Pride and persistence

In a year of many challenges, the UC Santa Cruz community supported each other while advancing critical causes

December 15, 2020

UCSC expands COVID-19 testing during surge to support community needs

A gift from Bud and Rebecca Colligan will expand testing capacity and help fund a new, dedicated laboratory space to house the diagnostic lab in the Genomics Institute’s facilities at the Westside Research Park.

August 25, 2020

Threatened by wildfire, UC Santa Cruz campus shows it is 'Slug Strong'

Fast thinking and teamwork are keeping the UC Santa Cruz campus community safe during the devastating Lightning Complex fires as staff across campus coordinate in evacuating, relocating, and feeding displaced campus residents.

Workers pack meals in bags for families affected by wildland fires.

May 21, 2020

Eminent biologist Carol Greider to join UC Santa Cruz faculty

Known for her pioneering work on telomeres, Greider brings exceptional research and leadership skills to her appointment in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology.

September 10, 2020

High-fidelity record of Earth's climate history puts current changes in context

A continuous record of the past 66 million years shows natural climate variability due to changes in Earth’s orbit around the sun is much smaller than projected future warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.

Past and future trends in global mean temperature spanning the last 66 million years.

March 17, 2020

Sci-fi thriller 'Devs' uses prominent campus sites as key locations

Producers of 'Devs,' the sci-fi thriller that premiered March 5, 2020 on Hulu, were looking for just the right location to depict a high-tech corporate campus with a tinge of dystopia.

'Devs' production near the back side of McHenry Library

March 9, 2020

Pandemics expert: We need leadership, creative thinking, and government accountability as coronavirus spreads

Pulitzer Prize-winning science reporter Laurie Garrett calls for communities to work together to cope with the coronavirus, caring for the most vulnerable and fighting back against misinformation.

Laurie Garrett giving a presentation at PopTech conference

October 1, 2020

UCSC publishes online collection of 10,000 photos documenting over a century of Santa Cruz history

The University Library at UC Santa Cruz announced today the online publication of the Santa Cruz County Historic Photograph Collection, featuring original photographs and copy prints from 1866 to 1995.

A wave crashes against a castle structure in this black and white photo.

July 14, 2020

Scientists achieve first complete assembly of human X chromosome

The first end-to-end ('telomere-to-telomere') completely gapless DNA sequence of a human chromosome is a major milestone for genomics research.

The X chromosome is the first human chromosome to be completely sequenced from end to end

October 13, 2020

Challenging how we see the prison-industrial complex

An ambitious two-part exhibit, titled Barring Freedom and Visualizing Abolition, organized by the UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences, combines art and activism to address prison and policing issues.

A sculpture of hands holding a line on a white wall

May 5, 2020

Already vulnerable, gig economy workers in San Francisco suffer during coronavirus pandemic, survey reveals

A new survey of app-based ride-hailing and food and grocery-delivery workers in San Francisco underscores the financial vulnerability of workers in the gig economy—and the coronavirus has made their plight much worse.

A gig economy driver looks at this phone