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Environmental Studies

December 14, 2015
Cultivating a garden — and food security — in Watsonville
College Nine and Ten Provost Flora Lu and her students are forging campus-community collaborations through a community garden at Calabasas Elementary School in Watsonville.
December 08, 2015
The year in review at UC Santa Cruz
At UC Santa Cruz, 2015 was a year celebrating our 50th anniversary by advancing knowledge, challenging the status quo, and taking risks. And the campus capped it all off with a big top celebration.
December 02, 2015
Declaration of human rights added to discussions at UN Climate Change Conference
As world leaders gather this week in Paris for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, a group of environmental and legal scholars including S. Ravi Rajan of UC Santa Cruz has drafted a resolution stating human rights must be more explicitly acknowledged during climate discussions.
December 01, 2015
Internships support new concentration in agroecology and sustainable food systems
Beginning this fall, environmental studies majors are able to add a concentration in agroecology and sustainable food systems to their undergraduate major. Internships integrate undergraduates into the seasonal work of the campus’s 33 acres of organic farmland and market gardens.
November 17, 2015
UC Santa Cruz launches conservation scholars program to increase diversity
A UC Santa Cruz program to nurture a diverse cadre of environmental conservation leaders will receive $2 million over four years from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, joining four other universities in the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program.
November 13, 2015
Alumni Profile / 1991: Melissa Nelson: Revitalizing native cultures
Melissa Nelson believes the best ways to teach Native American youth about their cultural past is through their hearts and minds, as well as their stomachs.
November 06, 2015
Research Frontiers Evening shows how 'innovation meets ambition'
For examples of interdisciplinary research, look no further than the Division of Social Sciences’ annual Research Frontiers event.
October 22, 2015
Four UC Santa Cruz students receive Global Food Initiative fellowships
Four UC Santa Cruz students have received $4,000 UC Global Food Initiative fellowships for the 2015–2016 academic year.
October 22, 2015
2015-2016 Campus Food & Garden Guide now available in print and online
This year an online interactive companion to the printed guide is available and will go live Friday, Oct. 23 in anticipation of National Food Day, Saturday.
October 16, 2015
Research Frontiers Evening features six talks on social science research
Six UC Santa Cruz professors will deliver lively “Ed Talks” describing how their research confronts and connects contemporary issues when the UCSC Social Sciences division holds its third annual Research Frontiers event.
October 15, 2015
More than economics: New book explores how equality helps economies grow
Communities that know together, grow together is the premise of UC Santa Cruz professor Chris Benner’s new book, 'Equity, Growth, and Community: What the Nation Can Learn From America’s Metro Areas.'
October 02, 2015
Social sciences faculty awarded $8 million in research funding
Faculty in the Social Sciences Division of UC Santa Cruz garnered more than $8 million in research funding from just over 100 grants for the year August 2014 to August 2015.
October 01, 2015
Bugs in an urban jungle: What green spaces mean for ecology and community
Since 2013, UC Santa Cruz environmental studies professor Stacy Philpott has studied insect biodiversity in urban gardens to better understand the ecological role these green spaces provide.
September 16, 2015
Paying it forward: annual Farm to Fork event honors past and future farmers
The Farm to Fork dinner series has supported more than 150 apprentices through scholarships and subsidized meal plans.
September 11, 2015
UCSC Farm hosts Fall Harvest Festival Sunday, Sept 27
Celebrate fall’s arrival with pumpkins, music, great food, a fall plant sale, farm tours, and much more at the UCSC Farm & Garden’s Fall Harvest Festival, coming up on Sunday, September 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UC Santa Cruz’s 30-acre organic farm.
September 10, 2015
In soil we trust: How military veterans learn to become organic farmers at UC Santa Cruz
Agriculture is an appealing career option for many soldiers transitioning to civilian life, say veterans enrolled in the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at UC Santa Cruz.
September 09, 2015
Pumas, raccoons and snakes, oh my
UC Santa Cruz students can walk out of a classroom and, in a few minutes, be in the same territory with nearly 50 species of mammals, legions of birds, and scores of salamanders, newts and snakes.
September 09, 2015
Pie potluck, barn dance mark Cowell Ranch Hay Barn dedication Saturday, Sept. 12
A pie potluck and barn dance will be featured at the dedication of the newly rebuilt Cowell Ranch Hay Barn that will soon become a multi-use teaching, office and event space, and headquarters for the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz.
August 21, 2015
Farm to label: How alumnus helped bring organic labeling policy to the nation
Mark Lipson, now a research associate at Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, was instrumental in standardizing organic farming in the U.S. Now back at UCSC, he continues the mission of institutionalizing public policy support for organic farming.
August 14, 2015
Enjoy the peak season of produce from the UC Santa Cruz Farm
With summer in full swing, it’s time to sign up for the UCSC Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and enjoy the peak season of organic produce from the UC Santa Cruz Farm.
August 13, 2015
Fifth annual Farm to Fork Benefit Dinner opens new Cowell Ranch Hay Barn
The fifth annual Farm to Fork Benefit Dinner at the UC Santa Cruz Farm will be held at the newly renovated Cowell Ranch Hay Barn Saturday, September 12.
July 20, 2015
Gift to UC Santa Cruz funds new chair in water resources and food sustainability
UC Santa Cruz has received $500,000 from the Helen and Will Webster Foundation that with matching funds from UC Regents has established the Stephen R. Gliessman Presidential Chair in Water Resources and Food System Sustainability.
July 01, 2015
Scholarships available for UC Santa Cruz organic farming apprenticeships
Aspiring organic farmers and gardeners are invited to apply for the 2016 Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at UC Santa Cruz. Now in its 48th year, the Apprenticeship is the longest running university-based organic farming training program in the U.S.
July 01, 2015
UC Santa Cruz develops innovative online courses available to all UC students
UC Santa Cruz faculty are venturing into the brave new world of online education.
May 28, 2015
UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden’s market cart produce stand opens June 2
Tuesday, June 2 is opening day for the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden's Market Cart at the corner of Bay and High streets at the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus.
May 13, 2015
Berries, flowers from campus Farm & Garden go on sale at Quarry Plaza
On Friday, May 15th, Wednesday, May 20th, and Wednesday, May 27th, a limited engagement produce and flower stand will open at Quarry Plaza with berries and beautiful flower bouquets from the Alan Chadwick Garden.
May 07, 2015
CASFS updates instructor's manual for teaching small farm direct marketing
The new edition of "Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability: Resources for Instructors," 2nd Edition, draws on nearly 50 years of experience teaching beginning organic farmers and gardeners at the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden Apprenticeship.
April 22, 2015
Spread of pathogens between species is predictable, study finds
Scientists studied disease dynamics in a grassland on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
April 20, 2015
UCSC Farm & Garden’s 35th annual Spring Plant Sale set for May 2, 3
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden’s Spring Plant Sale, offering the region’s largest collection of organically grown herb and flower starts, vegetables, and beautiful perennials.
April 10, 2015
Alum’s feature film heralds wildlife and landscape of Big Sur’s wild coast
Acclaimed wildlife photographers, UC Santa Cruz alumnus Kennan Ward and his wife Karen, will screen their new film “It’s a Wild Life” featuring the Big Sur coast Friday, April 17 at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz.
March 17, 2015
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 re-creation of the historic Cowell Ranch Hay Barn.
March 16, 2015
Focus of climate change discussions shifts from mitigation to adaptation
UC Santa Cruz climate conference addresses coastal resilience and 'wicked tradeoffs.'
March 04, 2015
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, and social and environmental issues in agriculture.
February 12, 2015
Female pumas kill more, eat less when humans are near, study finds
Female pumas kill more prey but consume less when their territories bump into human development, UC Santa Cruz researchers report in a new study based on monitoring more than two dozen pumas in the Santa Cruz mountains.
February 11, 2015
New UC hands-on experience class modeled after UC Santa Cruz 'supercourse'
A uniquely UC Santa Cruz course that offers undergraduates hands-on research experience has been adopted by the UC Natural Reserve System and is now open to students from all nine UC undergraduate campuses.
February 10, 2015
Campus farm adds Quarry Field to further farming, education, and research
Freshly tilled soil on the west side of Hagar marks the start of the UC Santa Cruz Farm’s latest effort in growing food for campus and expanding the research and education work of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS).
January 27, 2015
Tony Hill Award winner helps young people soar
Jacob Martinez, this year's Tony Hill Award honoree, is a strong advocate for low-income Latino and Latina youth who are interested in science, math, and technological careers but face obstacles along the way.