2011  Prospective Student News

Michael McCawley appointed director of admissions at UC Santa Cruz

Astronomers' pristine gas discovery among top scientific breakthroughs of 2011

Lists from Science and Physics World of the top scientific breakthroughs of the year include the discovery of primordial gas clouds by UCSC astronomers.

UC Santa Cruz astronomer Jerry Nelson to receive 2012 Franklin Medal

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has announced that Jerry Nelson, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, will receive the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering.

Do you use "vocal fry?" It's the most popular story on ScienceNOW, ever

Science communication student Marissa Fessenden's article about "vocal fry" is the most popular story ever published on Science magazine's online news site.

Study of research impact ranks UCSC 21st in the world

UC Santa Cruz ranks 21st in the world in a five-year measure of the top 500 universities based on the impact of its researchers' scholarly publications.

Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz named to Silicon Valley's '40 Under 40'

Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz is among 40 "rising stars" in Silicon Valley recognized by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.

House names Capitol meeting room in honor of Gabe Zimmerman

The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to name a room in the Capitol for UC Santa Cruz alumnus Gabe Zimmerman (Stevenson, '02, sociology), the Congressional community outreach director who was killed in the January shooting rampage in Tucson.

Submarine springs offer preview of ocean acidification effects on coral reefs

Observations at submarine springs found along the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula are giving scientists a preview of the possible fate of coral reef ecosystems in response to ocean acidification.

Writing instructor's essay included in natural history anthology

An essay by Sarah Juniper Rabkin, a lecturer and researcher in the UC Santa Cruz Environmental Studies Department is included in "The Way of Natural History" (Trinity University Press, 2011), an anthology in which more than 20 writers argue that attention to nature is a key pathway to nurturing our humanity.

UCSC grad is an editor of the 'Occupied Wall Street Journal'

Despite the bust-up of Occupy encampments nationwide, a UC Santa Cruz graduate who helps edit the newspaper for the popular movement credits media outreach with spreading the message of economic fairness beyond the downtown parks where the movement began.

UCSC leads $4 million NOAA project to monitor harmful algal blooms

Scientists are launching a major effort to understand the conditions leading to blooms of toxic algae along the California coast.

Arboretum celebrates partnership with Amah Mutsun tribe

The Arboretum and the Amah Mutsun tribe are working together on a project that highlights native plants traditionally used by the Mutsun people.

Astronomers find clouds of primordial gas from the early universe

For the first time, astronomers have found pristine clouds of the primordial gas that formed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang.

UCSC wins $2.6 million grant for organic farming research

UC Santa Cruz will continue and expand its leading role in sustainable agriculture research with a $2.6 million federal grant to strengthen collaboration with Central Coast farmers to promote organic production in the region.

Video chat with Chancellor Blumenthal

Speaking from the newly remodeled McHenry Library, Chancellor Blumenthal welcomes new and returning students, notes the increasing diversity of the student body, and highlights recent campus accomplishments.

Tom Pettigrew wins social psychology career award

Thomas F. Pettigrew, research professor of social psychology at UC Santa Cruz, is one of two recipients of a new Career Achievement Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP).

UCSC Arboretum holds Dried Flower and Succulent Wreath Sale Nov. 12 and 13

Wonderful holiday decorations and gifts will be available from the UCSC Arboretum at the Dried Flower and Succulent Wreath Sale on November 12 and 13.

UCSC's Museum of Natural History holds open house and fundraiser

Two master naturalists will share their wisdom with the community when the UC Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Collections (MNHC) holds its third annual open house and fundraiser Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Science and Engineering Library periodicals room on the UCSC campus.

UCSC presents inaugural Sikh and Punjabi Studies conference Nov. 10-12

On November 10-12, leading scholars from the United States, Canada, and England will come together for the inaugural conference in Sikh and Punjabi Studies at UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC cholera biofilm team wins Deloitte QB3 Award for Innovation

A team of UC Santa Cruz researchers working to find new drugs to fight cholera has won a $10,000 Award for Innovation

Excess nutrients threaten Elkhorn Slough ecosystem

A new study documents the effects of high nutrient levels in Elkhorn Slough, especially where water control structures limit tidal exchange.

Baskin School of Engineering promotes increased participation of women in computing

During the past two years, the number of women majoring in computer science at UC Santa Cruz has increased by 40 percent.

Researchers work with high school teachers on new state writing standards

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz, in collaboration with local educational agencies, have won a $250,000 grant to help high school English teachers in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District prepare for new state standards in reading and writing.

UCSC honors Marti Noxon at Hollywood Film/TV alumni event

Award-winning writer and producer Marti Noxon (Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee) was presented with the first UCSC Film & Digital Media Prestigious Alumni Award at a ceremony held last week at the Soho House in West Hollywood.

West Nile virus transmission linked to land use patterns, 'super-spreaders'

In most places, only a few key species of bird "hosts" and mosquito "vectors" are important in transmission of West Nile virus.

UCSC sponsors SACNAS national conference in San Jose, October 27-30

UCSC is supporting the efforts of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.

UCSC’s digital artists take over museum for one night only-Oct. 21

This Friday, October 21, student and alumni artists from UCSC’s Digital Arts & New Media (DANM) program will transform Santa Cruz’s Museum of Art & History into a dynamic hub of new interactive digital art and technology.

Beyond calories and consumption, new book critiques obesity orthodoxies

Julie Guthman, associate professor of community studies, challenges many widely held assumptions about the “obesity epidemic” in her new book, "Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism."

Elliot Aronson to deliver fall Emeriti Lecture Oct. 27

Elliot Aronson, emeritus professor of psychology, will deliver the fall 2011 Emeriti Lecture, "The Psychology of Self-Persuasion: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts," at UC Santa Cruz on Thursday, October 27.

Physicist Bill Atwood awarded Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics

The American Physical Society has awarded the 2012 Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics to physicist William Atwood.

Google chief economist kicks off finance lecture series at UC Santa Cruz

Hal Varian, chief economist at Google and a UC Berkeley emeritus professor, is the inaugural speaker of a quarterly lecture series being launched by a new financial and economic risk-analysis initiative at UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC ranked third in research influence in world university survey

In an analysis of the world's top universities, UCSC ranked third in research influence.

Community water projects in rural Kenya help raise family income

Rural family incomes tend to rise when Kenyan women don't have to spend several hours a day lugging water to their villages, UC Santa Cruz sociology professor Ben Crow writes in a new paper in the journal World Development.

Geologist Casey Moore honored by Geological Society of Japan

The Geological Society of Japan has awarded its International Prize to UCSC geologist Casey Moore.

UCSC grads turn senior project into game design company

A new iPad game now available from Apple's App Store showcases the professional quality of the work done by UCSC students in the computer game design program.

Five UCSC students win Fulbright scholarships

Five UC Santa Cruz students in four disciplines are winners of Fulbright scholarships for a year of research and study abroad. They will travel to China, Germany, Italy, and Mexico for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Experts discuss the future of cancer diagnosis and treatment on Oct. 21

Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop, Genentech chairman Art Levinson, and UCSC's David Haussler discuss the dawn of personalized medicine in UCSC Foundation Forum.

LALS post-doc's research proposal wins top award from UC-Mexico funder

Tania Cruz Salazar's research on immigration by indigenous youth recently won the UC MEXUS Monarch Award for the most outstanding proposal submitted for funding this year.

Frans Lanting’s multimedia show to highlight UCSC evening at Flint Center

For more than two decades, acclaimed nature photographer Frans Lanting has documented wildlife from the Amazon to Antarctica, in an effort to promote understanding about the Earth and its natural history. On October 15, he will join with the campus for a remarkable evening of art, science and life, at the Flint Center in Cupertino.

"Science Notes 2011" now available online

Sneaky salmon-snatching sea lions, African island tree frogs, and octopus-shaped sand dollars--these stories and more appear in Science Notes 2011, the annual magazine published by UCSC's Science Communication Program.

The New McHenry: It’s Not Your Parents’ Library

I’m sitting in a “Group Study” room of the newly renovated McHenry Library at UC Santa Cruz and I’ve got to admit—I’m pretty relaxed.

UCSC hosts fall harvest festival on September 25

Celebrate the bounty of fall at the 17th annual Fall Harvest Festival, Sunday, September 25 at UC Santa Cruz’s 25-acre organic farm with live music, food, apple tasting, apple pie bake-off, garden talks, hay rides, events for kids, and tours.

New material shows promise for trapping pollutants

UCSC chemists have developed a new type of material that can soak up pollutants from water.

UCSC film lecturer Leo Chiang up for Emmy Award in Sept.

Leo Chiang--a lecturer in the Social Documentation M.F.A. Program at UC Santa Cruz—has been nominated for an Emmy Award for his documentary film, "A Village Called Versailles."

UCSC offers new degree in network and digital technology

The Baskin School of Engineering is offering a new major in network and digital technology.

Loss of large predators has caused widespread disruption of ecosystems

The decline of large predators and other "apex consumers" at the top of the food chain has disrupted ecosystems all over the planet, according to a review of recent findings.

Researchers win $2 million grant to study spread of bat-killing fungus

Two UC Santa Cruz researchers, Winifred F. Frick and A. Marm Kilpatrick, have won a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to study the spread of a fungus that is decimating bat populations in the northeastern United States.

Film & TV industry alums reconnect with campus

“The UC Santa Cruz student may not get the first job compared to his or her Ivy League competitor...but I assure you they will get the BEST job in the end...because they will out-think them.” That was the takeaway message from the keynote address by UCSC alumnus—and president of Lionsgate Television—Kevin Beggs at the June 3-4 Film Symposium presented by the Arts Division.

Professor documents the immigrant experience in Santa Cruz County

In her new book, "I'm Neither Here nor There, Mexicans' Quotidian Struggles with Migration and Poverty," Professor Patricia Zavella describes how poor and working class Mexican Americans and migrants struggle for identity in Santa Cruz County.

EPA administrator speaks of commitment to environmental justice

In her College 10 commencement address June 12, Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, spoke of her commitment to environmental justice and lauded College 10's focus on social justice.

As the slug rises: Once subversive, UCSC's beloved mascot turns 25

This year marks the 25th anniversary of UC Santa Cruz's famous banana slug mascot, a once-subversive symbol on campus. This month, a former chancellor and various alumni looked back on the days when the fate of this character hung on a slender thread of slime.

Video chat with Chancellor Blumenthal

Chancellor Blumenthal reflects on spring commencement, campus achievements and challenges over the 2010-2011 academic year, and the 25th anniversary of the banana slug becoming the official mascot of UC Santa Cruz.

Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas honored at 39th annual performance

Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas was presented with two awards of recognition during the troupe's 39th annual spring concert including Watsonville Mayor Daniel Dodge proclaiming June 3 "Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas Day" in Watsonville.

A summary of summery things to do at UCSC

The long, lazy days of summer are a great time to explore UC Santa Cruz and its off-campus facilities. Whether you want to soak up some culture with a play, learn about exotic plants, or get up close and personal with marine mammals, UCSC offers the opportunity.

10x10: 10 grads in 10 days

UCSC's Class of 2011 includes these outstanding 10 new graduates, whose profiles--including photos and videos--will roll out here over the two weeks before commencement.

Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas performs on June 3-4

On June 3 and 4, students in Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas mark the organization’s 39th anniversary with a spring dance performance on UC Santa Cruz’s Theater Arts Main Stage.

UCSC documentary exhibition premieres at Del Mar Theater

Soon-to-be graduates of the Social Documentation (Soc Doc) program at UC Santa Cruz will premiere their masters thesis video documentaries at the Del Mar Theater in Santa Cruz, Thursday, June 9 at 7 p.m. The screening is free and open to the public.

President of Lionsgate Television to give keynote address at UCSC Film Symposium

UCSC alumnus Kevin Beggs, the president of Lionsgate Television Group, will deliver the keynote address for a two-day film symposium—Bridging the Gap—at UC Santa Cruz, June 3-4.

New book questions effectiveness of peace-building workshops

In his new book, UCSC psychology professor Phillip L. Hammack questions the effectiveness of peace-building workshops involving Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in the United States.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson joins eclectic UCSC commencement speakers

Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, joins an eclectic selection of speakers as UC Santa Cruz's 10 colleges and graduate division hold commencement ceremonies June 10-12 when more than 3,000 students will receive bachelors, masters, Ph.D degrees, and graduate certificates.

Graduate student research showcased at May 6 symposium

The University Center at UC Santa Cruz will come alive on Friday, May 6, with poster, oral, or multimedia presentations that will be featured at this year's Graduate Research Symposium. In its seventh year, the symposium is designed to recognize and promote the outstanding and diverse research being carried out by graduate students from all disciplines on campus.

'Day by the Bay' attracts large crowd to campus

Windy conditions on UCSC's East Field on Saturday required a venue change for UCSC's annual "Day by the Bay" picnic. But the 1,500 people who flocked to the Cowell College Courtyard for the annual event found plenty of activities to enjoy: food, beverages, college and department exhibits, and plenty of spectacular student entertainment. The alumni reunion weekend also featured a forum, a wine reception, and other events.

Destiny and development in the Mayan tradition of midwifery

Barbara Rogoff is accustomed to choosing what she will write about. But with her most recent book, "Developing Destinies: A Mayan Midwife and Town," the project chose her. The book is part memoir, part ethnography, part research study in child developmental psychology. It's also clearly a labor of love.

Analysis shows personal contact reduces tension and prejudice

In a new book, "When Groups Meet: the Dynamics of Intergroup Contact," Thomas F. Pettigrew, an international expert on racism, and Linda R. Tropp, associate professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, analyze research that shows how bringing groups together can mitigate prejudice.

Slug men's tennis swings through Southern California

The Slug tennis team returned from a road trip to Southern California on April 15 and 16 with three solid wins under their belt.

Well-known alumni writers discuss their craft in May 1 symposium

UC Santa Cruz alumnus David Talbot, founder of Salon.com and best-selling author of "Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years," will kick off "A Writer's Life: A Celebration of Writing at UCSC" Sunday, May 1. Talbot will be joined by other well-known UCSC alumni novelists, journalists, and screenwriters.

UCSC looks ahead with Inventing the Future of Games

University research and an enthusiasm for bridging disciplines mark the pathways to the future of games, according to speakers at the first-ever Inventing the Future of Games symposium, held April 15.

UC Santa Cruz increases access for California students seeking freshman admission

Numbers released today (April 18, 2011) by the UC Office of the President show that UC Santa Cruz offered admission to 17,917 prospective first-year students from California high schools – an increase of more than 1,100 – out of the record 26,136 California high school seniors who applied. UCSC also increased offers of admission to out-of-state and international students.

New atlas takes a graphic approach to global inequalities

In 2001, the UC Atlas of Global Inequality went online at UC Santa Cruz. Now, millions of hits later, the interactive research project has been turned into a book, The Atlas of Global Inequalities, by two UC Santa Cruz professors.

Elliot Aronson wins UC distinguished emeriti award

Elliot Aronson, emeritus professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz, has been named winner of the 2010 Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award given to outstanding University of California professors in the humanities or social sciences for research and activities since retirement.

Community invited to 2nd 'Day By the Bay' celebration at UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz will host its second annual Day by the Bay celebration on Saturday, April 30. Part of the campus's alumni reunion weekend, Day by the Bay will feature a morning forum, a lunchtime picnic, and a host of other activities.

Neanderthal genome research featured in UCTV report

Research on the Neanderthal genome by UC Santa Cruz bioinformatics professor Richard E. "Ed" Green is featured in the winter edition of "State of Minds," a 30-minute video magazine produced by University of California Television.

Alums Dana Priest, Richard Harris win prestigious journalism awards

Two UC Santa Cruz alums, Richard Harris (Crown, 1980) and Dana Priest, (Merrill, 1981) have won prestigious journalism awards for their reporting last year on the Gulf oil spill and the national security complex.

New research center focuses on state's interconnected crises

The Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California, headquartered at UC Santa Cruz, is a new University of California research initiative that seeks to address the state’s interconnected crises in the economy, education, employment, environment, health, housing, and nutrition.

Sports roundup: Men's hoops, rugby, lacrosse

In early February competition, Slug men's basketball, rugby, and lacrosse came up with mixed results--but one Slug athlete hit a milestone.

Acclaimed playwright and film director Luis Valdez to visit UCSC

Acclaimed playwright, director, and filmmaker Luis Valdez will join his son--UCSC theater arts lecturer Kinan Valdez--for two special audience talks after performances of Luis's play "Mummifed Deer," Feb. 26 and Mar. 4 at the Mainstage Theater.

Anthropology graduate student wins prestigious Paper Prize

Sarah Bakker, a graduate student in anthropology, is the first UC Santa Cruz student to win the prestigious Paper Prize from the Society for the Anthropology of Europe.

UC Santa Cruz earns spot on 2011 Peace Corps Top Colleges rankings

UC Santa Cruz ranks 6th on Peace Corps's 2011 rankings of the top volunteer-producing colleges and universities (medium-size schools category).

Men's hoops: Half and half in Texas

The men's basketball team recently traveled to Irving, Texas, for a two-game tournament, with split results.

UCSC receives more than 36,000 undergraduate applications for Fall '11

More than 36,000 prospective undergraduates – the most ever – have applied for admission to the University of California, Santa Cruz for the upcoming fall quarter.

Men's hoops: Slugs come back, beat Pac Union College 72-63

The UCSC men's basketball team improved its overall record to seven wins and nine losses with a 72-63 victory over Pacific Union College.

UC Santa Cruz makes Kiplinger's 'best value' list

UC Santa Cruz, which opened with its first class of students just 45 years ago, is No. 69 on a new report listing the "best values" in public higher education.