Parent & Family News

Save the date—forum on the development of Early Education Services for students, faculty, and staff

Environmental, social changes shift how elephant seals communicate

UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. candidate Caroline Casey retraced biologist Burney Le Boeuf's scientific footsteps and discovered the seals’ threat calls no longer had geographic distinctions. Instead, as the northern elephant seal population had increased, the males’ calls had grown more individualized and complex.

Kepler telescope captures extraordinary observations of a star's death throes

Kepler's observations of the supernova known as SN 2018oh showed an unexpected fast rise in brightness that may be an important clue to understanding the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, which cosmologists use to study the expansion of the universe and dark energy.

Summer abroad programs offer hands-on learning opportunities

UC Santa Cruz has significantly expanded its faculty-led summer abroad programs, now offering seven different opportunities for students to further their education in other countries.

Campus opens new hub for student food security, support

A new basic needs cafe at Cowell College offers free coffee, prepared meals, a juicing station and pastries—all intended to provide low income students with healthy options and alleviate stressors related to feeding themselves.

Entrepreneur and UC Santa Cruz benefactor Will Webster dies at 90

Webster, a major donor who invented revolutionary cardiac devices, established a foundation that spearheaded significant campus changes.

2018 photo contest winners

There were over 100 entries this year in the chancellor's holiday photo contest. Here are the winners.

Student team creates Stumpjumper videogame for Specialized bicycle company

'Stumpjumper: The Videogame', developed by a team of UCSC game design students, was released October 11.

$9.3 million education grant to support Pajaro Valley students in college journey

The grant, to the UC Santa Cruz Educational Partnership Center (EPC), will serve 1,630 underrepresented students in the Pajaro Valley beginning in their sixth and seventh grades and on through their first year of college.

Arctic ecology field course a memorable experience for students

After studying Arctic ecology and environmental change in the classroom, students experienced it firsthand on a three-week summer field trip .

SACNAS to honor UC Santa Cruz chapter at annual diversity in STEM conference

The UCSC chapter will be recognized as 2018 Chapter of the Year for its outstanding achievements.

Central Valley Freedom Summer registers voters, changes lives

For most kids who grow up in the Central Valley, the goal is to get out. But this summer, 25 UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced students turned that narrative on its head and returned home, eager to give back to their communities.

Voices from move-in 2018

Nervous new students arrived with their parents to settle in to their new campus housing during move-in, about a week before the start of the fall quarter. Our podcast captures the emotion of the moment.

LA County's new public defender is guided by 'presumption of innocence'

This fall, UCSC alum Ricardo Garcia will take the helm of the LA County Public Defender's Office—the largest and oldest public defender's unit in the country.

Campus abuzz as academic year kicks off

This past week, UC Santa Cruz welcomed 3,690 freshmen and 1,810 transfers, who begin instruction Thursday.

Student Housing West environmental study

Student Housing West is crucial to the future of our university. It will give us more than 3,000 new on-campus beds, which we believe will pull upper-division students now in the local housing market back to campus, helping them while also easing pressure on the greater local housing market.

Where'd I put my keys?

Ben Storm, an associate professor of psychology, is fascinated by how memory supports thinking, learning, and creativity.

UC Santa Cruz ranks among most LGBTQ-friendly campuses

The Affordable Colleges Online ranking looks at academic rigor, affordability, and support for LGBTQ students. UC Santa Cruz came in at No. 30 overall and No. 5 among UC campuses.

Campus, Silicon Valley leaders celebrate Lick Observatory’s 130th anniversary

The University of California owns and operates the observatory, which was founded by a bequest from James Lick. It opened in 1888.

Staff member honored for outstanding leadership in college housing

Alex Belisario, senior director for college student life at Crown and Merrill colleges, has been honored with the Charles L. Miller Leadership and Service Award from the Western Association of College and University Housing Officers (WACUHO).

Equity, inclusion, diversity are priorities for new dean of students

Garrett Naiman, incoming dean of students and associate vice chancellor for student development and engagement, comes to campus with a strong focus on diversity and a long history of working for inclusion.

Campus marks new record for transfer admissions offers

Faced with the largest applicant pool in campus history—67,000 applications—and a smaller enrollment target than the previous year, UC Santa Cruz increased its admission selectivity. UC Santa Cruz anticipates welcoming about 5,600 new undergraduates for fall 2018.

Alumna and film producer Stephanie Allain champions diversity

Stephanie Allain is a rare gem in the film industry. Not only is she brilliant and successful, but as an African-American woman who got her start over 25 years ago in a notoriously and overwhelmingly white and male-dominated business, she has charged ahead to break open established perceptions.

From Math Major to Renowned Hollywood Music Editor, Alumnus Bill Bernstein Knows All the Right Notes

Having been the music editor on over 60 outstanding films during the course of his career, Bill Bernstein’s musical talent is epic. From working on such movies as The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty (for which he won a Grammy), The Help and Skyfall to many Pixar hits including Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and Finding Dory…it seems like every project he touches is a resounding success.

Alumnus Dency Nelson's Brilliant Hollywood Career

With an amazing career in Hollywood spanning nearly 40 years, Dency Nelson has been the stage manager for almost every major award and event show for the past 25 years, including the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, and Kennedy Center Honors.

Corporate-sponsored projects give engineering students valuable experience

UC Santa Cruz engineering students presented their senior design projects to mentors and faculty on Tuesday, June 5.

Reforming California's commercial property tax system would boost the economy, report says

Reforming California's property tax structure to tax commercial properties at their market value would boost the economy by generating new revenue, stimulating development, and diversifying industry, according to a new report by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Graduates mark new era, seek to improve world for all

More than 3,200 students participated in commencement ceremonies in the colleges, Graduate Division, and Baskin School of Engineering.

Commencement stories: Benjamin Smithers

Benjamin Smithers is a double major in mathematics and physics who is now working on his Ph.D.: an expedition into the world of neutrino physics.

Commencement stories: Vincent Williams

Vincent Williams uses graphic design, sculptural installations, collage, and photography to comment on the history of black identity both in the United States and in Western art.

Children in India exhibit religious tolerance, study finds

A new investigation of how children reason about religious rules reveals a remarkable level of acceptance of different religions' rules and practices.

Steck Award recipient aims to study disease, help society

Josh Gu is this year’s winner of the Steck Family Award, which honors the best senior thesis completed during the academic year, with the winner chosen from the Chancellor's Award candidates. He earned a degree in bioengineering with a biomolecular concentration.

Instruments of good

Introductory physics students test their knowledge and get exposure to the wider world in a class project in which they create musical instruments to be donated to kids in need.

Standing tall and giving back

For graduating senior Asante Nkosi, a double major in sociology and history allowed him to connect his experiences with his interest in black U.S. history, the Civil Rights Movement, and the contemporary moment.

Commencement stories: Rachel Doran

Rachel Doran is a Ph.D. candidate in the graduate program in biomedical sciences and engineering, working on HIV immunogens. She has won a Graduate Research Symposium award for her presentation on “From armor to Achilles heel: Targeting the glycan shield of HIV in novel vaccine strategies".

Help from the wizarding world

A gift from a Harry Potter–themed virtual running club enables a UC Santa Cruz professor to observe whales in Antarctica

Commencement stories: Isabell Retamoza

Isabell Retamoza is a literature and feminist studies major and THI undergraduate fellow, with plans to study law at Northwestern University.

Commencement stories: Henry Hinton

Henry Hinton, graduating with a bioengineering degree from the Jack Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz, will be attending Harvard University for his electrical engineering Ph.D. in the fall.

Master's degree approved for Science Communication Program

The UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program will award students a M.S. degree in science communication starting in fall 2018.

Chancellor’s awards recognize achievement in diversity, inclusion

Underscoring the commitment by UC Santa Cruz to promote diversity, inclusion, and excellence, Chancellor George Blumenthal recognized the people and programs making contributions to these goals through their work.

UC Santa Cruz offers new major in environmental sciences

UC Santa Cruz has approved a new interdisciplinary major in environmental sciences leading to a B.S. degree.

Campus phone service restored

UC Santa Cruz is currently experience an outage in its campus phone service.

Campus status updates

Get up-to-the minute updates about campus impacts from today's labor strike.

Undergraduate Eric Medina wins $15,000 Strauss Scholarship to reinvigorate Oakes Garden

Eric Medina, a fourth year at UC Santa Cruz double majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and Latin American and Latino studies, has received a $15,000 public service scholarship to reinvigorate the garden at Oakes College.

Dancing into a community

The Pagkakaisa Dance Troupe, which promotes Pilipino cultural history and performs traditional folk dances from the Philippines, helps students build both camaraderie and stronger ties to their heritage.

UC Santa Cruz graduate programs rank among best in nation in U.S. News survey

The U.S. News and World Report's 2019 Best Graduate Schools guide evaluates graduate schools in business, education, engineering, law, medicine, nursing, social work, criminology, public affairs, and the sciences.

Alumna and Renowned Actress Adilah Barnes Returns to Campus for A Raisin In The Sun

Being very successful for over 50 years in the entertainment industry is no small feat. But actress Adilah Barnes takes it all in her stride.

From Student Artist to Hollywood Producer, Alumnus Brian Kavanaugh-Jones Has Always Been Passionate About the Arts

From his passion for the arts and accompanying his father on travels around the globe, to his keen enthusiasm for collaboration and bringing outstanding creative projects to fruition, it’s no wonder that Brian was destined to become such a successful Hollywood film producer.

USDA funds efforts to bring underrepresented students into agriculture

A unique collaboration between UC Santa Cruz and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is supporting underrepresented students who are interested in agriculture-related fields.

At the nexus of food, energy, and water: Elliot Campbell bridges the research gap

Elliott Campbell is an environmental engineer who is drawn to research at the nexus of food, water, and energy.

UC Santa Cruz tech incubator offers convenient access to Silicon Valley

A new program from the University of California, Santa Cruz, offers campus and other UC entrepreneurs the opportunity to launch their startup companies from its Silicon Valley Campus.

Women leaders inspire undergrad during UCDC internship in Nancy Pelosi's office

For Courtney Zuniga, the sight of powerful women like Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi made a lasting impression during her Fall Quarter UCDC internship in Washington, D.C.

Alumnus Michael Shipley's Creative Brilliance Continues to Shine

Santa Cruz native and UC Santa Cruz alumnus, Michael Shipley, found Santa Cruz to be an idyllic place to grow up during the 1970s and ‘80s. It was the place where he discovered his creative passion, eventually leading him to become not only a very talented photographer and musician, but also an award-winning television writer and producer for highly successful television shows, including Family Guy and American Dad!.

As tax time approaches, UCSC students volunteer to help low-income filers

As April 15 looms, a team of UC Santa Cruz undergraduate volunteers is getting ready to provide free tax-preparation assistance to low- and moderate-income residents of Santa Cruz County.

CruzHacks keeps growing

In its fifth year, CruzHacks drew hundreds of collegiate coders from across the country.

Field trip of a lifetime

When he transferred to UC Santa Cruz, Ray Gutierrez didn’t foresee he’d soon be in India making a documentary about youths with disabilities at a crossroads between globalization and tradition.

Pell Grant, campus resources key in transforming student lives

Roughly 40 percent of UC Santa Cruz students receive Pell Grants, which help to give every student an opportunity for a higher education, regardless of their economic background.