June 2012 News Archive

UC Santa Cruz launches the Grateful Dead Archive Online

The UCSC Library announced today that the public can now access the Grateful Dead Archive Online through the GDAO website at

Traffic delays along McLaughlin Drive

Construction crews are expected to begin major roadway repair work Monday July 2, on McLaughlin Drive between the bridge east of Science Hill and the 20mph curve east of Stevenson College.

Employee-Initiated Reduction in Time (ERIT) Program

The University is renewing the Employee-Initiated Reduction in Time (ERIT) Program.

Annual permits expire Saturday, June 30th

If you have an annual 2011-12 parking permit or Faculty/Staff Metro bus pass, please know that they will expire this Saturday, June 30th.

Health sciences grad awarded Sutter scholarship for medical school

Health sciences grad Kaitlin Russon has won the Primary Care Physician Award from Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center and the Central California Alliance for

Sunday SF Chronicle arts section features cover story on B. Ruby Rich

UC Santa Cruz professor of Film and Digital Media B. Ruby Rich was featured in June on the cover of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sunday Datebook pullout arts

UCSC engineer wins R&D 100 Award for work on nanotechnology project

Electrical engineer Nobuhiko Kobayashi has received a 2012 R&D 100 Award for his role in developing a new system for producing high-tech

2012 Thumbs Up Award - Deadline extended

The nomination period has been extended to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 29

UCSC in the News

Expert testimony by psychology professor Craig Haney at a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on solitary confinement was covered by NPR, the Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, Kansas City Star, Charlotte Observer, and Miami Herald, and Mother Jones magazine. The Santa Cruz Sentinel and San Jose Mercury News also carried stories about it.

Lead poisoning blocks recovery of California condor population

Study confirms lead-based ammunition as primary source of lead in condors and shows population cannot recover as long as lead contamination

Organic cut flower growing and bouquet making workshop, June 30

A workshop on how to grow and assemble beautiful flower arrangements will take place Saturday, June 30, with Zoe Hitchner and Orin Martin from 10 a.m. to 1

California sea level projected to rise at higher rate than global average

The sea level off most of California is expected to rise about 36 inches over the next century, an amount slightly higher than projected for global sea levels,

Graduate students offer free lecture on Alaska wilderness and predators

UC Santa Cruz wildlife biologists Yiwei Wang and Rachel Wheat will hold a free public lecture on Alaskan wildlife and the importance of salmon to the Alaskan ecosystem,

In Memoriam - David Keith

David Keith, a TAPS shuttle driver since 2003, passed away Sunday, June 10, from congenital heart failure.

Update: Summer 2012 Orientation Dates

Starting July 17, over 4,700 new UC Santa Cruz students and over 3,000 family members will be on our campus for Summer Orientation.

Free poetry reading and music at Alan Chadwick Garden, Saturday, June 23

Saturday, June 23, from noon until 2 p.m., a bevy of award-winning poets will read their work at “A Garden of Poetry and Music,” with piano music and

UCSC prison expert Haney testifies on the perils of solitary confinement

UC Santa Cruz psychology professor Craig Haney, the nation's leading expert on inmate mental health, told a U.S. Senate subcommittee Tuesday that, for many inmates, "solitary confinement precipitates

UCSC in the News

Prom Week, a game about social relationships developed by faculty and students at the Center for Games and Playable Media, was featured in coverage of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), including reviews from Wired ("among the most entertaining and innovative things I've yet seen at E3"), IndieGames, and VideoGameInfo, as well as a feature story in Edge magazine about artificial intelligence in games.

Researchers find increase in Lyme disease mirrors drop in red fox numbers

A continued increase of Lyme disease in the United States, once linked to a recovering deer population, may instead be explained by a decline of the red fox,

A weekend in the sun for UCSC's Class of 2012

During a bustling weekend, more than 2,500 undergraduates and about 300 graduate students received degrees and celebrated their achievements.

UCSC is recognized for exemplary environmental practices

UC Santa Cruz has received a prestigious Acterra 2012 Business Environmental Award for the sustainability of the recently expanded and redesigned Student Health Center.

Time to Renew Parking Permits and Metro Bus Passes

It is time for staff and faculty to renew or purchase parking permits and Metro bus passes for 2012-13.

2012 Campus Elections Results

Results from the 2012 Campus Elections are now available at https://elections.sa.ucsc.edu.

UCSC's Psychology Department wins national award for public service

The Psychology Department at UC Santa Cruz has won a prestigious national award from the American Psychological Association (APA) for service in the psychological

Seymour Center's Whale of an Auction - Saturday June 23

This benefit event supports the education programs of the Seymour Marine Discovery

Physicist Alexander Sher named Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences

Alexander Sher, assistant professor of physics, will receive $240,000 to support his research on how the retina heals itself after laser surgery.

Ham Slugs taking part in Emergency Communications Field Day, June 23-24

UCSC will host amateur radio operators ("hams") on the East Field for a public demonstration of emergency communications

UCSC film prof to receive Frameline Award at SF LGBT Film Festival

UC Santa Cruz professor of Film and Digital Media B. Ruby Rich, will be awarded the 2012 Frameline Award at the 36th annual San Francisco International LGBT Film

Daniel Press named executive director of CASFS

Environmental studies professor Daniel Press has been named executive director of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at the University of California, Santa

Year of the Slug: Great UCSC moments in 2011-12

From the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame to cancer research to its ranking as one of the top “young” universities in the world, UCSC stood in the

Astronomer Jerry Nelson receives Franklin Medal in campus ceremony

Astronomer Jerry Nelson was awarded the Franklin Institute's 2012 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering on Friday, June

Senior Design Contest cancelled

Engineering students will present their final capstone projects before a panel of judges on Friday, June 15.

Moonalice to help UC Santa Cruz open Grateful Dead Archive June 29

UC Santa Cruz will celebrate the public opening of the Grateful Dead Archive at the University Library on Friday, June 29, from 1 p.m. to 4

UCSC in the News

Ocean scientists Jonathan LaRiviere and Christina Ravelo were quoted in coverage of their research on global climate in the Miocene epoch, including stories in Discovery News, Science Daily, Science Codex, Daily Galaxy, Register, Zee News, and InSciences.

Spring update

Chancellor Blumenthal looks ahead to commencement, and provides a Spring Quarter update to the campus.

2012 Thumbs Up Award

The Staff Advisory Board is pleased to sponsor the 2012 UC Santa Cruz Thumbs Up Awards.

Parking during year-end activities

As the campus prepares for the many commencement and year-end celebrations this weekend, please be aware of the impact this will have on traffic and parking

California Whistleblower Protection Act- Annual Notice

Provisions of the California Whistleblower Protection Act require the University to post notices regarding the Act and, on an annual basis, to provide a copy of the notice to all employees who have UC authorized access to email.

Spotlight on outstanding work: Student Achievement Week recognizes accomplishment

Computer programmers, actors, robotics students, apprentice astronomers and fine artists showed off their skills during this year’s Student Achievement Week

‘Chimichangas and Zoloft’: alumna earns raves for off Broadway debut

UCSC alumna Fernanda Coppel has been garnering rave reviews for her latest play Chimichangas and Zoloft, now at the Tony Award-winning Atlantic Theater in New York

Update and deadline, leadership searches

Update regarding Dean of Physical & Biological Sciences and a Vice Chancellor for Business & Administrative Services searches.

2012 Hire Education Winner

UCSC psychology society holds first undergraduate research conference

The UC Santa Cruz chapter of Psi Chi is highlighting undergraduate research in psychology this week as it hosts the department's first Undergraduate Research Conference.

Guthman's examination of obesity crisis wins a second book award

UC Santa Cruz professor Julie Guthman's latest book, Weighing In, Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism (2011, University of California Press) has been selected by the

Surf industry grant benefits Seymour Center

The Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory is among the 20 ocean-environmental organizations named as beneficiaries of the 23rd Annual Waterman's

Sammy Awards showcase top video games from UCSC game design students

The second annual Sammy Awards on Friday, June 15, recognize the best games created by students in UCSC's computer game design

Climate more sensitive to carbon dioxide now than in past epochs

New evidence from the geologic record contrasts with today's close coupling of climate and atmospheric carbon

2012 commencement exercises, celebrations June 15-17

Commencement exercises at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 15-17, hosted by UCSC's 10 colleges, as well as the graduate

Celebrated author Jonathan Franzen to deliver Cowell College commencement speech

Jonathan Franzen's appearance will be one of the highlights as UCSC's 10 colleges, Baskin School of Engineering, and graduate division hold commencement ceremonies June 15-17.

Engineering students present corporate-sponsored design projects

Low-cost LED light bulbs, a glass microphone, and an illuminated garment for bicycle riders were among the prototypes presented by engineering

UCSC in the News

Chemistry professor Pradip Mascharak was featured in coverage of his lab's development of a photoactive compound for fighting infections, including stories from the Santa Cruz Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Monterey County Herald, Drug Discovery & Development, Medical News Today, Bioscience Technology, MedPage Today, Infection Control Today, Science Daily, and PhysOrg.

Reign of the giant insects ended with the evolution of birds

Giant insects once ruled the prehistoric skies, but the evolution of birds ended their reign.

SF Giants thank Sammy the lucky Slug

It is not every day that a 2010 World Series Champion baseball team recognizes Sammy the Slug on live

Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas celebrates 40th anniversary with a spring concert

Grupo Folkórico Los Mejicas, the student-organized folklórico dance group at UC Santa Cruz, celebrates its 40th anniversary with a special spring festival. Performances are Friday, June 8th from 7-10

From snails to mandolins: something for everyone during UCSC summer conferences

The UCSC summer conferences have a longstanding reputation for eclecticism and professionalism. Now a campus institution, the conferences bring an average of 10,000 people to campus each summer,

A summary of summery things to do at UCSC

When the summer fog rolls in, UC Santa Cruz and its off-campus facilities roll out a long list of things to do and see. From Shakespeare to sea

Astronomer Sandra Faber receives prestigious Bruce Gold Medal

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has awarded the 2012 Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal to UCSC astronomer Sandra