UC Irvine has appointed social ecology professor Joseph F. DiMento director of the recently established Newkirk Center for Science and Society. His appointment is effective immediately.

DiMento is charged with fulfilling the center's mission of making scientific research more useable and beneficial to the general public.

"Joseph DiMento is the ideal leader for this young and vital center," said William H. Parker, vice chancellor for research. "With his wealth of experience and knowledge of the complex relationships between science and public policy, he can guide the center into its next phase of development."

DiMento is a professor of law and society, management and urban planning at UCI. He has served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Advisory Board. During a three-year Kellogg Fellowship, he completed a research project on the scientific basis of environmental regulation. His most recent book, "The Global Environment and International Law," which will be published this winter, addresses the relationship between scientific information and the making of international law, including global climate change.

The Newkirk Center was established in May 2001 with an endowment from James and Martha Newkirk. Martha Newkirk is a UCI alumna who earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the School of Social Ecology.

"The Newkirks have provided UCI an outstanding opportunity to link the worlds of science and policy, and I am honored to be chosen to move the center's work forward," DiMento said. "My first priority will be involving local community members, then identifying the issues where we can do the most good, particularly when it comes to government decision-making."

The center promotes appropriate uses of research in the natural and social sciences to enhance the quality of life. It finds ways to develop and share research knowledge with the public and policymakers so they can make informed decisions on vital policy issues on law, education, environment, healthcare, crime and public infrastructure.

"Our goal is to bring together the many individuals on campus who are not satisfied with simply publishing theoretical results in a journal," Martha Newkirk said. "Those who are interested in taking their research and applying it in the real world will find resources and support here."