2020  International

Research partnership explores bonds between mothers and nonspeaking autistic children

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz and the University of Virginia have been collaborating to better understand behaviors and beliefs that may strengthen relationships between mothers and children with nonspeaking autism.

UCSC arts professor documents spread of COVID-19 inside prisons, jails, and detention centers

A new Interactive web project by film and digital media professor Sharon Daniel creates a cumulative public record and evolving history of the pandemic’s impact on those incarcerated

Surge in online grocery shopping brings a quantity-over-quality jobs shift

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated emerging labor market trends associated with e-commerce in the grocery industry, creating mixed implications for jobs, according to a new report led by UCSC professor Chris Benner.

National Academies report on sustainability education features UC Santa Cruz expertise

UC Santa Cruz professor Anne Kapuscinski chaired the committee that developed the report, and campus initiatives were highlighted within as examples of innovative sustainability education.

UCSC offers new M.F.A. degree program in Environmental Art and Social Practice

The UC Santa Cruz Art Department is now accepting applications for a new M.F.A. degree program in Environmental Art and Social Practice (EASP), set to begin in fall quarter of 2021.

UC Santa Cruz celebrates its first Rhodes Scholar

Spring 2020 graduate Garima Desai was named among the top 32 scholars from across the U.S. who will have all of their expenses paid to attend graduate school at Oxford University through a Rhodes Scholarship.

'Living in a Frayed Democracy': Ethics lecture to feature noted alumnus Ezra Klein

UC Santa Cruz will present "Living in a Frayed Democracy," a trans-Atlantic public dialogue, featuring noted UCSC alumnus and journalist Ezra Klein and London political economist William Davies, as part of the Humanities Division’s Peggy Downes Baskin Ethics Lecture Series on Dec. 5.

Humanities Institute to host acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates in special post-election event

Coates will be in conversation with Adam Serwer, staff writer at The Atlantic magazine, to discuss his acclaimed novel "The Water Dancer"—as well as the state of the country after the election

Research breakthrough achieves fish-free aquaculture feed that raises key standards

A new aquaculture feed formula eliminates conventional fish meal and fish oil ingredients by combining ingredients derived from two species of marine microalgae.

The 2020 new Slug reality: Handling adversity and transitioning to a virtual learning experience

Remote learning has its challenges, but the newest class of Banana Slugs is making the most out of this uncharted experience.

Expanding the lines of communication

Muratcan Cicek, a Ph.D. candidate in computer engineering who won a prestigious 2020 Google Ph.D. fellowship, is working to improve head-based pointing methods for those who cannot use a mouse or trackpad.

Award-winning poet Morgan Parker to read at 11th annual Morton Marcus memorial event

Acclaimed poet, essayist, and novelist Morgan Parker will be the featured guest at the 11th annual Morton Marcus Memorial Poetry Reading, which takes place this year as a virtual event on November 12. 

UCSC Library completes project to make 670 Cabrillo Music Festival recordings available to public

The project preserves and now makes available live Festival performances from 1964 to 1990, featuring works by such experimental artists as John Cage, Annea Lockwood, and Lou Harrison.

UCSC alumna Traci Chee named finalist for 2020 National Book Award

'We Are Not Free,' a work of historical fiction by UC Santa Cruz alumna Traci Chee, has been named a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

‘Visualizing Abolition’ series kicks off with conversation featuring Angela Davis and Gina Dent

The UCSC Institute of the Arts and Sciences has joined forces with associate feminist studies professor Gina Dent to offer a year-long online series featuring artists, activists, scholars, and lawyers united by their commitment to the struggle for prison abolition.

Founding campus leader Hal Hyde dies at 97

Harold A. (Hal) Hyde, who, as the first vice chancellor for business and finance at the University of California, Santa Cruz, helped create a world-class campus on a sprawling cattle ranch, died peacefully of natural causes Oct. 12 at 97.

Challenging how we see the prison-industrial complex

An ambitious two-part exhibit, titled Barring Freedom and Visualizing Abolition, organized by the UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences, combines art and activism to address prison and policing issues.

10-screen film installation and photo exhibition by professor Isaac Julien opens at McEvoy Arts

The McEvoy Foundation for the Arts in San Francisco will present the West Coast debut of 'Lessons of the Hour,' a moving image and photography exhibition about the life of Frederick Douglass by British filmmaker, installation artist, and UC Santa Cruz professor of the arts, Isaac Julien.

UCSC publishes online collection of 10,000 photos documenting over a century of Santa Cruz history

The University Library at UC Santa Cruz announced today the online publication of the Santa Cruz County Historic Photograph Collection, featuring original photographs and copy prints from 1866 to 1995.

UC Santa Cruz alumna Maya Rudolph wins two Emmy Awards

Last night, UC Santa Cruz alumna Maya Rudolph picked up her second Emmy of the week for her impression of California senator and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live

LALS doctoral candidate Candy Martínez awarded Native American Scholars Initiative Fellowship

Candy Martínez, a PhD. candidate in Latin America Latino Studies, has been named a 2020-2021 Andrew W. Mellon Native American Scholars Initiative Fellow at the American Philosophical Society.

The global land rush

In her new book, 'Fields of Gold, Financing the Global Land Rush,' Madeleine Fairbairn looks at forces and players that have transformed farmland into a novel financial asset class.

2020 Peggy Downes Baskin Ethics Lecture to feature visionary author Margaret Atwood 

Award-winning poet, novelist and essayist Margaret Atwood will be featured in conversation with UCSC alumna Kate Schatz, the New York Times bestselling author of "Rad American Women A-Z," as part of the Humanities Division’s annual Peggy Downes Baskin Ethics Lecture Series.

New art game explores intersection of personal trauma and climate induced wildfires

Sin Sol (No Sun) is an augmented reality game that allows players to experience the feelings of a climate change event. Set 50 years in the future, it tells the story of environmental collapse from the past—which is our present in 2020.

Summer Session helps students earn degrees

UC Santa Cruz staff and faculty have been steadily working to increase summer session enrollment, leading UCs in online offerings and working with departments to offer the classes students need to graduate.

In the line of fire

Alumnus Adam Lowdermilk had built a career as a musician, but the tragic 2018 Camp Fire prompted a change of heart and a leap into firefighting.

John R. Lewis College: Providing the tools to stand up against injustice and create change

John R. Lewis College students take on social justice issues while pushing for positive growth and progress in society.

Rising to the Eco-Challenge

Two Slug alumni were part of a grueling, 11-day, 416-mile adventure race called Eco-Challenge Fiji, caught in a 10-episode series streaming on Amazon Prime.

History professor Eric Porter examines musical improvisation as a response to crisis

"Playing for Keeps: Improvisation in the Aftermath" is an exploration of the various ways that musical improvisation can be used as a method for responding to crisis and dealing with trauma and stress.

Threatened by wildfire, UC Santa Cruz campus shows it is 'Slug Strong'

Fast thinking and teamwork are keeping the UC Santa Cruz campus community safe during the devastating Lightning Complex fires as staff across campus coordinate in evacuating, relocating, and feeding displaced campus residents.

UCSC historian Greg O’Malley awarded NEH grant for research on slavery in early America

UCSC history professor Gregory O’Malley has received a Public Scholars Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to write a biography of David George, who was born a slave in 1743 and whose pursuit of freedom intersects with major events of the Revolutionary Era.

UCSC linguists receive $400,000 NSF grant for research on rarely studied languages

UC Santa Cruz linguistics professors Maziar Toosarvandani, Ivy Sichel, and Matthew Wagers have been awarded a $411,058 grant from the National Science Foundation to support research on endangered languages.

College Nine: Embracing world cultures and developing tomorrow’s leaders

College Nine encourages students to take part in experiential learning opportunities and inspires them to become global citizens.

New Sikh and Punjabi Studies chair to enhance Asian Studies with focus on social justice

Associate professor of literature Guriqbal Singh Sahota has been appointed the new Sarbjit Singh Aurora Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies.

Humanities Institute and Cabrillo Festival to celebrate fight for equal voting rights

The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz has teamed up with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and Bookshop Santa Cruz to present "Celebrating Woman Suffrage and the Struggle for Voting Rights"—a live Zoom panel discussion followed by audience Q&A

Virtual Dickens Universe to spotlight link between Victorian and African American studies

For nearly four decades, the Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz—the largest multi-campus consortium on Victorian studies in the world—has presented the Dickens Universe, a week of intense study and festivities among the redwoods. But this year, due to the pandemic, it will instead be hosting a weeklong "Virtual Dickens Universe."

New film by Jennifer Taylor portrays Vermont town as microcosm of divided America

"For the Love of Rutland," a new documentary by UCSC film professor Jennifer Taylor, is an exploration of the multiple problems now faced by rural America--most notably the opioid epidemic, income inequality, racism, and xenophobia. 

UC welcomes our next president: Michael V. Drake, M.D.

The University of California Board of Regents has appointed Michael V. Drake, M.D., as the 21st president of UC’s world-renowned system of 10 campuses, five medical centers, three nationally affiliated labs, more than 280,000 students and 230,000 faculty and staff.

Karen Yamashita offers dazzling short stories about growing up in Japanese America

Sansei and Sensibility, the latest book by UC Santa Cruz emerita professor of literature Karen Tei Yamashita is a dazzling collection of short stories about growing up and living in Japanese America.

Merrill College: Embracing individuality and cultural identities

Merrill College values diversity, inclusion, and experiential learning.

UCSC collaborates with Santa Cruz Shakespeare for virtual Shakespeare Summer Series

The Humanities Institute and Shakespeare Workshop at UC Santa Cruz are joining forces with Santa Cruz Shakespeare to present their first virtual Shakespeare Summer Series.

Michael Soulé, father of conservation biology, dies at 84

Michael Soulé, a professor emeritus of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz who was widely considered the "father of conservation biology," died on June 17. He was 84.

UCSC’s SocDoc graduate documentary films to be screened online June 15 to August 31

UC Santa Cruz will present the premiere of thesis films by nine graduating M.F.A. students in the field of social documentation this year—in a special online presentation from June 15 to August 31.

THI presents acclaimed writer Pico Iyer in conversation with history professor Alan Christy

The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz and Bookshop Santa Cruz will present an online event featuring bestselling author Pico Iyer in conversation with UCSC history professor Alan Christy.

Royal Geographical Society publishes special COVID-19 issue

A virtual special issue of Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers features Politics Professor Matt Sparke's article, "Contextualizing Coronavirus Geographically," and provides free access to additional articles that provide perspective on the pandemic.

Historian Greg O’Malley awarded ACLS grant to expand Intra-American Slave Trade Database

UC Santa Cruz associate history professor Gregory O’Malley has received a 2020 Digital Extension Grant from The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to expand coverage of the Intra-American Slave Trade Database.

Give revolution a chance

History of Consciousness Professor Massimiliano Tomba's prestigious Princeton University fellowship will enable him to spend the next year advancing his reinterpretation of the concept of revolution

Virtual art galleries created to exhibit works of 13 Irwin Scholars

This year’s exhibition of artwork by 13 Irwin Scholars typically would be installed at the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at Porter College. But, with campus closed and a physical exhibition out of the question, Irwin 2020 has gone virtual.

Field courses boost STEM diversity, study reveals

The challenge of diversifying STEM fields may get a boost from the results of a new study that show field courses help build self-confidence among students—especially those from underrepresented groups.

Washington Post's depictions of autism shift from "cause and cure" to acceptance, study finds

The Washington Post's depiction of autism has shifted over the years from a focus on "cause and cure" toward one of acceptance and accommodation, say the authors of a new study.

Planting trees is no panacea for climate change, says ecologist

Restoration ecologist Karen Holl has a simple message for anyone who thinks planting 1 trillion trees will reverse the damage of climate change: "We can't plant our way out of climate change."

Team reveals genomic history of ancient civilizations in the Andes

An international research team has conducted the first in-depth, wide-scale study of the genomic history of ancient civilizations in the central Andes mountains and coast before European contact.

Zavella authors new book about reproductive justice

Pat Zavella, professor emerita of Latin American and Latino studies, has published a new book about the reproductive justice movement that blends research, history, theory, and memoir.

Alumnus sews up $1 million prize on TV's Making the Cut

Graduate Jonny Cota, competing against international designers, makes a splash on reality-style fashion show produced by model Heidi Klum and fashion consultant Tim Gunn.

Lecturer Ryan Coonerty named UC Free Speech Fellow

Ryan Coonerty, a longtime lecturer in the Legal Studies program at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2020-21 fellow of UC’s National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.

Agroecology major available this fall

Beginning this fall, students will have an opportunity to enroll in a new agroecology major, an interdisciplinary program housed in the Environmental Studies Department.

New program advances global and community health

As countries across the globe fight the coronavirus pandemic, UC Santa Cruz is creating a new program that will prepare students and provide research to solve current and future global health problems.

COVID-19: Economist helps build "contact tracing" app for Peru

In an effort to protect people from COVID-19, economist Kristian López Vargas helped lead the development of an app the Peruvian government has launched to improve "contact tracing" .

Discrimination, governance, and trust in the age of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life around the world, and is simultaneously triggering challenging questions of discrimination, governance, and trust, says sociologist Jenny Reardon.

Grow your own veggies? Orin Martin offers tips for novice gardeners

Orin Martin is delighted that people are responding to the coronavirus pandemic with a desire to grow their own veggies, and he has lots of knowledge to share—as well as one plea: Be sure to plant some flowers, too.

California Sea Grant funds sustainable aquaculture project

Pallab Sarker, an associate research professor in environmental studies, has received support from the Coastal Sea Grant program to fund his research into the development of sustainable feed for farmed fish.

New book debunks myths about who causes crime and why

Craig Haney, a distinguished professor of psychology, is the author of the new book Criminality in Context: The Psychological Foundations of Criminal Justice Reform, a comprehensive analysis of 40 years of research into the root causes of criminal behavior.

Elaine Sullivan uses 3D technologies to peel away the layers of history

A new "born-digital" publication by UC Santa Cruz associate history professor Elaine Sullivan takes a fresh look at the ancient Egyptian burial site of Saqqara to demonstrate how it has evolved over more than 2,500 years.

Presentation on zombie insects wins Grad Slam top award

Aquaculture to benefit people and the environment

Two graduate students have received a one-year, $150,000 grant to create environmentally sound seaweed and sea cucumber farms on the coasts of Kenya and The Gambia.

Art professor’s exhibition in Spain addresses algae and climate change

UC Santa Cruz art professor Jennifer Parker believes that algae are an “unsung hero of the planet”--noting that these photosynthetic organisms produce one half of the total global oxygen, while absorbing one third of the carbon dioxide produced worldwide...

Using isotopes to reconstruct life histories within the transatlantic slave trade

Four hundred years after the displacement of millions of Africans began, anthropologist Vicky Oelze wants to use isotope biogeochemistry to trace back and identify the origins of individuals who were abducted and perished in the Americas.

Bringing new perspectives to astronomy

An array of grants from the Heising-Simons Foundation is helping UC Santa Cruz accelerate astrophysics and other sciences while changing what we think an astrophysicist looks like

Women's Rugby celebrates 40 years

The UC Santa Cruz Women's Rugby team celebrates its 40-year history, including numerous titles and hundreds of friendships.

UCSC taking art/science LASER talk series downtown for special evening at Rio Theater

On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences will bring its local LASER—now in its seventh year of quarterly talks on campus—downtown for a special evening at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz, beginning at 7 p.m.

Graduate student funds for travel to Latin America available through RCA

New funding is available for graduate students traveling to Latin America to conduct preliminary research, thanks to a grant from the Tinker Foundation and matching funds from the university that were received by the Research Center for the Americas.

Questions That Matter: Reporting the Middle East and the future of investigative journalism

The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "Reporting the Middle East and the Future of Investigative Journalism"—the sixth installment of its Questions That Matter series—on Feb. 4 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz.

Breaking down barriers to success

First-gen student Reina Garay-Solis is doing undergraduate research to help identify common challenges for first-gen and underrepresented students and find effective institutional practices to address them

The carbon footprint of dinner: How "green" are fish sticks?

Fish sticks may be a tasty option for dinner, but are they good for the planet? A new study of the climate impacts of seafood products reveals that the processing of Alaskan pollock into fish sticks, imitation crab, and fish fillets generates significant greenhouse gas emissions.

‘We The Enemy’ solo show by artist Carlos Motta explores the politics of borders

'We the Enemy,' the first West Coast solo exhibition of artworks by internationally acclaimed artist Carlos Motta, opens at the Sesnon Gallery on Jan. 23. It will be accompanied by 'Bodies on the Border,' a symposium at UCSC and SFMOMA, organized by the artist in collaboration with UCSC's Institute of the Arts and Sciences.

Global study of street networks reveals growing urban sprawl

Local streets of the world’s cities are becoming less connected, part of a global trend that is driving urban sprawl and discouraging the use of public transportation.

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor to kick off ‘Beyond the End of the World’ lecture series

The Humanities Institute and the Center for Creative Ecologies at UC Santa Cruz will launch the "Beyond the End of the World" lecture series with award-winning author Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, on January 23, at the Music Center Recital Hall.

Arts professor’s anthology named one of 'Best Art Books of the Decade'

'Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology'--a diverse collection of essays edited by UCSC history of art and visual culture professor Jennifer González--has been named one of the "Best Art Books of the Decade" by ArtNews.

UC Santa Cruz helps develop Egyptian Center of Excellence for Water

UC Santa Cruz is partnering with the American University in Cairo, nine other Egyptian and U.S.-based universities, and industry partners to help Egypt make the most of its limited water supply.

Food and anti-corporate globalization activist Vandana Shiva coming to campus Jan. 25-26

The public is invited to attend two events with legendary food activist Vandana Shiva, who will be at UC Santa Cruz on January 25 and 26.