November 2013 News Archive

Visionary director Peter Sellars to deliver 2013 Maitra Lecture

The UC Santa Cruz Foundation presents the 13th annual Sidhartha Maitra Memorial Lecture--featuring acclaimed opera, theater and festival director Peter Sellars--on Thursday, December 5, at 7 p.m.

Geek chic: big brains and great camaraderie in Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz's supercomputer lab for undergrads

The three-year-old SLUG lab is designed for physics and astrophysics majors who want to learn to become independent

Envision UCSC

Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor Alison Galloway updates the campus on Envision 2020, the strategic planning process underway now.

SUA Spring Music Festival Letter to Community and Poll

UCSC Music and Arts Festival in the Spring on the East Field.

UCSC computer engineer Katia Obraczka elected IEEE Fellow

Katia Obraczka, professor of computer engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics

USPS Substation Closure / Alternative Service Plan

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) substation in the basement of the Engineering Building, which has been available for the personal postal needs of the campus community, will be closed at the end of the fall quarter.

Lawyer's class on JFK assassination draws crowd

Many students in a UC Santa Cruz course about the John F. Kennedy assassination were born more than three decades after the president was gunned down in Dallas.

Campus Holiday Gathering

Chancellor Blumenthal and Kelly Weisberg invite all faculty and staff to a holiday gathering on Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Professor J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves elected to Mexican Academy of Sciences

Professor of computer engineering J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves has been elected a corresponding member of the Mexican Academy of

Arboretum sale in December

Students, faculty, and staff with a UCSC identification card receive a 10 percent discount on all items at Norrie's Gift and Garden shop at the UCSC Arboretum in December.

Open Enrollment 2014 Ends Tuesday, November 26 at 5:00 PM

If you haven’t already done so, you have until 5:00 PM on Tuesday, November 26 to make UC health and welfare benefit plan changes for 2014.

Our University - November 2013

Our University: President proposes systemwide initiatives, Open Enrollment deadline approaches and more.

In Memoriam--Gordon Smith

Nathaniel Deutsch wins book award from Association for Jewish Studies

Nathaniel Deutsch, professor of history and co-director of UCSC’s Center for Jewish Studies, has received the 2013 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award from the Association for Jewish

Nominations for UCSC's Outstanding Staff Award

Make your nomination for the UCSC Outstanding Staff Award today.

Grace Delgado wins two Western History Association awards

Assistant professor of history Grace Peña Delgado is the recipient of two awards from the Western History

Algebra Academy gives eighth graders a pathway to college

The intensive program, a unique collaboration between Graniterock, UC Santa Cruz, and CSU Monterey Bay is designed to boost math education at rural schools

UCSC's Museum of Natural History holds open house November 22 and 23

'Skins and Bones' is the theme for this year's open house at the UCSC Museum of Natural

Computer scientist Phokion Kolaitis wins 'test of time' award for 2003 paper

The International Conference on Database Theory (ICDT) presented the 2013 Test of Time Award to Phokion Kolaitis, professor of computer

Get Involved this Holiday Season

The Student Volunteer Center (SVC), located in Hahn Student Services, is offering two awesome programs this holiday season, both starting today (November 18th), where you can help local families in need!

UC Santa Cruz United Way Campaign Update

We wanted to take a moment to remind you that UCSC's annual United Way Campaign is nearing completion. Our campus's campaign, which is vital to so many critical services in Santa Cruz County, officially ends on Friday, November 15.

Dining Services card payment processing error

Due to an error in Dining Services card payment system, charges for credit and debit card purchases at certain campus dining locations in October were not processed until early November.

A nonconformist in a school of mavericks

Emeritus professor of chemistry Frank Andrews, in his 53rd year of teaching, includes classes that help students maximize their potential and feel

Hidden workshop turns out complex equipment for UCSC scientists

Born tinkerers, two 'old-school' UCSC machinists take rough sketches and turn them into 'works of

Arboretum holds annual Gift and Wreath Sale on November 23 and 24

Decorations and gifts for Thanksgiving and the holidays will be available at the Arboretum's annual Gift and Wreath

Zipcar Car Sharing Services

Zipcar, a membership-based car rental program, is an excellent option for students that provides self-service 24/7 access to vehicles on campus and around Santa Cruz.

Korean traditional music & dance concert premieres UCSC faculty works

Korean traditional music and dance, including new works by UCSC music faculty, will be presented by master performers of the Korea National University of Arts on Nov.

Shakespeare SC Discounted Performances for Faculty, Staff

UCSC Theater Arts Department and Shakespeare Santa Cruz announce a special offer for staff and faculty to enjoy their upcoming holiday production "It's a Wonderful Life"

Community Crime Bulletin — Urging Caution After Alleged “Drugging” incidents

The UC Santa Cruz and City of Santa Cruz Police Departments are investigating a number of reports from female students that their drinks at recent parties may have been “spiked” with unknown drugs.

Into the wild: UCSC students learn to track and understand local animals as part of a unique OPERS class

An intensive course at UCSC teaches students to connect more closely with nature and pay more careful attention to their surroundings.

UCSC honors arts alums in Film/TV at Hollywood event

Renewing the connection from campus to professional life, a high profile group of UCSC arts alums working in the entertainment and film industry gathered at West Hollywood's Soho

Support Second Harvest Holiday Food Drive by joining the Turkey Trot

As the holiday season approaches, it is time once again to support some of the important safety net of services in our county. The Second Harvest Food Bank's Holiday Food Drive is one of the county's most important combined campaigns and the UCSC campus actively participates in this annual drive.

Exceptions to Campus Closure 2013-2014

As in the past, the UCSC campus will close during the holiday season in an effort to conserve energy at a time when the university business is generally slow.

UCSC ranks 12th for students studying in year-long programs abroad

The number of UCSC students studying abroad as part of year-long programs totaled 81, earning the campus a No. 12 ranking for the number of students engaged in

UCSC ceremony honors Sam Farr as a 'Champion of Science'

U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel) received the Champion of Science Award at a UC Santa Cruz ceremony that highlighted his efforts to support research in sustainable agriculture and

Theatre Arts’ Kathy Foley directs students in 'Mughal Miniatures:Tales of Love'

Theater arts professor Kathy Foley and a student cast collaborate for an evening of Indian and Persian tales November 8-17.

UCSC team wins cancer genomics competition

A team of bioinformatics experts made the most accurate predictions in a challenge to identify signaling networks in breast cancer

State ban on lead ammunition supported by years of research at UCSC

Environmental toxicologists documented the effects of lead from bullets on wildlife and testified before legislative

Appointment of Henry Salameh as Director, Physical Plant

As a result of a national recruitment and search, Henry Salameh has accepted the offer for the position of Director of Physical Plant.

Photos: UCSC's hidden workshop

Photo gallery of the UCSC machine shop's 'works of art.'

Ready, set, go—strategic planning has begun

Chancellor Blumenthal describes the importance of UCSC's strategic planning effort and encourages everyone to follow developments and engage with the process.

Award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye to read at 4th annual Morton Marcus memorial event

UCSC will host the fourth annual Morton Marcus Memorial Poetry Reading featuring award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye on Nov.

UCSC to play basketball games in Warriors arena

UC Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Warriors have reached an agreement that will bring UCSC men’s and women’s basketball to Kaiser Permanente Arena for the 2013-14 regular

Celebration of two new Jewish Studies books Nov. 13

UCSC’s Center for Jewish Studies and University Library will present a celebration of two new books on Jewish Studies--featuring professors Peter Kenez and Murray Baumgarten, and librarian Lee

In Memoriam -- Josh Alper

It is with great sadness that we share news of the death of Josh Alper, our dear friend and colleague.

Marine scientists track spread of sea star wasting disease

A mysterious disease that causes sea stars to decay and fall apart within a few days has become widespread along the U.S. west

Hitachi sponsors UCSC research in cancer genomics and data storage

Two areas of expertise at UCSC, genomics and data storage, are brought together under a new research agreement sponsored by

SSC holiday show 'It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' opens Nov. 15

Nine actors perform dozens of characters from the beloved 1946 Frank Capra movie, in the style of a live 1940s radio broadcast, in this holiday show presented by

UCSC's rideshare program

Check out Zimride, a campus-specific ride-matching service.

Chancellor Blumenthal visits Seaside High School as part of 'Achieve UC' program

UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal visited Seaside High School on October 30 to inspire and motivate 200 students to apply and attend college.

UCSC well represented at upcoming Santa Cruz Film Festival

A wide range of films by UCSC faculty, students, and alumni will be showcased at the 2013 Santa Cruz Film Festival, running November 7- 12 in downtown Santa

Surgical robot built at UCSC featured in 'Ender's Game' movie

The Raven II surgical robot developed in Jacob Rosen's Bionics Lab makes a cameo appearance in the new movie "Ender's