The Lab Beat Wins Best Podcast at OC Press Awards
June 25, 2026 - The official podcast of the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering, The Lab Beat, won Best Audio Storytelling/Podcast at the 2026 OC Press Awards.
From the stem cell engineering of mini human organs, to enabling wounds to heal without a scar, to revolutionizing gyroscopes used in phones and drones, UCI engineering professors are out to change the world — and their dynamic research and developments are happening right inside the school’s cutting-edge laboratories.
From the podcast, you’ll learn about smart fabrics that change color, temperature and transparency. You’ll hear about professors Iryna Zenyuk and Mo Li who are out to decarbonize the cement industry, which produces 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. You’ll meet top metallurgist Diran Apelian who created the aluminum in the first all-aluminum car and is now upcycling scrap metal into enhanced metal for today’s vehicles. You’ll even hear students at the UCI Rocket Club lab doing a cold flow to prepare for their next launch of their latest rocket, propelled by the industry’s leading methalox fuel.
The podcast offers interesting 5-8 minute sound portraits of the leading science and engineering research happening inside the labs. In each episode, audio journalist Natalie Tso, a member of the school’s communications team, visits a lab and interviews the professor and students about their research, the machinery and technology.
The Lab Beat is an easy way to get an overview of the exciting research happening at the UCI Samueli School of Engineering. No prior knowledge of engineering is necessary to enjoy the short episodes in the award-winning podcast.
