April 2020 News Archive

Deer fawning season alert

Please be aware that spring is the prime birthing season for a wide variety of campus wildlife, including

Systemwide review of revised policy on seismic safety

The University of California Office of the President invites comments on the proposed revisions of UC Seismic Safety Policy.

Deer fawning season alert

Please be aware that spring is the prime birthing season for a wide variety of campus wildlife, including

Zavella authors new book about reproductive justice

Pat Zavella, professor emerita of Latin American and Latino studies, has published a new book about the reproductive justice movement that blends research, history, theory, and

Information about fall quarter 2020

We understand that many students have questions about campus plans for the fall 2020 quarter, and we want to share as much information with you as possible while we observe the progress of the current pandemic.

Double fellowships

History of Consciousness Associate Professor Banu Bargu will use two fellowships to complete her book on human bodies, violence and political

Staff discounts available for UCSC Extension courses over $500

Watching the flow of water through oak woodlands at Arbor Creek Experimental Watershed

To understand how California's beloved oak woodlands will fare in a rapidly warming climate, UCSC researchers are putting a headwaters stream in the Diablo Range under a hydrological

Alumnus sews up $1 million prize on TV's Making the Cut

Graduate Jonny Cota, competing against international designers, makes a splash on reality-style fashion show produced by model Heidi Klum and fashion consultant Tim

Crabeater seal data used to predict changes in Antarctic krill distribution

Tracking the feeding behavior of crabeater seals allowed researchers to build an oceanographic model of krill habitat and project how it is likely to change in the

Staff Human Resources ePerformance

Economist Nirvikar Singh joins panel of experts

Professor of economics Nirvikar Singh has joined a panel of experts convened by the government of Punjab to oversee the revival of the state in the midst of

UC Santa Cruz diagnostic lab to begin coronavirus testing May 1

The UCSC Molecular Diagnostic Lab will be conducting tests for coronavirus infections for the Student Health Center and local medical

Community Conversations: Value Driven Teams

Learning & Development invites you to gather and discuss how to improve our team experiences by bringing our values to the work we do on teams, even when we are distanced from one another.

Planetary scientist Francis Nimmo elected to National Academy of Sciences

Francis Nimmo, professor of Earth and planetary sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original

Student Health Center Pharmacy partners to make hand sanitizer for campus

With newly relaxed federal restrictions for pharmacies to compound hand sanitizer, pharmacy staff set out to create more hand sanitizer for the UCSC community.

Follow-up on Chancellor and Leadership Forum

Thank you so much for your engagement with our Chancellor and Leadership Forum last week. We had over 800 unique viewers which is easily a record for a forum on our campus.

New county order on face coverings

Santa Cruz County issued a new order today that requires staff and patrons at essential businesses to wear face coverings to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The order is effective at 11:59 p.m. on April 24, 2020 and will continue to be in effect until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by the county health officer.

Lecturer Ryan Coonerty named UC Free Speech Fellow

Ryan Coonerty, a longtime lecturer in the Legal Studies program at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2020-21 fellow of UC’s National Center for Free Speech and

'Seeds of Something Different' explores campus's trailblazing history

The 925-page book was inspired by a desire to share the rich treasure trove of oral history and collection of photos and campus posters with the public. It

Momentum builds for COVID-19 Slug Support fundraiser

The COVID-19 Slug Support campaign is a runaway success, and its momentum keeps building day by day, with a fundraising total of nearly

Biologist Upasna Sharma wins prestigious Searle Scholars grant

Funding from the Searle Scholars Program will support Sharma’s research on how environmental effects can be passed down from parents to their

Astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Other new members of the class of 2020 include singer Joan Baez, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and poet and playwright Claudia

Watch UCSC participants talk about hope during TEDx Santa Cruz

Last December, TEDx Santa Cruz hosted a day-long extravaganza of talks curated around the theme of "The Art of Hope." Those talks, including ones by several UCSC affiliates,

Upcoming COVID-19 experiences survey

Starting Friday, April 24, invitations to complete a COVID-19 experiences survey will go out to faculty and staff on behalf of Chancellor Cynthia Larive.

UC Santa Cruz theater arts costume shop steps up to combat COVID-19

Just a couple of weeks ago, Brent Foland never imagined he'd be building face masks for his fellow UC Santa Cruz

Art in the time of COVID

UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences offers shelter-in-place relief with a new, virtual museum called Art Without Distance, featuring sights, sounds, words, curricula, and even

Agroecology major available this fall

Beginning this fall, students will have an opportunity to enroll in a new agroecology major, an interdisciplinary program housed in the Environmental Studies

Delivery and ridehailing workers lack critical protections from coronavirus

Chris Benner led an online survey of app-based workers in San Francisco, and preliminary results reveal significant financial hardship caused by the coronavirus

Leadership forum viewing details

We are looking forward to the Chancellor and Senior Leadership Forum this Thursday, and we hope you will be able to join us!

Cholera studies reveal mechanisms of biofilm formation and hyperinfectivity

A series of publications from microbiologist Fitnat Yildiz’s lab provides new understanding of cholera biofilms and why the bacteria in biofilms are so highly

New high-throughput approach yields libraries of probes for immunological assays

Technical innovation enables rapid assessment of T cell repertoires for research and diagnostics, with potential applications in studying COVID-19 immune

Radical Resilience small grants program

In this time of global crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic, immense uncertainty, and stress, we are launching the Radical Resilience small grants program.

Campus directive - restrictions on select trails and recreational spaces

Be advised that the campus is lifting some access and location restrictions while still maintaining closures of some locations.

Delaying annual performance appraisals

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty about the future. It has also posed challenges and altered the work priorities of some staff members. This in turn has impacts on many of the annual goals that were identified by staff members at the outset of this year’s performance review cycle

Community Conversations: Resilience

Many of us find ourselves challenged with remote work, at a time when we may be dealing with personal matters or professional upheaval. Learning & Development invites you to gather and discuss how to care for ourselves and others in the current environment.

UC Santa Cruz joins the Association of Pacific Rim Universities

Joining the organization offers UC Santa Cruz another opportunity to widen institutional partnerships and relationships on a critically important international

Chancellor forum date announced

The date of the forum is Thursday, April 23 from 9:30–11 a.m. Chancellor Cynthia Larive will be joined by a number of folks from Staff Human Resources and the leadership team to address your concerns and questions.

Law enforcement efforts for public health order and “4-20"

On March 31, 2020, the Santa Cruz County Health Officer extended the previously issued Public Health Order (PHO), which is at least in effect through May 3, 2020. This order applies to UC Santa Cruz as well.

Planetary scientist Myriam Telus wins NASA Early Career Award

Myriam Telus, assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences, has received funding from NASA through the Planetary Science Early Career Award program to support her research in cosmochemistry,

Sad news about our campus employee

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that the campus shuttle driver who we had reported had tested positive for COVID-19 died earlier today of complications related to the virus at a local hospital.

New formation theory explains the mysterious interstellar object ‘Oumuamua

A new scenario based on computer simulations accounts for all of the observed characteristics of the first known interstellar object to visit our solar

Slugs help high school students choose higher education

Student organizers of SIO Weekend had to cancel their in-person event in February when COVID-19 began impacting campus. But instead of pulling the plug altogether, organizers opted to

Art Torres: UC Santa Cruz’s fifth alumni regent

Art Torres (Stevenson, ‘68, government), a former California state senator and former chair of the California Democratic Party, was named the fifth UC Santa Cruz alumnus to represent

UCSC transit driver tests positive for COVID-19

UC Santa Cruz was notified late Saturday that an employee who works in Transportation and Parking Services as a campus shuttle driver tested positive for COVID-19. Our thoughts are with this employee and their family. We wish them a quick recovery.

Commencement updates

Commencement is one of the best events of the year and recognizes the incredible accomplishments of our students as well as the communities that support our students’ success including staff and faculty members, families and friends. Because our campus will continue remote instruction through summer, we will not be able to come together as we traditionally do in June for in-person celebrations.

Humanities Dean candidate visits

I am happy to announce that starting April 13, four finalists for the Dean of Humanities position will be virtually visiting our campus.

Clarification of UCSC policy and expectations on funding researchers during the temporary cessation of non-essential on-campus research due to COVID-19

Over the past several weeks you have received a number of memos regarding employee pay during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are writing to further clarify UC policy and expectations with respect to pay for researchers during the temporary cessation of non-essential on-campus research due to COVID-19.

Summer Session — Remote Instruction for 2020

UC Santa Cruz will continue remote delivery of instruction through Summer Session 2020. Given what we know now, remote instruction is our best choice for the summer ahead.

Campus emergency directive closes trails and recreational spaces through April 15

Effective immediately, all UCSC campus trails and recreational spaces are closed and prohibited for use through April 15, 2020.

Mathematics Professor Martin Weissman wins 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship

Martin Weissman, professor of mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for

Broadcasting opportunity

Alumnus Rizal Aliga takes the KZSC model to his high school alma mater, establishing a student-run broadcasting club that builds school spirit while providing students with career and

Leadership forum for staff - please share your feedback

It is hard to know how to begin addressing the difficulties we have lived through this year. Numerous disruptions of varying nature have interrupted the learning, research, and work of our campus, to say nothing of cherished traditions and events we look forward to every year

New isomer separation method a boon for research on protein oxidation

UCSC chemists have developed an easy way to separate the stereoisomers of an oxidized amino acid that has important functions in protein

County temporarily closes parks, trails, beaches; CDC & California Department of Public Health recommend face coverings

Santa Cruz County has announced the temporary closure of all public parks, trails, trailheads and beaches from 11:59 p.m. April 8 to April 15. This new order is a supplement to the county’s existing shelter-in-place order.

Campus emergency directive closes trails and recreational spaces through April 15

Effective immediately, all UCSC campus trails and recreational spaces are closed and prohibited for use through April 15, 2020. Closure signs (in English and Spanish) are currently being posted at trailheads and recreational spaces (an initial list of locations is below and additional areas may receive signage). This directive follows the county's order to fight the spread of COVID-19 by sheltering in place. Please do your part, shelter in place, and only leave home to conduct essential activities.

On a mission for masks

Catherine Sonquist Forest is on an urgent mission to crowdsource, manufacture, and deliver cloth masks to those who need them the most in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties

On-campus parking refunds update

As you may have already seen from an earlier communication, parking permit requirements for regular, non-reserved parking spaces on campus, including the Coastal Sciences Campus and the Westside Research Park facility (2300 Delaware), will be temporarily suspended until May 3rd.

Joint Senate-Administration working group on graduate education

At the February 2020 Academic Senate meeting Chancellor Cynthia Larive announced the establishment of a working group to develop a comprehensive, realistic and actionable plan for strengthening graduate education.

Expect to see smoke near Arboretum, as burn piles planned for Friday

Campus work crews are planning to burn vegetation piles in and around the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum on Friday, April 10.

New program advances global and community health

As countries across the globe fight the coronavirus pandemic, UC Santa Cruz is creating a new program that will prepare students and provide research to solve current and

COVID-19: Economist helps build "contact tracing" app for Peru

In an effort to protect people from COVID-19, economist Kristian López Vargas helped lead the development of an app the Peruvian government has launched to improve "contact tracing"

Important information regarding residential relocation

On Sunday, March 29th, you received a notification that you may be required to move from your current campus residence to another space on campus for the remainder of the spring quarter. While the exact date of relocation and details related to your specific assignment have not yet been determined, we want to share more with you about why these moves are necessary.

On-campus permit requirement update

Effective April 8, 2020 through May 3, 2020, permit requirements for regular, non-reserved parking spaces on campus, including the Coastal Sciences Campus and the Westside Research Park facility (2300 Delaware), will continue to be temporarily suspended.

Spring quarter updates

The focused effort and flexibility our community has displayed in the transition to remote teaching, learning, and research for the final weeks of winter quarter, and now spring quarter, has been remarkable. Your instructors and the many staff members who support students and research at UC Santa Cruz have worked incredibly hard to ensure we can continue to carry out our mission.

Condemning online prejudice

We are deeply saddened and disappointed to hear about multiple instances of racist and offensive disruptions to class sessions held via Zoom. This behavior causes real harm and is not tolerated on our campus.

Genomics Institute launches landing page for COVID-19 data resources

The browser team at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute has launched a new landing page for resources related to the COVID-19

Raising funds for students in need

Hundreds of donors have kicked in more than $81,000 to boost the ongoing COVID-19 Slug Support Campaign, which is helping students in dire need because of the ongoing

A message to the UC community

We write today to acknowledge a new reality and to announce our decision to do all we can to support our UC family during this unprecedented time.

Discrimination, governance, and trust in the age of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life around the world, and is simultaneously triggering challenging questions of discrimination, governance, and trust, says sociologist Jenny

Grow your own veggies? Orin Martin offers tips for novice gardeners

Orin Martin is delighted that people are responding to the coronavirus pandemic with a desire to grow their own veggies, and he has lots of knowledge to share—as

Physics undergraduate wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Elizabeth Yunerman, a junior studying physics and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2020 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in

Careers of distinction

The recipients of this year’s UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni awards are leaders in their fields, advocating for the humanities, pioneering sustainable food practices, making breakthroughs

Updated guidance on campus operations based on extended Shelter in Place Order issued by the Santa Cruz Health Department

The UC Santa Cruz community continues to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are being proactive in maximizing physical distancing, while maintaining the critical operations needed to support students and employees who continue to live on campus, to facilitate remote learning, and to ensure the campus infrastructure is maintained and campus facilities are safe.

UCSC researchers are taking on the coronavirus challenge on multiple fronts

From developing diagnostic tests to conducting surveys of infection prevalence, campus researchers are doing what they can in response to the COVID-19

Moving Services to Pack and Ship Belongings

If you have already left campus and are unable to return to retrieve your belongings personally, you may need to contract with a personal moving service to pack your belongings and ship them to you.

Filling out census forms

An accurate 2020 census will help UC Santa Cruz immensely, and campus needs your help to ensure that happens!

UC Issues new Presidential Policy on Open Access for Theses and Dissertations

The new policy was developed in response to a March 2016 request from the Systemwide Library and Scholarly Information Advisory Committee (SLASIAC)