EMILY KASTNER

DiMento, whose main emphasis is environmental law, has conducted studies on researching the creation of scientific data for environmental regulation.

UCI’s Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. William H. Parker, appointed Dr. Joseph F. DiMento as the new director of the Newkirk Center for Science and Society which became effective Jan. 1.

DiMento replaced former director Arnold Binder, professor emeritus of Criminology, Law and Society.

The Newkirk Center was established in May 2001 after an endowment from James and Martha Newkirk.

DiMento is a professor at UCI who has taught at the university for nearly 30 years. His areas of expertise include law and society, management and urban planning. However, his main emphasis focuses on environmental law.

DiMento’s many years of teaching and research experience will help serve as a stepping-stone for his new position as director. His past works have dealt with understanding the creation and the use of scientific information. His considerable knowledge in these areas will be directly related to some of the programs that the center will be offering.

DiMento has been a member on the advisory board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Scientific Advisory Board of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He has also conducted a two-year study under a Kellogg Leadership Fellowship researching the creation of scientific information for environmental regulation.

“Much of my work has to try to distinguish the difference between good and bad science and trying to understand groups that should use science and the cultures that create and generate scientific information,” DiMento said. “All of it is related to my interested in the Newkirk Center.”

The center plans to address science’s potential and actual contributions to society, such as policy, decision making and taking action. DiMento points out that at the same time, the Center will also serve to recognize the limitations of certain existing scientific approaches.

For the most part, the focus of the center will be on the impact of scientific findings; while learning about the conditions that create obstacles to science, they will also concentrate the conditions that favor positive impact. The subject matter will deal with an array of issues including international environment, mental health, law, etc.

The center will benefit the UCI community in various ways. DiMento explained that not only will the university have a number of programs that will address major scientific controversies, but because of the center, UCI will also be viewed as an important community institution, especially in the field of research and science.

“We’ll have short presentations from the scientists ... they will be presenting scientific results in a way that is understandable to undergraduate students, graduate students and as well as to experts,” DiMento said.

The effort of the center will be university-wide, therefore allowing for an integration and amalgamation of the various areas of study including social and the physical sciences, not to mention humanities.

According to DiMento, science and policy centers are found in quite a few major universities, including Stanford, Harvard and Columbia.

Many of the centers have an emphasis on social, natural or physical sciences. They deal with health issues, the environment, technology and space.

DiMento states that he feels honored to have been appointed director and be able to work with a distinguished advisory board of leading biological, physical and social scientists that will assist the center.

“I hope to bring a commitment to increasing the use of good science in the service of the public, with a strong focus on making more useable scientific information. I also hope to make good use of my experiences in working with scientists and policy makers as well as the public,” DiMento said.