February 2020 News Archive

Campus Advisory

UC Santa Cruz graduate students started an open-ended strike On Feb. 11, 2020. Organizers have said they will not be leading sections, grading assignments, holding office hours, and/or conducting research. Demonstration activity at the base of campus is also anticipated.

Updates and information on the coronavirus (COVID-19)

For now, the most important thing is for you to do is stay home and seek medical care if you’re feeling sick, especially if you develop a cough or a high temperature. Students should call the Student Health Center at 831-459-2591 for instructions on self-care or to make an appointment.

Nostalgia, celebration, and literary star power on tap for Alumni Weekend

Alumni Weekend returns to UC Santa Cruz from Friday-Sunday, April 3-5, featuring college get-togethers, lectures, a beer and wine reception, and a special appearance by Margaret Atwood at

2020 Primary Election

Vote in Tuesday’s election

Tuesday, March 3, is the Presidential Primary Election in California.

Update on grade strike

As you are likely aware, in an effort to better support our Ph.D. and MFA students and help address the very legitimate financial concerns they have raised, we announced and implemented a number of new campus programs to help alleviate their financial burdens – and we are working together to provide greater levels of support.

UC Santa Cruz leads collaboration to speed wound healing with a novel smart bandage

With up to $16 million in funding from DARPA, UC Santa Cruz engineers will work with doctors and scientists at UC Davis and Tufts University to develop bioelectronic

Geographers recognize Guthman book, Wilted, about the strawberry industry

Julie Guthman has been awarded the 2019 Meridian Book Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work in Geography for her book,

Five UC Santa Cruz astronomers are among the first class of AAS Fellows

The American Astronomical Society has designated an initial group of more than 200 Legacy Fellows, including five faculty members in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC

Chancellor announces workgroup, advisory committee to support graduate students

Chancellor Cynthia Larive announced a new Senate-Administrative Graduate Education working group to develop a comprehensive, actionable plan for strengthening graduate education and a Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Graduate

Heising-Simons Foundation supports exoplanet imaging projects at UC Santa Cruz

Three new grants totaling $2.4 million will fund work at UCSC on new instruments and technologies to support research on planets beyond our solar

Campus community input needed for grassland management plan

Justin Luong is trying to prioritize different campus grasslands for protection, given campus enrollment goals, sustainability goals, and the long range development plan.

Clarification of programs offered to graduate students

Last week, acting Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Quentin Williams and I met with graduate students, department chairs, and faculty regarding the grading and teaching strike. We came away with a strong sense of our shared commitment to supporting our graduate students. We also heard genuine confusion about the quality and scope of these programs. In an effort to find a way forward together as a community, I would like to clarify the programs and describe new details that resulted from our conversations.

In Memoriam: Thomas Schleich (1938–2020)

CP/EVC recruitment update

Twelve grad students to showcase work during Grad Slam

The event returns to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center at 320-2 Cedar St. in Santa Cruz and is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

Planned power outage scheduled for March 21, March 28

On March 21st and March 28th the campus will be shut-down to install all the required equipment to connect a new photovoltaic system to the campus grid and perform testing.

UC Santa Cruz joins national "tech for social good" network

UC Santa Cruz has been accepted into a new national network of colleges and universities that have made an explicit commitment to developing technology that will advance the

UCOP seeks comments on proposed 'Presidential Policy on Gender Recognition and Lived Name'

Campus conference to inaugurate new ‘Helene Moglen Lecture in Feminism and Humanities’

UC Santa Cruz will present Writing for Living, a conference in honor of emeritus dean of humanities and literature professor Helene Moglen (1936-2018), on March 13-14 at the

Aquaculture to benefit people and the environment

Two graduate students have received a one-year, $150,000 grant to create environmentally sound seaweed and sea cucumber farms on the coasts of Kenya and The

Norris Center aims to inspire naturalists across campus

Jessica Correa has loved insects since she was a little girl. Today she is an instructor with the Bird School Project. The Norris Center for Natural History gave

Digital NEST founder receives distinguished award for leadership and vision

The James Irvine Foundation is honoring the visionary Digital NEST founder Jacob Martinez for providing workforce training and high tech skills for youth in underserved rural areas. He

Researchers get a ‘whale’s-eye view’ of Antarctic sea ice

Cameras attached to a rare species of Antarctic whale are giving scientists an unprecedented view of how the whales survive in their sea ice

Chancellor Cynthia Larive's remarks to the UC Santa Cruz Academic Senate

Art professor’s exhibition in Spain addresses algae and climate change

UC Santa Cruz art professor Jennifer Parker believes that algae are an “unsung hero of the planet”--noting that these photosynthetic organisms produce one half of the total global

Electioneering on campus

The next primary election is a little less than a month away. Now is the time to make sure you are able to participate in this important civic activity on March 3, 2020.

Van Williams, vice chancellor of information technology, talks diversity

In recognition of Black History Month, UC's Office of the President interviewed Vice Chancellor of Information Technology Van Williams, a UC thought leader on diversity and inclusion initiatives.

An open letter from President Janet Napolitano to faculty, staff and students at UC Santa Cruz

UC President Janet Napolitano addresses the unsanctioned strike at UC Santa Cruz.

Graduate student strike update

Interim Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Kletzer provides an update on the campus's work to bring the unsanctioned strike by some graduate students to an end.

Statement on Feb. 12 protest, arrests

Wednesday, officers arrested 17 participants who ignored dispersal orders that were repeated over approximately 20 minutes--requests to move out of the city intersection of Bay and High streets and onto the university field to continue their demonstration.

Molecular switch mechanism explains how mutations shorten biological clocks

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of our internal clocks may enable the development of therapies for sleep disorders and other effects of clock

Using isotopes to reconstruct life histories within the transatlantic slave trade

Four hundred years after the displacement of millions of Africans began, anthropologist Vicky Oelze wants to use isotope biogeochemistry to trace back and identify the origins of individuals

Bringing new perspectives to astronomy

An array of grants from the Heising-Simons Foundation is helping UC Santa Cruz accelerate astrophysics and other sciences while changing what we think an astrophysicist looks

Be ready to vote in March 3 primary election

Tuesday, March 3 is California’s Primary Election. There are several important matters on the ballot, including primary elections for federal, state and local offices in addition to several local and state initiatives. Voting is a citizen's fundamental right, and UC Santa Cruz urges you to let your voice be heard.

2019 Novel Coronavirus

This letter serves to update everyone with accurate information obtained from the CDC and state communicable disease specialists.

Coronavirus genome posted on the UCSC Genome Browser

The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute is facilitating research into the novel coronavirus that has infected thousands of people since an outbreak began in Wuhan, China, last year.

Unsanctioned strike by some graduate students

While campus leaders have recently been in dialogue with leaders of the Graduate Student Association to prevent escalating strike activities, the campus community should be ready in the event of strike activities Monday. 

Use of temporary Pass (P) grading

Having received concurrence from the Academic Senate Committee on Educational Policy (CEP), I have asked University Registrar Sanger to make available the Pass (P) grade as an option for letter-graded undergraduates as an interim measure.

Humanities Institute launches new ‘Deep Read’ initiative with spotlight on Margaret Atwood

The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz has launched “The Deep Read,” a new initiative that invites the campus—and the community at large—to take a deep dive into

Women's Rugby celebrates 40 years

The UC Santa Cruz Women's Rugby team celebrates its 40-year history, including numerous titles and hundreds of

Stevenson College: An inclusive, collaborative social atmosphere

Stevenson College was built on a legacy of responsibility, engagement, and mutual understanding, preparing students to become leaders and to make positive social change in their

Proposed hydropower dams pose threat to Gabon’s fishes

Proposed hydropower dams in Gabon pose a substantial threat to the African nation’s most culturally and economically important fishes, according to a new

Unprecedented study yields most comprehensive map of cancer genomes to date

Pan-Cancer Project discovers causes of previously unexplained cancers, pin-points cancer-causing events, and zeros in on mechanisms of

Community input key for new Athletics and Recreation Banana Slug

Limiting non-essential travel to China

To protect the health of the university community in the midst of a dynamic situation with the coronavirus, the UC Office of the President has directed that faculty, staff, and students should avoid all non-essential travel to China.

Engineering speaker series highlights diverse voices in tech

The Baskin School of Engineering is presenting Diverse Voices 2020, a professional speaker series running through May 14 and featuring a diverse group of industry leaders, including alum

Craig Haney testifies before committee charged with revising state's penal code

Craig Haney, distinguished professor of psychology, was the only witness to testify during the first meeting of the newly formed Committee on Revision of the Penal