News Briefs

CruzHacks 2021 to be held virtually January 15 to 17

Applications now open for hackers, mentors, and judges

STAR Awards program renewed for 2020-21

STAR awards are discretionary and may be awarded to employees for the purpose of recognizing and rewarding excellence in university service; significant achievements and contributions; and outstanding individual and team performance.

Campus publishes sixth edition of “inquiry@UC Santa Cruz” research magazine

The stories, crafted by alumni of the world-renowned UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Master’s Program, cover projects across the five academic devisions.

Campus launching Pathways to Retirement program for faculty

The formal launch of the PTR program will be in the winter 2021 quarter, and there will be a website with more information and resources available at that time.

Campus to host telecommuting roundtable on Nov. 20

Topics will include ergonomics, wellness and safety, technology and cybersecurity, accommodations, and leading hybrid and remote teams.

Best practices for hybrid and remote teams

Our work environment has changed dramatically. Our management and supervision practices are changing as a result.

Campus publishes reports on CARES Act funding

UC Santa Cruz has published two reports summarizing how it has used funding received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Big Ideas contest offers up to $20,000 for big ideas in social innovation

Big Ideas contest, open to all UC students, seeks student-led, early-stage projects or ideas with a social impact focus.

UC Santa Cruz study cited in arguments against gig economy proposition

The report, "On-demand and on-the-edge: Ride-hailing and Delivery Workers in San Francisco," underscores the financial vulnerability of workers in the gig economy.

Tech for Social Good student project funding now open for applications

Students can get up to $5,000 in funding for projects looking to solve societal challenges.

COVID-19 information forum

The next UC Santa Cruz COVID-19 Information Forum will be on Friday, October 23 from 9:30–11 a.m.

Chemistry grad student awarded DOE support for research at national lab

Vivien Cherrette, a graduate student in chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz, is among 52 outstanding U.S. graduate students to receive support from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program.

Focused on sustainability, UC Santa Cruz among Sierra's top 25 'Cool Schools'

The campus, No. 21 on Sierra's ranking, earned distinction for research, curriculum, and transportation.

Seed funding grants support plans for innovative research centers

The UCSC Office of Research has awarded seed funding to six campus research groups to support their efforts to develop innovative new research centers.

Wildfire relief grants awarded to employees, students

Through generous gifts from alumni, donors, and the campus community, UC Santa Cruz has been able to provide more than 60 grants to the employees who were most severely impacted.

Z Hacks 2020: An inclusive virtual hackathon for students

CITRIS at UCSC has been working with Santa Cruz Works, CSU Monterey Bay, and other community partners to plan an inclusive virtual hackathon for students.

Selfie contest supports the 2020 Census

To generate more awareness on the importance of completing the census form, campus has launched the first-ever Slugs for Census Selfie Contest.

Adwait Ratnaparkhi appointed executive director of Natural Language Processing program

The Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz has appointed Adwait Ratnaparkhi, former director of voice and natural language understanding R&D at Roku, as executive director of the new master’s degree program in Natural Language Processing.

Remote instruction resources and support

The remote instruction team is providing updates on instructional resources and available support.

Three interdisciplinary projects receive seed funding from UCSC Foundation

Three interdisciplinary projects have received seed funding from the UC Santa Cruz Foundation following a campuswide call for proposals issued by the Office of Research.

In Memoriam: Allison Endert

Campus to celebrate Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

In Memoriam: Maria Kerschen (1955–2020)

Maria Kerschen, who retired as assistant dean of planning and resource management from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences, passed away on May 22 in Eugene, Oregon.

Community conversation on celebrating self

Join us this Friday, June 5 for a conversation around self-care, and managing the challenges of Covid-19.

With a focus on public safety, Lick staff member turns to making masks

As a quilter with more than 40 years experience, Michele Redel decided to start making masks for the close-knit community at Lick Observatory.

Infectious disease expert Marm Kilpatrick to discuss COVID-19 on Friday, May 22

Marm Kilpatrick, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, will present “COVID19: The scientific basis for what we know and the exit strategy it provides” on Friday, May 22.

CITRIS Seed Funding program invites proposals for pandemic and disaster preparedness projects

CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Santa Cruz is inviting UCSC researchers to apply for research support for projects focused on providing solutions to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and disaster preparedness.

Video highlights cultural differences in collaboration

A video by Barbara Rogoff, distinguished professor of psychology, about how children learn to collaborate is featured in the 2020 STEM for All Video Showcase competition hosted by the National Science Foundation.

Enrollment opens for UCSC Summer Session Remote

Open enrollment is underway for UC Santa Cruz Summer Session, which offers a wide range of remote courses across multiple departments.

Double fellowships

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

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 the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 pandemic.

Postdoctoral fellowship supports planetary science research

Elizabeth Bailey has won a 51 Pegasi b Fellowship from the Heising-Simons Foundation for research at UC Santa Cruz on exoplanets and the formation of planetary systems.

Campus to host an additional scoping session for Long Range Development Plan

UC Santa Cruz has announced an additional online scoping session to provide people with another opportunity to provide public input for its Long Range Development Plan.

Alumna Laura Helmuth appointed editor-in-chief of 'Scientific American'

Laura Helmuth, a graduate of the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program, has been named the new editor-in-chief of 'Scientific American'.

Beware of online employment scams

In Memoriam: J. Casey Moore (1945–2020)

Casey Moore, professor emeritus of Earth and planetary sciences, died on Wednesday, March 11.

In Memoriam: Lloyd Robinson (1929–2020)

Lloyd Burdette Robinson died peacefully in his sleep on March 12, 2020. He was 90.

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.

Information sessions set for March 12 to review LRDP Environmental Impact Report process

Public agencies and members of the public are invited to two scoping sessions to learn more about the environmental review process for the UC Santa Cruz proposed Long Range Development Plan

Presentation on zombie insects wins Grad Slam top award

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.

In Memoriam: Thomas Schleich (1938–2020)

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.

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 Tara Hernandez.

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.

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 year.

CITRIS Core Seed Funding program invites proposals for 2020

The 2020 CITRIS Core Seed Funding program is now open for submissions.

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.