat SoCal to the punch when it comes to possibly building the first Elon Musk tunnel. Musk’s Boring Company won a bid to build a high-speed underground transit line linking the city’s downtown to its Chicago O’Hare airport. Musk’s Boring Company claims it will be able to build tunnels at least 14 times faster than current technology and engineering allows. Musk says he will build the 14-mile, $1 billion tunnel for free, in exchange for keeping fees and revenue, including advertisements, branding and in-vehicle sales. What’s this got to do with Irvine? Sign us up for the second one, we say. Imagine autonomous electric vehicles running underground from John Wayne Airport to the Irvine Transportation Center/Orange County Great Park, with stops at Irvine Business Complex, UCI, and the Spectrum. If the mad scientist/billionaire behind Tesla, SpaceX and a mission to Mars wants to pay for it, we’ll be the first to ride.
PHOTOS, COURTESY UCI
Those worried about issues of privacy and the security of our nation’s digital infrastructure may take solace in the giant Cylance logo now watching over the Irvine Spectrum area from atop one of the twin glass towers. The company, which recently announced it raised $120 million in funding, applies artificial intelligence, algorithmic science, and machine learning to cyber security to prevent the most advanced security threats in the world. Some 350 employees have relocated to Cylance’s new worldwide headquarters across six floors of 400 Spectrum Center Drive. “Irvine continues to be a strategic advantage for us as we continue our rapid pace of innovation and accelerate market leadership,” said Stuart McClure, chairman and CEO at Cylance. “Cylance’s roots are in Irvine, which brings many of the same advantages as Silicon Valley – a confluence of people, properties, universities and companies – while forging a unique identity,” McClure says. Cylance also supports local research and development efforts. The company sponsors UCI’s Center for Machine Learning & Intelligent Systems, providing funds to bring speakers to campus and to recruit doctoral students, and is also a corporate partner of UCI Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.
First in class
UCI’s class of 2018 graduated in recent weeks, with some 7,000 students and their families in town for commencement ceremonies. In a remarkable testament to the American dream of a college education being fulfilled in Irvine, 50 percent of the bachelor’s degrees awarded went to first-generation college students. That’s a key reason UCI has twice earned the top spot among the nation’s universities that do the most to help students achieve the American dream, according to New York Times ranking. This year, UCI granted bachelor’s degrees to more than 2,000 Latino students (2,014), almost double the number awarded five years ago (1,034) and more than triple the total 10 years ago (637). UCI remains a popular choice for California’s Latino high school graduates, receiving more fall 2018 applications from them than any other UC campus. “This graduating class continues to highlight how well UCI serves the people of our state by offering a world-class education to our best and brightest students, regardless of their financial circumstances, and acting as a powerful engine of upward economic mobility,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman.
Tunnel vision
Chicago beat SoCal to the punch when it comes to possibly building the first Elon Musk tunnel. Musk’s Boring Company won a bid to build a high-speed underground transit line linking the city’s downtown to its Chicago O’Hare airport. Musk’s Boring Company claims it will be able to build tunnels at least 14 times faster than current technology and engineering allows. Musk says he will build the 14-mile, $1 billion tunnel for free, in exchange for keeping fees and revenue, including advertisements, branding and in-vehicle sales. What’s this got to do with Irvine? Sign us up for the second one, we say. Imagine autonomous electric vehicles running underground from John Wayne Airport to the Irvine Transportation Center/Orange County Great Park, with stops at Irvine Business Complex, UCI, and the Spectrum. If the mad scientist/billionaire behind Tesla, SpaceX and a mission to Mars wants to pay for it, we’ll be the first to ride.
PHOTOS, COURTESY UCI