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2018 Press Releases

December 27, 2018
A tilt of the head facilitates social engagement, researchers say
Every time we look at a face, we take in a flood of information effortlessly: age, gender, race, expression, the direction of our subject's gaze, perhaps even their mood. How the brain does this is a mystery.
December 20, 2018
Isaí Ambrosio named UCSC's inaugural "activist-in-residence"
Isaí Ambrosio is going back to school in January. The program director of the Davenport Resource Service Center (DRSC) has been named the inaugural activist-in-residence of UCSC's Research Center for the Americas (RCA).
December 13, 2018
Two new books published by UC Santa Cruz poet, lecturer, and alumnus Gary Young
UC Santa Cruz literature lecturer Gary Young has just released "That's What I Thought," a new poetry collection which has been honored with the Lexi Rudnitsky Editor's Choice Award from Persea Books in New York City.
December 13, 2018
New book reframes activism of Native leaders who sowed seeds of Red Power Movement
In her new book, Anthropology Professor Renya Ramirez portrays her grandparents, legendary Native leaders Henry and Elizabeth Cloud, as "Christian warriors" whose activism sowed the seeds of what would come to be known as the Red Power Movement.
December 12, 2018
Demographics of deportation: Noncitizens fare better in communities that are 20-40 percent Hispanic
An exhaustive new analysis of deportation practices across the country reveals a "protective effect" for noncitizens living in communities that are 20 percent to 40 percent Hispanic.
December 10, 2018
Ocean fertilization by unusual microbes extends to frigid waters of Arctic Ocean
Researchers have documented nitrogen fixation by an unusual type of cyanobacteria in the cold waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas.
December 10, 2018
The complex history of Earth’s magnetic reversals
UC Santa Cruz geology professor Robert Coe will be presenting his paper, “What We Know and Don’t Know about Reversals” during the upcoming American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in Washington, D.C. this December.
December 06, 2018
Wild animals key to mediating landscape’s capacity to store carbon, researchers say
Advances in remote sensing technologies are helping scientists to better measure how global landscapes—from forests to savanna—are able to store carbon, a critical insight as they evaluate the potential role of ecosystems in mitigating climate change.
December 05, 2018
Alumna Irma Eréndira Sandoval leads Mexico's anti-corruption efforts
Mexico's new president tapped UC Santa Cruz alumna Irma Sandoval to lead the government's anti-corruption efforts.
December 04, 2018
DVD box set curated by Shelley Stamp wins 2018 New York Film Critics Circle Award
"Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers"--a Kino Classics box set curated by UC Santa Cruz film and digital media professor Shelley Stamp and executive produced by actress, director, and screenwriter Illeana Douglas--has received a 2018 Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle.
December 04, 2018
Art exhibit highlights the ubiquity of motors
“Motors Surround Us”—a collaboration between a physics lecturer, her students, and community artists—will be on display through Dec. 31 in the atrium of the Physical Sciences Building.
December 03, 2018
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.
November 30, 2018
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.
November 30, 2018
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.
November 28, 2018
Racial bias taints neighborhoods—and residents, research reveals
In her research, Courtney Bonam explores the assumptions people make about neighborhoods and schools that are either predominantly black or white, and she has uncovered racial bias in the way people perceive communities.
November 27, 2018
UC Santa Cruz receives significant Hunter S. Thompson collection
An 800-volume collection of works by famed author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson has been donated to Special Collections & Archives at UC Santa Cruz.
November 26, 2018
Massoud elected trustee of Law and Society Association
Mark Fathi Massoud, associate professor of politics and legal studies, has been elected to the board of trustees of the Law and Society Association.
November 23, 2018
Grassland expansion—not human hunting—drove ancient African extinctions
A new study revealed ecological changes in the African savanna, not the emergence of our hominin ancestors, led to the extinction of African ‘megaherbivores’ millions of years ago.
November 19, 2018
Study reveals importance of 'cryptic connections' in disease transmission
Innovative study of fungal disease in bats quantifies unseen interactions that play a key role in the spread of disease through populations and between species.
November 16, 2018
Last chance to see 'Forest Law' by Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares at UC Santa Cruz
Forest Law 2014, a 38-minute multi-channel video installation and photo text assemblage based on research carried out by Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares in the Ecuadorian Amazon, is currently on display at the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery through December 1.
November 15, 2018
Astronomers find the progenitor to a unique type of supernova
Astronomers may have finally uncovered the long-sought progenitor to a unique type of exploding star called a type Ic supernova.
November 15, 2018
From chicken guts to ape anatomy: Adrienne Zihlman's emerita lecture
Adrienne Zihlman delivered the 29th annual Emeriti Faculty Research Lecture, "The Inside Story of the Apes," to a capacity crowd in the Music Center Recital Hall on November 13.
November 14, 2018
Planet discovered orbiting the second closest stellar system to the Earth
Measurements from high-precision instruments, including Keck's HIRES and Lick's Automated Planet Finder, reveal a cold super-Earth around Barnard’s star.
November 14, 2018
Rebecca Covarrubias of Psychology to receive early-career award
Rebecca Covarrubias, assistant professor of psychology, has been selected to receive the 2019 Latino Caucus Early Career Award from the Society for Research in Child Development.
November 13, 2018
New opportunities for faculty to engage with Beyond Compliance initiative
UC Santa Cruz faculty members have two new opportunities to help eliminate sexual harassment and sexual violence on campus.
November 13, 2018
Solar panels, storage system to further campus sustainability
The solar photovoltaic canopy and battery storage system will help provide the campus with clean, reliable electricity for at least 20-years and save the campus an estimated $6 million on its energy bill.
November 12, 2018
Escape responses of coral reef fish obey simple behavioral rules
Loom-sensitive neural circuits characterized in previous lab studies are shown to underlie complex evasive behaviors observed in a natural environment.
November 09, 2018
ENVS doctoral candidate Paulo Quadri takes top honors for NYC talk
Paulo Quadri, a doctoral candidate in environmental studies, was recognized for giving one of the three best talks during the American Museum of Natural History’s annual Student Conference on Conservation Science.
November 08, 2018
Lit prof offers true love and dreams of miraculous escape
The latest book by UC Santa Cruz literature professor Micah Perks, is a unique anthology of her short stories that sometimes reads like a novel. Written over the past 15 years, it’s a linked collection of engaging tales about the same people--all set in Santa Cruz, California.
November 08, 2018
Ancient DNA evidence reveals genetic exchanges between the Americas
Unprecedented details about the story of the peopling of Central and South America have been revealed in a new study published in the journal Cell.
November 08, 2018
Oil and gas development off California's coast—Is more in our future?
The Ken Norris Memorial Lecture at the Seymour Center on Tuesday, November 13, features a moderated discussion with an expert panel.
November 07, 2018
SocDoc alumna’s film about Syrian women refugees to have world premiere at DOC NYC
We Are Not Princesses, the first feature film by UC Santa Cruz alumna Bridgette Auger (SocDoc ’11) will have its world premiere on November 14 at DOC NYC, the largest documentary film festival in the United States.
November 07, 2018
Beyond campaign rhetoric: What's really needed to secure California's economic future
With the world's fifth-largest economy, California has legitimate bragging rights as it proudly leads the "resistance" to federal attacks on immigrant rights, environmental policy, and progressive values in general. But that's not the whole story.
November 06, 2018
Long noncoding RNA identified as a key regulator of inflammation
New findings add to growing evidence that previously dismissed "junk DNA" actually produces RNA molecules with important regulatory functions.
November 06, 2018
Hear the "Inside Story of the Apes" on Tuesday, Nov. 13
Adrienne Zihlman had a hunch 30 years ago that the study of human evolution would benefit from the analysis of more than skeletons. That hunch set her on a career path that established her as an internationally recognized authority on human origins.
November 05, 2018
From asexuality to heteroflexibility: 21st century ushers in new openness about intimate relationships
The 21st century has ushered in a "quiet revolution" in the diversity of intimate relationships, and a leading scholar says the scale and pace of this social transformation warrants a "reboot" of relationship studies.
November 01, 2018
Legendary poet Gary Snyder to read at UC Santa Cruz for annual Morton Marcus event
Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet, essayist, and environmental activist Gary Snyder will be the featured guest at the ninth annual Morton Marcus Memorial Poetry Reading on Thursday, November 15, at the Music Center Recital Hall on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
November 01, 2018
UCSC chemists develop safe alternatives to phthalates used in plastics
Growing concern over the health effects of phthalates has spurred a search for alternatives that can add flexibility to plastics without leaching out.
November 01, 2018
Exhibit showcases art inspired by the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves
'Reserves of Inspiration: Exploring UC Santa Cruz Natural Landscapes' opens November 6 at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery in Cowell College.
October 29, 2018
$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.
October 19, 2018
Visionary tech pioneer Jaron Lanier to deliver Peggy Downes Baskin Ethics Lecture
Computer scientist, composer, visual artist, and acclaimed author Jaron Lanier will deliver the 2018 Peggy Downes Baskin Ethics Lecture on Monday, October 29, at the Music Center Recital Hall. He will speak on the topic, "How the Internet Failed and How to Recreate It."
October 19, 2018
Creating a culture shift in fieldwork
A workshop designed by a UC Santa Cruz professor and Ph.D. student aims to help scientists learn how to prevent and deal with sexual assault and harassment in field settings, where researchers often work in harsh conditions and close quarters miles from help.
October 18, 2018
3D-printed supercapacitor electrode breaks records in lab tests
Advances in supercapacitor technology could lead to wider use of fast-charging energy storage devices and novel designs for electronic gadgets.
October 17, 2018
UC Santa Cruz receives Mellon Foundation humanities grant to explore Earth Futures
Catastrophic environmental breakdown, mass species extinction, financial collapse, racist separatism, global nuclear war…there is much speculation these days that we are living at the end of democracy, liberalism, capitalism, a cool planet, and civilization as we know it...
October 17, 2018
Study documents paternal transmission of epigenetic memory via sperm
Susan Strome's lab at UC Santa Cruz is making steady progress in unraveling how environmental effects on health and development can be transmitted across generations.
October 11, 2018
Getty Research Institute and PBS feature work by alumna book artist Felicia Rice
On October 20, The Getty Research Institute will present the world premiere screening of Visionaries, the newest episode from PBS's award-winning documentary series, Craft in America. UC Santa Cruz arts alumna Felicia Rice is featured in that episode.
October 11, 2018
Gary Griggs covers region's history of natural disasters in new book
Griggs puts the natural disasters of recent decades into historical context in his latest book, 'Between Paradise and Peril: The Natural Disaster History of the Monterey Bay Region.'
October 10, 2018
Arts professor to participate in Television Academy Foundation’s 2018 Faculty Seminar Program
UC Santa Cruz associate professor of film and digital media L.S. Kim is one of 25 professors from colleges and universities across the country selected for the Television Academy Foundation’s 2018 Faculty Seminar Program.
October 10, 2018
Three UCSC professors honored as Fellows of the California Academy of Sciences
Biologist Beth Shapiro and astronomers Claire Max and Natalie Batalha are among 14 new fellows elected to the California Academy of Sciences for 2018.
October 10, 2018
UCSC hosts free public forum Oct. 22 on the Santa Cruz housing crisis
Six UC Santa Cruz scholars will discuss rent control and other proposals to address the Santa Cruz housing crisis during a free public forum on Monday, October 22, in the Kresge Town Hall.
October 10, 2018
Astronomer Natalie Batalha to receive Alumni Achievement Award
After serving as science lead for NASA’s Kepler Mission from 2011 to 2017, Batalha is returning to UC Santa Cruz as a professor of astronomy and astrophysics.
October 09, 2018
UC Santa Cruz honors outstanding staff, teaching, research
The Division of Social Sciences at UC Santa Cruz presented several major awards today (Tuesday, October 9) to recognize outstanding accomplishments by faculty, staff, researchers, and emeriti faculty.
October 08, 2018
Nine in 10 Silicon Valley jobs pay less now than 20 years ago, new research reveals
The vast majority of workers in Silicon Valley have been excluded from the area’s enormous economic boom, according to the results of a new study that reveals that nearly nine in ten jobs pay less today than they did 20 years ago.
October 05, 2018
Local group funds four UC Santa Cruz cancer researchers
The Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group is continuing its support for cancer research at UC Santa Cruz with new grants.
October 04, 2018
New twist on 'The Turn of the Screw' to have West Coast premiere at UC Santa Cruz
The West Coast premiere of a new interpretation of the Henry James Gothic classic, 'Strange Window: The Turn of the Screw'--directed by acclaimed stage director and UC Santa Cruz theater arts professor Marianne Weems--will take place October 12-14 on campus at the Experimental Theater in the Theater Arts Center.
October 04, 2018
Molecular guardians monitor chromosomes during cell division
Cell biologist Needhi Bhalla investigates the intricate choreography of cell division and the chromosomal surveillance apparatus that guards against disaster.
October 04, 2018
Alumni Profile: Author-naturalist Christian Schwarz crusades on behalf of the planet
With his smart phone in hand, Christian Schwarz is empowering "citizen scientists" to document today's biodiversity in hopes of inspiring action before it's too late.
October 03, 2018
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 .
October 03, 2018
Housing crisis impacting city and county employees, survey reveals
Those who work for and serve the city and county of Santa Cruz are being impacted by the housing crisis, according to researchers who surveyed nearly 500 people.
October 02, 2018
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.
October 01, 2018
19 UCSC film students collaborate on documentary about Santa Cruz housing crisis
"At Capacity"—a collectively-made documentary feature film by 19 students in a UC Santa Cruz film class--will screen twice at the 2018 Santa Cruz Film Festival, which takes place downtown October 3-7.
October 01, 2018
NSF grant funds program to increase diversity in physics and astronomy
The Cal-Bridge program has received a $5 million grant to support Ph.D. pathways at 24 campuses.
September 28, 2018
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.
September 27, 2018
UC Santa Cruz wins USDA grant to support beginning farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded an effort by UC Santa Cruz to help programs that support beginning farmers and ranchers evaluate their effectiveness.
September 25, 2018
First-year Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam survey results yield cosmological constraints
UC Santa Cruz astronomer Alexie Leauthaud has been involved in the HSC survey project from the beginning of the survey.
September 25, 2018
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz elected fellow of American Physical Society
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics, has been elected an APS Fellow in recognition of his outstanding contributions to physics.
September 24, 2018
Civil rights guide new Title IX director’s approach
Title IX Director Isabel Dees hopes to continue the push for educational equity and social justice by focusing on improving how the office responds to complaints, spending more time engaging with the campus community, and ultimately demonstrating that the work of the Title IX office is civil rights work.
September 20, 2018
Ocean scientist Phoebe Lam leads Pacific Ocean research cruise
Lam is one of three chief scientists on the U.S. GEOTRACES GP15 cruise to sample the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Tahiti.
September 19, 2018
Community engagement enhances graduate education
Associate Professor Elliott Campbell and Professor Chris Benner co-taught a Spring Quarter class to connect first-year graduate students with environmental problems in the Salinas Valley Basin and to foster collaboration with off-campus stakeholders.
September 17, 2018
Decisive sea otters distinguish differences by touch
Research at Long Marine Laboratory reveals the sensitivity of sea otters' paws and whiskers, as well as their ability to process tactile information rapidly.
September 17, 2018
With changes to Student Housing West, campus revises draft environmental review
Though UC Santa Cruz provides housing for 9,300 students—roughly half of its student body—there remains an urgent need for affordable campus housing, especially for upper-division students who otherwise would be living in the surrounding community. Student Housing West is the single largest housing project underway in Santa Cruz County.
September 17, 2018
NSF funds UC Santa Cruz study of tech in agriculture
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz are leading a new, NSF-funded, multi-campus initiative to explore the intersection of agriculture, food, and technology.
September 13, 2018
Emeritus UCSC philosophy professor honored at Oxford University as All Souls College’s first African Prize scholar
In 1959, UC Santa Cruz emeritus professor of philosophy William Abraham won a Prize Fellowship at Oxford University’s All Souls College, an award recognized by many as the ultimate post graduate achievement at the renowned institution. In doing so, the Ghanaian academic became the first African to receive this honor, and in fact remains the only African Prize Fellow to date.
September 11, 2018
Data science researchers to tackle privacy challenges in genomics
Computer scientist Abhradeep Guha Thakurta has won NSF funding to investigate ways to protect the privacy of individuals while allowing access to large genomic data sets.
September 11, 2018
Very few sexually active gay and bisexual men use prophylactic drug to prevent HIV transmission, study finds
Only 4 percent of sexually active gay and bisexual men in the United States use Truvada, a highly effective medication used to prevent the transmission of HIV, according to the results of a first-of-its-kind study.
September 10, 2018
Library digitizes over 6,000 photos from Pirkle Jones/Ruth-Marion Baruch collection
Thousands of previously unseen photographs from The Pirkle Jones and Ruth-Marion Baruch Collection at UC Santa Cruz are now available online to the general public, thanks to a collaboration between the campus library and the California Digital Library.
September 10, 2018
NSF funds powerful new supercomputer for UC Santa Cruz researchers
The new high-performance computer system will support research in theoretical astrophysics, climate science, materials science, and other fields.
September 10, 2018
With track record in social mobility, UC Santa Cruz advances in U.S. News and World Report ranking
Boosted by its success in helping students achieve social mobility, UC Santa Cruz jumped this year to among the top 30 public national universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
September 07, 2018
Sounding it out
Alumnus Alexis Harte’s long career as a singer/songwriter has included original albums and songs for TV and film, and his company has become a pioneer in scoring and sound design.
September 06, 2018
Adaptable lizards illustrate key evolutionary process proposed a century ago
The 'Baldwin effect' has now been demonstrated at the genetic level in a population of dark-colored lizards adapted to live on a lava flow in the desert.
September 05, 2018
UC Santa Cruz helps address massive data demands from Large Hadron Collider as part of $25 million NSF project
Computer scientist Carlos Maltzahn will work with Princeton University on an NSF-funded project to establish the Institute for Research and Innovation in Software for High Energy Physics.
September 03, 2018
Tracking marine migrations across geopolitical boundaries aids conservation
By tracking migratory marine species, scientists reveal movements through different countries' waters and in the open ocean beyond areas of national jurisdiction.
August 30, 2018
Injection wells can induce earthquakes miles away from the well
A study of earthquakes induced by injecting fluids deep underground has revealed surprising patterns, suggesting that current recommendations for hydraulic fracturing, wastewater disposal, and geothermal wells may need to be revised.
August 29, 2018
Bay Area’s 'Soundwave' festival to feature work by UC Santa Cruz arts faculty and alumnae
"Soundwave ((8)) Infrastructure" runs September through October with six curated performances throughout San Francisco and Oakland. It kicks off on Sept. 8, at Counter Plus in San Francisco with "HVAC: Thermal Comfort," a new work by art lecturer and alumna Dana Hemenway and San Francisco media artist and composer Surabhi Saraf.
August 29, 2018
Gifts to UC Santa Cruz fund new presidential chair for diversity in astronomy
UCSC astronomer Sandra Faber and her husband made the lead gift to establish an endowed chair named in honor of Faber's mentor, distinguished astronomer Vera Rubin.
August 29, 2018
UC Santa Cruz researchers contribute to new assessment of Central Coast climate impacts
Nearly a dozen UC Santa Cruz researchers contributed to a new state-issued report that assesses the dire impacts of climate change throughout California.
August 28, 2018
LHC scientists detect Higgs bosons decaying into bottom quarks
UC Santa Cruz physicists made important contributions to the discovery, which confirms the fate of the vast majority of all Higgs bosons produced in the LHC.
August 27, 2018
Film professor Jennifer Taylor wins grant from the SFFILM 2018 Documentary Film Fund
UC Santa Cruz associate professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has received a grant from the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund to support her latest project, "The Gut."
August 17, 2018
Alumna Reyna Grande pens NY Times op-ed on immigration
Earlier this week, the New York Times published an op-ed by UC Santa Cruz alumna Reyna Grande titled "The Impossible Choice My Father Had to Make." The piece was a response to a statement by Ivanka Trump that appeared to blame immigrant parents for the separation of families this summer at the U.S.-Mexico border.
August 16, 2018
Where'd I put my keys?
Ben Storm, an associate professor of psychology, is fascinated by how memory supports thinking, learning, and creativity.
August 13, 2018
New book by UC Santa Cruz arts professor examines cultural impact of video games
In her new book, 'On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender and Space,' UC Santa Cruz professor Soraya Murray goes beyond the technical discussions of games and instead offers a deep dive into their cultural dimensions.
August 10, 2018
Tough life on the savannah
Researchers have identified dietary differences among chimpanzees that live in distinct habitats, an insight that may shed light on the past diets of early human ancestors.
August 09, 2018
UC Santa Cruz awarded two NEH grants for Humanities projects
UC Santa Cruz has received two grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support humanities projects in the Literature Department.
August 09, 2018
Aspiring archaeologists get hands-on experience in Haiti, St. Croix
J. Cameron Monroe, associate professor of anthropology, took four Howard University undergraduates on an archaeological expedition to Haiti and St. Croix this summer as part of a UC partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
August 07, 2018
Certificate program seeks to reframe sustainability
The certificate program seeks to examine sustainability not only through the lens of the environment, but also through the lens of people. Registration opens Aug. 14.
August 06, 2018
Coastal Science and Policy graduate program welcomes first cohort of students
The new graduate program in Coastal Science and Policy at UC Santa Cruz will welcome its first cohort of students in fall 2018.
August 03, 2018
Harry Noller to receive Biophysical Society's 2019 Ignacio Tinoco Award
Molecular biologist Harry Noller has been chosen by the Biophysical Society (BPS) to receive its 2019 Ignacio Tinoco Award.
August 02, 2018
No evidence of 'hobbit' ancestry in genomes of Flores Island pygmies
The pygmy population near the cave where Homo floresiensis fossils were found appears to have evolved short stature independently from the mysterious ancient hominins.
August 02, 2018
Moral decision making is rife with internal conflict, say developmental psychologists
A new in-depth study of moral reasoning challenges the popular notion that people are unable to think through difficult moral problems and rely primarily on automatic "gut" reactions to make tough decisions.
August 01, 2018
Deportation and family separation impact entire communities, researchers say
The deportation and forced separation of immigrants has negative effects that extend beyond individuals and families to entire communities in the United States, according to the Society for Community Research and Action, which has issued a policy statement calling for changes to U.S. policy.
July 31, 2018
Devastating events can drive human trafficking, paper shows
Researchers found an uptick in online ads for sexual services mentioning Jamaican and Caribbean ethnicities following a 2016 hurricane in the Caribbean.
July 30, 2018
Natural habitat can help farmers control pests, but not always a win-win
An international team of scientists found that natural habitat surrounding farm fields is not always an effective pest-control tool for farmers worldwide.
July 30, 2018
Two UCSC graduate students win HHMI Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study
The Gilliam Fellowships support exceptional graduate students who are committed to increasing diversity among scientific leaders.
July 30, 2018
Groundwater recharge project informs statewide sustainability efforts
Study shows how collecting storm-water runoff to replenish depleted groundwater supplies can be coupled with a simple strategy to reduce nitrate contaminants.
July 26, 2018
New meta-analysis reveals pace and extent of river recovery
A new global meta-analysis by UC Santa Cruz researchers reveals patterns of river responsiveness to disturbances such as oil spills, wastewater contamination, and fires.
July 25, 2018
Alumna author Kate Schatz spotlights ‘rad girls’ under age 20
'Rad Girls Can': Stories of Bold, Brave, and Brilliant Young Women is the title of the latest book by UC Santa Cruz alumna Kate Schatz, the New York Times best-selling author of 'Rad Women Worldwide' and 'Rad American Women A-Z.'
July 25, 2018
Psychology's Adriana Manago receives early-career award
Adriana Manago, assistant professor of psychology, has received an Early Career Award from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology.
July 24, 2018
Among golden-crowned sparrows, a false crown only fools strangers
Researchers can change dominance relationships between birds by altering the colors on their heads, but only if the birds don't already know each other.
July 24, 2018
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.
July 23, 2018
New IT leader drawn to campus to improve world
Vice Chancellor for Information Technology Van Williams has already begun meeting with each of the 240 staff members in the ITS organization and will conduct several listening sessions in the coming months to get more feedback and insight from campus constituents.
July 20, 2018
Professor’s new film 'Redneck Muslim' now streaming on PBS
Redneck Muslim, a new short film by associate professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, is one of 25 films currently screening in the 2018 PBS Online Film Festival as a presentation of the PBS series POV.
July 19, 2018
UC Santa Cruz receives grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has awarded a $57,000 grant to the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences.
July 18, 2018
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.
July 17, 2018
Study finds 50 times more native trees on rat-free Palmyra Atoll
New research demonstrates a strong positive benefit to native trees after removal of an invasive species.
July 13, 2018
New research calculates capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon
Researchers have calculated the capacity of North American forests to sequester carbon in an analysis that for the first time integrates the effects of natural forest growth and climate changes that are likely to alter the growth process.
July 12, 2018
VERITAS supplies critical piece to neutrino discovery puzzle
The VERITAS array has confirmed the detection of gamma rays from the vicinity of a supermassive black hole that is potentially the first known astrophysical source of high-energy cosmic neutrinos.
July 12, 2018
Basic research in fruit flies leads to potential drug for diseases afflicting millions
A promising drug to treat river blindness and other neglected tropical diseases caused by filarial worms is now in preclinical development.
July 11, 2018
Dickens Universe to offer public talk by alumnus on new novel ‘The Spirit Photographer’
2018 marks the 38th year of the Dickens Universe at UC Santa Cruz, and the event is nearly sold out. But fear not. A special feature of this year's program is a free day, Tuesday, July 17, when the conference will be open without charge to members of the local community.
July 11, 2018
Growing graduate programs to meet the needs of today's students
Lori Kletzer enjoys leadership challenges that involve collaboration and strategic thinking, two skills that will come into play in her new role as vice provost and dean of the Division of Graduate Studies.
July 11, 2018
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.
July 10, 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.
July 10, 2018
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.
July 06, 2018
Gallery between North and South Korea features exhibition by art professor Jimin Lee
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea is an unlikely setting for an art gallery. Established in 1953 as part of an armistice agreement that ended three years of brutal war, the DMZ is a 2.5-mile-wide band that runs 155 miles across the Korean peninsula, serving as a buffer zone between the two countries...
July 05, 2018
Computer engineer Chen Qian wins NSF CAREER Award
NSF funding supports Qian's research on new memory-efficient and ultra-fast network algorithms and protocols.
July 05, 2018
Learn how to grow and assemble beautiful bouquets
Learn how to create beautiful homegrown organic flower arrangements at a lecture and demonstration workshop on July 15.
June 29, 2018
Farm ranked among top college farms
The UC Santa Cruz Farm has been ranked among the top 15 college farms in the country by Best Value Schools.
June 28, 2018
Important new work on autism could change interventions
A new paper is pushing back hard on the notion that people with autism are not interested in socializing.
June 27, 2018
Thank Instagram and Snapchat for your fading memories
Research by UC Santa Cruz doctoral student Julia Soares has found compelling evidence that the act of taking a photograph impairs people’s memories of the event.
June 26, 2018
B. Ruby Rich invited to join Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
UC Santa Cruz arts dean's eminent professor of film and digital media B. Ruby Rich has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year. The world's preeminent film organization, it is best known for presenting the annual Academy Awards.
June 26, 2018
ISEE receives presidential award for excellence in STEM mentoring
The UC Santa Cruz Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators has received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).
June 25, 2018
'Electrogeochemistry' captures carbon, produces fuel, offsets ocean acidification
Researchers analyzed the global potential for 'negative emissions energy' using electricity from renewable sources to generate hydrogen fuel and capture carbon dioxide.
June 25, 2018
Astronomer Alexie Leauthaud wins DOE Early Career Award
The award from DOE's Early Career Research Program supports Leauthaud's research on dark energy.
June 22, 2018
Climate scientist Nicole Feldl wins NSF CAREER Award
NSF grant includes funding for climate research and for a cross-disciplinary environmental game project for students to develop a learning game about climate science.
June 21, 2018
Five UC Santa Cruz students present futuristic game at IndieCade Showcase
A group of five students from UC Santa Cruz presented their game, "Meet Me in the Garden," at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles last week as part of the annual IndieCade Showcase.
June 21, 2018
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.
June 20, 2018
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.
June 19, 2018
Linguistics professor Jim McCloskey receives Dizikes Award for teaching in Humanities
Linguistics professor Jim McCloskey was presented with the John Dizikes Teaching Award in Humanities at the Humanities Division’s 2018 Spring Awards celebration held at the Cowell Provost House.
June 19, 2018
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.
June 18, 2018
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.
June 14, 2018
Biomolecular engineer Angela Brooks named Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences
Brooks will receive a $300,000 award over four years to support her research on how mutations associated with cancer cause changes in gene expression.
June 14, 2018
Dust clouds can explain puzzling features of active galactic nuclei
Mysterious features seen in light emitted from active galactic nuclei may be due to partial obscuration by dust clouds, according to new study.
June 14, 2018
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.
June 14, 2018
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.
June 14, 2018
The new queer teenager
Queer youth today are in a paradoxical situation, coming out earlier and becoming leaders even as they cope with the significant challenges of adolescence, Psychology Professor Phil Hammack told a panel convened by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
June 12, 2018
Without coral reefs, annual flood damages from storms could double globally
New study shows annual costs soaring to $272 billion, sending a powerful signal about reefs and their importance during the International Year of the Reef.
June 12, 2018
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.
June 11, 2018
SocDoc graduate documentary films to be screened June 13 at Del Mar Theater
UC Santa Cruz will present the premiere of thesis films by three graduating students in the field of social documentation on Wednesday, June 13, at the Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz.
June 11, 2018
New Grateful Dead Archive exhibit opens at McHenry Library
"Put Your Gold Money Where Your Love Is, Baby: Counterculture, Capitalism, and the Grateful Dead" is the title of a new exhibition now open to the public at UC Santa Cruz.
June 08, 2018
Researchers discuss educational needs of Latino, immigrant, and disadvantaged youth
A recent informal interdisciplinary workshop focused on the educational needs and experiences of Latino and immigrant youth.
June 06, 2018
Climate scientist James Zachos appointed to Ida Benson Lynn Endowed Chair in Ocean Health
Zachos has spent his career studying episodes of climate change in Earth's distant past and their relevance to current global warming.
June 06, 2018
Global experts attend academic summit on solitary confinement
Forty-five of the world's experts on the psychological and physical effects of solitary confinement gathered in Santa Cruz recently for a two-day academic summit.
June 05, 2018
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.
June 05, 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.
June 04, 2018
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.
June 01, 2018
Biochemist Carrie Partch honored for research on biological clocks
The latest findings from Partch's lab have resolved a longstanding question about how the timing of our biological clocks is regulated.
May 31, 2018
Genes found only in humans influence brain size
A set of three nearly identical genes found only in humans appear to play a critical role in the development of our large brains, according to a study led by UCSC researchers.
May 30, 2018
Campus gearing up for commencement 2018
For the first time in more than a decade, exercises will be held in the newly renovated Quarry Amphitheater, as well as on the East Field.
May 29, 2018
'First-gen' student pays it forward
The University of California is honoring Valeria Jacqueline Alonso Blanco with a prestigious award recognizing the impact of her leadership, advocacy and activism.
May 29, 2018
New model explains what we see when a massive black hole devours a star
Theoretical astrophysicists have developed a unified model that explains observations of tidal disruption events, when a black hole swallows a disrupted star.
May 29, 2018
Awards luncheon celebrates excellence in student scholarship
Students in the Division of Social Sciences gathered with friends, family members, faculty, staff, and donors on Thursday, May 24, to celebrate excellence in student scholarship and creativity.
May 29, 2018
Speakers challenge audience to rethink modern incarceration
Angela Davis returns to UC Santa Cruz with the two surviving members of the ‘Angola 3’ to discuss solitary confinement and call on society to transform itself to no longer rely on prison repression.
May 25, 2018
Diverse campus landscapes are ideal outdoor laboratories—and classrooms
UC Santa Cruz is known for its beautiful landscapes, but its meadows, forests, farm fields, and coastal bluffs also support a range of scientific research and hands-on learning opportunities for students.
May 24, 2018
Selective neural connections can be reestablished in retina after injury, study finds
Circuit repair in the retina of adult ground squirrels can recreate the selective neural connections needed for color vision.
May 24, 2018
Sammy Showcase features VR and video games from UCSC game design students
The public is invited to a fun, family-friendly game festival on Saturday, June 9, at the UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus in Santa Clara.
May 23, 2018
Biologist Beth Shapiro selected as Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator
Shapiro’s Paleogenomics Lab at UC Santa Cruz uses ancient DNA to study evolutionary history and the effects of environmental change on species and ecosystems.
May 22, 2018
Bettina Aptheker to lead 'Women In the Arts' panel at Kuumbwa
The Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies and The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "Always Moving Uphill: Women in the Arts," on Tuesday, May 29, at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz.
May 22, 2018
Astrophysicist Jedidah Isler will give annual Mandel Lecture on June 7
Award-winning astrophysicist Jedidah Isler will give a free public lecture entitled "Blazars: Nature's particle accelerators" on Thursday, June 7, at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz.
May 21, 2018
Lightning in the eyewall of a hurricane beamed antimatter toward the ground
The first detection of a downward positron beam from a terrestrial gamma-ray flash was captured by an instrument flown through the eyewall of Hurricane Patricia in 2015.
May 21, 2018
Racism expert Tom Pettigrew shares award for impactful scholarship
Tom Pettigrew, research professor of social psychology at UC Santa Cruz, is being recognized by the Society for Experimental Social Psychology for the impact of his scholarship.
May 21, 2018
Computer scientist Owen Arden wins NSF CAREER Award
Owen Arden, assistant professor of computer science in the Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
May 18, 2018
Undergraduate builds handcrafted bee hotels to attract pollinators
Mindful that the population of European honeybees is crashing worldwide due to Colony Collapse Disorder, Environmental Studies senior Forest Peri wanted to make a welcoming home for native bees.
May 17, 2018
Transfer RNA research addresses a blind spot in understanding of human genes
Biomolecular engineer Todd Lowe has received a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support his lab's international leadership in transfer RNA research.
May 16, 2018
'Future Garden' environmental art installation opens at Arboretum
The Institute of the Arts and Sciences presents the opening of "Future Garden for the Central Coast of California"--a site-specific environmental art installation by emeritus arts research professors Newton Harrison and his late wife Helen Mayer Harrison at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
May 14, 2018
Video highlights cultural differences in helpfulness
For the third year, a video by Distinguished Professor of Psychology Barbara Rogoff is featured in the "2018 STEM for All Video Showcase" hosted by the National Science Foundation.
May 11, 2018
UC Santa Cruz collaborates with SF Academy of Arts for spring production of 'The Magic Flute'
The UC Santa Cruz Music Department will present a fully-staged production of Mozart’s comic fantasy: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), May 31 through June 3, on campus at the Music Center Recital Hall.
May 10, 2018
Sue Carter named provost for Rachel Carson College
Professor Sue Carter said her vision for Rachel Carson College is to strengthen its role in supporting students as they seek to create a more sustainable future and make it a place for them to gain skills needed for green careers in which they can develop sustainable innovations to preserve the environment.
May 08, 2018
UCSC Night at the Museum to explore global impact of 1968 protest movements
The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "UCSC Night at the Museum: Global 1968—Race and Revolution around the World," a free public event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, on Wednesday, May 16.
May 07, 2018
Astronomers find an exoplanet atmosphere free of clouds
An international team of astronomers has detected an exoplanet atmosphere that is free of clouds, marking a pivotal breakthrough in the quest to better understand what lies at the outer reaches of our galaxy.
May 04, 2018
Elkhorn Slough scientist Kerstin Wasson honored as 'wetland hero'
An adjunct professor at UC Santa Cruz, Wasson will receive the 2018 National Wetlands Award for Scientific Research.
May 01, 2018
NIH grant supports development of a novel drug for stroke treatment
A drug discovery grant is funding the quest by UCSC chemistry professor Ted Holman to bring a new drug treatment for stroke to clinical trials.
May 01, 2018
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.
April 26, 2018
Award-winning biologist and writer Sean B. Carroll to speak at UC Santa Cruz
Carroll will give the 2018 Sinsheimer Lecture on Thursday, May 10, followed by a free screening of the film 'The Serengeti Rules' on May 11 at the Rio Theater.
April 26, 2018
Innovative ‘Studies in Medicine’ course will be offered online to all UC students
Developed by UC Santa Cruz biology professor Grant Hartzog and local physician Dr. Greg Gates, the popular course examines the field of medicine through a historical and philosophical lens.
April 25, 2018
Film professor Jennifer Taylor wins fellowship for summer residency at MacDowell Colony
Assistant professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has received a fellowship for a summer residency at one of the nation’s leading contemporary arts organizations.
April 23, 2018
Face recognition for galaxies: Artificial intelligence brings new tools to astronomy
A 'deep learning' algorithm trained on images from cosmological simulations has been surprisingly successful at classifying real galaxies in Hubble images.
April 23, 2018
Making airwaves
Celebrating 50 years of broadcasting, KZSC continues to offer homegrown programming to the greater Monterey Bay region. The station will have a number of Alumni Weekend events to celebrate the milestone.
April 19, 2018
UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute receives funding for Human Cell Atlas projects
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is funding 85 projects, including three at UC Santa Cruz, to support efforts to develop a comprehensive reference atlas of all cells in the human body.
April 19, 2018
UC Santa Cruz honors alumni Thomas Webb and Susanne Hering
The Physical and Biological Sciences Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.
April 19, 2018
Bill McKibben, Daniel Ellsberg headline Right Livelihood Laureates' Conference at UC Santa Cruz
Climate change activist Bill McKibben and whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg are two of the crusading global leaders gathering May 15-17 at UC Santa Cruz for the Right Livelihood Conference, a three-day series of public events focused on advancing social and environmental justice.
April 18, 2018
Mathematical biologist Marc Mangel elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
April 17, 2018
DANM 2018 MFA student exhibition culminates two years of intensive study and creative work
Nine graduate students from the Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. program (DANM) will conclude two years of artistic study at UC Santa Cruz with "Interstices"--an exhibition of their work running April 27-29, at the UCSC Digital Arts Research Center.
April 17, 2018
South County housing crisis to be discussed May 2
University researchers and community leaders will host a public forum about the affordable housing crisis on Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the Watsonville Civic Center.
April 17, 2018
Spring Plant Sale Takes Place April 28-29
The UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden's Spring Plant Sale takes place Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, in the Barn Theater parking lot at the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus, near the intersection of Bay and High Streets.
April 16, 2018
Lick Observatory expands evening programs for the public this summer
Tickets for the popular concert and lecture series and new evening tours on Mount Hamilton go on sale at noon on Wednesday, April 18.
April 12, 2018
J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves appointed director of CITRIS at UC Santa Cruz
Computer engineer J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves has been appointed to serve as the UC Santa Cruz director for CITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) and the Banatao Institute.
April 11, 2018
Nature-based solutions can prevent $50 billion in Gulf Coast flood damages
Researchers found that restoration of marshes and oyster reefs are among the most cost-effective solutions for flood risk reduction on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
April 11, 2018
Building a feminist psychology of resistance
On a fateful trip to Nicaragua in 2005, Shelly Grabe, now an associate professor of psychology, met women who were organizing to fight domestic violence, and she saw what real and lasting social change looked like.
April 10, 2018
Hip-Hop Hesteria heading to Music Center Recital Hall on April 20
The UC Santa Cruz Music Department will present an evening of new hip-hop with live experimental jazz featuring music professor Karlton Hester and his band, Hesterian Musicism, on Friday, April 20, at the Music Center Recital Hall. The concert will include performances by winners of the 2018 Hip-Hop Hesteria Contest.
April 10, 2018
Coastal stream restoration projects concentrated where residents are 'whiter, wealthier, and more educated,' researchers find
Stream restoration efforts along the coast of Central California are unevenly distributed, with activity more likely to occur in areas that are more highly populated and dominated by residents who are "whiter, wealthier, and more educated," according to an analysis by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
April 05, 2018
Sesnon Gallery exhibition to celebrate family’s influence on the arts in Santa Cruz County
In 1968, a gift from Barbara Sesnon Cartan established the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at UC Santa Cruz, in memory of her mother. Beginning April 12, the gallery will present a special exhibition celebrating the life of Mary Porter Sesnon (1868-1930) and her influence on the arts in Santa Cruz County.
April 05, 2018
New 'Pan-Cancer' analysis reveals the common roots of different cancers
In the largest study of its kind, cancer researchers analyzed and classified more than 10,000 tumors from 33 cancer types to trace connections between different cancers.
April 04, 2018
Jenny Reardon among scholars speaking out on genomics and race
Sociology Professor Jenny Reardon joined 66 other scholars in signing an open letter about genetics and race, responding to a recent opinion piece in the New York Times written by David Reich, a professor of genetics at Harvard.
April 04, 2018
2018 Osterbrock Lecture will focus on the role of science in public policy
Rush Holt, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, will speak at UC Santa Cruz on Thursday, April 19 .
April 03, 2018
UC Santa Cruz honors alumni: bestselling author Hector Tobar and historian Virginia Espino
Award-winning journalist and author Héctor Tobar and filmmaker Virginia Espino are the 2018 recipients of the Social Sciences Division's Distinguished Alumni Award.
April 03, 2018
Campus environment led alumna to pursue architecture
Urban designer and planner Barbara Maloney (Stevenson, ’71, psychology) said working in higher education is “endlessly interesting,” involving not only issues like sustainability and town-gown relations but also transportation and new ways of learning.
April 02, 2018
Community Studies class showcases public health leaders in 'Year of Alumni'
Eight alumni are returning to campus this spring as guest lecturers in a special-edition public health class offered by Community Studies.
March 21, 2018
Seismologists introduce new measure of earthquake ruptures
Seismologists have developed a new measurement of seismic energy release that can be applied to large earthquakes.
March 20, 2018
Marine researchers say recent sea star wasting disease epidemic defies prediction
Some sea star communities on the west coast could recover, but marine scientists still can’t pinpoint the environmental factors behind the unprecedented disease outbreak.
March 16, 2018
What does a forest hear? Canadian artists bring epic sound art project to Arboretum
"FOREST (for a thousand years...)", a 28-minute sound installation by renowned Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, will open April 7, outdoors in the redwood grove of UC Santa Cruz's Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
March 16, 2018
Soil fungi may help determine the resilience of forests to environmental change, according to UC Santa Cruz study
A major new study by Kai Zhu reveals that soil fungi could play a significant role in the ability of forests to adapt to environmental change.
March 15, 2018
NIH grant funds high-end instrument for shared biomedical research facility
UC Santa Cruz establishes a Bay Area facility in electron paramagnetic resonance with a $1.5-million grant from NIH's High-End Instrumentation program.
March 13, 2018
Influential historian Hayden White dies at 89
Hayden V. White, professor emeritus in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz, died at his Santa Cruz home on March 5, 2018, at age 89. He was a 40-year resident of Santa Cruz who traveled the world.
March 13, 2018
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.
March 12, 2018
Four kinds of algal toxins found in San Francisco Bay shellfish
Researchers monitoring San Francisco Bay for algal toxins have found a surprising array of different toxins in the water and in mussels collected from the bay.
March 09, 2018
Antigen study supports new approach to vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus
RSV causes serious respiratory disease in infants and older adults, but past efforts to develop a vaccine have met with frustration and disappointment.
March 08, 2018
'And Then They Came for Us' brings history into the present
The Humanities Institute and Cowell College will present a special screening of "And Then They Came for Us," winner of the Accolade Global Film 2017 Humanitarian Award, on March 14 at the Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz.
March 08, 2018
Grant to transform upper floor of Science and Engineering Library
A $5 million grant will kick-start the Science and Engineering Library’s transformation and name floor to honor legendary astrophysicist Sandra Faber
March 05, 2018
Campus receives Mellon Foundation grant to help create new forms of digital publication
UC Santa Cruz is the lead institution on a $100,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to help build a sustainable system for the digital publication and discovery of historical records.
March 05, 2018
Symposium explores social mobility, student success
In an effort to share the best means of supporting student success, UC Santa Cruz and CollegeNET hosted a symposium for educators across northern California.
March 02, 2018
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.
March 02, 2018
Gun control advocate Gabby Giffords joins fundraiser for Gabe Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship
Former Arizona Congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabby Giffords attended a fundraising event to support the Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship.
March 01, 2018
UC expands free online course offerings for California high school students
The University of California announced a major expansion of UC Scout, its online learning program to provide California high school students with free access to the courses they need to be eligible and competitive for admission into college.
March 01, 2018
Ecologist Erika Zavaleta elected Fellow of the Ecological Society of America
Zavaleta was honored in recognition of her contributions to the science of ecology.
February 28, 2018
Robin Hunicke to host Game Developers Choice Awards
Associate arts professor Robin Hunicke is set to host this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards, which will take place on March 21 during the 2018 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
February 28, 2018
Community Studies founder William H. Friedland dies at 94
William H. “Bill” Friedland, professor emeritus of community studies and sociology at UC Santa Cruz, whose life and career encompassed the major social movements of the 20th century, from labor struggles during and after World War II, to farm worker and youth movements of the 1960s, to the agriculture-food awareness of today, died at his Santa Cruz home Feb. 20 at age 94.
February 28, 2018
Fixing damaged ecosystems: How much does restoration help?
A new meta-analysis of 400 studies that document recovery from large-scale ecosystem disturbances worldwide suggests that while ecosystems can bounce back, they rarely mend completely, with the final stages of recovery being most difficult.
February 26, 2018
Tracking data reveal the secret lives of marine animals
Seals, whales, sharks, turtles, seabirds, and other marine vertebrates show similar patterns of movement in marine environments.
February 23, 2018
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.
February 22, 2018
Judit Moschkovich named 2018 AERA Fellow
Judit Moschkovich, professor of education and chair of the Education Department, has been named a 2018 Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
February 22, 2018
Ouch: Study reveals financial pain after hospitalization
A new study co-authored by professors from UC Santa Cruz, MIT, and Northwestern University reveals the painful financial impact of hospitalization.
February 21, 2018
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.
February 21, 2018
Novel search strategy advances the hunt for primordial black holes
Researchers analyzing data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope for evidence of nearby primordial black holes put an upper limit on the number that might be lurking in the vicinity of Earth.
February 21, 2018
Another 'gem' in the string of Maitra lectures
The 16th Annual Sidhartha Maitra Memorial Lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Colleges Nine/Ten Multi-purpose Room. Admission is free, with registration. The university will host a post-lecture reception to provide an opportunity for the audience to engage with Rao.
February 20, 2018
Alumna Adilah Barnes joins cast of 'A Raisin in the Sun' at UC Santa Cruz
The Theater Arts Department and the African American Theatre Arts Troupe at UC Santa Cruz will present Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play, A Raisin in the Sun, on campus, March 2-11, at the Theater Arts Second Stage.
February 15, 2018
UCSC astronomer Alexie Leauthaud wins Sloan Research Fellowship
The Sloan Research Fellowships honor early-career scholars whose achievements mark them as among the very best scientific minds working today.
February 14, 2018
UC Santa Cruz named one of best colleges to study 'Film, Video & Photographic Arts'
UC Santa Cruz has been ranked No. 6 in the country by College Factual for the best colleges and universities in the U.S. to study for a Film, Video & Photographic Arts degree.
February 14, 2018
Analysis of major earthquakes supports stress reduction assumptions
After a major earthquake, the area where the fault slipped a lot is unlikely to slip again, seismologists say, but stress increases in surrounding areas.
February 13, 2018
State program funds lung cancer research at UC Santa Cruz
The California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program has awarded $1.8 million in grants and fellowships to UCSC biomedical researchers.
February 13, 2018
Community Studies students share social justice work
All students in Community Studies engage in a six-month field study, joining a social justice organization to apply the critical theories they have previously learned during their interactions with more traditional elements of the college experience.
February 12, 2018
Innovative restoration of coral reefs helps protect Caribbean islands
Study shows direct link between healthy coral reefs and shoreline stability and field-tests an innovative risk-reduction solution that combines engineering with reef restoration.
February 12, 2018
Acoustic imaging reveals hidden features of megathrust fault off Costa Rica
First detailed 3-D images of a megathrust fault show long grooves and other features in the fault surface that are likely to control how it slips in an earthquake.
February 12, 2018
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.
February 12, 2018
UCSC's SlugBot team chosen again to compete in Amazon's Alexa Prize Challenge
For the second year in a row, a team of computer science students has won sponsorship from Amazon to develop a "socialbot" that can converse with humans.
February 09, 2018
Two UCSC professors elected to National Academy of Engineering
Biomolecular engineer David Haussler and computer scientist Martín Abadi have been recognized for their pioneering achievements.
February 09, 2018
Climate Conference features visionary artist and Smithsonian biologist
The fifth annual Climate Science and Policy Conference presented by UC Santa Cruz brings together a visionary artist and a Smithsonian scientist for an engaging, interdisciplinary conversation about how humans and ecosystems will cope on a warming planet.
February 09, 2018
MLK Convocation: For racial equality, we must hear women
Kimberlé Crenshaw, a law professor known for the development of intersectional theory, praised the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. but noted that the civil rights movement and the Obama era left out the perspectives and voices of women.
February 08, 2018
Arts professor to premiere film at 2018 Berlin International Film Festival
UC Santa Cruz film and digital media professor Irene Lusztig will premiere her new film, 'Yours in Sisterhood,' at the 2018 Berlinale, running February 15-25 in Berlin, Germany.
February 08, 2018
Monetary economist Carl Walsh to deliver 52nd annual UC Santa Cruz Faculty Research Lecture on February 22
Carl Walsh, distinguished professor of economics at UC Santa Cruz, will deliver the 52nd annual Faculty Research Lecture on Thursday, February 22.
February 05, 2018
Scientists report big improvements in HIV vaccine production
Technical advances in vaccine production should shorten the time to clinical trials, breaking the logjam of promising new candidate vaccines waiting to be tested.
February 01, 2018
'Spoken/Unspoken: Forms of Resistance' to open Feb. 8 at Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery
The Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery will present Spoken/Unspoken: Forms of Resistance, a new public exhibition running February 8 through March 17 at UC Santa Cruz.
February 01, 2018
Polar bears finding it harder to catch enough seals to meet energy demands
As climate change alters their environment a growing number of polar bears are unable to catch enough fat-rich prey to meet their energy needs.
January 30, 2018
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!.
January 30, 2018
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.
January 29, 2018
Breakthrough leads to sequencing of a human genome using a pocket-sized device
Nanopore sequencing technology, based on concepts pioneered at UC Santa Cruz, has revealed parts of the genome scientists had been unable to sequence before.
January 25, 2018
McHenry Library to celebrate new visualization spaces that enhance digital scholarship
An opening celebration to formally launch the VizWall, a large scale visualization installation, and the VizLab, a Virtual Reality and 360 Lab, will take place on Feb. 7 at the Digital Scholarship Commons on the ground floor of McHenry Library.
January 24, 2018
Karen Yamashita's memoir explores Japanese-American internment
Award-winning author and UC Santa Cruz literature professor Karen Tei Yamashita will read from her new memoir on Thursday, February 1, as part of the 2018 winter installment of the Living Writers Series.
January 18, 2018
Elliott Campbell appointed to chair in water resources and food system sustainability
Elliott Campbell, associate professor of environmental studies, was honored as the inaugural holder of the Stephen R. Gliessman Presidential Chair in Water Resources and Food System Sustainability.
January 18, 2018
Study finds convergent evolution of gene regulation in humans and mice
Molecular biologists have found evidence of convergent evolution in an important mechanism of gene regulation in humans and mice.
January 18, 2018
Men's volleyball aiming for championships
Aided in May by the passage of Measure 68, the referendum that will go to support athletics, the Slugs this season are scheduled to play more than 30 matches—a noticeable uptick from the 19 games last season.
January 18, 2018
Judge relies heavily on Haney's testimony in case banning solitary confinement
In a landmark court ruling that prohibits solitary confinement in Canada, a Canadian judge relied heavily on expert testimony by Psychology Professor Craig Haney.
January 17, 2018
New book, The Postgenomic Condition: Ethics, Justice, and Knowledge After the Genome, assesses progress since 2000
Sociologist Jenny Reardon evaluates the promise and pitfalls of genomics in her new book The Postgenomic Condition: Ethics, Justice, and Knowledge After the Genome (University of Chicago Press, 2017).
January 16, 2018
New catalyst for hydrogen production is a step toward clean fuel
A novel material developed at UC Santa Cruz has shown impressive performance as a catalyst for the electrochemical splitting of water to produce hydrogen.
January 10, 2018
Questions That Matter public humanities series to explore 'Freedom and Race'
The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "Freedom & Race"--the fourth installment of its signature "Questions That Matter" series--on January 30, at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in downtown Santa Cruz. The evening will feature a conversation with humanities dean Tyler Stovall and history of art and visual culture professor Jennifer González.
January 10, 2018
Earliest galaxies in the universe spin like the Milky Way
Astronomers looking back to a time soon after the big bang have discovered swirling gas in some of the earliest galaxies to have formed in the universe.
January 10, 2018
Trump environmental watchdog group issues third report
The Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI), a grassroots watchdog group monitoring the Trump administration's performance on the environment, today (January 10, 2018) issued its third report.
January 04, 2018
David Dunn awarded Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship
UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of music David Dunn has been selected for a Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship for 2019. He is one of four local artists who will receive $20,000 grants from the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County in 2018-19.
January 03, 2018
NSF I-Corps pushes discoveries to market
Professor Sue Carter testified before congressional leaders on NSF Innovation Corps, which assists scientists and engineers in discovering commercial applications for their research.
January 03, 2018
Summer session offers unique academic opportunities
When UC Santa Cruz students begin enrolling for spring courses, they will be able to factor in all the additional courses that will also be offered through summer session.
January 02, 2018
Unraveling the mechanisms that control cell growth and size
Scientists studying how cells control their size and growth rate are closing in on fundamental mechanisms that are common to all cells and are disrupted in cancer.
January 01, 2018
Supermassive black holes control star formation in large galaxies
Astronomers found a close correlation between the mass of a galaxy's central black hole and its star formation history.