Awards and Honors

UC Santa Cruz Community Sailing Club takes best in show for third straight year

UC Santa Cruz biologist Harry Noller wins $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

From antibiotics to the origins of life, Noller's findings on the protein factories of all cells have broad implications.

Games researcher Katherine Isbister honored by Association for Computing Machinery

Professor of computational media Katherine Isbister has been recognized by the ACM as a distinguished scientist.

UC Santa Cruz recognized as top performer in sustainability

The 2016 Sustainable Campus Index ranked UC Santa Cruz No. 10 on the list of Doctoral/Research Institutions.

Computer scientist Marilyn Walker honored by Association for Computational Linguistics

Walker, a professor of computer science, has been named a fellow of the ACL.

Feminist studies professor Karen Barad receives multiple honors in Europe

Karen Barad--professor of feminist studies, philosophy, and history of consciousness at UC Santa Cruz--also happens to have a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics and quantum field theory...

Electrical engineer Holger Schmidt elected IEEE Fellow

Schmidt, the Kapany Professor of Optoelectronics, has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Marine scientist Adina Paytan named 2016 ASLO Fellow

Paytan will be honored as a fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO).

Chemistry professor Pradip Mascharak receives Outstanding Faculty Award

Mascharak received the 2016 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.

Astronomer Sandra Faber awarded California Academy of Sciences Fellows Medal

The California Academy of Sciences has awarded its highest honor, the Fellows Medal, to Sandra Faber, professor emerita of astronomy and astrophysics, and elected professors Karen Holl and Erika Zavaleta as new Academy Fellows.

Politics student named 'Women in Green Forum Youth Trailblazer'

Maxine Jimenez (Kresge ’19, politics and community studies) is the 2016 recipient of the Women in Green Forum Youth Trailblazer Award.

UC Santa Cruz advances in U.S. News and World Report's global rankings

The campus has continued to increase its ranking, now tied at No. 27, even as the number of universities reviewed has expanded

UC Santa Cruz student games win awards at IndieCade

Two games developed by UC Santa Cruz students won awards at the 2016 IndieCade International Festival of Independent Games.

Theater Arts professor Ted Warburton wins national dance award

Edward (Ted) Warburton, professor of dance and associate dean of the arts at UC Santa Cruz, is the recipient of the National Dance Education Organization’s 2016 Outstanding Dance Researcher Award.

Astronomer Ryan Foley wins prestigious Packard Fellowship

Foley is the 12th UCSC faculty member, and fifth UCSC astronomer, to receive a Packard Fellowship.

Physicist Howard Haber wins Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Physics

Haber, a distinguished professor of physics at UCSC, was honored by the American Physical Society.

Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz honored by American Physical Society

Ramirez-Ruiz, professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics, will receive the 2017 Edward A. Bouchet Award.

Patricia Zavella wins anthropology association distinguished career award

Patricia Zavella, UC Santa Cruz professor of Latin American and Latino studies, has been named winner of the 2016 Distinguished Career Award from the Association of Latina and Latino Anthropologists, a section of the American Anthropological Association.

Astronomer Garth Illingworth to receive Astronomical Society's Berkeley Prize

Illingworth will receive the 2016 Lancelot M. Berkeley – New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy.

UC Santa Cruz ranks among top 30 U.S. public universities

The campus also is one of the top 100 national universities, according to the annual rankings by U.S. News and World Report

UC Santa Cruz highlighted in Green College Honor Roll

UC Santa Cruz scored 99 points—the most possible—in a listing meant to provide a comprehensive measure of a school's performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.

Craig Reinarman given 'career of excellence' award in sociology

Craig Reinarman, UC Santa Cruz research professor emeritus of sociology and legal studies, was honored for a career of excellence at the annual convention of the American Sociological Association last week in Seattle.

Professor's book wins National Women's Studies Association book award

A book by Sylvanna M. Falcón, associate professor of Latin American and Latino studies at UC Santa Cruz, has been named winner of the 2016 Gloria E. Anzaldúa book prize given by the National Women’s Studies Association.

Film professor Shelley Stamp wins 2015 book award from Theatre Library Association

UC Santa Cruz film and digital media professor Shelley Stamp has been honored with a 2015 Book Award from The Theatre Library Association. The awards are given annually for the best English language works of scholarship on theatre, film, and broadcasting.

Social sciences faculty garner $7.6 million in research grants for 2015-16

Faculty in the Social Sciences Division at UC Santa Cruz secured more than $7.6 million in research grants during the 2015-2016 academic year, Dean Sheldon Kamieniecki announced.

Three UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. candidates awarded AAUW fellowships

Three UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. candidates have been awarded 2016-2017 fellowships from the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Seven alumni invited to join Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Seven UC Santa Cruz alumni are among the 683 artists and executives who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year.

Chemist Phil Crews earns mentorship award for work with undergrad researchers

A $20,000 grant from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation supports undergraduate research in chemistry.

Catherine Jones wins 2016 Abbott Prize for best book on the history of children

Associate professor of history Catherine Jones has been honored with the Grace Abbott Book Prize for the best book published in 2015 on the history of children and youth.

Seismologist Susan Schwartz elected fellow of the American Geophysical Union

Schwartz was honored by the AGU for exceptional contributions to the Earth sciences.

UC Santa Cruz grad Cecilia Im earns Sutter scholarship for medical school

$10,000 annual scholarship established by Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center and the Central California Alliance for Health.

Geophysicist Robert Coe honored by American Geophysical Union

The AGU has awarded the John Adam Fleming Medal to Robert Coe, professor emeritus of Earth and planetary sciences.

Hydrogeologist Andrew Fisher honored by Geological Society of America

Fisher's Recharge Initiative aims to replenish California's depleted groundwater supplies.

Patricia Zavella wins anthropology association gender equity award

Patricia Zavella, UC Santa Cruz professor of Latin American and Latino studies, has been named winner of the 2016 American Anthropological Association’s Committee on Gender Equity in Anthropology Award.

Graduate research on toxic metals earns international award

Environmental toxicologist Kingsley Odigie received the Kharaka Award from the International Association of Geochemistry.

Ecologist Kristy Kroeker named Faculty Climate Action Champion for 2016-17

Kroeker will address how environmental changes in the ocean could affect human health.

Derek Conrad Murray appointed to Art Journal editorial board

UC Santa Cruz associate professor Derek Conrad Murray, an interdisciplinary theorist in the History of Art and Visual Culture Department, has been appointed to the Editorial Board of Art Journal.

Undergrad wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Kfir Dolev, a double major in physics and computer science, was named a 2016 Goldwater Scholar.

UCSC’s Gail Project wins first prize in national 'Shout Out for the Humanities' contest

Why is studying the humanities–history, literature, languages, philosophy, culture–important? How would you convince your parents, an employer, a politician, or others that there is value in pursing the humanities?

UC Santa Cruz team wins game design competition at E3 event

A team of students in the Games and Playable Media master's program won the Social Connection GameJam competition.

Former CASFS intern named to Global Food Initiative 30 Under 30 list

The manager of the UC Riverside community garden, who spent two years as an intern with the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, is a winner of the inaugural University of California Global Food Initiative 30 Under 30 Awards.

Economics chair appointed NBER research associate

Rob Fairlie, chair of the UC Santa Cruz economics department, has been appointed as a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Diversity honor work, commitment

The campus recognized work done by students, faculty, staff, and programs to promote diversity and inclusion on campus through the 2016 Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Diversity.

Art professor Dee Hibbert-Jones wins Northern California Area Emmy award

UC Santa Cruz associate professor of art Dee Hibbert-Jones has been honored with yet another award for her acclaimed animated documentary film, "Last Day of Freedom."

Nine faculty members honored with Excellence in Teaching awards

The awards honor instructors who have demonstrated exemplary and inspiring teaching. Students make the nominations and more than 620 were received this year.

Gary Griggs honored by Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Geologist Gary Griggs received the Laura Hecox Naturalist Award from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Linguistics professor Pranav Anand receives Dizikes Award for teaching in Humanities

Associate professor of linguistics Pranav Anand was presented with the John Dizikes Teaching Award in Humanities at the Humanities Division’s 2016 Spring Awards celebration held at the Cowell Provost House.

Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship winner is immersed in public service

Graduating senior Katie Sweeney (Cowell, ’16, community studies) has been awarded the fifth Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship named for the 2002 UC Santa Cruz graduate killed in the January 2011 shooting in Tucson that wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

Carrie Partch honored by Society for Research on Biological Rhythms

Biochemist Carrie Partch was recognized for her research on biological clocks.

Two UC Santa Cruz film professors receive Fulbright Scholar Awards

Film and Digital Media professors Sharon Daniel and Irene Lusztig have been honored with Fulbright Awards for research during the 2016-17 academic year.

Staff contributions recognized with campus, systemwide awards

In addition to the annual Outstanding Staff Award, two systemwide awards were given to UC Santa Cruz staff members.

Astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz awarded Niels Bohr Professorship

Award from the Danish National Research Foundation provides $5 million to fund research in theoretical astrophysics.

Astronomer Sandra Faber to receive honorary degree from Amherst College

Faber will receive an honorary degree from Amherst College during its commencement exercises on May 22.

Campus recognized for sustainability efforts in education, practices

The campus earned awards from the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference for its lighting retrofit and optimization in the McHenry Library; its carbon neutrality roadmap; and its sustainability minor and Sustainability Living Undergraduate Research Program (SLURP).

UCSC politics professor Mark Massoud wins Carnegie Fellowship

Mark Fathi Massoud, associate professor of politics and legal studies at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2016 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. The award, from the Carnegie Corp. of New York, supports high-caliber scholarship in the social sciences and humanities.

History professor Peter Kenez honored with top UC award for emeriti faculty

The 2016 Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award, honoring emeriti professors in the University of California system, has been awarded to UC Santa Cruz professor emeritus of history Peter Kenez.

Alums Martha Mendoza, William Finnegan win 2016 Pulitzer Prize

Journalism's highest honor is awarded to the Associated Press and Mendoza for public service and in biography to Finnegan for his surfing memoir.

Two faculty members honored with Dickson Emeriti Professorship Awards

Chip Lord, professor emeritus of film and digital media, and Lewis Watts, professor emeritus of art, were each awarded Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorships in recognition of their outstanding achievements in scholarship and teaching.

UC Santa Cruz art professor Dee Hibbert-Jones wins 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship

UC Santa Cruz associate professor of art Dee Hibbert-Jones has been awarded a 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship in film and video.

Food bank honors campus work in food security

UC Santa Cruz received two awards from Second Harvest Food Bank

Earth scientist James Zachos honored by European Geosciences Union

Zachos will receive the 2016 Milutin Milankovic Medal for his groundbreaking contributions to climate science.

Tom Pettigrew wins sociology association’s top award for study of race relations

Tom Pettigrew, UC Santa Cruz research professor of social psychology, has been named winner of the American Sociological Association's Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award, the group’s highest award for contributions to the study of American race relations.

University Relations shines in 2016 CASE awards

Division's wins include two golds; also singled out as one of six Grand Gold winners, reflecting extraordinary campus collaboration.

Two UC Santa Cruz professors win Sloan Research Fellowships

Astronomer Andrew Skemer and ecologist Kristy Kroeker are among the 2016 Sloan Research Fellows.

Biomolecular engineer Camilla Forsberg receives Presidential Award

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers.

CASFS researcher Mark Lipson wins sustainability champion award

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has given its “Sustainability Champion” award to UC Santa Cruz alumnus Mark Lipson, currently a researcher with UCSC’s Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.

Prestigious Switzer Fellowship awarded to UCSC grad student

Graduate student Joseph Hoyt has been awarded a Switzer Environmental Fellowship.

UC Santa Cruz awarded four NEH grants

UC Santa Cruz has been awarded four grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support faculty research and the Dickens Project.

Film by UC Santa Cruz art professor nominated for Academy Award

Last Day of Freedom, an animated short by UC Santa Cruz associate professor of art Dee Hibbert-Jones and San Francisco artist Nomi Talisman, has been nominated for an Academy Award in the category of best documentary short.

UC Santa Cruz alumna to join National Council on the Humanities

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced today that UC Santa Cruz alumna Patricia Limerick is one of three prominent and accomplished individuals who will join the Endowment’s advisory board.

Stem cell researcher receives American Society of Hematology Scholar Award

The ASH has awarded a $100,000 research fellowship to postdoctoral researcher Jana Krietsch.

Sue Carter receives leadership award from UC President Napolitano

Award recognizes Carter's efforts to deepen climate change teaching and research at UC Santa Cruz.