December 2008 News Archive

Substance Abuse and Dependency

Update on Shakespeare Santa Cruz

I applaud the successful efforts of the many friends and supporters of Shakespeare Santa Cruz who, as of noon today, have raised $416,417 since their first public appeal on December 14.

Budget update from campus provost

You'll recall from my last update that I've asked each campus principal officer to submit, by January 9, two or more scenarios for reducing expenses in their areas of responsibility by 10 percent. While it is not our intent to adopt across-the-board budge

Math professor Alexander Gamburd wins Presidential Early Career Award

Alexander Gamburd, professor of mathematics at UCSC, has won a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the White House announced today.

Stronger coastal winds due to climate change may have far-reaching effects

Future increases in wind strength along the California coast may have far-reaching effects, including more intense upwelling of cold water along the coast early in the season, "dead zones" in coastal waters, and increased fire danger in Southern Californi

Campus provides information about vandalism

Three UCSC professors elected AAAS Fellows

Three UCSC professors have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Ocean acidification could have broad effects on marine ecosystems

Concern about increasing ocean acidification has often focused on its potential effects on coral reefs, but broader disruptions of biological processes in the oceans may be more significant, according to Donald Potts, professor of ecology and evolutionary

IMS director comments on newspaper account

Our University - Yudof budget message

New California Academy of Sciences worth a visit--or two, or three

The newly reopened California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is receiving rave reviews and giving many UCSC professors their own cause for celebration.

Update on site work for the Biomedical Sciences Building

<b>11:30 a.m.</b> Work at the site is continuing peacefully without incident.

UCSC's tradition of stewardship

Careful and deliberate stewardship of the magnificent UC Santa Cruz campus for more than four decades has ensured that the natural environment is maintained alongside world-class facilities for teaching and research.

Eight Slugs receive prestigious Fulbright grants

UC Santa Cruz had eight Fulbright Program grantees in 2007-08--a feat it's only accomplished twice before in the past 15 years, and a higher ratio of accepted candidates versus applicants than many prestigious private universities.

UCSC in the News

The <i>Silicon Valley Business Journal</i> ran a Q&A about the UCSC Genome Browser with bioinformatics experts David Haussler and Jim Kent.

New Faculty 2008-09

New faculty who have joined the campus this fall or will do so during the 2008-09 academic year are listed by division.

End of fall quarter message from Chancellor Blumenthal

End of fall quarter message

Signing up--again: Another big donation from the McCrary family

For the second time, the McCrary family of Davenport has donated a massive redwood timber for UCSC's iconic sign.

Business partners bridge campus and community

Many Santa Cruz-area businesses generously support UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC Wind Ensemble to perform at Carnegie Hall

The UC Santa Cruz Wind Ensemble is set to perform at New York City's Carnegie Hall on February 15, 2009.

Green entrepreneur, urban advocate, author to address King Convocation Feb. 12

Van Jones, founding president of Green For All, a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, and author of The Green Collar Economy, will speak at UC Santa Cruz's 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation February 12.

Dick Cheney's indictment signals need for a federal civil grand jury

We need a civil grand jury at the federal level to investigate allegations of government wrongdoing that reach beyond the limited judicial boundaries of state jurisdictions.

UCSC in the News

The mentoring model developed by the New Teacher Center was featured in coverage by the <i>Times Educational Supplement</i> (U.K.).

Nurturing Change: Nidya Ramirez works to empower those most in need

Alumna Nidya Ramirez feels a responsibility to help people in difficult circumstances --including immigrants, the poor and working class, refugees, children, and abused women.

Recognizing community service

To Mary Solari, it's important to help students who really need it and can advance in their careers "with a little bit of help."

Not the same old game: Michael Mateas leads the gaming revolution

Michael Mateas, a lead faculty member in UCSC's hot new computer game design program, predicts that the interactive structure of computer gaming will soon transform media as diverse as movies, visual art, fiction, documentaries, teaching materials, and ev

Sony's unexpected gift

Sony employees have established a scholarship program for students majoring in UCSC's computer game design program.

Sharing a love of opera: Directors Nicole Paiement and Brian Staufenbiel make student opera sing

Excellence in student opera," may not be the first thought that comes to mind when people hear "UC Santa Cruz." But that's changing almost as rapidly as Don Giovanni's amorous conquests.

A path of service: Joshua Karrasch helps a rapidly expanding student population--vets

Joshua Karrasch, a former Navy corpsman who spent a tour of duty treating patients in sweltering field hospitals in Kuwait, helped STARS develop a peer-mentor program for veterans.

STARS helps uncommon students shine

More than 30 years ago, a group of single mothers at College Eight on the UC Santa Cruz campus got together to help each other with child care and studying. Today, what those single moms began has turned into the Services for Transfer and Re-Entry Student

Circle of support

Rich and DeAnne Hart founded the Opera Circle, a community support or "Friends" group dedicated to raising community awareness of UCSC's opera program and also raising funds to support it.

Real-life heroes: Deutron Kebebew found mentors, then became one

Although Deutron Kebebew's life turned out to be something like a movie, it was not the one he had imagined.

Pister's legacy lives on through scholarships

The Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Awards foster the transfer of accomplished students from regional community colleges to UCSC.

Student regent recruitment

Opportunities offered to UC students for the appointment to serve on the UC Board of Regents

Student regent recruitment

Message for students about regent recruitment

Honorable mention photos capture serenity of UCSC

These shots were given Honorable Mentions in the 2008 Chancellor's Office photo contest.

Lara Hale embraces interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems

Lara Hale is one of only a few students who traveled to the Lolland region of Denmark, where residents are overcoming their dependence on fossil

Campus named Employer of the Year for longtime alliance with HOPE

UC Santa Cruz Dining was recently honored as Employer of the Year for being a longtime employer of people with developmental disabilities.

UCSC to host international renewable energy program

Last summer, U.S. and Danish students learned firsthand about renewable energy technologies being implemented in Denmark through a program organized by UCSC faculty. Next year, the campus will host the four-week summer program, along with NASA Ames Resear

Oceans of data: Dan Costa tags along with marine animals

Dan Costa, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, studies how marine animals ranging from fur seals to dolphins to penguins make a living in the open ocean.

Endowed-chair funds advance research

This year, Dan Costa was appointed to the Ida Benson Lynn Endowed Chair in Ocean Health. An anonymous donor and her husband established the chair to honor her mother's love of the ocean.

UCSC receives $150,000 grant for Jewish Studies program

UC Santa Cruz has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the David B. Gold Foundation to support a new project in the campus's Jewish Studies Program.

Professor's misty, dreamy photo is contest winner

The winner of the chancellor's on-campus photography contest is a dreamy scene of a misty path curving away out of sight into fog-enshrouded redwoods caught by Professor James Clifford of the History of Consciousness Department.

Undergraduate Danielle Soto elected to Pomona City Council

Graduating senior Danielle Soto is preparing to take a seat on the Pomona City Council.

Griggs, Reguerin named Community Heroes for 2008

Gary Griggs, director of UCSC's Institute for Marine Sciences, and Pablo Reguerin, deputy director of the Educational Partnership Center, have been named Community Heroes for 2008 by the Community Assessment Project of the United Way of Santa Cruz County.

Recent retirements

Staff and faculty who retired May-October 2008

Magnetic nanotags allow sensitive detection of cancer biomarkers

A team led by researchers at UCSC and Stanford has developed a compact prototype detector that uses magnetic nanotechnology to spot cancer-associated proteins in a human blood serum sample with much higher sensitivity than current detectors.

Women at Work to hold holiday craft sale

Women at Work, the group that offers a staff retreat in the spring, is having a holiday sale Friday, December 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Stevenson Event Center.