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2021 COVID-19 coverage

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.
September 20, 2021
UCSC’s Colligan Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory honored by Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley
The Colligan Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory at UC Santa Cruz has been honored by the Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley with the 2021 Phil Rather Award for Leadership in Healthcare.
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
UCSC signs $3M state contract to deliver a public health data platform for pathogen genomics
The one-year, $3 million contract with the California Department of Public Health will galvanize pandemic-related genomic data analysis efforts for the public good.
August 11, 2021
Dedicated to keeping campus safe during COVID
Michael Luttrell, this year’s Outstanding Staff Award winner, worked hard to keep the campus safe during a chaotic year of pandemic fears and a devastating wildfire. Four additional staff members received honorable mentions for working on the front lines of COVID.
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 27, 2021
Clinic director had to adapt to COVID challenges
Larissa Mangas joined UC Santa Cruz in March 2020 as the clinic director for the student health center. Two days later after she started, the campus moved to remote operations because of COVID-19.
May 24, 2021
Clinic director puts off retirement to help in COVID response
Debbi Saint John played a critical role in helping to guide the campus's COVID-19 mitigation strategies.
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 14, 2021
Staff member steps forward to support contact tracing
As Cindy Delgado read about contact tracing and how it would be the key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 cases, she knew it was something she wanted to do to help.
May 11, 2021
Ultrasensitive antigen test detects SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses
Novel chip-based diagnostic technology can detect individual viral antigens in nasal swab samples to identify the viruses that cause COVID-19 and flu with a single test.
May 10, 2021
Bearing witness to COVID at UC Santa Cruz
Stories of resilience and loss are preserved in The Empty Year: An Oral History of the Pandemic(s) of 2020 at UC Santa Cruz, an immersive project that includes a 540-page published book
May 10, 2021
New tools enable rapid analysis of coronavirus sequences and tracking of variants
Developed by the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, UShER allows researchers to quickly see how a new viral sequence is related to all other variants of SARS-CoV-2, crucial information for tracking transmission dynamics.
May 06, 2021
'The only way society gets to reopen safely is if we are all vaccinated'
UC Santa Cruz COVID experts Rebecca DuBois, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Susan Carpenter are urging all unvaccinated people to book an appointment to get their shots immediately, and follow CDC safety guidelines even after the vaccinations take effect.
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.
April 27, 2021
Data team's dashboard provides campus with real-time COVID updates
UC Santa Cruz turned to Institutional Research, Assessment and Policy Studies for help to create a dashboard that would provide frequent updates for the campus community. Ole Kupsch and Leo Rosen, two analysts in the department, teamed up to make it happen.
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 13, 2021
EH&S director focused on supporting employees through pandemic
Early in the pandemic, the Environmental Health and Safety team worked to provide face coverings to the campus and stay up on the latest information.
March 31, 2021
Seymour Center plans for physical reopening as virtual programs continue to expand their reach
Seymour Center Outdoors!, a new in-person outdoor education program, is scheduled to open to the general public on April 24.
March 29, 2021
Health center pivots to provide services through pandemic
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UC Santa Cruz Student Health Center had to quickly change everything it was doing while remaining open for students.
March 12, 2021
'Staycation,' all I ever wanted
With travel restricted because of COVID-19, UC Santa Cruz aims to keep on-campus students entertained with a spring break 'staycation' featuring themed dining nights, scavenger hunts, kayak tours, and more during the week of March 20–27.
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 09, 2021
As pandemic hit, conferences manager pivoted to health care
Michael Luttrell now oversees a staff of 62 students, who have been trained to help facilitate testing of asymptomatic students.
March 02, 2021
TestMe: Slugs rise to the challenge of helping to keep the campus community healthy
More than five dozen hardworking Banana Slugs are a key element of UC Santa Cruz’s TestMe asymptomatic testing program, which has administered more than 56,000 COVID-19 tests of students, staff, and faculty since the project’s inception in September 2020.
February 23, 2021
COVID and the road ahead
UC Santa Cruz infectious disease expert A. Marm Kilpatrick looked toward the future during his immersive Kraw Lecture about COVID vaccines, variants and the road ahead.
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 08, 2021
Pandemics expert urges vigilance as COVID-19 variants spread
Alumna and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Laurie Garrett sounds urgency about the need for an all-out race to stay ahead of highly contagious COVID variants in the U.S.