March 2015 News Archive

Exquisite campus

A common refrain among UC Santa Cruz alumni—from every decade, every major, every college, every division—is how much they treasured the beauty and natural setting of this remarkable

Family ties

When family members have the experience of attending UC Santa Cruz in common, they've walked the same paths—contributing to a sense of pride, connection, and shared

Public higher education can again transform California

As Gov. Jerry Brown and UC President Janet Napolitano spar over the future of the University of California, my question is this: Are we content to offer today’s students, who are more racially and socioeconomically diverse than ever, less than their predecessors received?

UC budget questions remain unresolved

By Alison Galloway, Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor — We are still awaiting resolution on the UC budget for academic year 2015-2016. Much will depend upon negotiations between Governor Brown and UC President Napolitano.The final budget will probably not be clear until the end of June. However, there are a few points that we can clarify.

New chief communications officer starts Wednesday

Sherry Main joins UC Santa Cruz Wednesday, April 1, as assistant vice chancellor for communications and marketing.

Faculty research lecture features prison and incarceration expert Craig Haney

Haney has been selected to deliver the 49th annual Faculty Research Lecture scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2015, at 7 p.m. at the Music Recital Hall on the

Workshop explores how digital technology changes the way financial markets function

The Center for Analytical Finance (CAFIN) at UC Santa Cruz will hold a one-day workshop Friday, April 3 that looks at how digital technology has changed the way

Evening concerts and rare telescope viewings draw visitors to UC’s Lick Observatory

For 35 years the Summer Series program at UC's Lick Observatory has drawn concert fans and astronomy devotees to the summit of Mt.

Student support gives major boost to Quarry reopening

Efforts to restore and reopen the landmark Quarry Amphitheater received a major boost with the endorsement of using up to $6.38 million in existing student fee reserves toward

LASER talk to explore research in bio-acoustics, film, archaeology, and art

UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will continue its series of LASER talks on campus this spring on Tuesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in

Alumni Weekend—Come Home

Every Alumni Weekend feels like a milestone for returning Banana Slugs and a chance to be part of a living history. But this year those impulses will be

Bettina Aptheker: Building Feminist Studies at UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz ranked among top graduate schools for game design

Princeton Review's 2015 list of the top 25 graduate schools to study game design features UC Santa Cruz at number

Local seventh graders set sights on college

Half of Santa Cruz County’s seventh graders – more than 1,400 – attended the 7th Grade College and Career Summit on campus on Friday, March

Historic hay barn rises again to become a center for sustainability programs

Over a weekend, volunteers joined professionals to raise the timber-framed superstructure for the re-creation of the Cowell Ranch hay barn on the UC Santa Cruz

Wandering Jupiter accounts for our unusual solar system

Jupiter swept clear the inner solar system, resulting in the formation of a planetary system unlike any other astronomers have yet found

Search for extraterrestrial intelligence expands at Lick Observatory

Astronomers are expanding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence into a new realm with detectors tuned to infrared

Community Crime Bulletin - Bicycle thefts

The UC Santa Cruz Police Department is seeking the public's help with its investigation into nearly two dozen reported bicycle thefts since February 24.

UC Santa Cruz alum writes first children’s book in City Lights’ 60-year history

“American history is filled with stories of brave and powerful men, but have you ever wondered where the women are?” So begins Rad American Women A-Z, a new

UC Santa Cruz to host UC Systemwide Bioengineering Symposium

The Bioengineering Symposium will bring together faculty, researchers, and students from all ten UC

Volunteer profile: Shawn Cervantes

I encourage anyone who has a desire to serve to find an area that they are passionate about and simply ask the question, "What can I do for

This is UC Santa Cruz

A roundup of top news stories from UC Santa

Barn raising set for re-creation of historic Cowell Ranch Hay Barn

A new-fashioned community barn raising is set for Saturday, March 21 at UC Santa Cruz when professionals and volunteers will assemble and raise the timber framing for the

Formal Review & Employee Comment: PPSM 80 – Staff Personnel Records

The University of California is proposing revisions to PPSM 80 Staff Personnel Records, a policy which applies to staff employees in the Professional & Support Staff, Managers & Senior Professionals, and Senior Management Group members.

Nanopipette technique earns prize in NIH 'Follow that Cell' challenge

A proposal by UC Santa Cruz biomolecular engineer Nader Pourmand was one of five prize winners in an NIH challenge

Tuesday Newsday survey results are in; winner selected

The heart and soul of UC Santa Cruz

By Sheldon Kamieniecki, Dean, Division of Social Sciences—In my ninth year as dean, I remain impressed by the strong commitment of social sciences faculty to research, undergraduate education, and teaching.

Focus of climate change discussions shifts from mitigation to adaptation

UC Santa Cruz climate conference addresses coastal resilience and 'wicked

Editor's note: A charge in the air

"Magical" may be a strong word for a college experience, but it comes up again and again when I talk to UC Santa Cruz alumni of all ages.

Your Turn

Raves, rants, recommendations, and love letters from our readers and social media friends.

The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz: Campaign update

As our campus celebrates 50 years of original thinking and questioning authority, The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz is building resources for its future.

50th Anniversary

Weed control planned on East Field Monday, March 23

UC Santa Cruz Grounds Services plans to apply two selective broadleaf herbicides to the East Field Monday, March 23, weather permitting.

Original vision

Reflections on the tumultuous '60s, the heady days of UC Santa Cruz's beginnings, and the ways the campus has stayed true to its mission through the decades

Alumni Profile / Rachel Howzell Hall: Writing down the mysteries

Rachel Howzell Hall had always been fascinated by the darkness of crime novels, and, as an English and American literature major at UC Santa Cruz, she'd wanted to

Alumni Profile / Jacob Martinez: Creating opportunity

When Jacob Martinez asked a classroom of middle-schoolers to raise their hands if they had a computer at home, most of them did. But as the 36-year-old Martinez

Philanthropy Focus: A Marvelous gift

An alumni duo has donated a large collection of vintage comic books, aiming to aid research on topics including gender studies and pop

Alumneye

This alumni photo submission feature highlights and celebrates the experiences, travels, and artistic insights of UC Santa Cruz's diverse and fascinating alumni.

Spring '15 Review masthead

From the Chancellor / The chancellor's desk: outstanding in his field

The black-and-white photo on the cover of this issue is a campus classic. The playful image captures the spirit of adventure founding Chancellor Dean McHenry brought to the

UC Santa Cruz volunteer service day March 28 honors Cesar Chavez

The UC Santa Cruz community will be taking part in Cesar Chavez Volunteer Service Day, set for Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the

Last week's disruptions

Over the past week, many questions, comments, inquiries, and demands have come our way regarding last week’s disruptions.

Physicists anticipate new discoveries with restart of Large Hadron Collider

UC Santa Cruz physicists have been at the forefront of U.S. participation in the LHC and contributed to a major

Arts Dean’s Lecture Series to explore music, cognition, biology, and language

This spring, the Arts Dean's Lecture Series will offer up a series of public lectures by eminent scholars and artists to explore the fundamentals of why and how

UC Santa Cruz professor aims to expand science internships for high school students

Astronomer Puragra GuhaThakurta will use a sabbatical at Google to expand and diversify the Science Internship

Community Crime Bulletin - Lewd Conduct at Stevenson College

Several female students have reported to university officials that they have been sexually harassed and/or asked to engage in unwelcomed sexual activity by a male student.

Treasure hunting in the University Archives

By Elizabeth Cowell, University Librarian — If the 50th anniversary of UC Santa Cruz has made you curious about the history of this campus, you need look no

Methane in Arctic lake traced to groundwater from seasonal thawing

Groundwater from seasonal melting may be an important contributor to emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from Arctic

Community Crime Bulletin — Robbery and False Imprisonment

The UC Santa Cruz Police Department is asking for assistance from witnesses and the community in identifying the suspect or suspects who may have been involved in a robbery and false imprisonment of a student at 10:50 a.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2015.

Systemwide Review of Proposed Revisions to Presidential Policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence

The University invites comments on the proposed revisions to the Presidential Policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence. This policy applies to all members of the UC community.

New 3rd edition of 'Teaching Organic Farming & Gardening' now available

Drawing on nearly 50 years of experience, "Teaching Organic Farming & Gardening: Resources for Instructors, 3rd Edition" addresses practical aspects of organic farming and gardening, applied soil science,

Planned Protest Action March 5th

There is a possibility that access to the main campus may be impeded on Thursday, March 5th due to student protests. We offer the following guidance to help campus employees plan in advance.

Possible Protest Action on Thursday

UC Santa Cruz is anticipating potential protest activities and a student walkout tomorrow as part of the "96 Hours of Action." This is an advisory to be prepared and to stay informed.

Demonstrations and respect for the rights of others

We are upset by reports today that UC Santa Cruz students were apparently involved in demonstrations that obstructed traffic on local highways and streets for several hours, impacting countless members of our community.

Native habitat restoration begins with herbicide application

The UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves and UC Santa Cruz Grounds Services will conduct herbicide applications at Younger Lagoon Reserve beginning Monday, March 9, 2015 (weather permitting). This herbicide application is intended to reduce non-native invasive plant cover in advance of native habitat restoration plantings.

Benefits of internationalization

By Joel Ferguson, Associate Vice Provost of International Education — To borrow from President John F. Kennedy: My fellow Banana Slugs, ask not what you can do for internationalization, ask what internationalization can do for you.

Astrophysicist Ken Chen wins award for high impact scientific achievement

Postdoctoral researcher Ken Chen was honored in the early career category of the 2015 High Performance Computing Achievement