2011  Gifts and Grants

Still time to make a year-end gift to UC Santa Cruz

House names Capitol meeting room in honor of Gabe Zimmerman

The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to name a room in the Capitol for UC Santa Cruz alumnus Gabe Zimmerman (Stevenson, '02, sociology), the Congressional community outreach director who was killed in the January shooting rampage in Tucson.

UCSC leads $4 million NOAA project to monitor harmful algal blooms

Scientists are launching a major effort to understand the conditions leading to blooms of toxic algae along the California coast.

UCSC fundraisers honored at Silicon Valley Philanthropy Day

Two UCSC fundraising teams will be recognized by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Researchers work with high school teachers on new state writing standards

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz, in collaboration with local educational agencies, have won a $250,000 grant to help high school English teachers in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District prepare for new state standards in reading and writing.

Educational Partnership Center receives $14 million in federal outreach grants

UC Santa Cruz's Educational Partnership Center has been awarded two GEAR UP federal grants to serve students in Pajaro Valley and South Monterey County.

UC Santa Cruz receives $500,000 gift to establish George Hitchcock poetry endowment

UC Santa Cruz has received a gift of $500,000 to establish The George P. Hitchcock Modern Poetry Fund at Porter College.

Microscopes borrow tricks from astronomy to see deep into living tissues

UCSC researchers are developing new microscope technologies to enable biologists to see deep within living tissues.

UCSC moves forward with ecological horticulture apprenticeship program

The pioneering Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture program at the UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden will continue to offer hands-on training in small-scale organic agriculture despite a significant loss of state and federal funding to the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS).

New endowment supports students at UCSC Arboretum

A gift of $127,000 from the estate of World War II Navy veteran Dudley Green has established a new endowment in support of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum.

Seymour Center is supported by New Leaf Market program

Shoppers at New Leaf Markets have selected the Seymour Marine Discovery Center as one of five local organizations that can be supported by a special "bring your own bag" rebate program.

Five UCSC instructors honored for their teaching excellence

Five instructors at UC Santa Cruz received the campus's Excellence in Teaching Award during the annual year-end ceremony on Friday honoring undergraduate student achievement. Students nominate faculty and the Academic Senate Committee on Teaching selects awardees, based on input from deans, department chairs, and materials submitted by nominees.

Solar-powered scoreboard coming to Lower East Field

Wells Fargo Bank is paying for the first permanent outdoor playing field scoreboard in campus history. The $15,000 scoreboard will be solar-powered and a much better fit for the 300 spectators that come to the men’s and women’s intercollegiate soccer matches.

Irene Hansen Osterbrock named Patron of the AAS

The American Astronomical Society has named Irene Osterbrock a Patron of the Society to recognize her lifetime contributions.

New endowment supports teaching and research at the Arboretum

A gift from botanist Jean Langenheim has established a new endowment in support of the UCSC Arboretum.

Gift establishes Hellman Fellows Program to support junior faculty

The Hellman Fellows Fund has approved a gift of $625,000 to establish the UCSC Hellman Fellows Program.

Senior Slugs pay it forward with student-to-student philanthropy project

This year, 21 UCSC seniors are asking classmates to help fellow undergraduates pay for their education. Council members hope to inspire 15 percent of their class to contribute, and expect to raise about $10,000 for the Class of 2012.

Donors succeed in push to launch Gabe Zimmerman scholarship

Recent key donations have pushed the Gabriel Zimmerman memorial scholarship over the $50,000 level needed to launch an endowment scholarship fund in his name. Zimmerman, a UCSC grad, was a congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Gilead grant supports collaborative drug discovery program with UCSC

Biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences is supporting a collaborative drug discovery program using UCSC's unique collection of marine natural products.

Bioinformatics expert Richard Green wins Sloan Research Fellowship

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship to Richard E. (Ed) Green, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering.