January 2020 News Archive

Both entrances to campus open

Today’s picketing by some graduate students and their supporters at the entrances of the residential campus is winding down. Both the main and west entrances to campus are open, and traffic is flowing freely.

Both campus entrances/exits are open

Today’s unsanctioned labor action by some graduate students and their supporters, with picketing and other activities at the main entrance of the residential campus, has concluded. Both the main and west entrances to campus are open.

Picketing near main entrance | campus open

Some UC Santa Cruz graduate students have started an unsanctioned, open-ended labor strike today with picketing and other activities at the main entrance of the residential campus.

Opportunities for dialogue

On January 27, Chancellor Larive announced two new programs to support our graduate students. Despite these efforts, we were disappointed that some of our TAs—200 of whom continue to withhold grades—last week threatened to escalate their activity to a full teaching strike.

Unsanctioned strike by some graduate students

Some UC Santa Cruz graduate students have announced they will begin an unsanctioned, open-ended labor strike starting on Monday, Feb. 10.

UC free speech fellows to be in dialogue on Feb. 6

Campus health officials closely monitoring coronavirus

UC Santa Cruz health officials are closely monitoring the coronavirus and, in coordination with county officials, preparing to manage any outbreaks in our campus community.

Campus health officials closely monitoring coronavirus

UC Santa Cruz health officials are closely monitoring the coronavirus and, in coordination with county officials, preparing to manage any outbreaks in our campus community.

Lighting project advances carbon neutrality

A lighting retrofit in Humanities Buildings 1 and 2 has resulted in a 20 percent energy reduction in the buildings’ energy use.

Yesterday’s employee housing survey email

You all should have received two emails yesterday afternoon about our new housing survey, which provides an opportunity to provide important feedback on your housing experience and preferences.

UCSC taking art/science LASER talk series downtown for special evening at Rio Theater

On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences will bring its local LASER—now in its seventh year of quarterly talks on campus—downtown for a special

UC Santa Cruz hosts Bang Bang Con West conference February 29 and March 1

The two-day conference of ten-minute talks about the joy, excitement, and surprise of computing returns to UCSC after a sold-out inaugural event last

In Memoriam: Jonathan Kahana (1966-2019)

Study connects marine heat wave with spike in whale entanglements

Entanglements of humpback whales in fishing gear along the U.S. West Coast increased dramatically during the 2014 to 2016 marine heat wave known as the ‘warm

Seismic biomarkers in Japan Trench fault zone reveal history of large earthquakes

Researchers found multiple faults with evidence of more than 10 meters of slip during past large earthquakes in the region hit by the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and

New graduate student programs: FAQ

Additional information is available for the two new programs to support graduate students.

Chancellor announces two new programs to support graduate students

In a message to the campus community, Chancellor Cynthia Larive said the programs are designed to ensure UC Santa Cruz can attract the best qualified and most innovative

Community alert: Seeking assistance with burglaries, fraud, and thefts

The UC Santa Cruz Police Department is seeking the community’s help in investigating a rash of crimes that began Jan. 8, 2020.

Jenny Reardon named a fellow of The Hastings Center

Jenny Reardon, professor of sociology and the founding director of the Science and Justice Research Center, has been named a fellow of The Hastings Center, a leader in

Graduate student funds for travel to Latin America available through RCA

New funding is available for graduate students traveling to Latin America to conduct preliminary research, thanks to a grant from the Tinker Foundation and matching funds from the

Mathematician François Monard wins NSF CAREER Award

Grant supports research on problems in integral geometry, the mathematics behind medical imaging and other

MyUCSC Planned Outage, Jan. 25

MyUCSC and affiliated AIS systems will be unavailable Saturday, Jan. 25, from 8 AM to 5 PM for routine system maintenance.

Information about the coronavirus

We know that many of you are concerned about the recent appearance of the coronavirus. Although there have been no confirmed cases on campus, we want to provide you with some information about how to protect your health.

Employee housing survey launches Wednesday

Questions That Matter: Reporting the Middle East and the future of investigative journalism

The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "Reporting the Middle East and the Future of Investigative Journalism"—the sixth installment of its Questions That Matter series—on Feb.

The power of research

Wilfrido Hernández Flores discovered social science research in the Culture and Achievement Collaborative, and it changed his

Campus reaches new contract with skilled trades employees

I am pleased to announce that UC Santa Cruz has reached a new four-year contract with its skilled trades employees.

Information about potential sick out

The University has become aware that certain academic student employees (ASEs) may be planning on a sick out on Wednesday, Jan. 22 in order to attend the Regents meeting in San Francisco.

Linguistics grad student focused on understudied languages

Vishal Arvindam is particularly interested in psycholinguistics, the study of how humans acquire, use, and understand language. Much research has been done on the world's major languages, with

In death of dinosaurs, it was all about the asteroid — not volcanoes

Volcanic activity did not play a direct role in the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs, according to an international team of

Breaking down barriers to success

First-gen student Reina Garay-Solis is doing undergraduate research to help identify common challenges for first-gen and underrepresented students and find effective institutional practices to address

The carbon footprint of dinner: How "green" are fish sticks?

Fish sticks may be a tasty option for dinner, but are they good for the planet? A new study of the climate impacts of seafood products reveals that

$2.6 million grant funds program to increase diversity of conservation leaders

New funding for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at UC Santa Cruz builds on the program’s successes in training the next generation of diverse conservation

‘We The Enemy’ solo show by artist Carlos Motta explores the politics of borders

'We the Enemy,' the first West Coast solo exhibition of artworks by internationally acclaimed artist Carlos Motta, opens at the Sesnon Gallery on Jan. 23. It will be

CITRIS Core Seed Funding program invites proposals for 2020

The 2020 CITRIS Core Seed Funding program is now open for

Engineer, philanthropist Jack Baskin dies at age 100

Jack Baskin, an entrepreneur and major philanthropic supporter of UC Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz community, died at his home in Carmel on January

Global study of street networks reveals growing urban sprawl

Local streets of the world’s cities are becoming less connected, part of a global trend that is driving urban sprawl and discouraging the use of public transportation.

Sad news on campus benefactor Jack Baskin

It saddens me to announce the passing of Jack Baskin, an engineer and entrepreneur whose philanthropy helped shape modern-day UC Santa Cruz.

New online course supports first-time graduate student teaching assistants

A new online course aims to prepare new graduate student Teaching Assistants (TAs) for the important role of supporting student learning and promoting educational equity at UC Santa Cruz.

Participate in a campus climate research study

The purpose of the study is to gather a wide range of data related to campus climate, diversity efforts and inclusive practices, and work-life concerns so that campus leadership is better informed about the quality of living and working environments for students, faculty, and staff from underrepresented communities on campus.

Astronomer Sandra Faber awarded Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal

The Royal Astronomical Society has awarded its Gold Medal in Astronomy to Sandra Faber, professor emerita of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz.

Public conversation about race and racial reconciliation on Jan. 22

Racial reconciliation and the future of race in America will be the subject of a public conversation with scholars Alondra Nelson and Herman Gray on Wednesday, January 22,

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor to kick off ‘Beyond the End of the World’ lecture series

The Humanities Institute and the Center for Creative Ecologies at UC Santa Cruz will launch the "Beyond the End of the World" lecture series with award-winning author Keeanga-Yamahtta

Better protection from the flu could be on the horizon

Biomolecular engineer Rebecca DuBois is collaborating on a large multi-institutional NIH project to create a universal vaccine for

ITS Update from VC Williams

Happy 2020! The start of a new quarter provides an ideal time to reflect and share news about Information Technology Services - what we’ve been up to and where we’re heading.

Seeking assistance with campus vandalism incidents

UC Santa Cruz police are seeking the campus community’s help in the investigation of a series of vandalism incidents that have occurred throughout campus since Friday.

Arts professor’s anthology named one of 'Best Art Books of the Decade'

'Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology'--a diverse collection of essays edited by UCSC history of art and visual culture professor Jennifer González--has been named one of the

$1 million gift creates William Wallace Campbell Director’s Fund for Lick Observatory

A new endowment honoring the third director of Lick Observatory will support current and future directors’ priorities for the

Microsoft Windows 7 Support Ends on January 14, 2020

Microsoft will end support of Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. When a vendor ends support, it can lead to security vulnerabilities, software incompatibility, compliance issues, and poor computer performance and reliability. It's important that your computer is running the latest supported software and operating system.

Biologist Jordan Ward wins NSF CAREER Award

Jordan Ward, assistant professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science

Update on UC’s seismic safety initiative

The safety of our campus community is our highest priority and reflected in our continuous work to improve seismic resilience on campus.

Biodiesel for buses cuts carbon footprint

By switching to renewable diesel fuel, UC Santa Cruz has significantly reduced the amount of carbon emitted from its student shuttles and other fleet vehicles.

Labor demonstration near main entrance | campus open

The AFSCME union’s Skilled Trades unit has informed UC Santa Cruz that its members are going out on strike beginning today, and will remain out indefinitely.

Information about fall grades and guidance for students and faculty

Eighty percent of fall quarter grades have been submitted. Grades belong to the students who earned them, and we will continue to work toward full grade submission.

UC Santa Cruz helps develop Egyptian Center of Excellence for Water

UC Santa Cruz is partnering with the American University in Cairo, nine other Egyptian and U.S.-based universities, and industry partners to help Egypt make the most of its

Food and anti-corporate globalization activist Vandana Shiva coming to campus Jan. 25-26

The public is invited to attend two events with legendary food activist Vandana Shiva, who will be at UC Santa Cruz on January 25 and

UCPath is here!

We are delighted to report that UCPath is now live at UC Santa Cruz. UCPath is the University of California’s new Human Resources and Payroll Management system.