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2014 Donor News

December 01, 2014
Campus food drive launches for holiday season
Another holiday season is upon us, and with it comes our annual UC Santa Cruz Holiday Food Drive which works in cooperation with Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County providing healthy meals to our friends and neighbors in need.
October 30, 2014
Game of genomes
Sammy the Slug, the neon-yellow, pop-eyed fixture at campus gatherings and sporting events, is about to reveal his genes to the world. Backers of a crowd-funding campaign hope to raise $20,000 to map the banana slug genome for the first time ever.
October 17, 2014
Social Justice lecture features expert on sexual violence in the military
Professor Elizabeth L. Hillman, a scholar and expert on sexual violence in the military, will speak Thursday, November 6, at UC Santa Cruz as part of the UC Hastings / UC Santa Cruz Social Justice Speakers Series.
October 14, 2014
Jessica Fiske Bailey appointed executive director of UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
Jessica Fiske Bailey, assistant vice provost for academic affairs at UC Santa Cruz, has been named executive director of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum.
October 10, 2014
Social Sciences Research Frontiers Day focuses on data, environment, and justice
The second annual Social Sciences Research Frontiers Day at UC Santa Cruz will take place Friday, October 24, 2014, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. with a focus on data, the environment, and justice.
October 08, 2014
Institute of Arts and Sciences offers LASER talk on Oct. 28
UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will present its first “LASER” talk of the academic year on October 28 at the Digital Arts Research Center.
October 06, 2014
UCSC Farm hosts Fall Harvest Festival Sunday, October 12
Bright orange pumpkins, roasted red peppers, and apples galore mark the changing seasons at the 20th annual Fall Harvest Festival, Sunday, October 12 at UC Santa Cruz’s 30-acre organic farm.
October 01, 2014
UCSC Ebola genome browser now online to aid researchers' response to crisis
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute late Tuesday (September 30) released a new Ebola genome browser to assist global efforts to develop a vaccine and antiserum to help stop the spread of the Ebola virus.
September 11, 2014
Julie Packard: Philanthropy and pragmatism
Alumna (Crown '74, biology; M.A. '78) talks about investing in passion, working to make change, and expanding world views through the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
August 12, 2014
Private donors contribute more than $50 million to UC Santa Cruz
Private financial commitments to UC Santa Cruz for the fiscal year ended June 30 topped $50 million for the first time, bringing the total for The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz to more than $180 million.
August 07, 2014
Cancer study reveals powerful new system for classifying tumors
One in ten cancer patients would be classified differently using a new classification system based on molecular subtypes.
August 05, 2014
Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz announces endowment drive
Literature Professor John Jordan announced an endowment drive to support the Dickens Project today at the annual Dickens Universe gathering now taking place on campus
July 29, 2014
Scholarship support available for UC Santa Cruz organic farming training program
Applications are now open for the 2015 Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture program, with a range of scholarship support available
July 22, 2014
Former farm apprentice wins national food sustainability leadership award
Karen Washington, a graduate of the 2008 Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, is one of five winners of a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award.
July 21, 2014
UCSC creates scholarship fund in memory of slain Soquel resident J. Gordon Smith
A scholarship fund honoring the late J. Gordon Smith has been established by his former colleagues at Long Marine Laboratory.
July 11, 2014
Organic flower-growing, bouquet-making workshop set for Sat., July 19
An organic flower-growing, bouquet-making workshop is set for Saturday July 19 at the Alan Chadwick Garden on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
July 10, 2014
Retired UC Santa Cruz staff members endow scholarship for student veterans
A group of retired UC Santa Cruz staff members has met its goal to raise $50,000 to endow a fund that commemorates the late project architect Bruce Lane and helps veteran military students on campus.
June 30, 2014
$4-million gift establishes endowment to support sustainable agriculture
A $4-million gift to the University of California, Santa Cruz will establish an endowment to support the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, the nation's first hands-on training program for beginning organic farmers at a public university.
June 26, 2014
UCSC graduate student is a new kind of storyteller
Aaron Reed's award-winning games use computer technology to explore the possibilities of interactive fiction.
June 25, 2014
UC Santa Cruz to offer sustainability minor beginning in fall
UC Santa Cruz will offer a minor in Sustainability studies beginning in the fall 2014 quarter with a strong engineering component that is aimed at giving students extensive hands-on experience that can lead to jobs in a "green economy."
June 19, 2014
Student philanthropists step up to help fellow Banana Slugs with Senior Legacy Fund
This “Slugs helping Slugs’’ philosophy drives members of UC Santa Cruz's Senior Class Council, a student philanthropy group that steps up to give moral support and financial help to fellow students.
June 17, 2014
Carving out their niche
Alumni business partners find Kickstarter enthusiasm for their creation — a programmable desktop 3-D router with a consumer-friendly a price tag.
June 10, 2014
Human rights activist named winner of Gabriel Zimmerman Scholarship
Abuoali "Arash" Mohajerinejad is the third winner of the Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship given to a social sciences undergrad committed to a career in public service.
June 10, 2014
Never give up on a dream
Re-entry student Raymundo Reyes, who dropped out of high school to raise seven siblings, is on to his next chapter—a literature degree from UC Santa Cruz.
June 10, 2014
Student entrepreneurs pitch business ideas developed at UC Santa Cruz
The Entrepreneurship Showcase in Silicon Valley featured cash prizes, networking, and real-world business challenges for students.
June 04, 2014
UCSC selects acclaimed New York firm to design Institute of Arts and Sciences
The University of California, Santa Cruz, announced today that the award-winning New York firm, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, has been selected to design the campus’s new Institute of the Arts and Sciences.
June 04, 2014
West's fascination with Tiananmen Square events not shared in China
China today is a society mesmerized by wealth, vastly different from 1989 when on June 3 authorities began the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, says Ben Read, UCSC associate professor of politics.
June 02, 2014
Corporate-sponsored projects give engineering students valuable experience
UCSC engineering students presented their corporate-sponsored senior design projects to mentors and faculty
May 30, 2014
Oakes student's football helmet science project scores two White House visits
A chance to visit the White House and chat with the president is a pretty big deal for most people, but UC Santa Cruz student Maria Hanes had the opportunity twice this week.
May 29, 2014
UCSC receives major grant to revamp introductory science courses
A $1.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute supports efforts to increase the number of students earning science degrees
May 23, 2014
UCSC honors Jack Baskin with a plaque at the Baskin School of Engineering
Campus leaders honored Jack Baskin for his many contributions to the Baskin School of Engineering in a ceremony on Thursday.
May 22, 2014
Gun control, gun rights, and Second Amendment panel set for Wednesday
Gun advocates, gun opponents, and Constitutional experts will discuss gun control, gun rights, and Second Amendment issues Wednesday, May 28, at 7 p.m. at the Colleges Nine and Ten Multipurpose Room on the UCSC campus.
May 21, 2014
New book examines states' influence on national voter turnout
In her new book, Melanie Jean Springer, UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of politics, examines voter turnout in the United States, one of the lowest in any developed democracy, and reform efforts to improve it.
May 21, 2014
Astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz wins fellowship at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz is among a select group of 50 artists and scholars chosen for the Radcliffe Fellows Program.
May 20, 2014
UCSC data storage researchers tackle practical problems
In the rapidly evolving field of data storage, UCSC has been a leading academic research center for more than a decade.
May 14, 2014
Land and power: Study shows how women discover one leads to the other
UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of psychology Shelly Grabe finds that when women in developing countries own land, they gain power within their relationships and are less likely to experience violence.
May 14, 2014
11th Cesar Chavez Convocation features activist, educator Cesar Cruz
The 11th annual Cesar Chavez Convocation will feature Cesar A. Cruz, a writer, educator, and community organizer who will speak on the need for immigration reform.
May 12, 2014
Making tangible change
Inspired by a UC Santa Cruz class, a group of friends formed a socially conscious nonprofit as a way of keeping in touch after graduating—and have since funded more than $180,000 in projects
May 09, 2014
UCSC Farm’s CSA program accepting members for 2014
The UCSC Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is open for business and accepting new and renewing members.
May 02, 2014
Anthropocene conference looks at living life on a damaged planet
Can humans and other species continue to inhabit the Earth together after all the havoc that has been wrought? And how will they do it? These questions are at the heart of an international conference next week at UC Santa Cruz.
May 01, 2014
UCSC language students to present International Playhouse
UCSC will present the 14th season of "The Miriam Ellis International Playhouse," an annual program of fully-staged short theater pieces by students in the Languages and Applied Linguistics Department.
May 01, 2014
UCSC ranks 2nd in the U.S., 11th overall among universities under 50
UC Santa Cruz ranks 2nd in the U.S. and 11th overall among the top universities in the world under 50 years old, according to an annual analysis by Times Higher Education (THE).
April 29, 2014
Two UCSC professors elected to National Academy of Sciences
Ecologist James Estes and seismologist Thorne Lay have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
April 28, 2014
Leon Panetta touts 'real grit,' blasts congressional gridlock at Launch celebration
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta fired up a crowd of 275 with shout-outs for ingenuity and “sheer grit" at Launch! A celebration of the UCSC student experience
April 25, 2014
UCSC awards first annual Gram Memorial Scholarship to creative writing student
UCSC student James Williams, a former machinist who returned to school to be around “people who talk about books,” is now the first recipient of the Kenneth Andrew Gram Memorial Scholarship.
April 24, 2014
$1 million gift from alumna Julie Packard funds student programs at UCSC
UCSC has received a $1 million gift from alumna Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
April 18, 2014
UC Santa Cruz increases admission to California freshmen for fall 2014
UC Santa Cruz offered admission to 23,176 students for its fall 2014 freshmen class, the vast majority coming from California high schools.
April 17, 2014
New program pairs alumni mentors with engineering undergraduates
Engineering students benefit from the experience and industry connections of alumni mentors.
April 15, 2014
UC Santa Cruz workshop offers basics of citrus selection, planting and care
The keys to successful citrus growing will be explained at “Get Zesty! Citrus for the Home Gardener and Small-Scale Grower" Saturday, April 26, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the UCSC Farm on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
March 31, 2014
$2-million gift supports natural history fieldwork at UC Santa Cruz
A $2-million gift from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in honor of the late professor Kenneth Norris will help ensure that UC Santa Cruz continues as a leader in natural history and at the forefront of educating students to become environmental leaders.
March 28, 2014
Seymour Center honors Ocean Conservancy's Andreas Merkl with Global Oceans Award
Ocean Conservancy president and UCSC alumnus Andreas Merkl was honored at the Global Oceans Awards Gala.
March 26, 2014
Genome scientist Melissa Cline honored for mentoring women in science
Melissa Cline, a project scientist for the Cancer Genomics Browser, will receive the 2014 Ellen Weaver Award for mentoring young women in science.
March 26, 2014
Lemonade on Science Hill supports cancer research
The lemonade stand that will be set up in the engineering courtyard on Friday, April 18, is about far more than a glass of lemonade.
March 25, 2014
Lick's Automated Planet Finder: First robotic telescope for planet hunters
In its first months of operation, the APF has found two new planetary systems, giving astronomers a taste of planetary riches to come
March 21, 2014
Deconstruction begins of historic Cowell Ranch barn
Crews began dismantling the historic Cowell Ranch hay barn Tuesday (March 18), the first step in a multi-year process to rebuild it as a home for many of UCSC's leading environmental and sustainability programs.
March 20, 2014
UCSC alumnus Hoyt Peckham awarded Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation
Hoyt Peckham has been awarded a 2014 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to expand on work he began as a UCSC grad student.
March 18, 2014
Alumni Weekend: Get ready for 'likes,' laughs, and memories
Banana Slugs will turn their antennae back to their redwood-forested alma mater from April 25-27 for Alumni Weekend 2014, returning to the special place that provided many alums with their "original social network."
March 14, 2014
UCSC announces three finalists for national architect competition
UC Santa Cruz announced that Allied Works Architecture (Portland/New York), Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (New York), and the team of Patkau Architects (Vancouver, B.C.) and Fong & Chan Architects (San Francisco) have been selected as finalists in the architect search for the campus’s new Institute of the Arts and Sciences.
March 11, 2014
UC Santa Cruz ranked among top schools for game design
The game design programs at UCSC were named among the top programs in the country by the Princeton Review.
March 07, 2014
Event Santa Cruz features talks by UCSC professors and alumni
Three UC Santa Cruz social science professors and three alumni who have started businesses in Santa Cruz are featured speakers at the next Event Santa Cruz set for 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, March 19, at the Nickelodeon Theatres.
March 06, 2014
Psychology's Haney discusses solitary confinement on NPR's 'Fresh Air'
An interview with UC Santa Cruz psychology professor Craig Haney is scheduled on the public radio program "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross.
March 05, 2014
Play with Barbie dolls affects career aspirations for girls
Girls who play with Barbie dolls tend to see fewer career options available to them compared with the options available to boys, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the UC, Santa Cruz.
March 04, 2014
Experts discuss science and policy at first UCSC Climate Science conference
More than a dozen nationally prominent climate scientists and policy makers gathered for the first Climate Science and Policy Conference at UCSC organized by the divisions of Social Sciences and Physical and Biological Sciences.
February 27, 2014
Grant supports UC Santa Cruz research on the cause of childhood leukemia
A new grant from the nonprofit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation will help UCSC researcher Camilla Forsberg advance her work to identify the root cause of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in infants and children.
February 27, 2014
Gardening course focuses on optimizing under drought conditions
Drought conditions can be especially daunting for gardeners, but as gardening expert Orin Martin points out, “Although the drought is a challenge, it’s also an opportunity to give your garden the horticultural equivalent of a 50,000-mile tune up.”
February 27, 2014
UCSC students shine at CAMP Statewide Symposium
Five UC Santa Cruz undergraduates received awards for their research presentations at the 2014 CAMP symposium
February 26, 2014
Spotted seal study reveals sensitive hearing in air and water
Two spotted seals at Long Marine Lab are giving scientists a rare opportunity to learn about how these arctic seals perceive their environment.
February 25, 2014
Santa Cruz police officers Baker, Butler remembered a year after tragic deaths
The UC Santa Cruz community remembers Santa Cruz police officers Det. Elizabeth Butler, a UCSC alumna, and Sgt. Butch Baker who were killed in the line of duty a year ago.
February 25, 2014
UCSC, UC Hastings Law offer accelerated law degree program
A new joint program, the first of its kind in the University of California system, will enable UC Santa Cruz students to earn a bachelor's degree and law degree in six years instead of the usual seven.
February 21, 2014
UCSC engineering students find inspiration in eBay scholarship program
A team of engineering students has developed promising new approaches for doing online shopping from mobile devices
February 13, 2014
Haney testifies at Sacramento hearing on perils of solitary confinement
In testimony before a joint hearing on public safety, UC Santa Cruz professor Craig Haney described California's prison system as an outlier in the nation and world in the way it uses isolation of inmates.
February 11, 2014
MLK Convocation speaker promotes dreams, values, and education
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III delivered a rollicking 25-minute keynote address at the 30th annual UCSC Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation February 6.
February 07, 2014
Making tangible change
Alums who formed socially conscious nonprofit as a way of keeping in touch have funded more than $180,000 in projects.
January 30, 2014
Innovative probation officer/soccer coach Gina Castaneda to receive 2014 Tony Hill Award
Gina Castaneda is being honored for her groundbreaking work with at-risk teens who use soccer as a way off the streets. She will receive the Tony Hill Award during this year's Martin Luther King Jr. convocation on February 6.
January 28, 2014
UCSC offers in-depth apple and pear tree growing workshop February 8-9
Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden will present an an in-depth weekend workshop in February on selecting, growing and caring for apple and pear trees.
January 17, 2014
Another record year for undergraduate applications to UC Santa Cruz
Nearly 49,000 prospective undergraduates–the most ever–have applied for admission to the University of California, Santa Cruz for the fall 2014 quarter.
January 07, 2014
Volleyball player not afraid to dream
The sport and the camaraderie of teammates taught student Kaitlyne Fisher about believing in herself and coping with adversity.