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2021 Alumni News

December 22, 2021
Impacts of rainy weather on coronavirus outbreaks reveal economic benefits from earlier social distancing
Economists at UC Santa Cruz used rainy weather as a natural experiment to understand how communities across the U.S. that started some form of social distancing slightly earlier may have experienced significant economic benefits.
December 21, 2021
Hollywood trailblazer: Ally Walker
Oakes College alumna Ally Walker's career went from sequencing genomes to solving crimes on television
December 17, 2021
The importance of vaccine boosters, recognizing our 2021 accomplishments
The end of a calendar year naturally spurs reflection. It’s a time to think back on both the challenges we’ve faced individually and collectively, and to celebrate our accomplishments.
December 16, 2021
Tyler Stovall, renowned history professor and former humanities dean, dies at 67
Stovall was a faculty member of the UC Santa Cruz Humanities Division for 13 years, including three years serving as the chair of the History Department and provost of Stevenson College.
December 16, 2021
Alumna bell hooks—celebrated feminist theorist, cultural critic, artist, and writer—dies at 69
bell hooks was the author of over two dozen books that ranged from the groundbreaking text 'Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism' to her deeply felt memoir 'Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood'.
December 15, 2021
UC Santa Cruz receives Mellon Foundation humanities grant to investigate race, biomedicine
Faculty and students at UC Santa Cruz will critically investigate the relationships among medicine, race, and the environment both in the United States and in other regions of the globe shaped by the influence of American medicine.
December 13, 2021
In Memoriam: Paul Niebanck (1934-2021)
Paul Niebanck, professor emeritus of environmental studies and founding provost of Rachel Carson College, passed away on November 26, 2021.
December 06, 2021
New study shows plants struggle to keep pace with climate change in human-dominated landscapes
A new global-scale analysis found a mismatch between plant phenology and rising temperatures that was more pronounced in the most human-dominated landscapes, especially crop lands.
December 03, 2021
Stepping up to fight food insecurity
UC Santa Cruz has expanded its annual Second Harvest Holiday Food and Fund Drive to help boost donations—needed now more than ever in the wake of the pandemic, wildfires, and economic turmoil.
December 02, 2021
Holiday gifts that challenge gender stereotypes can support children’s development
Distinguished Professor of Psychology Campbell Leaper explains the issues with gender stereotypes in children’s toys and shares gift-giving tips that may help counteract the effects.
November 30, 2021
John D. Pine to serve as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement
John D. Pine will lead a team that will build the strategic direction, organizational design, and long-term goals for alumni engagement, collaborating with the Alumni Association, colleagues in University Relations, and partners throughout the campus.
November 30, 2021
Priya Mehta to serve as Associate Vice Chancellor for Development
The Associate Vice Chancellor for Development is a pivotal leadership role on campus, and involves working at the highest levels internally and externally to generate philanthropic support for the university.
November 24, 2021
UC Santa Cruz ranked No. 3 green college
Princeton Review evaluates schools based on institutional data as well as a 10-question student survey.
November 23, 2021
Reviving deep-rooted knowledge
The Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the Arboretum & Botanic Garden aims to assist the tribe's efforts in cultural revitalization, recuperation and relearning of dormant cultural knowledge, and environmental justice.
November 23, 2021
Uncovering the politics behind a pandemic
The latest paper from Politics Professor and Global & Community Health Executive Director Matt Sparke argues that the coronavirus pandemic has exposed, exploited, and exacerbated the vulnerabilities of neoliberal societies around the world.
November 23, 2021
Taking precautions when traveling; public comment on policy on bullying/abusive conduct, proposing additional student housing at Kresge
As we near the end of the fall quarter, I want to extend my best wishes to all Banana Slugs, near and far, and to express my gratitude for how you have made this quarter possible.
November 23, 2021
Tony Cobb brings lessons from the hardscrabble to key leadership role
At an early age, Tony Cobb learned to pay attention to details and give his all—skills he's brought to UC Santa Cruz as the new associate vice chancellor for Physical Planning, Development and Operations.
November 23, 2021
New grant to support Dickens Project programming in year ahead
The programming in 2022 is focused on questions of race and social justice in the 19th century and today, with the summer's Dickens Universe event broadening its purview by pairing a British novel with an African-American novel.
November 19, 2021
UC Santa Cruz campus voting skyrocketed in 2020
A nationwide study shows student voting at UC Santa Cruz increased dramatically in last year’s presidential election, and these gains came at roughly double the average rate of increase across more than 1,000 college campuses around the country.
November 19, 2021
Statement on not guilty verdict in Rittenhouse trial
We are disheartened and dismayed by this morning's not guilty verdict on all charges in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. We join in solidarity with all who are outraged by this failure of accountability.
November 18, 2021
Alumnus David Young is transforming the field of AI-driven digital artwork
Baskin Engineering alumnus David Young (Crown ‘86, computer and information science) employs AI tools to create digital artwork.
November 17, 2021
New program helps to increase number of Latinx teachers
The Latinx Initiative for Future Teachers (LIFT) program enables students to finish a master’s in education and earn credentials for teaching in 12 months.
November 16, 2021
Widening the spectrum of gratitude with IndigeThanx
IndigeThanx, an annual event sponsored by UC Santa Cruz’s American Indian Resource Center and Cowell Coffee Shop, offers an alternative to Thanksgiving.
November 16, 2021
Jazz virtuoso Charles Tolliver to reimagine Coltrane’s iconic ‘Africa/Brass’ on 60th anniversary
UC Santa Cruz will celebrate the 60th anniversary of John Coltrane’s iconic 'Africa/Brass' with jazz virtuoso Charles Tolliver joining the UC Santa Cruz Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Choir in a reimagining of the work.
November 16, 2021
$8.8 million federal grant to help teens succeed in college
GEAR UP is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
November 15, 2021
Exhibit showcases remarkable lives of everyday Santa Cruz residents
Sponsored by The Humanities Institute and curated by THI’s Summer Public Fellow Morgan Gates, 'Do You Know My Name?' highlights the stories of everyday Santa Cruzans throughout the region’s history who were neither rich nor famous but whose lives are remarkable.
November 15, 2021
National award recognizes economics professor’s research for revealing outsized pandemic impacts on minority-owned businesses
Economics Professor Robert Fairlie recently received the Bradford-Osborne Research Award for a paper he released in August 2020 that showed minority-owned businesses were affected by pandemic-related closures at higher rates.
November 09, 2021
Instructional Support Corps develop resources to support TAs, faculty, students
The Instructional Support Corps was a group of 17 graduate student fellows from across the divisions who developed instructional resources in preparation for the Fall Quarter that continue to help teaching assistants and faculty—and students.
November 05, 2021
Talk to focus on subpar treatment of Native women with tuberculosis
Caitlin Keliiaa, a historian and assistant professor, will be presenting her talk, “Settler Colonialism is a Sickness: How Federal Indian Health Failed Native Women,” a discussion on the young Native women who contracted TB, but received subpar treatment—or no help at all—due to their ethnicity.
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.
October 27, 2021
College Ten to be named for civil rights icon John R. Lewis
Today is a momentous day for UC Santa Cruz and for our extended campus community. I am thrilled and honored to announce that College Ten will be named John R. Lewis College.
October 26, 2021
Reclaiming Coast Miwok history through Indigenous interpretations of archaeology
Assistant Professor of Anthropology Tsim Schneider's latest book gathers and interprets archival and archaeological evidence in new ways that combat the erasure of Indigenous peoples from historical narratives.
October 26, 2021
Ryan Sharp to serve as assistant vice chancellor for Innovation and Business Engagement
For the past six years, Sharp has worked in UC Davis’s Venture Catalyst unit, which focuses on supporting faculty, students, staff, alumni, and technology licensees in launching and growing new startups based on translational research, intellectual property, and innovative ideas developed at the university.
October 19, 2021
CASFS will become the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology
The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) will get a new name, logo, and look and feel through a rebranding project that affirms the center’s commitment to advancing agroecology and equitable food systems.
October 18, 2021
New book shares lessons from history on the case for Senate reform
In his new book, Professor of Politics Daniel Wirls uses historical research and modern-day analysis to argue that features of the Senate undermine effective democratic governance and have contributed to the maintenance of white supremacy.
October 14, 2021
Library invited to join prestigious Association of Research Libraries
The ARL is a nonprofit membership organization of more than 120 libraries and archives at major public and private universities, federal government agencies, and large public institutions in the United States and Canada.
October 13, 2021
Reimagining our economy for the benefit of all
Faculty members at UC Santa Cruz and the University of Southern California released a new book that offers a road map and conceptual framework for equity-driven economic reform in the United States.
October 13, 2021
College Scholars Program exposes students to research opportunities
Through the College Scholars Program, students are able to explore the full potential of the university setting, beyond the coursework that might be required in their respective disciplines.
October 12, 2021
Ensuring student success in both the short and long term
This wide-ranging effort will increase financial support for our undergraduate and graduate students, and advance their access to the guidance and experiences fundamental to their education and ultimately future success.
October 08, 2021
Arts convocation spotlights excellence and inclusion
Renowned conductor Kent Nagano was honored with the inaugural Distinguished Banana Slug Arts Award by the new Arts Dean Celine Shimizu. Shimizu spoke to the power of music and the arts in a time of ‘solemn joy' during the Arts Convocation.
October 05, 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.
October 01, 2021
Professor’s TED talk on body ideals warns against ‘conflation of appearance with health’
UC Santa Cruz professor and medical anthropologist Nancy Chen gave a popular TED Salon talk that has been viewed more than 780,000 times online.
September 30, 2021
Graduate student studying New Orleans' Latin American connections
Rafael Delgadillo, a UC Santa Cruz doctoral student in Latin American and Latino Studies, is looking at how New Orleans' colonial foundations set a tone for its distinctiveness within the United States.
September 28, 2021
Wild, wild life
Alumnus Sebastian Kennerknecht cares so deeply about animals that he built a career in wildlife conservation photography to help fight for their survival.
September 28, 2021
Slug Strong update: small number of campus cases, flu shots available
The fall quarter has been off to a great start. We are so proud of how everyone has risen to the challenges of providing proof of vaccination, getting tested and wearing masks.
September 24, 2021
New BBQueer Fest dance and arts festival co-produced by UCSC dance professor Gerald Casel
Beginning on September 30, Santa Cruz will host the first annual BBQueer Fest—a four-day dance and arts festival organized by and for QTBIPOC artists and community members.
September 24, 2021
Mellon Foundation grant will support national initiative in Latinx studies
Through a three-year, $5 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, UC Santa Cruz will be part of a national initiative in Latinx studies called “Crossing Latinidades: Emerging Scholars and New Comparative Directions.”
September 24, 2021
In Memoriam: David Kaun
Professor Emeritus of Economics David Kaun, a pioneer faculty member, passed away on Sept. 9. He served in the Economics Department for about 50 years and was also a generous donor to many causes, both at UC Santa Cruz and in the broader community.
September 23, 2021
Stellar new faculty strengthen campus research, teaching
To build on existing research strength and branch into new areas of inquiry, UC Santa Cruz has recruited 40 new tenure-track faculty members for the academic year that starts this week.
September 22, 2021
Alumna Kathryn Sullivan appointed to President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
President Biden has announced 30 of the most distinguished leaders in science and technology as members of his President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), including UCSC alumna Kathryn Sullivan.
September 21, 2021
UC Santa Cruz releases final Environmental Impact Report for LRDP
UC Santa Cruz has released the Final Environmental Impact Report that supports the proposed 2021 Long Range Development Plan.
September 21, 2021
Slug Strong Update: Successful move-in; asymptomatic testing available
Each week, we will provide the campus with helpful updates and summaries of the measures underway to support the health and well-being of our UC Santa Cruz community.
September 20, 2021
Move-in 2021: Relief and excitement as students return to campus
A campus kept quiet for 18 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic came back to life as students moved in before the start of the fall quarter.
September 20, 2021
With AAU, HSI distinctions, UC Santa Cruz to join in discussion on serving, supporting Latinx students
UC Santa Cruz—one of only four universities that is both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and a member of the Association of American Universities—will be represented in a panel discussion, “A Critical Dialogue on Leading Innovation, Scholarship, and Solutions Centered on Servingness.”
September 15, 2021
Felicity Schaeffer named Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies
Felicity Amaya Schaeffer, the new Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies, plans to address the most pressing issues of the department’s focus on social justice.
September 14, 2021
Pairing research excellence and status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, UC Santa Cruz launching new programs to advance educational equity
Committed to creating educational equity that will help lead to real, transformative change, UC Santa Cruz will launch an array of new programs to support the success of Latinx, low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students and prepare them for rewarding careers once they graduate.
September 14, 2021
The writing on the wall: exploring the cultural value of graffiti and street art
Doctoral candidate’s research interprets graffiti’s deeper meaning among Latinx and Black urban subcultures in Los Angeles.
September 14, 2021
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
September provides our campus with two platforms to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans and share with the public the important role UC Santa Cruz and other universities play in creating educational equity.
September 13, 2021
Giving Day 2021: Widening the circle of support
Giving Day, UC Santa Cruz’s wildly successful and fast-paced 24-hour crowdfunding contest, returns on November 3, with a strong emphasis on programs designed to support students in these challenging times.
September 13, 2021
Karen Tei Yamashita to receive 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
UC Santa Cruz emerita professor of literature Karen Tei Yamashita will be awarded the 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards.
September 09, 2021
Downtown Day to welcome UCSC students back to downtown
The celebration, scheduled for Sept. 24, is a chance for new and returning students and the community to connect with downtown Santa Cruz.
September 07, 2021
UC Santa Cruz course tutorial wins national online learning award
Three UC Santa Cruz staff members have been honored for creating an online instruction tutorial last year after the campus shut down and suspended in-person teaching because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
September 02, 2021
Psychologist shares tips for studying smarter this school year
Assistant Professor of Psychology Hannah Hausman and colleagues translated findings from more than 100 research papers to offer students and teachers a guiding framework and practical tips for making the most of study time.
August 31, 2021
Fundraising push seeks to bring Afghan thought leaders to safety on UCSC campus
UC Santa Cruz has launched an Afghanistan Visiting Scholars Emergency Support Fund, which aims to raise $100,000 before midnight, Sept. 3. as part of an effort place at least two at-risk Afghans into visiting scholar appointments.
August 24, 2021
Humanities Institute and Bookshop Santa Cruz offer evening with bestselling author Sandra Cisneros
UCSC’s Humanities Institute is co-sponsoring a special online event with Bookshop Santa Cruz, featuring Sandra Cisneros, in conversation with Emmy Award-winning journalist Rubén Martínez, to celebrate her new book, "Martita, I Remember You / Martita, te recuerdo."
August 24, 2021
Search for Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Success now underway
The leadership recruitment for Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Success has begun. The position drives UC Santa Cruz’s campuswide commitment to promote equity, inclusion, and a sense of well-being for all students, enabling them to thrive academically, professionally, and personally.
August 24, 2021
KZSC to celebrate California Public Radio Day on Aug. 26
KZSC (88.1 FM) will participate in California Public Radio Day, which is meant to create awareness for the vital public service public radio brings to communities.
August 23, 2021
Experts weigh in on the future of drought management
UC Santa Cruz experts share insights on how technological innovations and long-term policy vision could help protect water supply.
August 18, 2021
The legacy is in the soil
Acclaimed chef/farmer and CASFS apprenticeship graduate Matthew Raiford will share his heritage-based approach to food and farming during an August 25 event on campus.
August 17, 2021
UCSC theater arts alumna nominated for Emmy Award in television writing
UC Santa Cruz theater arts alumna Ashley Nicole Black is on a roll. The 36-year-old comedian has the distinction of being nominated twice in the same category of television writing for the upcoming 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards.
August 16, 2021
In Memoriam: Hardy Frye
Professor Emeritus of Sociology Hardy T. Frye passed away in June. He was a lifelong proponent for diversity in education, a steadfast civil rights advocate, and a renowned scholar of political organizing.
August 16, 2021
Alumnus Nicholas St. Fleur wins top award for young science journalists
Nicholas St. Fleur, a 2014 graduate of UCSC's Science Communication Program, has received the 2021 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award from the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, the top annual prize in the U.S. for science journalists age 30 or younger.
August 10, 2021
Preserving the caring, compassion that helped us through the CZU wildfire
Watching the wildfires now burning throughout California takes me back to the anxious, uncertain days one year ago when the CZU Lightning Complex wildfire was burning through our county.
August 09, 2021
Doctoral candidate’s award-winning research documents experiences of Latina girls growing up in rural California
UC Santa Cruz graduate student Roxanna Villalobos recently won a national dissertation scholarship award from Sociologists for Women in Society that will support her research with Latina girls in rural California.
August 02, 2021
Switzer Fellowship will help graduate student engage communities in climate planning
Coastal Science and Policy Program master’s student Diana Fu won a Switzer Foundation fellowship to support her work advancing environmental justice through climate change adaptation.
July 30, 2021
Climate change poses threat to ‘tuna dependent’ Pacific Islands economies
Shifting distributions of key tuna species could have serious economic impacts for island nations in the Western and Central Pacific, according to a new paper coauthored by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Katherine Seto.
July 29, 2021
Oakes Founding Provost J. Herman Blake receives lifetime achievement award
Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Founding Provost of Oakes College J. Herman Blake is being recognized by the American Sociology Association for his distinguished career spent advancing access and equity in education.
July 22, 2021
Dickens Universe celebrates 40th anniversary with ‘A Christmas Carol’
This summer, the Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz—the largest multi-campus consortium on Victorian studies in the world—will present the 40th year of the Dickens Universe, a week of intense study and festivities.
July 22, 2021
Racial and colonial histories offer insights on refugee crisis in ‘The Black Mediterranean’
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Camilla Hawthorne coedited a first-of-its-kind new book called "The Black Mediterranean," which examines the African diaspora within the region.
July 20, 2021
Susana Ruiz awarded ACLS digital grant to develop VR documentary of 2011 Egyptian Uprising
UC Santa Cruz assistant film and digital media professor Susana Ruiz has received a 2021 Digital Extension Grant of $150,000 from The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) for her project, Arab Data Bodies: Social Media in Mixed Reality.
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.
July 15, 2021
Statistical analysis quantifies how chemistry undergraduates benefit from graduate student diversity
A study of chemistry lab courses at UC Santa Cruz suggests that diversity among graduate student teaching assistants may be among the most essential factors in retaining underrepresented minority undergraduates in STEM courses.
July 13, 2021
‘Precarity & Belonging’ captures insights from global discussion of citizenship, migration, socioeconomic mobility
A new book from an interdisciplinary group of UC Santa Cruz scholars culminates more than five years of collaborative research and discussion that positioned the university as a convener of global thought leaders.
July 06, 2021
Library’s new Community Archiving Program to broaden scope of Regional History Project
The University Library has announced the establishment of a new Community Archiving Program that will build on the foundation of its decades-old Regional History Project.
July 02, 2021
Unusual currents explain mysterious red crab strandings
New findings suggest that abnormal ocean currents cause the occasional appearance of pelagic red crabs outside their native range.
July 02, 2021
Quantitative ecologist Kai Zhu wins NSF funding for climate change research and education
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Kai Zhu won an NSF CAREER award to support research and education focused on the interconnections between climate change and plant phenology.
July 02, 2021
New research on aquaculture feed will test alternative ingredients to help minimize water pollution
A new grant will support UC Santa Cruz’s ecological aquaculture lab in their efforts to increase the variety and quality of low-polluting aquaculture feed options available to fish farmers.
June 29, 2021
Jonathan Fortney garners Simons Investigator in Astrophysics award
The $500,000 award from the Simons Foundation will support Fortney’s research on planetary atmospheres.
June 23, 2021
Tracking data show how the quiet of pandemic-era lockdowns allowed pumas to venture closer to urban areas
During regional shelter-in-place orders, declining levels of human mobility emboldened local pumas to use habitats they would normally avoid out of fear of humans.
June 22, 2021
Nathaniel Deutsch’s ‘A Fortress in Brooklyn’ reveals provocative counter-history of American Jewry
A new book by UC Santa Cruz history professor Nathaniel Deutsch details how a group of determined Holocaust survivors survived in one of the roughest parts of New York City—reshaping the urban landscape of postwar Brooklyn.
June 21, 2021
New study shows how loss of drought-sensitive species could affect health of California grasslands
At a grassland site near San Jose, scientists studied experimental research plots to determine what might happen if the plants that ecologists expect to be hit hardest by drought actually disappeared.
June 18, 2021
Searching for answers in the cosmos
Alumna Olivia Ross, winner of this year's prestigious Steck Award, took on the daunting quest of trying to find primordial black holes. Her faculty mentor calls this young, tireless scientist a "one-in-a-generation gem."
June 16, 2021
Hydrologist Margaret Zimmer wins NSF CAREER Award
Margaret Zimmer, assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences, has received an award from the National Science Foundation to support her research on the role of Earth’s subsurface in regulating the water cycle.
June 15, 2021
Dialogues, collaborations, and the success of 'slow science'
With funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, the new Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions Initiative takes a methodical approach to worldwide social and environmental challenges
June 10, 2021
Pulitzer Prize-winning UCSC alumnus Jeffrey Stewart gives keynote address at Humanities Spring Awards
UC Santa Cruz alumnus Jeffrey Stewart (Cowell College ’71, philosophy) delivered the keynote address at the annual event celebrating the achievements of students, faculty, and alumni of the Humanities Division.
June 10, 2021
Peter F. Biehl Named Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Peter F. Biehl as vice provost and dean of the Division of Graduate Studies. Biehl will take up the post on July 1.
June 09, 2021
Claire Max to retire as director of UC Observatories
Claire Max, director of the University of California Observatories (UCO) and the Bachmann professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, will retire at the end of June.
June 09, 2021
Doctoral student wins Ford Foundation fellowship for work on gender, race, and policing
Uriel Serrano recently won a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship to support his research on how gender ideologies are formed in relation to carceral violence.
June 09, 2021
Research partnership will highlight STEM learning in local community garden
A grant from the Spencer Foundation will help UC Santa Cruz researchers document the many types of STEM learning taking place in a Latinx immigrant-led community garden in Watsonville.
June 07, 2021
Axions could be the fossil of the universe researchers have been waiting for
A new study suggests finding the hypothetical particles known as axions could mean finding out for the first time what happened in the universe a second after the Big Bang.
June 07, 2021
Snowflake morays can feed on land, swallow prey without water
While most fish need water to feed, the unique anatomy of moray eels gives snowflake morays the ability to grab and swallow prey on land.
June 02, 2021
Social Sciences Division celebrates outstanding students
The Social Sciences Division is recognizing 21 students for excellence in scholarship and research.
June 01, 2021
Celebrating Pride Month
With the start of June, which is Pride Month, we reaffirm our support of UC Santa Cruz’s LGBTQIA+ community, and the push to build an inclusive, and more equitable world, where all are respected, treated equally, and provided equal opportunities regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
May 28, 2021
Professor Karen Holl wins MacArthur Foundation endowed chair to support work on natural climate solutions
Environmental Studies Professor Karen Holl has been awarded the MacArthur Foundation Chair at UC Santa Cruz for her work to increase the effectiveness of forest restoration efforts in combating climate change.
May 27, 2021
Exhibition explores the art of creating comfort in a year of unexpected hardship and isolation
Twelve of UCSC's most promising artists will have their work on display in the 35th annual Irwin Scholarship exhibition, beginning June 3, at The Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery.
May 26, 2021
Visualizing global representation for Indigenous nations
A new book by Professor of Sociology and Legal Studies Hiroshi Fukurai shows how Indigenous “original nations” around the world are fighting for sovereignty and the ecological preservation of their ancestral homelands.
May 26, 2021
Somalia’s fight for God-given rights
The latest book from Politics and Legal Studies Professor Mark Fathi Massoud challenges Western notions of Islam and secular law-making by revealing how Somali Muslims have embraced Sharia as a force for progress and liberation.
May 25, 2021
Growing heritage and healing through traditional Asian vegetables
Faculty, staff, and alumni are drawing upon and strengthening their cultural heritage and connection to Asian foodways to cultivate traditional vegetables.
May 24, 2021
‘We Are What We Eat’: Alice Waters to celebrate new book in live event with Michael Pollan
Renowned chef and food activist Alice Waters will be in conversation with bestselling author Michael Pollan at a live virtual event presented by Bookshop Santa Cruz and Extended Session, and co-sponsored by UCSC’s Humanities Institute.
May 23, 2021
UC collaboration launches first online course in the Punjabi language
The first online Punjabi language course for University of California students that launched earlier this year is a collaboration of several UC campuses, centered on UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis.
May 20, 2021
A shot in the arm
Six UC Santa Cruz community members tell the tale of getting the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.
May 20, 2021
Study shows which North American mammals live most successfully alongside people
Researchers analyzed camera trap data from across the continent to better understand how particular species of mammals respond to different types of human disturbance.
May 19, 2021
UC Santa Cruz names Celine Parreñas Shimizu new dean of Arts Division
UC Santa Cruz has appointed award-winning filmmaker and film scholar Celine Parreñas Shimizu as dean of the Arts Division, effective July 1.
May 17, 2021
Climate change sends tropical species racing to higher elevations while temperate counterparts lag behind
A new paper shows that, in mountain habitats, species' responses to rising temperatures vary by latitude, but researchers fear there may be no clear winners among these strategies.
May 14, 2021
Student-led mentorship program offers holistic support
The Kuya-Ate Mentorship Program is a student-initiated retention project targeted to, but not limited to, Pilipino/x students at UC Santa Cruz. In addition to providing mentorship opportunities, KAMP also offers academic and social and cultural support.
May 12, 2021
Alumna Reyna Grande wins Latino Spirit Award for Achievement in Literature & Advocacy
UC Santa Cruz alumna Reyna Grande (Kresge '99, B.A. creative writing, film & video) has received a 2021 Latino Spirit Award from the California Latino Legislative Caucus.
May 12, 2021
Virtual reality warps your sense of time
Psychology research demonstrates the unique "time compression" effect of virtual reality.
May 06, 2021
Creating a soundtrack and adding a heartbeat to the struggle for prison abolition
UCSC’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will present ‘Music for Abolition'--an artist panel featuring three-time Grammy-award winning musician Terri Lyne Carrington with a dozen prominent guest musicians.
May 05, 2021
UCSC achieves fair-trade status through the work of students
UC Santa Cruz passed a fair trade resolution that reflects its commitment to join the efforts of the Fair Trade Colleges & Universities, a division of Fair Trade Campaigns.
May 04, 2021
Strauss Foundation award recognizes student’s work with families affected by incarceration
Legal studies undergraduate Matt Sioson recently won $15,000 in funding from the Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation.
May 04, 2021
Emergency team shows flexibility in dynamic year
From deploying personal protective gear to managing a wildfire response, the staff in the Office of Emergency Services had to be flexible and focused.
May 04, 2021
Preserving the legacy of Watsonville’s first Filipino immigrants
In partnership with the university, the community-led Tobera Project will develop an oral history archive and digital exhibition to be housed at McHenry Library.
April 29, 2021
Fellowship win supports doctoral candidate’s research on national security policy
Cesar Estrella, a Ph.D. candidate in Latin American and Latino studies, won an American Council of Learned Societies fellowship to support his study of the ideologies that drive U.S. national security policy.
April 28, 2021
2021-22 Dickson Emeritus awards support faculty research in history, literature, and psychology
Karen Yamashita, professor emerita of literature; Dana Frank, research professor in history; and Thomas Pettigrew, research professor in psychology, were each awarded Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorships in recognition of their outstanding achievements in scholarship and teaching.
April 28, 2021
Alumni Week was a virtual smorgasbord for nostalgic Banana Slugs
Banana Slugs showed off their creativity and adaptability during last week’s all-virtual Alumni Week, a celebration that made the most of its online format and featured more than 70 live events from April 19–25.
April 28, 2021
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
PBSci Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.
April 27, 2021
Faculty experts share pandemic-era lessons for the future of K-12 education
UC Santa Cruz researchers who have studied the pandemic’s impact on K-12 education share lessons they hope will be remembered for the future.
April 23, 2021
Three UCSC professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Angela Davis, distinguished professor emerita of history of consciousness and feminist studies; James Estes, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology; and Barbara Rogoff, distinguished professor of psychology, are among the newly elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
April 23, 2021
Professor Anne Kapuscinski will speak at upcoming Nobel Prize Summit
Environmental Studies Professor Anne Kapuscinski, director of the UC Santa Cruz Coastal Science and Policy program, will present recommendations on strengthening sustainability education during the “Our Planet, Our Future” Nobel Prize Summit next week.
April 21, 2021
UC Santa Cruz and United Way partner to empower youth through research in local communities
A research partnership between UC Santa Cruz and United Way of Santa Cruz County will offer local youth and UCSC undergraduates new leadership platforms and support college-readiness and success.
April 20, 2021
Enabling women and girls to achieve their potential
Alumna Ann Starrs, director of family planning at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, came to reproductive health work from a steadfast commitment—strengthened by her time at UC Santa Cruz—to feminism, gender equality, and women’s empowerment.
April 19, 2021
Live reading of The Comedy of Errors to benefit new scholarship for theater students
UCSC’s Arts Division will present a live virtual reading of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors on Friday, April 23, to honor Theater Arts professor Danny Sheie, who is retiring this year after three decades at the campus.
April 16, 2021
Alumna Terri McCullough, chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will make a virtual campus visit for Alumni Week
This year’s Alumni Week will feature a virtual fireside chat with Terri McCullough, an Oakes '91 politics alumna who is now chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
April 15, 2021
Honoring UC Santa Cruz’s 2021 Distinguished Graduate School Alumni
The five recipients of this year’s Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni Award will be honored for their achievements during a Zoom-based webinar award ceremony on Saturday, April 24. The event will celebrate the 2020 and 2021 honorees.
April 15, 2021
Two UC Santa Cruz arts professors receive 2021 Guggenheim Fellowships
Film and digital media professor Irene Lusztig and art professor Elizabeth Stephens were among the 184 artists, writers, scholars, and scientists selected this year from nearly 3,000 applicants to receive Guggenheim Fellowships.
April 13, 2021
Inaugural Banana Slug Share sessions will add life and learning to Alumni Week
The spirit of "paying it forward" infuses UC Santa Cruz’s inaugural Banana Slug Share Sessions, in which alumni will provide hard-won advice about everything from kombucha-making to the interpretation of dreams. These sessions are among the highlights of UC Santa Cruz's virtual Alumni Week 2021.
April 13, 2021
Study of U.S. tuna fisheries explores nexus of climate change, sustainable seafood
A new study by researchers at UC Santa Cruz and NOAA examines traditional aspects of seafood sustainability alongside greenhouse gas emissions to better understand the carbon footprint of U.S. tuna fisheries.
April 12, 2021
UCSC's Van Williams discusses diversity in IT at Stanford event
Speaking at the second “Conversations with Extraordinary Leaders” at Stanford University last month, Van Williams, vice chancellor of information technology and strategic technology initiatives at UC Santa Cruz, said designing for diversity and inclusivity within organizations requires planning.
April 12, 2021
Sharing insights from more than six decades of social psychology research
New book by Professor Emeritus Thomas Pettigrew distills themes across his storied career
April 09, 2021
Inaugural Hayden White lecture to explore the afterlife of slavery with author Saidiya Hartman
Award-winning literary scholar and cultural historian Saidiya Hartman will be the featured guest at the inaugural Hayden V. White Distinguished Annual Lecture, a virtual event that takes place on April 19.
April 06, 2021
UC Santa Cruz to launch new support center to advance the university’s innovation, industry engagement
UC Santa Cruz is launching a new support center to advance innovation, entrepreneurship and business engagement that will leverage the campus’s innovative spirit and be guided by its deep commitment to environmental and social justice.
April 06, 2021
Marco Rolandi appointed faculty director of UCSC Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development
UC Santa Cruz has appointed Marco Rolandi, professor and chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering, to serve as faculty director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED).
April 06, 2021
Alumni Week 2021: Bringing the festivities to you!
UC Santa Cruz's all-virtual Alumni Week will offer both Slugs and the community a wide menu of smart, interesting, and just-plain-fun events, wherever you may be on the globe.
April 06, 2021
Proud Slugs making a difference through public service
A Superior Court judge. The director of the public art program for Los Angeles. A defense attorney. They all believe in public service, and they all say their time at UC Santa Cruz changed their lives in permanent ways.
April 02, 2021
Event to focus on the case for Black reparations
“Reparations for Black Americans: The Road to Racial Equality in California and Beyond,” hosted on April 15 by the Institute for Social Transformation, will feature a discussion with leading experts and advocates of reparations.
April 01, 2021
UCSC awarded three 2021 VOICE grants from UC National Center for Free Speech
UC Santa Cruz has received three awards from the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement's Valuing Open and Inclusive Conversation and Engagement (VOICE) Grant Program.
March 30, 2021
Marking fifth year, Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning plays vital role in campus mission
The center will celebrate its fifth anniversary April 14 with a convocation featuring Estela Bensimon, professor of higher education at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education and director of the Center for Urban Education, which she founded in 1999.
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.
March 25, 2021
Staff member guides students on path to higher education
Osiris Ortiz has spent nearly two decades helping the regions high school students pursue four-year degrees through her work at the Educational Partnership Center.
March 25, 2021
UC Santa Cruz faculty recognized for excellence in ecology
The Ecological Society of America announced its 2021 Fellow and Early Career Fellow awards, and UC Santa Cruz’s faculty were the most decorated of any university on this year’s list.
March 24, 2021
Three decades of connections, encouragement, and programs
UCSC's African American Resource and Cultural Center, this year celebrating its 30th anniversary, has created meaningful change for students of color and become a key part of the university community.
March 23, 2021
'Another glass ceiling shattered'
UC Santa Cruz student Gina Schneider became a part of history as one of the first women in the U.S. to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.
March 22, 2021
Founding UC Santa Cruz professor and revered literary and cultural critic Harry Berger Jr. dies at 96
Harry Berger Jr., professor emeritus of literature and art history at UC Santa Cruz, died on March 12, 2021, at age 96. An internationally recognized scholar and founding UCSC faculty member, Berger was known for a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary approach that goes far beyond traditional academic boundaries.
March 18, 2021
UC Santa Cruz joins new consortium to ensure future of SlaveVoyages database
UC Santa Cruz has joined a newly formed consortium of institutions to ensure the preservation, stability, and future development of what has become the single most widely used online resource for anyone interested in slavery across the Atlantic world.
March 18, 2021
UCSC professor contributes to new study showing how parts of the US will ‘tropicalize’ as climate changes
Environmental Studies Professor Michael Loik is a coauthor on a new paper describing how warming winters are allowing some tropical plants and animals to replace temperate communities in southern portions of the country.
March 18, 2021
New analysis shows potential for ‘solar canals’ in California
UC Santa Cruz researchers and their partners published a new study that suggests covering California’s water delivery canals with solar panels could be an economically viable means of advancing renewable energy and water conservation.
March 18, 2021
UC Regents approve UC Santa Cruz plan to increase student housing, expand child care
Recognizing the critical role housing plays in supporting student success, the University of California Board of Regents reapproved a project that will significantly increase the number of current UC Santa Cruz students who are able to live on campus.
March 17, 2021
Statement against Anti-Asian racism and violence
This tragedy highlights an escalating pattern of anti-Asian hate crimes that we have seen in our region and country over the past year.
March 16, 2021
Campus holds first Sexual Violence Sexual Harassment Research Symposium
UC Santa Cruz will hold its first-ever research symposium — and a first for a UC campus — highlighting research by campus scholars on issues of sexual violence and sexual harassment Friday, April 2.
March 15, 2021
Systemwide review of revised policy on the classification of gifts and sponsored awards
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy on Classification of Gifts and Sponsored Awards.
March 11, 2021
How to live like Shakespeare
A new series of conversations about Shakespeare that explore different aspects of human experience and the human condition kicks off April 5, co-hosted by Sean Keilen, director of UCSC's Shakespeare Workshop, and Julia Lupton, co-director of the New Swan Shakespeare Center at UC Irvine.
March 11, 2021
Celestial heights and oceanic depths
Two of UC Santa Cruz’s most prominent trailblazers in science, astronomer Sandra Faber and alumna and former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, spoke of risks, discoveries, and sexism in candid “fireside chat” during a Science and Engineering Library floor-naming event.
March 11, 2021
Disrupting harmful food systems to prevent future pandemics
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Maywa Montenegro de Wit is exploring how lessons from the abolition movement could help agroecology combat the agro-industrial complex to prevent future pandemics.
March 03, 2021
Girl activists are more visible than ever. Is this progress?
In the past decade, there’s been an explosion in media coverage of girl activists. Professor Jessica Taft, a leading expert in youth activism, sees opportunity in this visibility, but her research has also identified many troubling trends in how girl activists are portrayed.
February 26, 2021
Massive debris flow swamps Big Creek Reserve as heavy rains follow summer wildfire
Boulders the size of vehicles and decades-old redwoods were ripped from the banks of the Big Creek drainage when an atmospheric river inundated the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve on the Big Sur coast in late January.
February 26, 2021
Deep Read to present Tommy Orange in conversation with literature professor Micah Perks
Award-winning novelist Tommy Orange will be featured in conversation with literature professor Micah Perks, director of UCSC’s Creative Writing Program, in a free virtual event on Wednesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m.
February 25, 2021
Forest monitoring efforts contribute to new understanding of climate change impacts
Data collected by student interns at UC Santa Cruz’s Forest Ecology Research Plot recently contributed to a breakthrough in understanding how climate change affects forests.
February 22, 2021
LASER talk to feature research by UCSC deans of the humanities and social sciences
The event will feature research presentations by Jasmine Alinder, Dean of the Humanities (“Representing Japanese American Incarceration”), and Katharyne Mitchell, Dean of the Social Sciences (“Sanctuary Space and Insurgent Memory”).
February 21, 2021
Bringing physical engagement into the online teaching and learning environment
A new series of videos is now available to UCSC students, faculty, and staff to help offset the increasingly sedentary lifestyle generated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
February 11, 2021
Annual Jewish Studies Diller Lecture to feature award-winning author Sarah Stein
This year’s Helen Diller Distinguished Lecture in Jewish Studies will feature guest author and scholar Sarah Abrevaya Stein—in conversation with UCSC’s Neufeld-Levin Chair of Holocaust Studies, Alma Heckman—on Wednesday, February 17, at 5 p.m.
February 11, 2021
What Hollywood gets wrong (and right!) about protecting the Earth from asteroids
Meet alumna Kirsten Howley, the real-life astrophysicist working to prevent 'Armageddon'.
February 05, 2021
Troupe dynamic
UC Santa Cruz's African American Theater Arts Troupe, which is celebrating its 30-year anniversary, has not only staged plays but also taken up works that deal with issues of race, injustice, and discrimination; brought its performances into the community; and awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships.
February 04, 2021
Three UCSC film alumni recognized by International Documentary Association
Three alumni from UCSC’s Film and Digital Media Department received nominations for this year's prestigious International Documentary Association Awards (IDA).
February 04, 2021
Rob Fairlie testifies before Congress on inequality in pandemic economic impacts
Rob Fairlie testified before the House Committee on Small Business to share his latest research on the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including the disproportionate hardships faced by minority-owned businesses.
February 02, 2021
Robert Bocking Stevens, fifth UCSC chancellor, dies at age 87
Robert Bocking Stevens, a legal scholar in England and the United States who served as the fifth chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, died Jan. 30 in Oxford, England, at age 87.
February 01, 2021
Anthropologist Savannah Shange wins book award for insights on race and education
Anthropology faculty member Savannah Shange received one of the most prestigious honors in the field when she was awarded the 2020 Gregory Bateson Book Prize from the Society for Cultural Anthropology.
February 01, 2021
Green New Deal architect Rhiana Gunn-Wright will make a virtual campus visit
Gunn-Wright previewed some of the insights she'll share on climate policy and environmental justice during her February 10th event with the Institute for Social Transformation.
January 29, 2021
In Memoriam: Robert Shepherd (1938-2021)
Robert Shepherd, a teaching professor emeritus from the UC Santa Cruz Economics Department, passed away at 82 years old. Shepherd taught at UC Santa Cruz for more than 30 years and was instrumental in the development of both the accounting path and the business management economics major.
January 29, 2021
Sociology researcher seeks solutions for Public Safety Power Shutoffs
Sociology researcher Les Guliasi’s most recent paper shows how “microgrid” technologies could reduce the impact of outages, if regulatory challenges can be resolved.
January 26, 2021
Digital NEST founder to serve as external adviser to chancellor
Jacob Martinez is bringing his insight on economic opportunity, community empowerment and digital innovation to UC Santa Cruz as an external special adviser to Chancellor Cindy Larive.
January 25, 2021
Energy spent avoiding humans linked to smaller home ranges for male pumas
New research shows that fear of humans causes mountain lions to increase their energy expenditures as they move through the landscape, and this can ultimately limit the size of the home ranges they’re able to maintain.
January 22, 2021
New book by arts professor takes fresh look at controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe
UCSC history of art and visual culture professor Derek Conrad Murray offers the first dedicated book-length critical study of Mapplethorpe's lesser-known still life flower photographs.
January 20, 2021
Italian newspaper ranks sociology professor among top women of the year
Camilla Hawthorne is being recognized for shedding light on emergent Afro-Italian identities and activism during a time of racial reckoning in Italy and beyond.
January 19, 2021
Grant funding will advance aquaculture research in UCSC’s new state-of-the-art facility
Researchers won a USDA grant in support of their efforts to develop ocean-friendly feed formulas for farm-raised rainbow trout. This work will take place in the team's new aquaculture facility at the UCSC Farm.
January 14, 2021
Humanities Institute launches 2021 Deep Read with Tommy Orange’s novel ‘There There’
Following the success of last year’s Deep Read with guest author Margaret Atwood, The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz has announced the second installment of its new program that invites the campus and community to think deeply about literature, art, and the most pressing issues of the day.
January 08, 2021
UCSC’s Living Writers Series a place to shelter in the storm
“Shelter and Place” is the theme of the 2021 winter installment of the Living Writers Series at UC Santa Cruz. Curated by Micah Perks, professor of literature and director of the Creative Writing Program, the now virtual series will run from January 14 through March 4, on Thursday nights throughout the winter quarter.
January 08, 2021
Professor recognized among the art world’s top influencers for 2020
Anthropology professor Anna Tsing won international acclaim for an interdisciplinary project that documents drivers of the Anthropocene in creative new ways.
January 04, 2021
UC Santa Cruz scholar of Chinese American history Judy Yung dies at 74
Judy Yung, a pioneering author and scholar of Chinese American and women's history, died on December 14, 2020.
January 04, 2021
Uncovering the social factors lurking within diabetes risk
Assistant professor of sociology James Doucet-Battle's new book challenges assumptions about race within diabetes research and delves into the issue through the lens of African American experience.
January 04, 2021
Shedding light on one of environmental policy’s most under-the-radar strategies
Associate professor of environmental studies Sikina Jinnah studies the environmental provisions contained within trade agreements and wants to help policymakers better navigate this space.