When a wildfire sparks, every minute matters. UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia system uses more than 1,150 AI-powered cameras and sensors across the state to give firefighters and emergency managers real-time views from mountaintops to city edges — spotting smoke, scaling response, and supporting evacuations before flames spread. The system also helps teams prepare for the next threat, from post-fire flooding to mudslides. Platforms ranging from the evening news to the Watch Duty app use the live cameras to help millions of Californians stay informed and out of harm’s way. What began as campus research is now a statewide safety network — protecting people, property, and peace of mind.
Areas of Impact
Empowered Communities
From your car’s computer systems during school drop-off to the strength of the buildings you frequent to the secure connection that protects your bank account and the voting booth where you make your voice heard — behind the moments and places you count on there’s a world of research at work keeping you safe.
At UC San Diego, our researchers uncover hidden risks facing communities and build solutions that help real people. Our engineers test full-size structures on a giant outdoor earthquake simulator to learn how to keep homes, offices and bridges standing when the ground shakes.
Our computer scientists helped advance the security behind “https,” the technology that protects billions of everyday transactions online. Our political scientists work to increase voter participation and strengthen representation.
Our data scientists use AI to support communities, from helping small businesses bring fresh, healthy food into neighborhoods that need it most to helping firefighters and families see where fires start and how smoke moves.
And we don’t stop at discovery. Through workforce development and hands-on learning, we help people build the skills to lead in fast-changing fields, turning new ideas into startups and solutions that create jobs and strengthen communities.
Together, this work is empowering communities in California and across the world, making your life safer, fuller and more secure.
32,000+
jobs created by UC San Diego-related companies
Empowered Communities
Research in Action
Staying Ahead of Natural Disasters
ALERTCalifornia cameras can provide views up to 60 miles on a clear day and 120 miles on a clear night.
video
Cleaner Air. Safer Communities.
Researchers at UC San Diego have for the first time found a direct airborne link between contaminated rivers and the air that surrounding communities breathe.
video
Using AI and Data Science to ReNOURISH Food Deserts
The NOURISH platform designed to help small businesses increase access to healthy, sustainable food enters a new project phase.
external-link
8 UC San Diego Breakthroughs Powering a Safer, Stronger Nation
When America invests in research, the results can be life-changing. A patient survives surgery that once carried high risks. A wildfire is stopped before it reaches a neighborhood. A building stands firm when the ground shakes. A fighter pilot safely returns home.
external-link
Alumna Jessica Meir returns to space — this time as commander
On Feb. 13, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and three crewmates lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, bound for the International Space Station (ISS), an orbiting laboratory nearly 250 miles above Earth.
external-link
The scientists who saved D-Day
Could WWII have been lost without help from a pair of oceanographers? Here’s how two scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, studied ocean waves and ended up changing history.
external-link
UC San Diego Launches the FORGE to Power a New Era of National Security Innovation
As University of California San Diego moves to better connect campus breakthroughs with urgent national security and civilian needs, the university has launched the FORGE, a new initiative designed to align defense priorities with the researchers, startups and partners best positioned to deliver practical solutions.
external-link
We Are Safer During and After Earthquakes Thanks to UC San Diego’s Shake Table
Research on one of the world’s largest earthquake simulators has made buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure more earthquake-safe.
external-link
UC San Diego’s Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity Protects Patients and Keeps Hospitals Running
Hospitals are increasingly reliant on networked technology to access patient records and run lifesaving medical equipment. Safeguarding these systems against cyberattacks requires constant vigilance.
external-link
High Alert
One hundred ten feet above the wooded valleys and rolling hills in Northern California, a field technician installs a high-definition infrared camera on a metal utility tower.
external-link
Computer scientists who found the first cybersecurity vulnerabilities in cars get prestigious award
More than 10 years ago, a team from the University of California San Diego and University of Washington investigated whether computing systems in cars could be hacked and how that would affect a driver’s ability to control their vehicle. To their own surprise — and to the alarm of car manufacturers — the researchers were able to manipulate the car in many ways, including disabling the brakes and stopping the engine, from a distance. Now the team has received the Golden Goose Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science to recognize the impact of their work.
external-link
Stopping Wildfires
Detecting wildfires before they spread is a challenge now plaguing much of the world. UC San Diego’s public safety program, AlertCalifornia, is employing AI to help.
external-link
Safer Railroads Through Ultrasound
Advances in ultrasonic imaging technology and beamforming algorithms enable real-time flaw detection inside railroad tracks to prevent derailments.
external-link
As Wildfires Escalate, UC San Diego Researchers Turn to Science for Solutions
Increased temperatures, weather extremes and hot and dry conditions have intensified the threat of wildfires in California and around the world. Wildfire is an extremely complex problem and research and mitigation have never been more important.
external-link
These Smart Cameras Spot Wildfires Before They Spread
The newest fire spotters boast night vision, never take breaks and work fast—they often beat 911 human callers. Adding them ‘has made a hell of a difference.’
external-link
SPEAK UP AND SUPPORT LIFE-CHANGING RESEARCH.
Meaningful impact takes sustained support from individuals, industry and government alike. Learn what fuels breakthroughs and how you can help by staying informed, contacting your representatives and supporting research in the ways that make sense for you.
