Year in review: Giving voice to the challenges of our time

With purpose-driven and persistent effort, we sought to advance justice, push the envelope of knowledge, and advocate for transformative change.

October 27, 2021

UC Santa Cruz advances commitment to social justice with College 10 naming in honor of John R. Lewis

College Ten—an undergraduate residential learning community founded on principles of social justice and community—will be named in honor of the late congressman and civil rights icon John R. Lewis.

John R. Lewis stands in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge

April 27, 2021

UC Santa Cruz named No. 3 public university for 'making an impact'

Underscoring a reputation of pushing for positive change, UC Santa Cruz has been named the No. 3 public university in the nation for students focused on making an impact on the world in the Princeton Review's latest college rankings.

A student examins a catepillar in a UC Santa Cruz greenhouse

March 5, 2021

The collapse of Northern California kelp forests will be hard to reverse

Most of Northern California's kelp forest ecosystem is gone, replaced by widespread 'urchin barrens' that may persist long into the future, according to a new study.

An urchin barren dominated by purple sea urchins

May 12, 2021

Virtual reality warps your sense of time

Psychology research demonstrates the unique 'time compression' effect of virtual reality.

A young person holding virtual reality goggles over their eyes.

October 5, 2021

Mellon Foundation award to support UC Santa Cruz's 'Visualizing Abolition' initiative

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $1,977,000 grant to support 'Visualizing Abolition,' the nation's most ambitious and sustained art and prison abolition initiative.

Solitary Garden, a public art project by New Orleans-based artist Jackie Sumell

December 2, 2021

Karen Tei Yamashita receives 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

Yamashita used her acceptance speech, in part, to emphasize the significance of this medal being awarded to an Asian-American writer "especially this year, post-pandemic, having weathered the Twitter absurdity, corruption, and mendacity; the brutality of racial profiling; and the provocation of anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, anti-Muslim, [and] anti-Asian hatred."

UC Santa Cruz emerita professor of literature Karen Tei Yamashita

September 27, 2021

NIH funds Center for Live Cell Genomics at UC Santa Cruz

The NIH Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science program has awarded $13.5 million over five years for a new center to advance genomics in biomedical research.

DNA strands viosualized with rainbow colors

October 21, 2021

Astronomers witnessed the spectacular death of a star as it happened

Observations with multiple telescopes yield new insights into the final stages in the evolution of a massive star before it exploded in a core-collapse supernova.

Supernova SN 2020fqv explode inside the interacting Butterfly galaxies.

March 29, 2021

Teens describe their gender and sexuality in diverse new ways, but some are being left behind

Psychology Professor Phil Hammack's latest research shows how regional differences and other social factors can either hinder or support expression of diversity in sexual and gender identity among teens and young adults.

Students gather together, one is draped with the LGTBQ+ flag

July 20, 2021

Blazing a Slug trail to the Olympics

Rhythmic gymnast Izzy Connor will be the first UC Santa Cruz student to compete in the Olympics—the result of years of both personal struggle and success.

Connor checks in with head coach Margarita Mamzina