2023  Social Sciences

Life Beyond the Redwoods: Noah Whitley reflects on the value of a UCSC degree one year later

One year after graduating from UCSC, Noah Whitley works as a legislative assistant for a political consulting firm that works closely with the California State Legislature.

A network for the future

UCSC Student Serena Campbell’s senior thesis leads to a comprehensive network between critical environmental researchers on campus.

J. Mijin Cha testifies on solutions to energy poverty before congressional subcommittee

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha shared her insights on solutions that could make electricity more affordable for low-income families across America.

El Centro Resource Center inspires alumna’s future career

Recent graduate Lorena Hernandez-Rivera strives to help others.

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.

Linda Koval’s three-decade commitment

Alumna Linda Koval understands the challenges students face and wants to help break down barriers. She has supported UCSC through her time and resources for nearly three decades.

New book shares expertise from UC Santa Cruz and beyond on preparing students to tackle environmental justice issues

A new book developed by UC Santa Cruz faculty and staff offers teaching examples, strategies, and classroom tools to help integrate environmental justice into courses in ways that center equity.

UC Santa Cruz faculty member elected president of Sociologists for Women in Society

Associate Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Sylvanna Falcón was recently elected president of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS). Falcón’s term in the position will start at the beginning of 2024.

Life Beyond the Redwoods: Seeyade Gizachew shares insights one year after UCSC graduation

A health justice coordinator for RYSE Youth Center in Richmond, California, and a graduate student at UC Berkeley, Seeyade Gizachew (Stevenson ’22, community studies and psychology) is passionate about mentoring, education, and cultivating safe spaces.

Life Beyond the Redwoods: Maxwell Ward follows his dreams one year after UCSC graduation

One year after graduating from UCSC, Maxwell Ward (Cowell ’22, history of art and visual culture and anthropology) is pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology with a focus on archaeology from McGill University in Quebec and is an editor at Collective Research in Anthropology Journal.

Fishing chimpanzees found to enjoy termites as a seasonal treat

A UCSC-led research team that copied chimpanzee tools and techniques showed that chimpanzees living in western Tanzania can only reliably fish for termites in the early wet season.

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.

UC Santa Cruz will lead new systemwide basic needs consortium to bring together researchers and practitioners

UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise, and Participatory Governance will become the UC Santa Cruz Center for Economic Justice and Action, taking on a new leadership role in University of California basic needs efforts that enhance students’ access to food, housing, and other essential resources.

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.

Giving Day 2023 breaks records

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

Alumna Susan Nerton honored for contributions to Crown College

Crown College alumna and volunteer Susan Nerton (Crown ’71, ’87, psychology and computer and information science) receives Fiat Lux Award for her dedication to Crown College.

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.

True or false? How uncertainty about the accuracy of information affects learning

UC Santa Cruz postdoctoral scholar Karen Arcos, Assistant Professor of Psychology Hannah Hausman, and Department Chair of Psychology Benjamin Storm published new research that explores how the process of guessing whether information is true or not might affect learning.

Immigrants targeted by scams are seeking justice. Here’s how to help them get it

Assistant Professor of Sociology Juan Manuel Pedroza's research has identified trends in what types of justice immigrants who have been targeted by scams are seeking and offers recommendations for policymakers and law enforcement agencies on how to expand access to justice.

Multidisciplinary team will develop advanced rhizosphere carbon imaging for climate change research with support of major DOE grant

A team of researchers at UC Santa Cruz and Stanford University are leading a new project in which they aim to use dynamic imaging and modeling of carbon in the rhizosphere to answer longstanding questions about how carbon moves through the soil and plant root interface.

Provost Search: College Nine and John R. Lewis College

The Division of Social Sciences is conducting a search for the next college provost at College Nine and John R. Lewis College. Internal applicants with expertise in leadership, administration, or fundraising, as well as those with a history of college engagement, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Transfer student, STARS staffer, and mother of two

STARS staff member, DeShonne Keller (’24, critical race and ethnic studies), is working towards her UCSC degree with the help of the Silver Slug Scholarship.

Recognizing outstanding faculty and staff in the Division of Social Sciences

The Social Sciences Division’s annual fall breakfast gathered faculty and staff to celebrate the winners of four major divisional awards.

Donor-funded scholarship paves the way for UCSC student's impactful internship

The Institute for Social Transformation’s Transforming Futures program amplifies internship opportunities for underrepresented students with philanthropic support.

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.

Visualizing Abolition Studies certificate program launches this spring at UCSC

UCSC is set to launch its Visualizing Abolition Studies (VAST) certificate program this spring, helping undergraduates examine and question how society understands and responds to mass incarceration, detention, and policing in the United States and abroad.

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.

Anthropology faculty members partner on new National Science Foundation Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science

UC Santa Cruz anthropology faculty members Tsim Schneider and Jon Daehnke received a more than $500,000 subaward through a new National Science Foundation (NSF) center that aims to address climate change by equitably combining insights from Indigenous knowledges and mainstream "Western" sciences.

Research partnership will turn power plant emissions into fish feed

UC Santa Cruz’s ecological aquaculture research team will partner with the company Global Algae Innovations to test whether a microalgae grown using captured carbon dioxide emissions could be an effective feed ingredient for rainbow trout.

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.

UCSC faculty member co-chaired APA task force on obstacles to promotion, tenure, and retention for psychology faculty of color

Psychology Professor Margarita Azmitia co-chaired an American Psychological Association (APA) task force that was appointed to report on obstacles to promotion, tenure, and retention for psychology faculty of color.

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.

The opportunity to transform futures

With the generous support of donors, UCSC’s Institute for Social Transformation funded 12 students to pursue internships over the summer through the Transforming Futures program.

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.

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.

Nearly $1 million in USDA grants will support 3 UCSC-led agricultural technology projects

Three UC Santa Cruz research teams led by engineering faculty will pursue innovative agriculture technology projects with the support of seed grants from the USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.

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.

Student-supported global research compares regional relationships with Big Pharma

Recent UC Santa Cruz graduates helped to author a study on the strategies governments use to attract and manage the biopharmaceutical industry, focusing in particular on the different types of economic value and health value that these efforts provide, or fail to provide, to citizens.

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.

Latin American & Latino Studies students win big in awards, fellowships

Four doctoral candidates in the Latin American and Latino Studies Department received awards that will help propel them forward in their graduate trajectory.

In Memoriam: May N. Diaz

Anthropologist May N. Diaz, the second Provost of Kresge College, died at the age of 102. In her long career, she was a mentor to many graduate students and junior faculty and an acclaimed scholar, who shaped the fields of peasant anthropology and women’s studies.

First DNA analysis of Machu Picchu residents offers insight into Inca society

DNA analysis, conducted largely at UC Santa Cruz's Paleogenomics Lab and led by Anthropology Professor Lars Fehren-Schmitz, suggests that servants at Machu Picchu were a uniquely diverse group, and the geographic extent of ancestral origins may even challenge historical narratives about how and when the Inca Empire expanded.

Alumni Bill Fujioka chairs the Los Angeles Japanese American National Museum

Bill Fujioka’s career in public and civil service can be traced back over five decades. Currently, he serves as the Chair of the Los Angeles Japanese American National Museum.

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.

UCSC Alumna Madison Nguyen prepares for 2024 Santa Clara Board of Supervisors run

Madison Nguyen (Rachel Carson ’97, History) was born in Vietnam. When she was four, she and her family escaped in a fishing boat, eventually arriving in California. With support from her community, family, and UCSC, she has forged a strong and inspiring career in service.

UC Santa Cruz’s global impact grows as campus becomes next leader of Right Livelihood College network

As the Global Secretariat of the Right Livelihood College, UC Santa Cruz students and faculty to work directly with some of the world’s leading advocates in social justice and sustainability on education, scientific research, and practical activities that spread and upscale their work.

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.

White House cites economist Rob Fairlie’s research on Native American entrepreneurship

The Biden-⁠Harris Administration cited research by UC Santa Cruz Economics Professor Rob Fairlie on the coronavirus pandemic’s impact for Native American-owned businesses.

UC Santa Cruz receives $10 million grant to cultivate diverse food and agriculture professionals

The United States Department of Agriculture awarded the University of California, Santa Cruz a $10 million grant to lead a transformative five-year project. The funding will be leveraged to serve and uplift a broad range of students and community members, ensuring a lasting impact on the food and agriculture sector.

Interdisciplinary team wins Small Farm prize in first-ever Farm Robotics Challenge

An interdisciplinary team of students and researchers created an autonomous weeder which was recently recognized with the Small Farm prize at the inaugural Farm Robotics Challenge.

A career of educating

After 38 years of interdisciplinary teaching at UCSC, Professor David Brundage is retiring.

Annual awards recognize outstanding students in the Social Sciences Division

The Division of Social Sciences’ annual Student Awards Luncheon was held on June 2 at College Nine’s Namaste Lounge.

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.

Latino Alumni Network returns to UCSC

The UCSC Latino Alumni Network aims to serve their community with the help of new Co-Chairs Amaris Trujillo and Guadalupe Sanchez.

Judit Moschkovich joins two national leadership programs for mathematics education

Moschkovich is now a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction and a co chair of the National Academy of Education's Equity in Math Education Research Grants (EMERG) Program.

Crucial organic farming issue addressed by UC workshops, collaborations

UC Santa Cruz-based organic production specialist Joji Muramoto collaborated on a UC Cooperative Extension workshop series for organic vegetable and fruit growers on how to manage nitrogen.

Pulitzer Prize-winning climate journalist Elizabeth Kolbert warns of the complications, perils, and potentials of environmental interventions at Deep Read talk on campus

In her on on-stage discussion with New York Times columnist, podcaster and UCSC alumna Ezra Klein, Elizabeth Kolbert spoke about the efforts to roll back the effects of climate change. The talk was part of The Humanities Institute's fourth annual Deep Read series.

Huerta Center naming inspires full-circle gift

The naming of the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas hits close to home for a UCSC staff member with a family connection

Advancing Student Food Security

The university’s multi-pronged approach—including field-to-plate food security, expanded access and food pantry resources, holistic CalFresh support, student-centered basic needs research and assessment, and Slug Support program—works to ensure a safety net for UCSC students.

Empowering communities through partnership

In partnership with Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay, UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center is working to compile data and stories on the impact of affordable housing in Santa Cruz.

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.

Mark Fathi Massoud awarded Berlin Prize

Massoud's Berlin Prize fellowship will allow him to focus on research about perceptions and experiences of shari‘a in the United States.

UCSC prepares alumna for Peace Corps path

Alyssa Scarsciotti (Stevenson ’20, Sociology and Linguistics) dreamed of joining the Peace Corps since she was a child. After graduating from UCSC, Scarsciotti is making her dream a reality.

Center for Agroecology will support new USDA Regional Food Business Center

The University of California, Santa Cruz will support the establishment of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Food Business Center to support resilient food systems.

UC Santa Cruz and United Way invest in youth perspective in researching mental health throughout local communities

Beginning in early 2021, UC Santa Cruz partnered with the United Way of Santa Cruz County’s Youth Action Network, seeking to support youth empowerment and leadership. As part of that vital work, the partners were recognized as the United Way Partner of the Year.

UCSC environmental governance expert named to NASEM committee addressing methane gas emissions

Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah has been appointed as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee for Atmospheric Methane Removal to assess viable technological options for reducing a powerful greenhouse gas.

Peter Bratt announced as 2023 Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award recipient

Rockefeller Fellow, Peabody Award winner, Emmy-nominated film producer, writer, director, community organizer, and social justice activist Peter Bratt is UC Santa Cruz’s 2023 Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.

New stable isotope map of Angola helps archaeologists trace individual life histories across the African Diaspora

UCSC researchers' methods could provide significantly more detail and certainty in identifying first-generation enslaved individuals in the Americas and tracing back their origins within Africa than was previously possible through strontium isotope analysis work or genetic analysis.

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.

In Memoriam: Margaret I. Fitzsimmons

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.

Rebecca London testifies in support of bill that would guarantee recess for California students

Associate Professor of Sociology Rebecca London testified before the California State Senate Education Committee on April 12 in support of SB 291, which would guarantee at least 30 minutes of recess per day for California students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Coming to Fruition

UCSC alumni Tallula Preston and David Purgason founded Watsonville based Fruition Brewing in 2019. Four years later, the duo’s establishment is a staple in the Santa Cruz and Watsonville communities.

Representing her community

A daughter of a Vietnamese refugee and a Mexican immigrant, Kim Bernice Nguyen advocates for her community as the youngest person to hold a seat on the Garden Grove City Council. In Jan. 2023, Nguyen announced her run for Congress.

Colombian all-female team uncovers naturalist Elizabeth Kerr’s long-forgotten legacy

Many fields of study have long been dominated by men but a team of eight female Colombian researchers are committed to uncovering the story of naturalist pioneer Elizabeth Kerr, whose legacy had remained invisible despite her vast contributions to ornithology.

Challenging the costs

While at UCSC, Marisol Ornelas (Stevenson ‘24, politics and legal studies) is working to remedy the many obstacles on the road to higher education.

Food system researcher Julie Guthman wins distinguished career award

Professor of sociology and community studies Julie Guthman was recognized with the Distinguished Career Award by the Cultural and Political Ecology speciality group of the American Association of Geographers. 

White House cites Rob Fairlie’s research in annual economic report

Economics Professor Rob Fairlie’s research on race and ethnicity in higher education was cited in the 2023 Economic Report of the President.

Spring 2023 Emeriti Lecture: Peace Teachers In and From Soledad Prison

John Brown Childs began offering courses on transcommunality at Soledad Correctional Facility eighteen years ago. Almost two decades later, his teachings continue to transform the lives of incarcerated men in Soledad.

Humans and housing density are the leading cause of death for local pumas

Two new studies involving UC Santa Cruz researchers are shedding light on the challenges facing local pumas where humans are encroaching on their natural habitats.

Grant funds Sarker's aquaculture sustainability research

Pallab Sarker received a foundation grant fund from the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, amounting to $170,947 over three years to strengthen his lab’s ecological aquaculture work.

Pedroza received Russell Sage Foundation Pipeline Grant

Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Pedroza aims to learn more about these challenges and speak to them, with the help of a recently awarded grant from the Russell Sage Foundation.

Center for Labor and Community opens on UC Santa Cruz campus

Scholars studying the economic and social impacts of a variety of labor and employment issues facing workers in Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Area just announced the opening of a new center on campus that will provide timely and policy-relevant labor research, will educate the next generation of labor and community leaders and will advance labor, community, and occupational health initiatives.

Cultivating equitable communications

Elise Duffau was awarded the Frederico and Rena Perlino Memorial Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.

Local educators shared expertise at the first STEM Education Central Coast Conference

The conference, which was organized by California State University Monterey Bay in collaboration with UC Santa Cruz, was designed by and for local educators in science, technology, engineering and math. The goal was to share expertise.

Where is your squid coming from? Most likely unregulated waters, according to a new international study

Scientists and policymakers have voiced growing concerns about the decline of global squid stocks, but little has been done to date to target squid fishing activities that are expanding into unregulated spaces, according to a new international study.

Alumni Councilor April Yee

April Yee joined the UCSC Alumni Council in 2017.

UCSC wins prestigious Highly Established Action Plan Seal for voter engagement

UC Santa Cruz has become one of only three University of California campuses awarded a Highly Established Action Plan Seal as part of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) for its voter engagement efforts.

Indigenous land management focus of this year’s Conversations on Climate Justice

Wildfires. Flooding. Drought. The nation has faced these climate issues for centuries. Yet, there’s still a lot that can be learned from pre-colonial indigenous food and land management techniques to combat our current climate problems, according to Dr. Lyla June Johnston, the keynote speaker for UC Santa Cruz’s third annual Conversations on Climate Justice event, coming up this Monday, March 13.

Continuing an Academic Legacy

The Dr. Aaronette White Scholarship was awarded to Guneet Hora in 2022.

Leaf wetness sensor will enable better plant disease forecasting and management

An interdisciplinary team of researchers created a new type of sensor for more accurately measuring leaf wetness which will enable better plant disease forecasting and management.

Leading and learning to save the world

CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia heads California’s fight against the ongoing climate crisis with her UCSC education as her foundation.

Speaking his soul: John Rickford to speak at Distinguished Alumni Lecture

Stevenson College Distinguished alumnus John Rickford returns to UC Santa Cruz for a reading of a chapter of his memoir, “Speaking my Soul: Race, Life, and Language.”

UCSC professor building collaborations to shape future minds through ethnic studies

Many believe we are at a pivotal moment in this country regarding anti-racist reforms, police abolition, and restorative justice. And according to Rekia Jibrin, an assistant professor in critical studies of education within UC Santa Cruz’s Education Department, engaging local communities is vital to bringing about transformative change.

Legal Studies Program, Santa Cruz County Public Defender’s Office partner for National Public Defense Summit

Interested in learning about the importance of public defense and criminal law? The UC Santa Cruz Legal Studies Program, in partnership with the Santa Cruz County Office of the Public Defender, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and the National Association for Public Defense, will host its first-ever National Public Defense Summit on February 24-25 at the Stevenson Event Center.

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.

UCSC receives NEH awards that will further research in anthropology and musicology

On January 10, the NEH announced $28.1 million in grants toward 204 humanities projects nationwide. Two of this year’s recipients are part of the Slug family themselves, and their new grants will help to further their research in both anthropology and musicology at UC Santa Cruz.

Three UCSC faculty named 2022 AAAS fellows

Three UC Santa Cruz professors received the distinction of 2022 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the association announced today.

University launches new center, Campus + Community, to facilitate engaged scholarship

After more than 50 years of engagement in the region, UC Santa Cruz is launching a new center to coordinate campus and community connections for action-oriented scholarship that advances social justice.

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.

Sanya Cowal: Resilience and agency

Sanya Cowal was awarded the Jessica Roy Memorial Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.

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.

Zahirah Suhaimi: Exploring ecological states

Zahirah Suhaimi was awarded the Dr. Midori Arima Scholarship in Anthropology in 2022.