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Parent & Family News

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
Marine lab water projects lead to significant savings
The Long Marine Lab has recorded a significant drop in freshwater use since two projects were completed in August.
December 07, 2015
First-in-family student pursues game design
A freshman at UC Santa Cruz, Briana Sidney is the first in her family to attend college, and she's on the road to becoming a game designer.
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
Campus creates 'smart' building, reducing carbon footprint
The Music Center has reduced its carbon footprint by 98 tons, an example of the commitment by staff members to work across divisions to improve campus sustainability and efficiency.
November 23, 2015
UC Santa Cruz ranked second for research influence in world university rankings
Published as part of the THE World University Rankings 2015-16, the analysis measured overall research influence based on the average number of citations per paper.
November 19, 2015
Campus civility in the midst of turmoil
Let us make the conscious choice to seek common ground, to forge understanding, and to cultivate compassion.
November 18, 2015
Dancing biologist finds inspiration in both art and science
For Xochitl Clare it’s easy to see a link between a 4,000-pound pinniped and a boisterous form of Cuban dance — a very real relationship between art and science.
November 17, 2015
EPA recognizes dining’s waste reduction efforts
The campus achieved impressive source reduction of wasted food through a variety of approaches involving both staff and students.
November 10, 2015
Women's volleyball, soccer teams to compete in NCAA championship
The UC Santa Cruz women's volleyball and soccer teams are headed to the NCAA Division III championships.
November 10, 2015
CARE office provides confidential advocacy in cases of sexual violence
CARE is the advocacy office at UC Santa Cruz, providing support and resources for survivors of sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking.
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.
November 05, 2015
Building Our Global Presence
I've just returned from an 11-day trip to China, where campus representatives and I met with U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus, as well as with academic leaders and students at Chinese colleges, universities, and high schools.
October 27, 2015
Conference to focus on utopian thinking in the face of environmental threats
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of UC Santa Cruz, the conference on November 6 and 7 will offer a gamut of futurists sharing new visions and old, on the campus, California, and the world.
October 26, 2015
Federal grants to support student success, equity initiatives at UC Santa Cruz
Totaling $3.6 million, the awards are the result of a campuswide effort to look at how UC Santa Cruz can best serve Latino and other students who have a difficult time when they start college.
October 26, 2015
Banana Slug Parade brings campus, community together
The “first-on-the-planet” procession was a whimsical and entertaining celebration of UC Santa Cruz’s five-decades-long residence in Santa Cruz.
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 19, 2015
Campus exceeds goal for water savings, seeks to do more
The campus and its efforts to save water were recognized by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
October 19, 2015
Bridging science and tradition
A dedicated group of scientists has launched One People One Reef, a five-year conservation effort on Ulithi Atoll in Micronesia aimed at sustaining the ecological health of the islands—and the islanders
October 16, 2015
UC Santa Cruz a top university for social mobility
UC Santa Cruz is No. 8 nationwide and the second in the state, according to CollegeNET's Social Mobility Index.
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 15, 2015
Rising to the challenge
Leaving behind an early life of poverty, student Layla Cervantes is defying the statistics and becoming 'a great scientist.'
October 06, 2015
UC launches Cool Campus Challenge in push toward carbon neutrality
The Cool Campus Challenge runs Oct. 6 through Dec. 10 and is open to all students, staff and faculty of the University of California.
October 05, 2015
Campus wins best practice award for drought planning and water savings
UC Santa Cruz won a best practice award for drought planning and water conservation efforts at the 2015 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference hosted by San Francisco State University.
October 05, 2015
Service animals on campus
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines service animals as dogs individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.
October 05, 2015
Life, realized
Alumni authors give voice to transformative experiences at UC Santa Cruz that changed their lives and shaped their careers.
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.
October 01, 2015
Welcome to Fall Quarter
Welcome to Fall Quarter and to my new monthly newsletter. I plan to send it each month to share news, celebrate achievements, and give you a heads up on campus issues.
September 30, 2015
'U.S. News' visits UC Santa Cruz on a 'College Road Trip' in 'Best Colleges 2016'
UC Santa Cruz is featured in the “College Road Trip” section of U.S. News World Report’s “Best Colleges 2016” guidebook, which hits newsstands this week.
September 29, 2015
StoryCruz: Bittersweet moment
In our new audio stories project, Charles and Adrienne Coleman of Greenville, S.C., share their bittersweet feelings about dropping their son, Vernon, off for his freshman year at UC Santa Cruz.
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 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.
September 09, 2015
Long-running UC Santa Cruz program supports diversity in biomedical sciences
Renewal of NIH grant provides $4 million for program supporting underrepresented minority students in biomedical fields.
September 04, 2015
Tearing down the walls
Pioneering UC Santa Cruz professors and staff challenged convention and traditional academics. In the process, they helped reform American higher education.
September 04, 2015
Tearing down the walls
Pioneering UC Santa Cruz professors and staff challenged convention and traditional academics. In the process, they helped reform American higher education.
September 01, 2015
Dogs, cats, and big-wave surfers: Healthy heart lessons from animals and athletes
Heart rates of big-wave surfers are among the surprises from 30 years of studying exercise physiology in people and wild animals.
August 20, 2015
Community Crime Bulletin: Man arrested for terrorist threats against campus
UC Santa Cruz Police Officers arrested a 25-year-old Santa Cruz man in connection to an anonymous social media post that referenced creating explosives, homicide, suicide and a past university shooting.
August 20, 2015
'New Parent' chat will use social media to connect with new Slug families
Parents of incoming Banana Slugs will soon have a chance to ask candid questions and concerns with a group of campus experts without ever having to leave their homes, jump in their cars, or even turn off their home computers.
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.
August 07, 2015
'Doing something significant with my life'
Molecular, cell and developmental biology student Hector Navarro, who came from humble beginnings, now works in a genetics lab on campus with the goal of becoming a cancer researcher.
August 05, 2015
Slow Food Nation: Conversation with Alice Waters
Pioneering restaurateur Alice Waters discusses everything from affordable high-quality food to the essential role of young people in America's "Delicious Revolution"
July 30, 2015
Summertime, and the research is happening
Transfer student Guinevere Ashley, who is working this summer in a campus lab, has found meaning and purpose in biomedical sciences research.
July 27, 2015
Surfing the web of life
UC Santa Cruz faculty members who ride the waves say the sport is beautiful and spiritual—and allows their minds the space to wander.
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 16, 2015
Graduate student earns life sciences fellowship
UC Santa Cruz graduate student Jessica Perez-Cunningham was selected to receive a fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's newly expanded Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study Program.
July 13, 2015
Chancellor names professors Haney and Strome as UC Presidential Chairs
UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal has named professors Craig Haney and Susan Strome to three-year terms as UC Santa Cruz Presidential Chairs.
July 02, 2015
In 50th year, campus will enroll class with exceptional academic credentials
With the largest applicant pool in the history of the campus, and a smaller freshman class than the previous year, UC Santa Cruz increased its admission selectivity.
June 23, 2015
Original thinkers shifted paradigms, changed the world
From discovering a cell’s molecular motor to showing women’s role in evolution, UC Santa Cruz professors have made world-changing contributions through their research and scholarship.
June 22, 2015
A visionary, a genius, and the human genome
In 2000, two dogged researchers at UC Santa Cruz defied the odds to become the first in the world to assemble the DNA sequence of the human genome.
June 19, 2015
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
June 18, 2015
Social Sciences division launches first annual summer reading list
What happens when you ask UC Santa Cruz faculty, staff, alumni, and students from the Division of Social Sciences - and even the Chancellor - for book recommendations related to themes of social justice, citizenship, ethics, and social responsibility?
June 15, 2015
Graduate to help urban teens find path to college
Brittany Alba is poised to help many other Californians follow her path to higher education by serving a two-year fellowship that will have her advising San Jose high school students.
June 11, 2015
Eight faculty members honored with Excellence in Teaching awards
The Excellence in Teaching Awards given each year by the UC Santa Cruz Academic Senate Committee on Teaching are among the highest honors faculty members can receive. This year's awards honor eight instructors who have demonstrated exemplary and inspiring teaching.
June 11, 2015
Police ambassador program helps students with career plans
Graduating students Wesley Huynh and Jessica Bauman found that the UC Santa Cruz Police Ambassador Program helped prepare them for careers in law enforcement and accounting.
June 09, 2015
Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity honor commitment
Two campus programs, staff, faculty, and a student are winners of 2015 Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Diversity for 2105 for their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion at UC Santa Cruz.
June 03, 2015
Campus ranks No. 1 among Peace Corps’ top volunteer-producing Hispanic-serving institutions
Forty-two alumni are serving in the Peace Corps. More than 800 UCSC alumni have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers with the Peace Corps, which was founded four years before the campus opened in 1965.
June 02, 2015
Sleuthing a killer shrub
Students like Jennifer Thompson—who researched why Scotch Broom is toxic to Douglas fir—take advantage of a unique opportunity at UC Santa Cruz: the ability to do research as an undergraduate.
June 01, 2015
Campus deploying cellular water meters to aid in conservation
The project is another example of the campus commitment to sustainability and to saving water in the midst of a historic drought.
June 01, 2015
Undergrads experience the rewards of research
Students such as Sanjin Mehic showcase one of UC Santa Cruz's most valuable opportunities—the chance to do original research as an undergraduate.
May 29, 2015
‘True Original’ alumni return for UC Santa Cruz 2015 commencement ceremonies
Several distinguished alumni – all True Originals – will return to campus as UC Santa Cruz holds commencement ceremonies during this 50th anniversary year for 10 colleges, graduate division, and Baskin School of Engineering, Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14.
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 27, 2015
Accounting's Bob Shepherd wins state CPA society outstanding educator award
Robert Shepherd, former director of the economics accounting track at UC Santa Cruz, has been named winner of the 2015 Outstanding Educator Award by the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA).
May 15, 2015
UC Santa Cruz politics professor Mark Massoud wins Guggenheim Fellowship
Mark Fathi Massoud, assistant professor of politics and legal studies at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to further his research on law in war-affected regions.
May 12, 2015
Student-organized campus clean up nets 285 pounds of litter in three hours
In just three hours, participants of the First Annual Campus Clean-Up during Alumni Reunion Weekend collected 285 pounds of litter from across campus, the UC Santa Cruz Sustainability Office reports.
May 12, 2015
Students to document, share trip to World Economic Forum on Africa
"Focus on Africa," taught by documentary filmmaker Melvin Cox (Merrill, '73), has been offered through Merrill College. Cox is discussing Africa's current affairs with students and teaching them about methods to document the World Economic Forum on Africa.
May 07, 2015
Setting up for success
The men's volleyball coach has taken the emphasis off wins and losses, encouraging players to build character by "scoring points" in the classroom, applying for jobs, and volunteering.
May 06, 2015
Spreading science education, one telescope at a time
UC Santa Cruz grad student Tuguldur Sukhbold is using grant money to bring telescopes to schools in Mongolia so that science-starved kids might be exposed to the wonders of the universe.
April 27, 2015
An Alumni Weekend to remember
A record-breaking crowd of 2,500 revelers, more than half of them alumni, took part in UC Santa Cruz's Alumni Weekend this year—a special edition of the event that was bigger and more elaborate than ever before in honor of the campus's 50th anniversary.
April 21, 2015
UC Santa Cruz named one of Princeton Review's top 50 'greenest' colleges
UC Santa Cruz once again ranks high among the nation’s “greenest” colleges and universities.
April 21, 2015
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 campus and the richness it brought to their educational experience.
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 17, 2015
Classes without quizzes: Alumni Weekend Teach-Ins
Returning UC Santa Cruz alumni should get ready to exercise their brains, but with no fear of final exams, at the ever-popular "Teach-Ins" featuring professors Bettina Aptheker and Craig Haney.
April 10, 2015
TEDxSantaCruz, part of Alumni Weekend, to explore "Radical Collaboration"
April 24 event to feature speakers from a wide variety of disciplines challenging themselves, casting aside their differences, and sharing their findings.
April 07, 2015
Month of events, activities set to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence
A month full of activities in April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month includes the screening of "The Hunting Ground" in Santa Cruz Friday, April 10.
April 06, 2015
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 values.
April 01, 2015
Conservationist M. Sanjayan to receive Alumni Achievement Award
The host of the new PBS series EARTH A New Wild and executive vice president of Conservation International travels the globe to find "partnerships" between humans and the planet.
March 26, 2015
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 the project.
March 24, 2015
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 20.
March 23, 2015
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 campus.
March 13, 2015
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
March 11, 2015
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 upgrade
March 09, 2015
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 further than McHenry Library to find a goldmine of historical artifacts.
February 27, 2015
Distinguished alumni to speak on conservation, film, law, art, writing
'True Originals' speaking series will feature accomplished Banana Slugs giving thought-provoking talks during Alumni Weekend 2015.
January 30, 2015
Friends of Long Marine Lab supports 17 student research projects
From sea otters to sea level rise, Student Research and Education Awards will support a wide range of student research projects.
January 22, 2015
Campus, city take home prestigious governor's award
In 2011, the City and UCSC created the GreenWharf program to foster the development and incorporation of innovative technology into the structure and operations at the Santa Cruz Wharf.
January 21, 2015
UC establishes full-time advocates, other measures to address sexual violence on campuses
The University of California will meet its January goals toward implementing a comprehensive approach to addressing sexual violence on campuses.
January 16, 2015
Steve Whittaker named fellow of Association of Computing Machinery
Steve Whittaker, UC Santa Cruz professor of psychology, has been named a fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery for his work in human-computer interaction
January 12, 2015
In 50th year, UC Santa Cruz sees unprecedented undergraduate interest
Nearly 55,000 prospective undergraduates applied for the fall 2015 quarter, an 11 percent increase from the previous year, and the second highest percentage increase among the UC campuses.
January 09, 2015
Angela Davis, activist, professor emerita, to headline annual MLK Convocation
Activist, author, and distinguished UC Santa Cruz professor emerita Angela Davis is this year's keynote speaker at the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation, which is at 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 28, at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.
January 08, 2015
Dressing up to party down
Time to head to the vintage store or rifle through the closet to channel your inner Twiggy—in honor of its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration starting in 2015, UC Santa Cruz is holiding an informal 1965-style dress-up day on January 15.
January 05, 2015
Multimedia campaign to bring nationwide attention to campus
In support of the 50th anniversary, UC Santa Cruz has launched a national multimedia marketing campaign to showcase the campus’s original thinking that’s pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.