Social Consciousness

UCSC alumna wins 2012 HBO/NALIP Documentary Filmmaker Award

Kimberly Bautista--a 2009 graduate of the Social Documentation Program at UC Santa Cruz--has been named the winner of the 2012 HBO and National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Documentary Film Award.

UCSC sanitation activist speaks at World Toilet Summit in South Africa

A UC Santa Cruz Ph.D candidate in sociology and public toilet activist is scheduled to deliver a plenary session Thursday at the 12th World Toilet Summit in Durban, South Africa.

Emerita professor wins prestigious educational anthropology award

Margaret A. "Greta" Gibson, professor emerita of education and anthropology at UC Santa Cruz, has won the 2012 George and Louise Spindler Award in Educational Anthropology.

Philosophy Dept. to host state regional ‘Ethics Bowl’ at UCSC

California college students will compete on December 1 in a state regional Ethics Bowl tournament, hosted for the very first time on the UC Santa Cruz campus by the Philosophy Department.

UC Santa Cruz receives Energy Efficiency Best Practice award for lighting design and retrofit

Campus wins best practice honors for a second year in a row.

A Night of Poetry and Music with M. NourbeSe Philip

The UC Presidential Chair in Feminist Critical Race and Ethnic Studies presents an evening with acclaimed poet, writer, and lawyer M. NourbeSe Philip, accompanied by a jazz duo led by UCSC music professor Karlton Hester.

Three environmental studies grad students win sustainable ag awards

Three UC Santa Cruz environmental studies graduate students are among 16 students nationwide awarded sustainable agriculture scholarships from Annie's Homegrown Inc., a natural foods manufacturer and distributor.

UCSC event to reflect on cultural tolerance in wake of tragic shooting at Sikh Temple

Last August, a lone gunman opened fire at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people and wounding four others. On November 15, UCSC will present a panel discussion and dinner to explore what can be learned from the Wisconsin tragedy.

UCSC celebrates launch of new Ph.D. program in Feminist Studies

The UC Santa Cruz Feminist Studies Department officially celebrated the launch of its long-awaited Ph.D.program with a kick-off reception at the Chancellor’s house.

CASFS hosts author Michael Pollan before Santa Cruz benefit appearance

Author and UC Berkeley journalism professor Michael Pollan visited the UC Santa Cruz Farm on October 25 before taking part in the "Everybody Eats" benefit panel discussion later that evening at Santa Cruz High School.

Interdisciplinary conference focuses on development and climate change

Conflicts between development and climate change will bring together researchers and practitioners in both areas for an all-day conference at UC Santa Cruz on Saturday, October 27.

UCSC to host free public conference exploring philosophy in multicultural context

Is philosophical inquiry bound by history, geography or culture? Should the philosopher be responsible to the public? On October 20, UCSC will host a free public conference examining the relationship between philosophy and its multicultural context.

Award-winning UCSC alumna celebrates publication of new memoir

After two acclaimed novels about the Mexican immigrant experience, UCSC alumna Reyna Grande is now celebrating the release of her new memoir--"The Distance Between Us"--with a reading at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Oct. 14.

UCSC students pilot sustainability project to eliminate the use of paper towels at Stevenson College

Initiative encourages the use of washable and reusable “PeopleTowels” on campus.

UC Santa Cruz receives Best Practice award for water efficiency and site water quality

UC Santa Cruz earned high honors at the tenth annual California Higher Education Sustainability Conference hosted by UC Davis on June 19, recognizing eco-friendly best practices across the UC system.

Dedication set for Terry Freitas cafe

A dedication ceremony is set for 5-7 p.m. Thursday, September 20 for the Terry Freitas Cafe at Colleges Nine and Ten on the UC Santa Cruz campus.

UCSC study shows how urchin-loving otters can help fight global warming

A new study by two UC Santa Cruz researchers suggest that a thriving sea otter population that keeps sea urchins in check will in turn allow kelp forests to prosper and help reverse a principal cause of global warming.

Friedland named Distinguished Rural Sociologist

William H. Friedland, professor emeritus of community studies and sociology at UC Santa Cruz, had been named Distinguished Rural Sociologist by the Rural Sociological Society.

Humanities professors awarded UC Presidential Chair

Feminist Studies professor Bettina Aptheker and Literature professor Karen Yamashita have been appointed to a UC Presidential Chair in Feminist Critical Race and Ethnic Studies on the UCSC campus.

UC Santa Cruz in top 3% of Princeton Review's 2013 'Green Honor Roll'

UC Santa Cruz is one of 21 colleges receiving the Princeton Review's highest score (99) in its fifth annual "Green Ratings."

USDA grant aids organic farming training program at UC Santa Cruz

Training for beginning organic farmers on the Central Coast will get a significant boost from a three-year U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at UC Santa Cruz.

UCSC receives $1 million gift to support Center for Ocean Health expansion

A major gift from alumni Christine and Robert Holo will help fund the Center for Ocean Health's new education wing.

Professor emeritus M. Brewster Smith dies at 93

M. Brewster Smith, professor emeritus of psychology at UC Santa Cruz, whose research and testimony contributed to the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision that banned school segregation, died Saturday in Santa Cruz.

New book by UCSC biologist highlights efforts to save Hawaiian monk seals

Marine biologist Terrie Williams recounts how an abandoned pup named KP2 is helping efforts to save the most endangered marine mammal in U.S. waters.

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 a descent into madness."

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.

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 sciences.

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 Festival, running June 14 to 24.

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 Cruz.

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 spotlight this year.

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.

UCSC History Professor contributes cover story to The Nation magazine

The June 11 issue of The Nation magazine features a cover story by UC Santa Cruz history professor Dana Frank.

UCSC Farm & Garden market cart opens Tuesday, June 5

Collaborative mural creates images, opportunities for understanding

UC Santa Cruz students are transforming a stark concrete retaining wall at the entrance to College Nine into a striking, colorful mural bearing a message of peace. Painting began this week near the Namaste Lounge. Dedication is set for 12:30-1 p.m. Tuesday, May 29.

Research team investigates biological methods to prevent bat extinction

Motivated by the prospect of conserving bat populations and species diversity, UC Santa Cruz researchers are investigating whether antifungal skin microbes can be used to help fight the deadly fungus that is causing a massive die-off of bats in eastern North America.

UCSC social scientists examine the economic crisis and its social impacts

UC Santa Cruz social scientists will examine and assess the causes and effects of the unprecedented global economic recession during a one-day forum Tuesday, May 22 at University Center.

33rd Multicultural Festival set for Saturday, May 19 on Oakes lower field

The 33rd annual Multicultural Festival will take place Saturday, May 19, from noon to 6 p.m. on the Lower West Field - Oakes Lower Lawn at UC Santa Cruz. The band Balance and the Traveling Sounds headlines.

Seed library holds its second seed exchange, Saturday, May 26

The UC Santa Cruz Demeter Seed Library invites community members from all over Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Area to its second exchange of 2012, happening on Saturday, May 26 from noon to 3 p.m. at the UCSC Farm.

Reporter who revealed undocumented status to speak at Chavez convocation

Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose article "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant," last year revealed his immigration status, will be the keynote speaker at the 9th annual César Chávez Convocation at UCSC.

Zimmerman scholarship ceremony leads to discussion of public service

Two families, linked by sorrow and promise, met for the first time as the Gabe Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship was presented to Yethzéll Díaz. A panel discussion on Careers with a Conscience followed the ceremony.

Lasting friendship, enduring inspiration: J. Herman Blake and Don Rothman move crowd at forum

On Friday night, when emeritus writing lecturer Don Rothman and Oakes College founding provost J. Herman Blake sat down to talk about the transformative power of education, they made than 40 years of UCSC history feel intimate, personal and immediate.

Teaching luminaries share classroom secrets at Academic Forum

The large crowd that attended the Academic Forum at the Humanities Lecture Hall —one of the cornerstones of the UCSC Alumni Reunion Weekend—had a rare opportunity to hear these and other teaching secrets of renowned educators, ranging from social psychologist Elliot Aronson to noted feminist studies professor Bettina Aptheker.

Organic farming research to expand with $2.6 million grant

DANM 2012 MFA Exhibition: ‘I've got something on your mind’

Eleven graduate students from UCSC's Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. Program (DANM) will conclude two years of artistic study with "I've got something on your mind"--an exhibition of their work running April 28 through May 6 at the UCSC Digital Arts and Research Center.

Haney joins commission to study high rates of incarceration

UC Santa Cruz professor of psychology Craig Haney has been named to a National Academy of Science panel of leading scholars and experts on corrections to study the causes and consequences of high rates of incarceration in the United States.

Exhibition documents anthropology's focus on emerging worlds

Emerging Worlds, a new faculty exhibition now open at Porter Sesnon Gallery on the UC Santa Cruz campus, documents and illustrates the research theme of UCSC's anthropology department.