Awards and Honors

Cowell Ranch Hay Barn recognized by architects

The Cowell Ranch Hay Barn has received recognition from the East Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Boating center wins best-in-show at harbor's Lighted Boat Parade

The UC Santa Cruz Community Boating Center sailed away with the coveted best-in-show award at the 32nd annual Lighted Boat Parade held at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor Saturday, Dec. 2.

Physicist Terry Schalk elected 2017 AAAS Fellow

Terry Schalk, adjunct professor emeritus of physics, has been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Astronomer Xavier Prochaska receives Outstanding Faculty Award

J. Xavier Prochaska, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has received the 2016-17 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.

ENVS prof Elliott Campbell receives global environmental change award

Elliott Campbell, associate professor of environmental studies, will receive a 2017 Global Environmental Change Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union during its December meeting in New Orleans.

UC Santa Cruz ranks in top 50 of global research universities, 5th for space sciences

UC Santa Cruz ranks fifth in the world for space sciences and is one of six University of California campuses ranked among the top 50 research universities overall, according to a study by U.S. News and World Report.

Physicist Michael Dine wins Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Physics

A UC Santa Cruz physicist has won the Sakurai Prize for the second year in a row.

Astronomer Alexie Leauthaud wins prestigious Packard Fellowship

Leauthaud is the 13th UCSC faculty member, and sixth UCSC astronomer, to receive a Packard Fellowship.

UC Santa Cruz earns award for social mobility innovation

The honor, awarded to five universities across the nation, was presented in June at the annual CollegeNet conference, called the Social Mobility Summit.

Five research labs receive lab safety recognition awards

In recognition of outstanding success in developing and maintaining a safe and effective laboratory environment, the Office of Research and Environmental Health & Safety are pleased to announce the 2016-17 Lab Safety Recognition awards.

Social Sciences honors outstanding staff, teaching, research

The Division of Social Sciences at UC Santa Cruz presented four major awards today (Wednesday, October 11), recognizing outstanding accomplishments by faculty, staff, researchers, and emeriti faculty.

Dan Friedman named president-elect of Economic Science Association

UC Santa Cruz student Saloni Gupta earns Sutter scholarship for medical school

Saloni Gupta, a senior studying human biology, was awarded the annual Primary Care Physician award, a $10,000 scholarship.

UC Santa Cruz humanities alumna named 2017 Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow

Sophia Magnone (Ph.D. Literature, 2016) is one of 20 new Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows nationwide who will take up two-year assignments working in the fields of policy, civil rights, arts and culture, and the media.

Biochemist Carrie Partch honored by the Biophysical Society

The Biophysical Society has chosen UCSC biochemist Carrie Partch to receive the 2018 Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award.

UC Santa Cruz humanities alum wins Cabot Prize for journalism in Latin America

Washington Post correspondent and UC Santa Cruz alumnus Nick Miroff has been awarded a 2017 Maria Moors Cabot Prize for his reporting in Latin America.

Marine biologists John and Vicki Pearse honored at international conference

Marine biologists John and Vicki Pearse were honored for their contributions to echinoderm research at the 2017 North American Echinoderm Conference.

Politics PhD candidate named a Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar

Michael Wilson Becerril, a doctoral candidate in politics, has been named a 2017-18 Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar.

Don Brenneis honored for service

Donald Brenneis, distinguished professor of anthropology and interim dean of the Division of Social Sciences, has received the Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology.

Judit Moschkovich appointed to NAS committee

Judit Moschkovich, professor of education, will serve on a National Academy of Sciences committee focused on the needs of English Learners in STEM subjects.

Nanopipette technology wins first place in NIH 'Follow that Cell' challenge

Biomolecular engineer Nader Pourmand has spent years developing technology to measure and track changes within a single living cell over time.

Awards spotlight commitment to teaching

Seven UC Santa Cruz faculty members were recognized for their extraordinary commitment teaching.

UC Santa Cruz faculty awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts

Two faculty members from the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division have each received $25,000 Art Works grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to support their latest documentary film projects.

Astronomy grad students honored by International Astronomical Union

Caroline Morley and Morgan MacLeod are among the first winners of the IAU Ph.D. Prize in recognition of outstanding scientific achievement.

Steck Award recipient seeks to solve atomic structure of human astrovirus

Edmundo Perez (College 10 ‘17, bioengineering) is being recognized for his work on how the human immune system blocks virus infection and disease.

London’s Barbican Centre celebrates career of film professor B. Ruby Rich

The work of feminist writer, film critic, LGBT activist, and UC Santa Cruz professor of film and digital media B. Ruby Rich will be celebrated this week at the Barbican Centre in London.

Bettina Aptheker receives Dizikes Award for teaching in Humanities

Distinguished Professor of Feminist Studies Bettina Aptheker was presented with the John Dizikes Teaching Award in Humanities at the Humanities Division’s 2017 Spring Awards celebration held at the Cowell Provost House.

Global Studies Association honors Professor Emeritus Walter Goldfrank

The Global Studies Association will honor Professor Emeritus Walter Goldfrank during its 2017 conference being held June 14-16 at UC Berkeley.

Music alum named Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year

UC Santa Cruz alumna Shelley Phillips (Music,’85) has been named the 2017 Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission.

Ronnie Lipschutz appointed to chair in integral ecology and environmental justice

Ronnie Lipschutz, professor of politics and provost of Rachel Carson College, was honored as the inaugural holder of the Robert Headley Presidential Chair for Integral Ecology and Environmental Justice.

Evolutionary biologist John Thompson awarded Darwin-Wallace Medal

Named for Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, the prestigious award recognizes major advances in evolutionary biology.

Pettigrew receives Centennial Medal from Harvard University

Tom Pettigrew, research professor of social psychology, received the Centennial Medal from Harvard University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for his work in racial relations.

People of Color Sustainability Collective wins top honors

The Best Practice Award is the highest honor in the field of higher education sustainability in the state. It will be presented during the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference June 26–29 at UC Santa Barbara.

Karen Holl recognized for tropical forest restoration work

Karen Holl, professor of environmental studies, has been named a recipient of the 2017 Theodore M. Sperry Award, presented by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER).

Astronomer Sandra Faber awarded Gruber Cosmology Prize

Faber's groundbreaking studies of galaxies helped establish many of the foundational principles of modern cosmology.

'Ecosystems of California' wins gold medal in California Book Awards

Coedited by UC Santa Cruz ecologist Erika Zavaleta, the book will be honored by the Commonwealth Club of California.

Theater Arts professor Kimberly Jannarone named National Humanities Center Fellow

One of 34 chosen from more than 600 applicants, Kimberly Jannarone will spend the year in the company of national and international scholars from 14 states, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Social Sciences Professor Julie Guthman wins Radcliffe Fellowship

Julie Guthman has been awarded a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship that will support a year-long residential research project at Harvard University.

Climate scientist James Zachos elected to National Academy of Sciences

Election to the academy is one of the highest honors a U.S. scientist can receive.

Sikina Jinnah named a 2017 Andrew Carnegie Fellow

Sikina Jinnah, associate professor of politics, was awarded a 2017 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, one of the most prestigious awards available to scholars in the social sciences and humanities.

Social psychologist Phil Hammack studies well-being of LGBTQ youth

Phil Hammack is only partway through an ambitious study of the physical and psychological well-being of LGBTQ youth, and he is already surprised by his observations.

Planet hunting alumna Natalie Batalha among Time's 100 most influential people

Natalie Batalha, a NASA scientist who earned her Ph.D. in astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, has been named to Time magazine's annual list of the "100 most influential people in the world."

Undergrad wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Physics major Andrea Antoni has been named a 2017 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Film professor receives California Documentary Project grant from Cal Humanities

UC Santa Cruz associate professor of film and digital media John Jota Leaños is the recipient of a 2017 California Documentary Project grant from California Humanities.

Theater arts professor Danny Scheie wins Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award

UC Santa Cruz professor of theater arts Danny Scheie has received a 2017 award from The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and recognizing excellence in theatre arts.

Social Sciences Professor Julie Guthman wins 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship

Julie Guthman, a professor of social sciences and a leading scholar on the history and geography of California agriculture, has been awarded a 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Three faculty members honored with Dickson Emeriti Professorships

Murray Baumgarten, professor of English & Comparative Literature, E.G. Crichton, professor of art, and Catherine Cooper, professor of psychology, were awarded Dickson Emeriti Professorships in recognition of outstanding achievements in scholarship and teaching.

UC Santa Cruz ranked among top schools for game design

UCSC is featured on Princeton Review's 2017 lists for top undergraduate and graduate programs in game design.

UC Santa Cruz named one of the country’s best colleges for undergraduate film majors

UC Santa Cruz is featured in a Top 10 list of Best Bachelor’s Program for Film, Video and Photographic Arts along with USC, NYU, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Rhode Island School of Design.

Film professor Shelley Stamp wins 2017 international media and history book prize

Film and digital media professor Shelley Stamp has been named the recipient of the 2017 Michael Nelson Book Prize, presented by the International Association for Media and History for her latest book, "Lois Weber in Early Hollywood."

Dean Paul Koch receives 'Insight Into Diversity' magazine's Giving Back Award

National award honors university administrators for their commitment to diversity and for giving back to others

George Bunch wins American Education Research Association award

George Bunch, associate professor of education, is the winner of the 2017 Second Language Research Special Interest Group Midcareer Award.

UCSC biomolecular engineer Russ Corbett-Detig wins Sloan Research Fellowship

Corbett-Detig studies evolution and genetic diversity in species ranging from fruit flies to humans.

'Ecosystems of California' book wins PROSE Award for Excellence

Coedited by UCSC ecologist Erika Zavaleta, the book won two prestigious awards from the Association of American Publishers.

City, university wharf partnership earns Silicon Valley award

The GreenWharf is a suite of collaborative projects that together minimize the footprint of wharf operations on the surrounding environment while enhancing its appeal as a visitor destination.

Cowell Ranch Hay Barn wins architectural awards

The Cowell Ranch Hay Barn has won two architectural awards: a 2016 Excellence in Design Honor Award from American Institute of Architects Montana, and the 2017 U.S. WoodWorks Regional Excellence Award from the Wood Products Council.

Physicist Joel Primack to serve as president of scientific honor society Sigma Xi

The scientific research honor society Sigma Xi has announced the election of Primack as president-elect designee.