2023  Physical and Biological Sciences

A new 66 million-year history of carbon dioxide offers little comfort for today

A massive new review of ancient atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels and corresponding temperatures lays out a daunting picture of where the Earth’s climate may be headed.

Funding opportunities to develop UC Santa Cruz innovations

The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub is now accepting applications for two funding opportunities to advance innovations being developed at UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC’s 2023 iGEM team grabs fourth consecutive gold medal and nomination for best software tool at international competition

A team of UC Santa Cruz students won a gold medal at the 2023 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Grand Jamboree, marking their fourth consecutive year of bringing home the prize, and were nominated as best software tool for the first time.

2023 list of most highly cited researchers includes 18 UC Santa Cruz scientists and engineers

In a notable recognition of scholarly achievement, 18 scientists and engineers from UC Santa Cruz have earned a spot on the 2023 Highly Cited Researchers list, recently unveiled by Clarivate.

New eDNA Explorer provides a powerful new resource for conservation

CALeDNA has launched a prototype of their new eDNA Explorer, an open-source tool that provides a powerful and easily accessible platform for sharing, exploring, and analyzing data from projects that use environmental DNA.

Dwarf planet Eris is squishier than expected

University of California, Santa Cruz Professor of Planetary Sciences Francis Nimmo recently co-authored a Science Advances paper about the internal structure of the dwarf planet Eris.

Design begins for new Interdisciplinary Instruction and Research Building (IIRB) on Science Hill

UC Santa Cruz is moving forward with preliminary design for a new building that will accommodate the undergraduate teaching programs currently held in Thimann Laboratories.

NASA’s Webb Identifies Methane In an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed the exoplanet WASP-80 b as it passed in front of and behind its host star, revealing spectra indicative of an atmosphere containing methane gas and water vapor.

Environmental toxicologist Don Smith receives Outstanding Faculty Award

Don Smith, distinguished professor of microbiology and environmental toxicology, has been awarded the 2022-2023 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences. The annual award is the division’s highest honor for faculty achievement, recognizing combined excellence in research, teaching, and service.

Life Beyond the Redwoods: Benny Mosqueira participates in groundbreaking research one year after graduating from UCSC

One year after graduating from UCSC, Benny Mosqueira is a research assistant for MCD Biology Assistant Professor D’Juan Farmer’s lab at UCLA.

François Monard honored with Calderón Prize for inverse problems work

University of California, Santa Cruz professor of mathematics François Monard has received the prestigious Calderón Prize for his work in the field of inverse problems.

UCSC doctoral graduate wins prestigious Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists

Jessica Kendall-Bar, who received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology last year from UC Santa Cruz with co-advisors Terrie Williams and Dan Costa, was named a recipient of the prestigious Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists for her research on elephant seal sleep habits while they are at sea.

UCSC alumnus at the forefront of humanitarian efforts in Ukraine

UC Santa Cruz alumnus Peter Gelpi is at the forefront of efforts to feed Ukrainians displaced by the war against Russia.

World-renowned supernova expert honored for breakthrough contributions to astronomy

Mark Phillips received the Alumni Achievement Award on Oct. 27, 2023, for his pioneering supernova research that led to the reversal of a major scientific theory on the trajectory of the universe, and for the indelible legacy he has left for aspiring astronomers.

Worldwide leaders convene to protect, advance global biodiversity

With a focus on sustaining and strengthening global biodiversity in the face of climate change, UC Santa Cruz hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation University Leaders' Forum, bringing together nearly 100 international leaders in education, industry, and government.

A major new site expansion at Lick Observatory is on the horizon

Lick Observatory's positioning in the Northern Hemisphere enables observation of a substantial portion of the Milky Way galaxy where there are a multitude of stars, billions of potential sites for life. Making Lick Observatory a perfect home for PANOSETI, or "Panoramic SETI or Pulse All-sky Near Infrared Optical SETI."

Giving Day 2023 breaks records

Giving Day, UC Santa Cruz’s biggest fundraising event of the year, wraps up on a high note.

Veteran students excel with Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship

The Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship was established to support veteran students at UC Santa Cruz. Devin Burkland and Dan Palance are this year's recipients.

UC Santa Cruz students win three categories at Orange County Sustainability Decathlon

An interdisciplinary team of UC Santa Cruz students, many from the Rachel Carson College Sustainability Minor program, designed and built EcoHus, an innovative, affordable, net-zero house. The EcoHus team was selected to receive a $100,000 grant to participate in the 2023 Orange County Sustainability Decathlon (OCSD) held on Oct. 5-15, where they won first place in three categories, and secured second and third place in other categories.

Alumna Alexis Jackson takes the lessons from the Pacific Coast near UCSC to the environmental policy tables of California

Coral reefs identified as national natural infrastructure

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) approved a resolution on Oct. 26 that designates coral reefs along U.S. states and territories as national infrastructure. This resolution makes it easier to direct federal funding, particularly infrastructure, hazard mitigation, and disaster recovery monies, to reef conservation and restoration to protect people, property, and livelihoods.

Scientists use Hawaiian fossils to study the past and future of climate change

This month, an international team of researchers returned to shore after a two-month-long ocean expedition exploring fossil coral reefs off the coast of Hawai’i. The fossils provide a record of past climate conditions, so scientists are using them to learn about environmental changes throughout geologic history and make predictions about the future.

Bacteria can enhance host insect’s fertility with implications for disease control

New research led at UC Santa Cruz reveals how the bacteria strain Wolbachia pipientis enhances the fertility of the insects it infects, an insight that could help scientists increase the populations of mosquitoes that do not carry human disease.

Following decades in a harsh coastal climate, blue whale skeleton undergoes 3D scan prior to safety-related descent to the ground

For nearly half a century, Ms. Blue–an 87-foot-long whale skeleton—has welcomed over a million visitors to Long Marine Laboratory and the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, spurring interest in marine science. After decades of exposure in harsh coastal conditions, the metal structures supporting Ms. Blue have deteriorated to an unsafe condition.

Record-breaking fast radio burst is most distant ever detected

Scientists have discovered an eight-billion-year-old fast radio burst (FRB) – the most ancient and distant located to date.

Rebates can offer solutions to California’s groundwater woes

Many aquifers in California and around the world are being drained of their groundwater because of the combined impacts of excess pumping, shifts in land use, and climate change. However, a new study by scientists at UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley, published on Oct.18 in Nature Water, may offer a solution - it describes the development and operation of a novel incentive program that uses water rebates to pay for some of the costs of getting stormwater runoff into the ground. The program is called recharge net metering (ReNeM).

FUTURE in Biology program receives NSF grant to explore field courses as a tool for equity

A group of researchers at UC Santa Cruz recently received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study the impacts of these field courses and develop best practices for making them more accessible.

Three climate resilience projects supported by 2023 CITRIS Interdisciplinary Innovation Program

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the Innovation & Business Engagement Hub collaborated to fund three projects focused on climate resilience and that align with developing solutions that address some of the California's most pressing climate challenges.

System-wide leaders visit campus to discuss next steps in Agricultural Experiment Station designation

A group from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources visited UC Santa Cruz to discuss implementation for the campus’s official designation as an Agricultural Experiment Station.

Cal-Bridge awarded $4 million to diversify STEM

The Cal-Bridge program, which supports students from historically underserved backgrounds in STEM, was recently awarded $4 million in the 2023-2024 California state budget. The funding will provide scholarships, mentorship and professional development opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students around the state in physics and astronomy, computer science, and math.

UCSC iGEM 2023 addressing harmful algal blooms through synthetic biology

A team of UCSC undergraduate students is designing and assembling a plasmid that targets the toxic genes of a type of freshwater bacteria responsible for harmful algal blooms.

Biotech founder and hero of the Human Genome Project joins UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute as Executive Director

The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute has selected scientist, entrepreneur, and executive Lauren Linton as their new Executive Director.

US Department of Agriculture visits UC Santa Cruz to learn about research and workforce development projects

UC Santa Cruz faculty, staff, and students shared information about USDA-funded research and education projects on campus with special guests from the USDA.

UC Santa Cruz welcomes new faculty to campus

UC Santa Cruz welcomes 54 new faculty members to campus who bring a wide array of expertise in research and creative scholarship that will open new areas of investigation and expression and expand existing areas of work.

Alumna Kathryn Sullivan enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame

Kathryn Sullivan (Cowell ’73, Earth sciences) was the first American woman to walk in space, the first woman to reach the deepest point of the ocean floor, and the only person to ever do both. On Sept. 22, she was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Washington, DC.

Celebrating UCSC’s 2023 Alumni Award Recipients

Seven UCSC alumni will be presented with awards for demonstrating outstanding professional achievements, making distinct contributions to society, providing impactful contributions to UC Santa Cruz, and embodying the values and spirit of the university.

National Postdoc Appreciation Week: Featuring Priya Crosby and Will DeRocco

National Postdoc Appreciation Week, organized by the National Postdoc Association (NPA) since 2009, takes place this year from September 18-22. This year, the UC Santa Cruz Science Division is highlighting the work of two outstanding postdocs: Priya Crosby and Will DeRocco.

Eric Palkovacs is awarded the 2023 Excellence in Fisheries Education Award

Eric Palkovacs has been awarded the 2023 Excellence in Fisheries Education Award by the American Fisheries Society, the organization announced. This award is presented to an individual to recognize excellence in organized teaching and advising in some aspect of fisheries education.

Innovation Catalyst Grants help early-stage innovators with resources, training, and financial support

Two UC Santa Cruz research teams that can make impactful advancements in drug discovery and human health outcomes have been chosen as recipients of the university’s inaugural Innovation Catalyst Grants program. These new grants, administered by the Innovation & Business Engagement Hub, are designed to support and propel early-stage technology innovations developed by UCSC researchers.

Valère Lambert is the 2023 Keiiti Aki Early Career Award Recipient

Valère Lambert was announced as AGU’s 2023 Keiiti Aki Early Career Award recipient. The Aki Award is among the highest honors made to an early career seismologist.

2023 ARCS Foundation scholarships support UCSC graduate students in the sciences and engineering

Sixteen UC Santa Cruz graduate students have received scholarships worth a total of $175,000 from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation for the 2023-24 academic year.

Alumnus Daniel Anderson receives Wilhelm Exner Medal for scientific achievement in business and industry

Alumnus Daniel Anderson received the 2023 Wilhelm Exner Medal in Vienna, Austria. The award—presented by the Austrian Industry Association (AIA), and dating back to 1921—is given to those who have made significant advancements in their respective scientific fields.

New long-term NIH grant supports breast cancer research

Cancers are easier to treat if caught early on in their development. Once the cancer cells metastasize and spread around the body, the disease becomes more difficult to target. Shaheen Sikandar, an assistant professor of MCD Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was recently awarded up to seven years of funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), to study the process of metastasis in breast cancer.

Alumnus Kevin Lunzalu wins major award for his work in plastics pollution reduction around the world

UCSC alumnus Kevin Lunzalu received an award from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This award is one of just 23 awarded to individuals and nonprofits across the globe from the first-ever inclusive GEF Assembly Challenge Program.

GREAT program creates new opportunities for students to participate in research

This summer, the “Genome Research Experiences to Attract Talented Undergraduates into the Genomics Field to Enhance Diversity” (GREAT) programmed welcomed six students from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) to an intensive eight-week research program at UC Santa Cruz.

Five UC Santa Cruz projects win California Climate Action Grant funding

Millions of dollars in new funding will support UC Santa Cruz and partners in tackling some of California's toughest climate change challenges through innovative research and community engagement.

Seismologists use deep learning to forecast earthquakes

A team of researchers at UC Santa Cruz and the Technical University of Munich created a new model that uses deep learning to forecast aftershocks.

Coastal fisheries show surprising resilience to marine heatwaves

Researchers found that fish biomass often increased or was unaffected in the year following a marine heatwave.

Scientists release the first complete sequence of a human Y chromosome

Scientists have completed the first full sequence of a human Y chromosome, completing the set of end-to-end human chromosomes and helping researchers to better understand human reproduction, evolution, and population change.

Marine scientists explore the future of open data science

Alexa Fredston, an assistant professor of ocean sciences considers open science to be a vital part of their academic career and a key way to make the field of marine science more transparent and inclusive. They recently published an article in the journal Annual Review of Marine Science about improving open data science practices within marine science.

UC Santa Cruz welcomes vibrant and talented incoming class

The University of California, Santa Cruz is preparing to welcome more than 5,500 new Banana Slugs to campus this fall, reflecting its commitment to providing equitable access and a transformational experience.

A childhood cancer survivor becomes a cancer researcher

This summer, 15-year-old Robert McCabe helped to sequence and analyze a tumor sample in the lab of the UC Santa Cruz Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative.

Alumnus goes to great depths to sustain the study of oceans

After earning his Ph.D. at UC Santa Cruz, James Hein became world-renowned for his deep-ocean research. He has left an indelible mark in his field and is now leaving a legacy in Earth and Planetary Sciences at UCSC by establishing an endowment that will help prepare the next generation of geoscience oceanographers.

Kathleen Finlay brings UCSC education to the forefront in her fight for food sustainability and social justice

UC Santa Cruz alumna Kathleen Finlay is the president of the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in the Hudson Valley and founder of Pleiades.

Golden-crowned sparrows return to overwintering sites in part because of their friends

Golden-crowned sparrows return to the same wintering sites each year after migrating thousands of miles. But their precision — which is often within the tens of meters — depends in part on the return of their friends.

NSF graduate fellowship winner reflects on successes at UC Santa Cruz

Graduating senior and NSF-GRFP recipient Valery Ortiz shares about her experience at UC Santa Cruz, her involvement with STEM Diversity, and what she hopes for the future.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation grant will expand pediatric cancer research at UCSC

A new $100,000 grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will provide UC Santa Cruz’s Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative funding to expand efforts to study rare pediatric cancers.

Excellence in Teaching Awards announced

The Academic Senate’s Committee on Teaching in collaboration with Chancellor Larive and CP/EVC Kletzer celebrated UC Santa Cruz’s innovative and dedicated teachers with a gathering at the Cowell Provost House in early June.

Celebrating the success of a human-centered approach to supporting emerging scientists

Graduate school admissions, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship awards, and American Astronomical Society honors mark a banner year for UCSC's Lamat Institute.

New data science project seeks to span disciplines and create community

Pedro Morales-Almazan leads a new data science project that will provide professional development and facilitate cross-discipline collaborations.

To support Hispanic women in STEM, UC Santa Cruz hosts inaugural HSRU Alliance conference

Convened by the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities, an inaugural cohort from universities, government, foundations, and industry met at UC Santa Cruz to discuss and develop a framework to support the advancement of Hispanic women in their academic and professional STEM careers.

UCSC Earth and planetary sciences professor reflects on 35 years at UC Santa Cruz

After a very rewarding career at UC Santa Cruz, Susan Schwartz is retiring.

UCSC’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience awards over $4.6 million to support California coastal projects

The UCSC Center for Coastal Climate Resilience has awarded over $4.6 million in funding to 23 UC Santa Cruz research groups for pilot projects and implementation projects supporting efforts to fight climate change in coastal communities across California and beyond. Funds for these grant programs came from the California State Budget Act of 2022-23.

Q&A with John MacMillan, vice chancellor for research

After nearly two years as the interim Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) for UC Santa Cruz, John MacMillan was appointed to the permanent VCR role on June 1, 2023, after a nationwide search. Here he discusses his vision for UC Santa Cruz and its research enterprise.

Chemist Timothy Johnstone wins funding from Beckman Young Investigator Program

The award funds a project to explore new chemical bonding motifs with novel reactivity to help develop sustainable chemical processes.

UCSC Arboretum to conduct vegetation surveys under $2.6M state contract

A team of UCSC botanists will carry out surveys for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in support of a statewide vegetation classification and mapping program.

Paul Koch stepping down after 12 years as dean of physical and biological sciences

The Division of Physical and Biological Sciences has made exceptional strides in key areas under Dean Koch’s leadership.

Astronomers observe giant tails of helium escaping Jupiter-like planet

Heat from the host star is evaporating the atmosphere from a “hot Jupiter” exoplanet, creating some of the longest gas tails ever observed around a planet.

UC Santa Cruz announces recipients of Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards

The Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards celebrate the university’s talented faculty, researchers, staff, students, and community partners for their outstanding contributions to innovation and creativity.

UC Santa Cruz offers new major in microbiology

UCSC is offering a new major in microbiology leading to a B.S. degree, administered by the Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology.

UC Santa Cruz now offers graduate degrees in materials science and engineering

The interdisciplinary program will serve students interested in developing new materials for next-generation technologies.

Study identifies boat strikes as a growing cause of manatee deaths in Belize

Belize is a stronghold of the Antillean manatee population, but increasing boat traffic poses a growing threat to this endangered relative of the Florida manatee

Astronomers map temperatures and find traces of water in a super-hot gas giant’s atmosphere

Astronomers used the Webb Telescope to make a temperature map of the “hot Jupiter” exoplanet WASP-18b, revealing dramatic temperature gradients in its atmosphere.

Associate Teaching Professor Alegra Eroy-Reveles receives Distinguished Teaching Award

Alegra Eroy-Reveles, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was honored for the positive impact she has had on her students, colleagues, and department.

Study reveals key molecular interaction that sets the timing of our biological clocks

New findings point toward a promising target for the development of therapies for sleep disorders, jet lag, and other effects of clock disruption.

Comb jellies proven to be the sibling group to all other animals

New research proves comb jellies are a unique lineage or “sibling group” whose ancestors diverged before the common ancestor of all other animals.

Salmon documentary produced by UCSC team to air on KQED

‘Southern Range’ was directed by Soc Doc alumnus Kyle Baker and produced by the Seymour Center and the Fisheries Collaborative Program at UCSC.

Excellence in Action: Celebrating UCSC’s 2023 Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award Recipients

Now in its seventh year, the Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award welcomes its 2023 cohort.

Summer programs draw visitors to Lick Observatory for music and stargazing

The Summer Series program at UC's Lick Observatory draws concert fans and astronomy devotees to the summit of Mt. Hamilton for live music, evening astronomy lectures from world-renowned scientists, and the opportunity to view celestial objects through historic telescopes.

Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni

The Division of Physical and Biological Sciences is honoring three stellar alumni—atmospheric scientist Cora E. Randall, pediatrician Ramon Resa, and marine scientist Colleen Reichmuth—with the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Astronomers observe the first radiation belt seen outside of our solar system

High-resolution imaging of radio emissions from an ultracool dwarf show a double-lobed structure like the radiation belts of Jupiter.

Dickson Emeriti Professorships awarded to faculty in music, theater arts, and biology

Three UCSC faculty members—Kathy Foley, Edward Houghton, and Susan Strome—have been honored with Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorship Awards for the 2023–24 academic year.

Geoscientist Emily Brodsky elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Emily Brodsky, professor of Earth and planetary sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Genome of famed sled dog Balto reveals genetic adaptations of working dogs

Still a good boy nearly 100 years after historic sled run, Balto has now helped scientists explore the genetics of working dogs and demonstrate the power of comparative genomics.

As the California sea lion population got bigger, so did male sea lions

Unlike other marine mammals, male California sea lions have gotten bigger over the past 50 years as their population has grown.

UCSC Chemical Screening Center symposium features drug discovery talks

The center will hold a Grand Reopening Celebration and Research Symposium on Friday, May 5, marking a major upgrade with new state-of-the-art equipment.

One of the planet’s most important carbon sinks is revealing its secrets

New research clarifies how tiny organisms in the Southern Ocean play an outsized role in moderating Earth’s climate.

Elephant seals drift off to sleep while diving far below the ocean surface

Brainwave patterns show elephant seals take short naps while holding their breath on deep dives, averaging just 2 hours of sleep per day while at sea.

UC chemistry departments gather at UCSC to discuss DEI issues

The first UC-wide conference on diversity, equity, and inclusion in chemistry, held April 15 at UCSC, brought together chemistry faculty and students from across the UC system to discuss challenges and share ideas.

Biologist Beth Shapiro elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.

Indirect cost recovery changes for fiscal year 2024

Attention Principal Investigators: UC Santa Cruz recently updated its federal Facilities and Administration (F&A) agreement approving indirect cost recovery rates for sponsored contracts and grants.

Annual climate change event takes aim at heat and human health for 2023

The ninth annual Confronting Climate Change event gathered top scholars to discuss the health impacts of climate change and the social and economic transformations needed to address them.

Study pushes back the emergence of African grasslands by more than 10 million years

An international team of scientists has documented the earliest evidence for local abundance in eastern Africa of the types of grasses that now dominate grassland and savannah ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

Undergrad Samantha Contreras wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Samantha Contreras, a junior majoring in physics at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Big Questions: Astronomer Father and Artist Daughter

An astrophysicist, musician, mentor, and inspiration, Bill Mathews died in September 2021. His daughter, Amey Mathews, began drawing portraits of him in his memory.

NASA’s search for life in the cosmos is focus of April 17 lecture and discussion

‘Whispers from Other Worlds,’ a public lecture and discussion at the Rio Theater, features NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen and science journalist Nadia Drake.

Ocean scientist Kenneth Bruland recognized for pioneering research paper

The 2023 John H. Martin Award from the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography celebrates an influential 1998 paper on the role of iron in coastal ecosystems.

Grad student Huazhi Ge wins postdoctoral fellowship for planetary science research

Huazhi Ge, a doctoral candidate in planetary science at UC Santa Cruz, has won a prestigious 51 Pegasi b Fellowship from the Heising-Simons Foundation to support his postdoctoral research.

New program advises UCSC Ph.D. students on their path to entrepreneurship and venture capital

Many student-led innovations never make it out of the lab. A new program at UC Santa Cruz aims to change that by mentoring Ph.D. students in the life sciences on alternative career pathways outside academia: entrepreneurship and venture capital.

JWST’s first direct spectrum of planetary-mass object reveals dynamic atmosphere

The most detailed spectrum ever for a planetary-mass object outside our solar system covers an unprecedented range of wavelengths, providing a wealth of new insights.

Collaboration with NASA uses eDNA technology to monitor biodiversity

UCSC scientists collected environmental DNA samples in South Africa as part of the BioSCape project.

Scientists, policy leaders, and insurance experts meet to address climate risks

The Coastal Climate Resilience Symposium held at the Seymour Center focused on integrating nature-based solutions into risk management and insurance.

UCSC names astronomer Bryan Gaensler dean of Physical and Biological Sciences

UC Santa Cruz has appointed internationally recognized astronomer Bryan Gaensler to serve as dean of the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences, effective August 15.

Young Supernova Experiment releases first set of transient survey data

UC Santa Cruz astronomers organized the survey, which has discovered thousands of cosmic explosions and other transient events of interest to astronomers and astrophysicists.

Minke whales are as small as a lunge-feeding baleen whale can be

Research on the feeding behavior of Antarctic minke whales found that a smaller whale could not capture enough food to survive using the lunge-feeding strategy of baleen whales.

Winning Grad Slam presentation highlights disease threat to Hawaiian birds

Ecology and evolutionary biology graduate student Christa Seidl will compete in the UC systemwide Grad Slam in May, presenting her research on avian malaria.

Planetary scientist Myriam Telus wins NSF CAREER Award

Myriam Telus, assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support her research on the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets.

First images released from James Webb Space Telescope’s largest general observer program

Mosaic images from the COSMOS-Web program offer a treasure trove of early galaxies, including dazzling examples of spiral galaxies, gravitational lensing, and evidence of galaxy mergers.

Marine mammal reproduction rests on a precarious tipping point of ocean resources

A study of northern elephant seals reveals a threshold at which a small decrease in the amount of prey females can find during foraging migrations could lead to a sudden drop in reproductive success.

Graphene quantum dots show promise as novel magnetic field sensors

Physicists found that speeding electrons trapped in circular loops in graphene quantum dots are highly sensitive to external magnetic fields.

Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz wins 2023 AAAS Mentor Award

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded the 2023 AAAS Mentor Award to Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz.

Shrinking age distribution of spawning salmon raises climate resilience concerns

Study suggests changes in hatchery practices could help increase population stability for Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon, the backbone of California’s salmon fishery.

RNA Rescue challenge invites players to solve puzzles and advance RNA therapeutics

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a new puzzle challenge for the online game Eterna, enlisting players to help design a novel RNA drug to treat hemophilia A.

Major expansion of Lick Observatory education programs will benefit Bay Area students

Scientific Teaching through Astronomy Research (STARs), a suite of new outreach and education programs at UC’s Lick Observatory, will reach a diverse population of K-12 and college-age students.

Funding opportunity to develop university innovations

The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub is now accepting applications for its new Innovation Catalyst Grant; a proof-of-concept program focused on providing targeted gap funding, training, mentorship, and support to UC Santa Cruz researchers in order to help de-risk and/or validate the implementation and adoption potential of early-stage technology innovations.

UC Santa Cruz leads DOE program to train computational high-energy physicists

The Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP) at UC Santa Cruz is leading a consortium of western research universities and national laboratories in a new program to train the next generation of computational high-energy physicists.

Astronomers observe light bending around an isolated white dwarf

The first detection of gravitational lensing for a single, isolated star other than our sun comes 100 years after a landmark experiment using the sun to confirm Einstein’s prediction.

Three UCSC faculty win prestigious NSF CAREER awards

The CAREER Awards are NSF's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Disclosing foreign collaborations in research projects

In order to comply with evolving federal regulations related to disclosing foreign collaborations and other support, the Office of Research has updated Cayuse to include screening questions. These questions are meant to trigger information that needs to be disclosed on all applications and progress reports for projects with federal funding.

Two new species of rare succulents found in Mexico named by UCSC botanist

A retired staff botanist at the UCSC Arboretum & Botanic Garden studied the rare plants found on an island off the coast of Baja California and identified two new species of dudleya.

NIH grant funds research on a powerful new approach to drug development

A new NIH MIRA grant funds biochemist Scott Lokey’s efforts to develop complex, membrane-permeable molecules as next-generation therapeutic agents.

McKenna Smith: Pursuing biological sciences

McKenna Smith was awarded the Keeley Coastal Scholars Award in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC leads new multicampus initiatives on climate change and bilingualism

UC Santa Cruz faculty are leading two new collaborative programs funded by grants from UC’s Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) program.

Study reveals influence of krill availability on humpback whale pregnancies

Data from Antarctica show more humpback whales get pregnant after years with abundant krill than after years when krill were less plentiful.

Five student teams embark on tech for social good projects

Five student teams will take on tech for social good projects with funding from the UCSC CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the UCSC Institute for Social Transformation.

Vulnerability of red sea urchins to climate change depends on location

Scientists found that red sea urchin populations are adapted to local environments, but some populations will suffer more than others as conditions change in the future.

Study finds active galactic nuclei are even more powerful than thought

A new study indicates that scientists have substantially underestimated the energy output of active galactic nuclei powered by supermassive black holes because their light is dimmed by dust.

Earth scientist James Zachos honored for climate change research

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category recognizes Zachos and fellow paleoclimatologist Ellen Thomas of Yale University.

Astronomers find the most distant stars in our galaxy halfway to Andromeda

A search for variable stars called RR Lyrae has found some of the most distant stars in the Milky Way’s halo a million light years away.

UC Santa Cruz Cal Teach program connects area STEM majors with local public schools

Established in fall 2005, the UCSC Cal Teach program is one of nine in the UC system, with a goal to recruit and support undergrads in the STEM field to become teachers in K-12 schools.