UC Irvine welcomes noted physicist Chemical physicist...

UC Irvine welcomes noted physicist

Chemical physicist Shaul Mukamel will join UC Irvine’s faculty as

a chancellor’s professor of chemistry.

Mukamel, 54, who is recognized as one of the world’s top

researchers and is known for using cutting-edge lasers to probe

molecules and cells, comes to UCI from the University of Rochester.

Mukamel has developed his research to explore the way plants and

bacteria harvest light into chemical energy, a process called

photosynthesis.

A native of Israel, Mukamel received his doctorate in chemistry

from Tel Aviv University in 1976. He recently won the 2003 Lippincott

Award from the Optical Society of America. He was also the recipient

of the Alfred P. Sloan Award and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus

Teacher-Scholar Award. In 1997, he was awarded the Alexander von

Humboldt Research Award for senior American scientists and was named

a Guggenheim Fellow.

Mukamel is also the author of more then 470 research articles, and

his 1995 book “Principles of Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy,” is

considered the leading text in his field.

Upon his appointment at UCI, Mukamel received a $1.1-million

National Science Foundation grant to lead a research effort with

participants from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Chicago.

Mistral demolition begins in Newport

Demolition has begun on Corona del Mar’s now-closed Mistral

restaurant, as it makes the transition to new eatery Svelte.

Workers began gutting Mistral shortly after it closed in mid-May.

Svelte is expected to open at the end of August, owner Kurt Conrad

said Tuesday.

Conrad, who lives in Newport Beach, purchased the property last

year. After a major overhaul, the restaurant is expected to reopen as

an eclectic French eatery.

Meeting will discuss native vegetation

The Newport Beach Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission will

listen to residents’ views about the proposed native plantings grant

for Castaways Park during their next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.

The commission will also discuss an amendment that proposes to

plant a green area in the center of the park that will be devoted to

visitors for activities such as picnics or sunbathing. The park is at

the corner of Dover Drive and Castaways Lane.

The meeting will take place in City Council Chambers at 3300

Newport Blvd.

Fair will host three Food Network chefs

The Orange County Fair this year will feature three chefs from

Food Network on its Heritage Stage.

Alton Brown, Curtis Aikens and Aaron Sanchez will perform on July

17, July 24 and July 31, respectively. The Celebrity Chef series is

being presented jointly by the fair and the Art Institute of

California.

The fair will kick off on July 11 and will run through Aug. 3 at

the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center. It will be closed on

Mondays.

For more information, call (714) 708-3247 or visit www.ocfair.com.

Newport’s free concert series will begin July 13

Newport Beach’s free Concerts in the Parks series will start at 5

p.m. July 13 at Mariners Park.