2008  Prospective Student News

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Campus wins accolades from green blog

UC Santa Cruz has been recognized in the Green College Spotlight section of green blog EarthFirst.

UCSC earns top ranking for scientific impact of astronomy research

UCSC is the top-ranking university in the country for the quality of its research in astronomy and astrophysics, according to a new analysis of papers published in scientific journals and how often those papers are cited by other scientists.

Campus braces for more cuts

Mid-year budget cuts, recently announced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will force UC Santa Cruz to make even more reductions in operations than it already had planned after lawmakers slashed spending for UC in the initial state budget.

Newest Friends group wants you to be able to see, touch, smell history

UC Santa Cruz's newest Friends group, Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District, aims to protect historical evidence and significant structures on campus dating from the 19th century.

Global honor society charters 366th chapter at UCSC

In February, UC Santa Cruz will become host to the 366th charter of Golden Key International Honour Society.

Campus, community report on successes in reducing carbon footprint

UC Santa Cruz has made remarkable progress in reducing its carbon footprint, Chancellor Blumenthal said in his one-year Climate Action Compact report.

Graduate and Professional School Fair gives students glimpse of post-grad life

Representatives from graduate and professional school programs throughout the United States were on campus Monday to answer questions and provide information regarding graduate admissions, individual programs, and their school.

San Francisco mayor urges UCSC students to vote

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made an appearance on campus Tuesday, drawing a crowd of approximately 300 students and others to the College 10 Multipurpose Room at lunchtime.

Secretary of State adds her support to student voter-registration drive

California's chief elections officer Secretary of State Debra Bowen visited campus Tuesday to add her support for a student voter-registration drive.

Focus on Faculty: Mary Silver, Professor of Ocean Sciences

Oceanographer Mary Silver has had a lifelong love affair with the sea--and with teaching.

Alumni on the Move: Chris Lauf (Porter '06, biology; jazz minor)

Flaming rocket balloons and potted cacti are among the props Chris Lauf uses to teach science while pedaling across Australia.

43 Things you might not know about UC Santa Cruz

In honor of the campus's 43rd year, here are 43 things we bet you didn't know about UC Santa Cruz. We think many of them will surprise and delight you--and maybe even inspire you to send us a few of your own.

Settlement provides $457,000 in financial aid for students in computer game design major

Students at UC Santa Cruz majoring in computer game design are the lucky beneficiaries of a settlement reached in a class action lawsuit involving video gaming employees at Sony.

UCSC named campus with 'greenest cafeterias'

UC Santa Cruz has been named the campus with the "greenest cafeterias" in a survey published by Plenty magazine.

And Trevor makes four! All four Sughrue kids choose UCSC

Trevor Sughrue is following in the footsteps of his three older siblings and enrolling at UCSC this fall.

Getting ready for the new academic year: facts & figures

UCSC students began moving into university housing on Friday, September 19, in anticipation of the 2008-09 school year. The first day of instruction in the fall quarter is Thursday, September 25. The fall-quarter "move-in" for students living on campus wa

Student Union Assembly wants to get out the vote

The Student Union Assembly (SUA), together with a coalition of other organizations, has embarked upon its annual voter registration drive.

NSF grant provides scholarships for UC Santa Cruz engineering students

A new scholarship program will provide financial and academic support for students in the Baskin School of Engineering, thanks to a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Anthropologist explores plausibility of bulbs and tubers in diet of early human ancestors

Anthropologist Nathaniel J. Dominy painstakingly measured the mechanical properties of nearly 100 plant species across sub-Saharan Africa as part of his investigation of the diet of early human ancestors.

UCSC grad student receives Princess Grace award

UCSC graduate student Kimberly Bautista has been awarded a 2008 Princess Grace Honorarium. She is one of 44 recipients across the country who were recognized for distinction in the fields of theater, dance and film.

Iraqi students explore science, technology, and American lifestyle at UCSC this summer

Seventeen students are participating in the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program at UCSC this summer during a six-week course sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in Washington, D.C. UCSC is one of only six universities in the natio

Community shows overwhelming support for UCSC research scientists

More than 200 community and campus members gathered at the UC Santa Cruz entrance Monday afternoon to show their support for scientific research at the university and denounce two recent firebombings targeting UCSC researchers.

Summer programs bring academics, athletes, cheerleaders to campus

UC Santa Cruz Arts & Lectures announces 2008-09 season

Linguistics students give demo of spoken dialogue systems at NASA Ames

Linguistics merged with computer science last week at a hands-on demonstration of spoken dialogue systems by UCSC students at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

Midwest factory tour brings learning to life for students of environmental policy

Educators who encourage their students to get out of the classroom don't typically direct them to steel mills, glass factories, and soda-pop bottling plants.

Undergraduate awards ceremony caps annual Student Achievement Week

Students, staff, faculty, family, and friends gathered on the East Field on Friday, June 6, as accomplishments in an array of disciplines were recognized at this year's Student Achievement Awards Ceremony. The ceremony capped Student Achievement Week, an

George R. Blumenthal inaugurated as UCSC chancellor in campus ceremony

George R. Blumenthal was inaugurated as the 10th chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in a public ceremony on UCSC's East Field today (June 6, 2008).

Blumenthal lauded for 'visionary leadership,' deep knowledge of campus at inaugural ceremony

A heady feeling of optimism seemed to run as high as the ceiling of the enormous pavilion erected on UCSC's East Field for the inauguration of George Blumenthal as UCSC's 10th chancellor.

New edition of 'Natural History' is a love letter to campus

After nearly 25 years, a new edition of The Natural History of the UC Santa Cruz Campus was released this month. The book is lovingly assembled and packed with easily digestible information and more than 125 photos, drawings, diagrams, and maps.

VETS program aims to help veterans returning to the classroom

Veterans Education Team Support (VETS), a program launching this spring and run by Services for Transfer and Re-Entry Students (STARS), is for veterans returning to school.

Week of events spotlights student achievement

Hundreds of UCSC students will be honored for their outstanding work in research and academic achievement during Student Achievement Week, taking place May 31-June 6.

Fourth Annual Graduate Research Symposium presents impressive student works

A list of prize winners at the Fourth Annual Graduate Research Symposium.

Most teen girls still experience sexual harassment and sexism, according to new study

Nine of 10 teen girls report experiencing sexual harassment, and majorities also say they have received discouraging comments about their abilities in school and athletics, according to a new study that appears in the May/June issue of the journal <i>Chil

UCSC alumnus wins annual student-journalism award from Chronicle of Higher Education

Sam Laird--a 2007 UCSC graduate with a degree in American Studies--has been awarded the fifth annual "David W. Miller Award for Student Journalists" by the <i>Chronicle of Higher Education</i>. Laird received the $2,500 prize for three articles he had pu

UC Santa Cruz to lead pioneering study of pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains

A pioneering study of pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains will generate unprecedented insights into the behavior of one of the region's top predators.

Films by four UC Santa Cruz students featured during Reel Work Film Festival

Films about the immigrant experience and last fall's writers' strike are among the works by four UC Santa Cruz students that will be screened during the seventh annual Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival, which takes place April 25-May 11.

Anthropologist Erin Vogel featured on Animal Planet May 6

Field work in Borneo can be hot, sweaty work. Just ask the <i>Animal Planet</i> crew that filmed anthropology's Erin Vogel for a program scheduled to air Tuesday, May 6.

Americans willing to sacrifice to reduce gap between rich and poor, doctoral candidate finds

Contrary to the stereotype of Americans as self-interested individualists, the majority care more about growing economic inequality than we've been led to expect, and many would sacrifice personal gain for the well-being of others, according to research b

Chancellor's wife promotes post-graduate education

UC Hastings College of the Law professor Kelly Weisberg--who is also Chancellor Blumenthal's wife--was on campus last week as a panelist in a workshop introducing potential post-graduate students to law school and advising them on law school admission and

Education leaders decry potential state budget slash

Chancellor Blumenthal joined the presidents of Cabrillo College and California State University, Monterey Bay, and the Superintendent of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education in news conference at Cabrillo College April 14, calling for continued stat

Tune in for the latest from the Social Documentation Program

Briana O'Higgins is a public radio junkie.

Spring Spotlight offers a slice of Slug life

Admitted students and their parents are exploring the campus as part of Spring Spotlight, an event for admitted students that provides an overview of the academic, residential, and student-life experience at UCSC.

UCSC alumna Dana Priest wins Pulitzer Prize for Walter Reed exposé

Dana Priest, the <i>Washington Post</i> reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for her work exposing the government's secret 'black site' prisons, has won journalism's highest honor again, this time for her exposé of the mistreatment of wounded veteran

Meet George Blumenthal: UCSC's 10th chancellor is focused on the campus's future

In a recent conversation, George Blumenthal looks to the future and reflects on UCSC's past and its evolution as a nationally ranked university. His inauguration is set for June 6.

McHenry Library moves its way into the 21st century

Over spring break, University Librarian Virginia Steel oversaw the move of materials from the original McHenry Library into the library's recently opened new addition.

Maximum Fun: Alum Jesse Thorn woos young listeners with a new brand of radio show

Jesse Thorn (B.A. American studies, Porter '03) has gone national with "The Sound of Young America," which first aired at UCSC in 1999.

Rx for Health Care: Graduates of UCSC's innovative health sciences program are good medicine for California's ailing health-care system

Diego Inzunza grabbed a laptop on his way past the laboratory inside Plazita Medical Clinic, where jaunty Mexican music danced from a large speaker on the counter. Holding the computer open like a clamshell in one hand, the 21-year-old UC Santa Cruz stude

Blood and Oil: New environmental studies class proves popular with students

In only two years, the new class <i>Blood and Oil: Energy, the Middle East, and War</i> has become legendary on campus.

Eighteen talented undergraduates travel to Costa Rica with anthropology class

Imagine slogging through humid rainforests so dense your pace slows to a crawl, encountering spiders as big as your hand, plants that burn your skin, and mud so deep you sink up to your knees. And loving it.

National engineering honor society installs chapter at UC Santa Cruz

The Engineering Honor Society at UC Santa Cruz was officially installed as the California Alpha Delta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi in a ceremony held on Saturday, March 8, at UCSC's Baskin School of Engineering.

UCSC holding its own in recycling challenge

Week four of the nationwide RecycleMania competition is now in the can, and UCSC is reducing, reusing, and recycling its way to some impressive standings in its rookie year in the challenge.

Who is Sammy Slug? A look behind the yellow veil

Inside, Sammy the Slug is just like you and me. Human, that is. The role of UCSC's beloved mascot, the Banana Slug--aka Sammy--has been filled by various students, faculty, and staff.

Scholarship Benefit Dinner raises funds for students in need

Nearly 250 people attended the fifth annual Scholarship Benefit Dinner Saturday, raising an estimated $160,000 for undergraduate scholarships.

UCSC's Banana Slug among ESPN's top 10 best team names

UCSC's Banana Slug mascot has been named among the top 10 best team nicknames in college basketball by ESPN Sports Travel.

Undergraduate applications to UC Santa Cruz soar

More high school seniors and prospective transfer students than ever applied to study at the University of California, Santa Cruz, for fall 2008.

Undergraduate offers empowerment classes for girls at three Santa Cruz middle schools

In a unique town-gown collaboration, a UCSC undergraduate has teamed up with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education to offer empowerment classes to girls at three local middle schools.

Graduate student's film featured at Sundance Film Festival

Documentary filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura can't wait to see his film screened at the Sundance Film Festival. He just wishes he could get his hands on enough tickets for all his friends and family.

Undergraduate makes the most of opportunities at UCSC

Overcoming obstacles and pursuing her dreams are two of the life skills Katie Roper says she acquired at UCSC, where several professors encouraged her to take a hands-on approach to her education.