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2015 Research

December 17, 2015
Spread of algal toxin through marine food web broke records in 2015
Researchers found record levels of the algal toxin domoic acid in samples from a wide range of marine organisms in 2015.
December 15, 2015
Gamma rays from distant galaxy tell story of an escape
New observations from VERITAS and other telescopes advance our understanding of bright galaxies called "blazars"
December 14, 2015
Exoplanet atmospheres range from clear to cloudy in survey of 'hot Jupiters'
A survey of Jupiter-sized exoplanets reveals why some of these worlds appear to have less water than expected.
December 09, 2015
UC Research Catalyst Award supports conservation genomics project
$1.76 million grant will fund collaborative research among UCSC and four other UCs
December 07, 2015
History professor wins multiple awards for groundbreaking book on slave trade
Associate professor of history Gregory O’Malley has been honored with four awards this year for his latest book, "Final Passages: The Intercolonial Slave Trade of British America, 1619-1807."
December 04, 2015
Film professor speaks at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented a lecture by UC Santa Cruz film and digital media professor Shelley Stamp on December 3, at the Linwood Dunn Theater...
December 01, 2015
UC Santa Cruz hosts international summer program on exoplanetary atmospheres
The 2016 Kavli Summer Program in Astrophysics will focus on 'Exoplanetary Atmospheres.'
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 02, 2015
Bat disease fungus found to be widespread in northeast China
Discovery greatly expands the known distribution of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats.
October 26, 2015
Physicist Sue Carter named Faculty Climate Action Champion for 2015-16
Carter plans to establish a campus sustainability lab to support student-led research and training.
October 22, 2015
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz to participate in new research initiative
Fellows chosen for a "Time Domain Astrophysics" Scialog initiative include six with UC Santa Cruz connections.
October 21, 2015
How a black hole swallows a star: new observations confirm theory
New details about what happens when a black hole tears apart a star have been gathered by x-ray telescopes.
October 20, 2015
Carmel International Film Festival to screen film professor’s new documentary
“'Daisy and Max' is not the film I had planned to make,” says UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor...
October 20, 2015
Mosquitofish populations with more females have greater ecological impact
Scientists investigating the ecological consequences of sexual dimorphism and sex ratio variation found dramatic effects
October 20, 2015
Formation of coastal sea ice in North Pacific drives ocean circulation and climate
New understanding of changes in North Pacific ocean circulation could lead to better global climate models.
October 15, 2015
Ecologist Kristy Kroeker wins prestigious Packard Fellowship
The Packard Fellowship supports Kroeker's research on environmental change in dynamic environments and complex ecosystems.
October 09, 2015
Center for Creative Ecologies at UC Santa Cruz to present talks on global climate justice
The new Center for Creative Ecologies at UC Santa Cruz offers a place to consider the intersection of visual culture, politics, and the environment...
October 05, 2015
New on-chip optical sensing technique used to detect multiple flu strains
Researchers developed a new way to do diagnostic assays for multiple strains of flu virus on a small, dedicated chip.
October 05, 2015
Study reveals key structure in telomerase enzyme, a target for cancer drugs
UC Santa Cruz researchers have determined the structure an enzyme active in most cancers.
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 30, 2015
Environmental studies lecturer wins anthropology association public policy award
Barbara Rose Johnston, a UC Santa Cruz lecturer in environmental studies, has been named a winner of the 2015 Anthropology in Public Policy Award from the American Anthropological Association.
September 30, 2015
Grants fund efforts by UC Santa Cruz scientists to fight deadly bat disease
Scientists will conduct field trials this winter of two strategies for protecting bats from white-nose syndrome.
September 29, 2015
Gift funds new Presidential Chair for the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves
Endowment established by Helen and Will Webster Foundation broadens opportunities to use natural reserves as living labs and outdoor classrooms.
September 25, 2015
Chip-based technology enables reliable direct detection of Ebola virus
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed chip-based technology to detect Ebola and other viral pathogens.
September 24, 2015
New senate faculty members build campus strengths
From environmental sociology to game design, UC Santa Cruz professors are studying problems aimed at improving the world in which we live.
September 22, 2015
Research Review Day on October 14 highlights advances at the Baskin School of Engineering
Data science for social good, technology management, and nanopores are featured topics at annual Research Review Day.
September 18, 2015
Local group funds cancer research at UC Santa Cruz
Four UCSC cancer researchers have received grants from the Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group.
September 15, 2015
UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute partners with Microsoft to accelerate biomedical research
The Microsoft partnership provides the Genomics Institute with access to new compute, data storage, and analysis capabilities.
September 10, 2015
Study finds different ways for a black hole to swallow a star
When a star passes too close to a dormant supermassive black hole, it gets torn apart by tidal forces.
September 07, 2015
Molting elephant seals add mercury to coastal seawater
UC Santa Cruz researchers traced elevated mercury levels in coastal seawater to hair shed by elephant seals.
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 24, 2015
Astronomer Claire Max appointed director of UC Observatories
UC President Janet Napolitano has appointed UC Santa Cruz astronomer Claire Max as director of UC Observatories.
August 20, 2015
Seagate gift supports UC Santa Cruz research on genomic data storage
Donation includes 2.5 petabytes of storage for studying large-scale data storage challenges in genomics and other areas
August 13, 2015
UC Santa Cruz psychology Ph.D. graduate wins Fulbright fellowship for research in Israel
A recent UC Santa Cruz psychology Ph.D. graduate has won a Fulbright postdoctoral award to support 20 months of research at an Israeli university where he will look at how different groups justify violence on moral terms.
August 12, 2015
Male elephant seals use 'voice recognition' to identify rivals, study finds
Researchers from UC Santa Cruz have been studying the behavior of northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Reserve since the late 1960s.
August 03, 2015
California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine funds UC Santa Cruz pediatric cancer project
The state initiative is providing $1.2 million for the Genomics Institute's California Kids Cancer Comparison project.
August 03, 2015
New method reveals hidden population of regulatory molecules in cells
UC Santa Cruz researchers have revealed a previously undetected population of small RNA molecules involved in cell regulation
July 23, 2015
Warhol Foundation grant goes to Institute of the Arts and Sciences project
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has awarded a $30,000 grant to support an innovative artist residency and exhibition developed by the Institute of the Arts and Sciences (IAS) at UC Santa Cruz and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in San Jose--in collaboration with the UC Lick Observatory.
July 23, 2015
Humanities Dean Tyler Stovall named president-elect of American Historical Association
Humanities Dean Tyler Stovall has been chosen as president-elect of the American Historical Association, the largest professional organization in the U.S. devoted to the study and promotion of history.
July 23, 2015
Study identifies ways to reduce flood risk while protecting natural habitat
Scientists from UC Santa Cruz and The Nature Conservancy release a timely report as forecasts indicate El Niño could bring dangerous flooding to California.
July 22, 2015
Keck Foundation awards UC Santa Cruz $2 million for human genome variation project
The Human Genome Variation Map being developed by the UCSC Genomics Institute will be a valuable new resource for medical researchers.
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 10, 2015
Study finds surprisingly high geothermal heating beneath West Antarctic Ice Sheet
UC Santa Cruz team reports first direct measurement of heat flow to the bottom of the West Antarctic ice sheet
July 08, 2015
UC Santa Cruz pediatric cancer project receives $250,000 to fight high-risk neuroblastoma
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation has awarded the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute a $250,000 grant for pediatric cancer research.
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 23, 2015
UC Santa Cruz partners with UC Merced in nanotechnology center
Nanotechnology researchers at UC Santa Cruz are partners in a new center for nanomaterials research funded by NASA and based at UC Merced.
June 08, 2015
Fish declines linked to effects of excess nutrients on coastal estuaries
Offshore fisheries that depend on the health of fish nurseries in coastal estuaries are adversely affected by excess nutrients in runoff from land
June 03, 2015
9th annual screening of Soc Doc graduate films at Del Mar Theater
UC Santa Cruz presents the ninth annual exhibition of thesis films from the Film and Digital Media Department’s masters program in Social Documentation on June 10, at the Del Mar Theater in Santa Cruz.
June 02, 2015
Large bloom of toxic algae under way in Monterey Bay and beyond
Researchers have detected large blooms of toxin-producing algae in Monterey Bay, raising concerns about potential effects on marine mammals and seabirds.
June 02, 2015
Scientists discover a protein that silences the biological clock
A protein associated with cancer cells is a powerful suppressor of the clock that drives the daily rhythms of cells throughout the body.
May 21, 2015
Dance professor fights cultural amnesia with ‘Splinters in Our Ankles'
'Splinters in Our Ankles' is UC Santa Cruz theater arts professor Gerald Casel’s choreographic response to what he calls "the collective cultural amnesia" about the Philippine national dance.
May 21, 2015
UC Santa Cruz plans Center of Excellence in Data Science Research
The Data, Discovery, and Decisions (D3) center aims to foster collaboration between industry and academia.
May 18, 2015
Community effort provides new 'gold standard' for genomic data analysis
UC Santa Cruz researchers contributed to a comprehensive assessment of methods for identifying mutations in cancer genomes.
May 18, 2015
Gifts from alum Sage Weil provide $3 million for open source research at UC Santa Cruz
Alumnus Sage Weil has established an endowed chair and provided an additional $2 million for research in open source software.
May 15, 2015
LASER talk to explore research in environmental art, recycling, ocean medicines, and film
UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will present its final LASER talk of the academic year on campus this spring on Tuesday, May 19, at 7 p.m. in the Digital Arts Research Center.
May 14, 2015
Against all odds: Astronomers baffled by discovery of rare quasar quartet
Astronomers discovered four quasars, each one a rare object in its own right, in close physical proximity to each other.
May 13, 2015
Persistence yields progress in AIDS vaccine research at UC Santa Cruz
Veteran vaccine researcher Phil Berman has developed a new approach based on an old vaccine and recent advances in HIV immunology
May 06, 2015
'CAVE Lab' offers immersive virtual reality tools for research and teaching
A new multi-disciplinary facility featuring interactive 3-D visualization technology is available to researchers across campus.
May 01, 2015
Student study tells the stories of low-wage workers in Santa Cruz County
A year-long study by UC Santa Cruz students that finds low-wage workers in Santa Cruz County earn about $10 an hour compared with the county median of $17.81 will be released at 'Working for Dignity,' a public event 7-9 p.m. Thursday, May 7 at the Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz.
April 30, 2015
UC Santa Cruz ranks 2nd in the U.S., 8th overall among universities under 50
UC Santa Cruz ranks 2nd in the U.S. and 8th overall among the top universities in the world under 50 years old, according to an annual analysis by "Times Higher Education."
April 30, 2015
UC Santa Cruz ranks 2nd in the U.S., 8th overall among universities under 50
UC Santa Cruz ranks 2nd in the U.S. and 8th overall among the top universities in the world under 50 years old, according to an annual analysis by "Times Higher Education."
April 30, 2015
UC Santa Cruz biomedical research facility wins $2 million NIH grant
Grant funds new instrument used to explore the structures and functions of complex molecules involved in human health and disease.
April 29, 2015
UC Santa Cruz history professor elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
UC Santa Cruz history professor Gail Hershatter has joined Nobel Prize-winning chemist Brian Kobilka, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, singer-songwriter Judy Collins, novelist Tom Wolfe, and UC President Janet A. Napolitano as a newly elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
April 28, 2015
Scientists find evidence for groundwater in Antarctica's Dry Valleys
A salty aquifer beneath Antarctica's Dry Valleys may support previously unknown microbial ecosystems.
April 22, 2015
Art professor’s documentary short wins at Full Frame film festival
An animated short by UC Santa Cruz associate professor of art Dee Hibbert-Jones and artist Nomi Talisman won two awards at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
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 21, 2015
UC Santa Cruz part of NASA coalition leading search for life on distant worlds
Astrophysicist Jonathan Fortney is one of 15 principal investigators for a new NASA initiative searching for life on planets around other stars.
April 16, 2015
Film professor to share research on Hollywood director at LA Times Festival of Books
UC Santa Cruz film and digital media professor Shelley Stamp will be featured on a panel about arts biography this weekend at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books--the largest public literary festival in the country.
April 14, 2015
DANM to mark 10th anniversary with arts festival and masquerade ball
The Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. program (DANM) at UC Santa Cruz will mark the completion of its first decade on April 25 with a daylong celebratory extravaganza titled "It’s Pan-DANM-onium!"
April 08, 2015
Egyptologist awarded NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant
Assistant professor of history Elaine Sullivan has received a Digital Start-Up Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop a three-dimensional model and virtual tour that will demonstrate how an ancient Egyptian site evolved over more than 3,000 years.
April 08, 2015
Bacteria inhibit bat-killing fungus, could combat white-nose syndrome
UC Santa Cruz researchers are testing bacteria as a potential treatment to control white-nose syndrome, which is devastating bat populations.
March 25, 2015
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 the Digital Arts Research Center. Admission is free and open to the public.
March 23, 2015
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
March 19, 2015
UC Santa Cruz to host UC Systemwide Bioengineering Symposium
The Bioengineering Symposium will bring together faculty, researchers, and students from all ten UC campuses.
March 17, 2015
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 competition
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
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 lakes
February 13, 2015
Conference at UC Santa Cruz to explore modern Jewish spaces and identity
The Center for Jewish Studies at UC Santa Cruz will present a two-day conference, “Liminal Spaces and the Jewish Imagination” on campus February 18-19.
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 05, 2015
Institute of Arts and Sciences to host first LASER talk of the year
UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will present its first “LASER” talk of 2015 on Tuesday, February 10, at the Digital Arts Research Center.
February 02, 2015
Shrinking range of pikas in California mountains linked to climate change
The American pika is disappearing from low-elevation sites in California mountains, and the cause appears to be climate change.
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 29, 2015
Roses bloom in tide pools: warm water brings southern sea slug to Central Coast
Bright pink, inch-long sea slugs have shown up in the highest numbers and northernmost locations reported since the 1998 El Niño
January 21, 2015
Scientists drill through half mile of Antarctic ice for data on ice sheet stability
A team including researchers from UC Santa Cruz has become the first ever to reach and sample the "grounding zone" of an Antarctic ice sheet.
January 19, 2015
Researchers find a novel signaling pathway involved in appetite control
UCSC scientists uncovered details of a molecular signaling system in the brain that is involved in the control of body weight and metabolism.
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 16, 2015
Heart arrhythmias detected in deep-diving marine mammals
Exercising while holding their breath remains a physiological challenge for marine mammals, despite remarkable adaptations to aquatic life.
January 13, 2015
UC Santa Cruz to lead effort to build a new map of human genetic variation
The Simons Foundation awarded UCSC up to $1 million to develop a comprehensive Human Genome Variation Map for scientific and medical research
January 08, 2015
Study of Andromeda's stellar disk indicates more violent history than Milky Way
Disordered stellar populations suggest bombardment of our neighboring galaxy Andromeda by smaller galaxies
January 08, 2015
‘Questions that Matter’: New public humanities series brings campus to community
The UC Santa Cruz Institute for Humanities Research (IHR) will present "Making the Cosmos Local"—the first event in a new series of public dialogues titled Questions That Matter—on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Kuumbwa Jazz Center.
January 01, 2015
UC Santa Cruz turns 50, a bold experiment realized
In 1965, UC President Clark Kerr described the brand new campus at Santa Cruz as “the most significant educational experiment in the history of the University of California.” As UC Santa Cruz forges ahead in 2015, the campus celebrates its 50th anniversary with a multitude of events.