2017  Engineering News

UC Santa Cruz scientists and engineers among the most highly cited researchers

A list of the world's most highly cited researchers includes 16 scientists and engineers at UC Santa Cruz.

Big data for social good: Tri-county initiative will benefit K-12 students

Rod Ogawa and Rebecca London are helping launch a data-sharing initiative that will benefit K-12 students in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties.

Bioinformatics leaders partner to build platform for NIH Data Commons

The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of Chicago, and the Broad Institute will create the Commons Alliance Platform with funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Student-run hackathon scheduled for January 19-21 at UC Santa Cruz

CruzHacks 2018 is seeking sponsors to support the popular technology development event.

New center, fellows renew commitment to teaching

Twenty-two faculty fellows are supported by the new Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (CITL), which was established in July 2016 to revitalize the university's longstanding commitment to outstanding teaching.

Dean Alex Wolf leads growing engineering school in era of technological change

As he begins his second full academic year as dean, Alex Wolf discusses his first year and his plans for the future of the engineering school in a wide-ranging interview.

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.

Games and Playable Media faculty to discuss future trends at IndieCade Festival

SceneSampler, a game from UCSC's Social Emotional Technology Lab, is an official game selection to be demonstrated at the international festival of independent games.

New faculty further campus scholarship, research

The new professors, spread across all five divisions, further build on campus strengths in many key areas.

New mirror-coating technology promises dramatic improvements in telescopes

An electrical engineer teamed up with astronomers to improve telescope mirrors using thin-film technology from the electronics industry

UC Santa Cruz initiated fiber-optic project brings high-speed broadband to Central Coast communities

Installation is complete on a 91-mile fiber optic cable made possible by UC Santa Cruz that will bring reliable, speedy internet broadband to underserved communities across 430 square miles from Watsonville through the Salinas Valley to Soledad.

UC Santa Cruz ranked third worldwide for research influence

In a new analysis of the world’s top universities, UCSC ranked third in research influence as measured by the number of times its faculty’s published work is cited by scholars around the world.

NSF awards $1.5 million grant for data science research at UC Santa Cruz

A cross-disciplinary team of computer scientists, statisticians, and mathematicians is developing the theoretical foundations of the emerging field of data science.

Launchpad offers a boost to innovation

Launchpad, managed by the Industry Alliances & Technology Commercialization (IATC) Office, will be offering $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 grants to promising UCSC technologies in science and engineering. Applications will be accepted until Sept. 28.

Did life begin on land rather than in the sea?

A paradigm-shifting hypothesis laid out by UC Santa Cruz astrobiologists David Deamer and Bruce Damer could reshape our idea about the origin of life.

UC Santa Cruz launches new data science research center

Data, Discovery, and Decisions (D3) research center provides a platform for collaboration between industry and academia in the emerging field of data science.

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.

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.

Campus preparing for commencement 2017

More than 4,800 UCSC students are earning undergraduate and graduate degrees for work completed during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Materials Science and Engineering Initiative focuses on sustainability

UC Santa Cruz researchers are developing new materials for a wide range of devices and products, from solar cells to surfboards.

Genomics Institute joins international Human Cell Atlas Initiative

UCSC researchers will collaborate with partners in U.S. and Europe to build data coordination platform for effort to characterize every cell type in the human body.

UC Santa Cruz students to show VR projects and videogames in public showcase

The 'Sammy Showcase' on Saturday, June 3, is hosted by the Games and Playable Media program at the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus.

UC Santa Cruz genetics lab helps solve the mystery of 'Miranda Eve'

Ancient DNA expert Ed Green helped identify the remains of a 19th-century baby Jane Doe found in San Francisco backyard.

Graduate student John Felts takes second place in UC Grad Slam

Felts presented his work on Cruz Foam, a biodegradable alternative to polyurethane and polystyrene foam.

Alumni Weekend 2017: Glorious weather, vibrant events bring Slugs home

Revelers took a Fun Run, got a crash course in activism, rekindled old friendships, let their hair down, and paid tribute to Sammy the Slug at UC Santa Cruz Alumni Weekend 2017.

Inspiring young students to branch into STEM

This spring, an enterprising group of Watsonville High School students put on lab coats and safety goggles and got a behind-the-scenes look at the labs of UC Santa Cruz's Science Hill.

Computer pioneer Harry Huskey dies at age 101

Harry Huskey, professor emeritus of computer science, worked on early computing systems and helped universities around the world establish computer science programs.

Five graduate student alumni return for awards

The five honorees will be presented with the first Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni Award and be part of panel discussions where they’ll share their stories on career and entrepreneurship opportunities.

A role model for girls who code

Regine De Guzman, a self-taught coding whiz, wants to close the Silicon Valley gender gap by encouraging girls to pursue tech careers. She will share her words of wisdom at the upcoming TEDxLosGatosHighSchool.

Alumni Weekend Teach-Ins 2017: stem cell research and standing up to "alternative facts"

This year’s Teach-In lecture series will include eye-opening presentations about the potentials of stem cell research and the role of the humanities in a ‘post-truth world.'

Alums launch video game based on ancient Mesoamerican myth

"Ulama: Arena of the Gods," a collaboration from three Games and Playable Media alums, launched March 28 on the Steam platform.

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.

UCSC Grad Slam winner envisions surfing on shrimp shells

John Felts, a second year Ph.D. electrical engineering student, earned top marks for his talk about creating environmentally friendly surfboard foam from shrimp shells.

With more than 100 featured projects, UC Santa Cruz hosts Giving Day 2017

The website site will go live at 12:01 a.m. on March 8 for donors to make gifts and track their favorite projects in real-time. Giving Day 2017 builds on the success of last year’s event, when nearly 3,000 donors came together to collectively give $340,000.

Campaign for UC Santa Cruz enters home stretch

The campaign is the university’s first campuswide effort to build a culture of giving in support of students, faculty, and campus programs. Launched in 2009 and publicly announced in fall 2013, the campaign has raised $311 million in gifts.

The Conversation editor to encourage faculty expertise on pressing issues

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.

GameSpace offers a playable visualization of 16,000 videogames

UCSC researchers developed the game as a tool to help people find information about videogames.

Chancellor appointed to governing board of state stem cell agency

Chancellor George Blumenthal has been appointed to a seat on the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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.

UC Santa Cruz receives $2.2 million for innovation and entrepreneurship program

New support program will help bring research innovations to the marketplace and spur economic development in the Santa Cruz area.

UC Santa Cruz will host annual hackathon January 20 to 22

Hack UCSC 2017 will draw software developers, designers, and entrepreneurs for a coding marathon.

UC Santa Cruz engineers work with Samsung on promising new memory technology

Innovations in "spintronics" have led some to predict the eventual emergence of a universal memory technology to replace all others.