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Social Consciousness

December 11, 2017
UC Santa Cruz students tackle poverty and income inequality
Each year, undergraduate and graduate student scholars of the Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise, and Participatory Governance take a deep dive into a wide range of issues related to fiscal equity, affordable housing, and food insecurity as they build the skills they will need to help build a more equitable society.
December 08, 2017
Navigating the path toward inclusion and equity
As Campus Diversity Officer Teresa Maria Linda Scholz nears her one-year anniversary on the job, she reflects on her work so far, where we are, and how far we have to go.
November 29, 2017
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.
November 15, 2017
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant supports $1.5 million project expanding humanities impact
A $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is now supporting a new five-year project at UC Santa Cruz. It includes a two-part humanities initiative that is designed to support doctoral student success for students from diverse backgrounds, and to expand the impact of the campus’s public humanities “Questions That Matter” outreach program.
November 07, 2017
History alumna pushes back against taboo on talking about death
History alumna Morgan Brown’s life changed drastically shortly after she graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2012 with a B.A. in history. Her mother was killed by a commercial truck driver who swerved into her lane and hit her car in a head-on collision.
November 03, 2017
Student-run hackathon scheduled for January 19-21 at UC Santa Cruz
CruzHacks 2018 is seeking sponsors to support the popular technology development event.
November 03, 2017
Solar greenhouses generate electricity and grow crops at the same time, UC Santa Cruz study reveals
The first crops of tomatoes and cucumbers grown inside electricity-generating solar greenhouses were as healthy as those raised in conventional greenhouses, signaling that "smart" greenhouses hold great promise for dual-use farming and renewable electricity production.
November 01, 2017
New book reveals role of U.S. corporate elites in school privatization, foreign policy, agribusiness, banking reform
Bill Domhoff's new book, Studying the Power Elite: Fifty Years of Who Rules America?, presents a new, detailed analysis of the interplay of corporate elites on contemporary topics, including the privatization of public schools, foreign policy, agribusiness, and banking reform.
October 26, 2017
Five-day Pacific Rim Music Festival to feature historic collaboration with Korean performing artists
A dazzling array of traditional and contemporary Korean music will be performed at the 2017 Pacific Rim Music Festival, October 25-29, on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
October 26, 2017
Geologist Gary Griggs publishes two new books on coastal issues
'The Edge' focuses on California’s unique coastline, while 'Coasts in Crisis' offers a global perspective on the issues facing coastal regions throughout the world.
October 25, 2017
UC Santa Cruz to host ‘Freedom, Justice, Difference: The Merchant of Venice Now’ at museum
Since it was first performed in 1605, The Merchant of Venice, has been one of Shakespeare’s most controversial works. For the past 400 years, a debate has raged among critics and scholars over whether or not it is anti-Semitic.
October 25, 2017
Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell steps in to leadership, asks others to step up, too
Two months into her new job, Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell has brought energy, focus, and vision to the division.
October 19, 2017
European migrant crisis influenced by faith groups pursuing 'alternative justice'
Churches and other faith-based organizations are playing a distinctive role in the European migrant crisis, according to geographer Katharyne Mitchell.
October 19, 2017
The 2017-2018 Campus Food & Garden Guide is now available
Students who want to get involved in sustainable food systems will find all the options at their fingertips in the new 48-page 2017-18 Campus Food & Garden Guide.
October 13, 2017
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.
October 12, 2017
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen to speak at UC Santa Cruz on Oct. 19
On October 11, the MacArthur Foundation awarded Viet Thanh Nguyen a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship for his work as a fiction writer and cultural critic, citing his contributions to “challenging popular depictions of the Vietnam War and exploring the myriad ways that war lives on for those it has displaced.”
October 09, 2017
Nearly 70 percent experience "rent burden" in Santa Cruz County, according to UC Santa Cruz survey results
Nearly 70 percent of renters surveyed in Santa Cruz County experience "rent burden," defined as spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities, according to preliminary results of a survey of 1,700 renters across the county conducted by UC Santa Cruz.
October 06, 2017
Fall Living Writers Series explores histories of war, refuge and social justice
"Beyond the Wall: War, Refuge, and Home" is the name of this fall’s installment of the Living Writers Series at UC Santa Cruz. Curated by the campus’s award-winning author and literature professor Karen Tei Yamashita, the series runs through December 7 at the Humanities Lecture Hall.
September 29, 2017
Gail Project exhibition studies military occupation of Okinawa through a photographic lens
Now in its fourth year at UC Santa Cruz, The Gail Project was inspired by a collection of photographs taken in 1952 by American Army Captain, Charles Eugene Gail. "The Gail Project: An Okinawan-American Dialogue" opens on campus October 5 at the Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery.
September 12, 2017
An advocate for awareness
Alumna Dyane Harwood is sharing her journey with postpartum bipolar disorder to raise awareness and help others struggling with postpartum mental illness
September 09, 2017
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.
September 05, 2017
Join campus effort to support first-gen college students, campus community
With more than 42 percent of undergraduate students as the first in their generation to attend college, UC Santa Cruz launched its First Generation Initiative in spring 2016. The program, modeled after the successful, pioneering efforts of UC Irvine, now includes all ten UC campuses.
September 01, 2017
Parents know best: How everyday conversations foster children's learning
For more than two decades, developmental psychologist Maureen Callanan has collaborated with Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose to study how children learn to think about the world around them.
August 29, 2017
Giving fish a fighting chance
Alumnus Brycen Swart identified how warmer river temperatures were hurting Chinook salmon fry—and he earned a medal for conserving them.
August 28, 2017
USDA awards $2.5 million grant to UC Santa Cruz to expand organic strawberry research
UC Santa Cruz researchers who have pioneered alternatives to methyl bromide in commercial strawberry production have received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will take their work national.
August 25, 2017
'Sierra' magazine names UC Santa Cruz a ‘Cool School’
Coming in at No.23, the ranking underscored UC Santa Cruz’s strong commitment to protecting the environment, addressing climate change, and encouraging sustainability.
August 22, 2017
Alum and independent filmmaker Peter Bratt directs, writes, and produces documentary about labor activist Dolores Huerta
Independent filmmaker Peter Bratt, a 1986 politics graduate of Cowell College, has written, directed, and produced a new documentary about legendary labor activist Dolores Huerta.
August 21, 2017
Murals tell a story of pan-Latino solidarity in SF's Mission District
Graduate student Mauricio Ramírez is an artist, a muralist, and a native San Franciscan who is fascinated by the murals in the Mission District of San Francisco—and by the progressive coalition of artists and immigrants that coalesced during the decades they were painted.
August 21, 2017
Supporting our community
UC Santa Cruz will continue to provide services and support to all students without regard to immigration status.
August 16, 2017
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.
August 11, 2017
Tuning in to social justice
Professor-turned-radio show producer Sylvanna Falcón talks about the importance of public scholarship in the Trump era.
August 10, 2017
Social psychology sheds light on Trump's appeal
The surprising election of Donald Trump prompted a widespread desire to understand the factors at play in his unexpected victory. A recent analysis suggests that five social-psychological phenomena helped power Trump to victory: authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, prejudice, relative deprivation, and intergroup contact.
August 09, 2017
Telling stories that haven't been told
Filmmaker and alumnus Tal Skloot aims to show a different perspective with eclectic, meaningful subject matter.
August 03, 2017
History professor Alma Heckman named Neufeld-Levin Chair of Holocaust Studies
Assistant professor of history and Jewish Studies Alma Rachel Heckman has been appointed as the new holder of the Neufeld-Levin Holocaust Endowed Chair at UC Santa Cruz
August 03, 2017
UC Santa Cruz celebrates 50 years of organic farming
The three-day celebration culminated with a joyful dinner presided over by famed chef, restaurateur, and organic food advocate Alice Waters.
August 02, 2017
Food movement grows beyond "voting with your fork" to embrace collective action, policy engagement, and regulation
After 20 years of scholarship at the forefront of food activism, Julie Guthman is gratified to see the movement expanding beyond market-based strategies that have catered to consumers with cash to burn.
July 27, 2017
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.
July 24, 2017
Master gardener Orin Martin celebrates 40 years at the Alan Chadwick Garden
Orin Martin, who is celebrating his 40th anniversary with the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden this month, enjoys every minute, calling the students and apprentices he shares his days with "the light of the world."
July 17, 2017
UCSC arts research center awarded $250,000 grant from U.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service has awarded a $250,000 grant to the Center for the Study of the Force Majeure, a research center based in the Arts Division at UC Santa Cruz.
July 10, 2017
Growing farmers and the food movement for 50 years
The experiment in organic gardening that began at UC Santa Cruz in 1967 is now the oldest university-based organic research and education facility in the country.
June 28, 2017
UC Santa Cruz names Katharyne Mitchell new dean of Social Sciences Division
UC Santa Cruz has appointed Katharyne Mitchell as dean of the Division of Social Sciences, effective Aug. 15.
June 23, 2017
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.
June 20, 2017
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.
June 13, 2017
New graduates head into two-year teaching corps
Five UC Santa Cruz graduates are joining about 6,800 new graduates and professionals who have committed to work two years in rural and urban schools as part of Teach For America
June 01, 2017
Chancellor’s diversity awards recognize work, commitment
Chancellor George Blumenthal presented seven Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity, as well as the WiSE award, during a May 31 ceremony at the Colleges Nine and Ten Multipurpose Room.
May 30, 2017
UC Santa Cruz to launch first-generation faculty campaign
UC Santa Cruz will launch the First-Gen Faculty (FGF) campaign during Student Achievement week, which starts June 5. This initiative is aimed at encouraging professors on campus to identify themselves as first generation — the first in their families to graduate from a U.S. four-year college or university.
May 30, 2017
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.
May 23, 2017
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.
May 23, 2017
Alumna committed to improving financial literacy for women
Sherry Paul committed herself to financial literacy after witnessing the negative impact of financial inequities—what happens when people don’t have money to support their basic needs and their ideals.
May 18, 2017
'Zoot Suit' still relevant four decades later
When Zoot Suit premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 1978, it was more than just an instant success. As former Los Angeles Times theater critic Sylvie Drake recently observed, “it exploded on the stage with the force of a sociopolitical A-bomb.”
May 18, 2017
High school students wrestle with ethical quandaries
With coaching from the UC Santa Cruz Ethics Bowl team, underrepresented students from regional high schools gathered to discuss thorny questions on topics ranging from white privilege to sports and gender at the second annual Invitational Ethics Bowl.
May 18, 2017
Graduating senior propelled by curiosity and a desire to give back
Jenn Figueroa arrived at College Ten from her hometown of Northridge and proceeded to take advantage of every extracurricular program offered by College Nine and College Ten.
May 12, 2017
Environmentalism Outside the Box: An Ecosex Symposium
"Environmentalism Outside the Box: An Ecosex Symposium" is the title of a free public event that will take place on May 18-19, hosted by the E.A.R.T.H. Lab, a research center of the Arts Division at UC Santa Cruz.
May 09, 2017
UC Santa Cruz receives gift to establish Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies
UC Santa Cruz has received a $500,000 gift from the Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation, plus matching funds from the UC Regents, to establish the $1 million "Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies."
May 09, 2017
Technology doesn't have to be a headache
Psychology Professor Steve Whittaker is working to improve the way we interface with technology--and harnessing it to improve our well-being.
May 05, 2017
UCSC to present environmental video installation at SF’s Minnesota Street Project
UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will present a dramatic, four-screen video installation in San Francisco, hosted and co-sponsored by Minnesota Street Project, the city’s new contemporary art venue, May 20 through June 24.
April 27, 2017
Cultivating potential: How UC Santa Cruz is helping undocumented students thrive
Thanks to more than a half-dozen programs, undocumented students on campus have been able to get support, assistance, and encouragement—and the campus benefits from nurturing their passion and talent.
April 26, 2017
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.
April 26, 2017
From founding farmer to champion of the fair food movement
Oran Hesterman, author of Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All and president and founder of Fair Food Network, talks about his roots on the UCSC Farm.
April 13, 2017
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.
April 07, 2017
Philosopher and three scientists to explore ethics and the language of conservation
The Institute for Humanities Research at UC Santa Cruz will present the inaugural event of its new research group, The Language of Conservation, on Friday afternoon, April 14, in the Humanities 1 building.
April 07, 2017
Growing farmers and the food movement for 50 years
Fifty years after students transformed a brush-covered rocky hillside into a verdant organic garden, UC Santa Cruz is widely regarded as a trailblazing force in sustainable agriculture education and research.
April 06, 2017
Students take lead on planning Sexual Assault Awareness Month events
The events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), hosted by several campus offices, include nationally acclaimed speakers, yoga, and art workshops, Title IX Office open houses, a community town hall meeting, and ongoing discussions about sexual violence issues on campus—in addition to a march and rally at the end of the month.
March 27, 2017
Art imitates life: The Black Panther Party and the birth of a comic book series
A Special Collections exhibit organized by graduate students examines the famed Marvel Comics Black Panther series and its connections to black history, including the Black Panther Party.
March 24, 2017
Prop. 8 plaintiff Kris Perry receives Distinguished Social Sciences Alumni Award
"You only win your civil rights by fighting for them," says alumna Kris Perry, who will be honored at a reception on Friday, April 28.
March 22, 2017
Rescuing data and shoring up environmental agencies in the Trump era
Sociologist Lindsey Dillon is part of a network of data champions monitoring federal websites to preserve scientific data and track changes made by the Trump administration.
March 22, 2017
Water wizards: Building an underground savings account to bolster water supply
An innovative water-conservation strategy diverts water from overflowing rivers to fallow farmland, where it seeps into the soil and replenishes depleted aquifers.
March 21, 2017
Alumnus takes students into Africa
Melvin Cox's Focus on Africa class has taken more than a dozen students to the continent over the past two years, showing another side of Africa—one that is multiethnic and multicultural, with thriving cities and economic opportunities.
March 16, 2017
Tropical reforestation and climate change
Tropical reforestation is an important part of the global effort to mitigate climate change, but ecologist Karen Holl says current international goals may be overly ambitious.
March 16, 2017
Gun safety advocate Shannon Watts to speak at Gabriel Zimmerman Award benefit
Gun safety advocate Shannon Watts will be the keynote speaker at a campus reception to celebrate the life of alum Gabriel Zimmerman.
March 13, 2017
Alumni Weekend keynote to feature co-chair of Women's March on Washington
Alumna Carmen Perez, longtime community organizer, activist, and a national co-chair of one of the largest demonstrations in history, will speak on the role and importance of protest with a purpose.
March 10, 2017
Reef madness: A coral grows at UC Santa Cruz
Hundreds of students and community members are contributing their handiwork to the Crochet Coral Reef, a massive participatory art project that combines higher geometry with handicraft while calling attention to the disappearing wonders of the marine world.
February 17, 2017
Curating the African American and Holocaust museums in a post-fact world
UC Santa Cruz will present a free public discussion about building museums, engaging the public, and how to represent difficult memories on Feb. 22 at Kresge Town Hall.
February 17, 2017
Oscar nominee ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ to screen with panel discussion at Del Mar Theater
UC Santa Cruz will present a film screening of "I Am Not Your Negro"--an award-winning documentary on the life and work of writer James Baldwin, followed by a panel discussion, Feb. 21, at the Del Mar Theater
February 15, 2017
Diversity, inclusivity key to a growing economy
The face of small business is shifting. From 2007–2012, Latino-owned businesses in the U.S. grew by 34.5 percent and African American-owned enterprises grew by 46.3 percent. A quarter of all new businesses were started by immigrants.
February 13, 2017
Film professor contributes to new PBS documentary on race in America
UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has produced one of several short pieces that comprise The Talk: Race in America, a new film premiering Feb. 20 on PBS.
February 06, 2017
UCSC climate conference draws top scientists, policy makers Feb. 24-25
UCSC will host a national conference on climate change featuring top climate scientists and policy experts from across the country.
February 02, 2017
Crochet coral reef exhibition to open Feb. 10 at Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery
"Crochet Coral Reef: CO2CA-CO2LA Ocean," an exhibition by Margaret and Christine Wertheim and the Institute For Figuring, is an artistic response to global warming and the growing problem of plastic trash accumulating in the ocean.
January 23, 2017
End of the pipeline
In a new book, Professor Flora Lu looks at the oil industry's impact on the Waorani, an indigenous Ecuadorian population living in a region renowned for its ecological diversity.
January 20, 2017
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.
January 11, 2017
UC Santa Cruz hosts Northern California High School Ethics Bowl
Each winter, high school students from Salinas to Marin County travel to Santa Cruz to participate in the Northern California High School Ethics Bowl.
January 09, 2017
Axel Alonso: Diversity’s superhero
Alumnus Axel Alonso, editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, has worked to make comic book characters and their creators reflect our diverse world.
January 09, 2017
Jan. 18 teach-in highlights activism in the Trump era
UC Santa Cruz joins UCLA, UC Berkeley, and other college campuses for a nationwide day of democratic education and action
January 06, 2017
Santa Cruz receives $450,000 grant to study economic inclusivity in emerging countries
UC Santa Cruz will test and refine the foundation’s emerging inclusive economies framework in geographic contexts and markets.