2016
Earth Sciences
- December 20, 2016
A year of risks and rewards at UC Santa Cruz
From a dramatic Quarry renovation groundbreaking to an extraordinary recognition for groundbreaking research, 2016 at UC Santa Cruz was full to bursting with accomplishments and accolades
- November 16, 2016
New analysis adds support for a subsurface ocean on Pluto
A liquid ocean deep beneath Pluto's frozen surface is the best explanation for features revealed by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.
- October 25, 2016
Enormous dome in central Andes driven by huge magma body beneath it
Magma injected into the crust from below has contributed to the uplift of the spectacular Altiplano-Puna plateau.
- August 30, 2016
Anomalous grooves on Martian moon Phobos explained by impacts
Planetary scientists explain mysterious grooves on the surface of Mars' moon Phobos.
- July 27, 2016
Seismologist Susan Schwartz elected fellow of the American Geophysical Union
Schwartz was honored by the AGU for exceptional contributions to the Earth sciences.
- July 21, 2016
Geophysicist Robert Coe honored by American Geophysical Union
The AGU has awarded the John Adam Fleming Medal to Robert Coe, professor emeritus of Earth and planetary sciences.
- July 07, 2016
Hydrogeologist Andrew Fisher honored by Geological Society of America
Fisher's Recharge Initiative aims to replenish California's depleted groundwater supplies.
- June 24, 2016
Stories of research, excitement, and surprise at Graduate Research Symposium
UC Santa Cruz storytelling project StoryCruz captures first-person narratives from graduate students describing their research and their hopes.
- June 03, 2016
Gary Griggs honored by Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Geologist Gary Griggs received the Laura Hecox Naturalist Award from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
- May 05, 2016
Shallow slow-motion earthquakes detected offshore of New Zealand
Scientists documented slow slip in the shallow portion of an offshore subduction zone for the first time.
- April 25, 2016
Percolating ideas
Grad student Sarah Beganskas is studying what could become part of the solution to California’s water crisis: collecting storm runoff so it can seep into the ground instead of being diverted to rivers and seas.
- April 20, 2016
Enthusiasm, excitement for discovery drives Grad Slam winner
Planetary science student Michael Nayak has opened up new fields of study and planetary data analysis.
- April 07, 2016
Grad Slam highlights research—but also ability to explain it
Fun, informative event celebrates grad student research while conveying the necessity of clear, compelling communication to a broad audience.
- March 21, 2016
Current rate of carbon emissions is unprecedented in past 66 million years
New analysis shows that carbon emissions from human activities are moving the Earth's climate system into uncharted territory.
- March 17, 2016
Pluto's varied landscape reveals surprisingly complex geology
Pluto's icy surface shows an astonishing variety of landscapes and evidence of active geological processes in images from New Horizons.
- March 10, 2016
UC researchers publish roadmap for successful groundwater governance
UC Santa Cruz hydrologist Andrew Fisher coauthored recommendations for forming Groundwater Sustainability Agencies.
- March 08, 2016
Earth scientist James Zachos honored by European Geosciences Union
Zachos will receive the 2016 Milutin Milankovic Medal for his groundbreaking contributions to climate science.
- February 29, 2016
Geophysicist's YouTube channel brings science to the people
Steven Ward's simulations of tsunamis and other natural disasters have been viewed more than 2 million times.
- February 04, 2016
Inaugural Fred Keeley Coastal Scholars learn by doing
Erica Ferrer (Cowell, ’16, marine biology) and Linda Pineda (College Eight, ’16, Earth sciences) are the inaugural recipients of the Fred Keeley Coastal Scholarship–a new program that supports hands-on summer research for UC Santa Cruz students interested in coastal sustainability.
- February 02, 2016
New analysis shows insect diversity is nothing new
An unbiased statistical analysis of insect fossil records finds diversity unchanged over the past 125 million years.
- January 20, 2016
Active learning movement gains momentum
Classrooms across campus are seeing less lecturing and more student engagement.
