All Academics

UC Santa Cruz scholar receives major new grant to support inclusive community development throughout California

As state and federal agencies are investing increasing funding in pandemic recovery, infrastructure development and initiatives to address climate change, a collaboration of renowned scholars led by UC Santa Cruz are working with community groups to ensure equity and inclusion are at the heart of these efforts.

Social Sciences dean wins prestigious research award, visiting fellowship in Germany

Social Sciences dean Katharyne Mitchell will be busy packing her bags for the holidays, but not for the reason you may think. She’s heading to Göttingen, Germany, as a visiting scholar for the next six months at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Economic Diversity.

Colombia, a global biodiversity hotspot, faces rising threats to bird species from expanding human footprint

A new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters used satellite mapping data to analyze how changes in human footprint on the landscape between 1970 and 2018 overlapped with distributions of 1,469 Colombian bird species. The study is the first of its kind to expand focus from forested regions, like the Amazon and Chocó, to all of Colombia’s terrestrial habitats.

Undergraduates in UC Santa Cruz’s Human Rights Investigations Lab fight for migrant rights

UC Santa Cruz’s Human Rights Investigations Lab, housed in the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas, has been assisting those seeking asylum in the United States and fighting back against the controversial Title 42 immigration policy.

Central Coast K-16 Education Collaborative secures planning grant for six-county region

Spurred by California’s Regional K-16 Education Collaborative Grant Program, educational leaders from Santa Cruz to Ventura formed the Central Coast K-16 Education Collaborative to address the urgent, systemic educational inequities and economic needs in the region.

UC Santa Cruz professor inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame

Judith Scott, UC Santa Cruz professor emerita of education, was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame on Dec. 1 at the Literary Research Association Conference. Scott was recognized and honored for her longstanding career and numerous contributions to teach education and research.

Growing Our Own - From research opportunities to the professoriate

Solidifying its commitment to increasing the diversity of its faculty, both underrepresented minorities and female faculty, last year, the University of California launched the Growing Our Own initiative.

Batalha testifies at Congressional hearing on the initial scientific findings of the JWST

The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful telescope humans have sent to space and, Batalha asserts, it is ushering in a new era of exoplanet science.

UC Santa Cruz earns Agricultural Experiment Station designation

The designation marks more than 50 years of industry-leading research in organic agriculture and sustainable farming practices at the campus and opens doors to expand community impact.

UCSC marine sciences professor to lead new Center for Coastal Climate Resilience

Longtime UC Santa Cruz marine sciences professor Michael W. Beck is adding a new role to his resume: director of the campus’ recently announced Center for Coastal Climate Resilience.

Susana Ruiz receives Hewlett 50 Arts Commission for a new media work focused on Santa Cruz's lost Chinatowns

Susana Ruiz, UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Film and Digital Media, together with Emmy Award nominated director of photography and media artist Huy Truong have been selected as one of ten recipients of this year's Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions in Media Arts.

Scholars, students, and community working together for transformation at UCSC's All-In Conference

More than 400 university scholars, students, community organizers, foundation representatives, artists, and activists came together in late October for a one-of-a-kind event to build collaborative partnerships for community-engaged research and meaningful social change at the UC Santa Cruz conference: All-In: Co-creating Knowledge for Justice.

UC researchers use grant funding to investigate environmental crimes in Latin America

Thanks to a $180,000 grant from the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), UC Santa Cruz will be able to further its focus on “using tech for social good” in collaboration with two other University of California institutions.

Library kiosks provide students with fast access to loaner laptops

With just a CruzID and Gold password, UC Santa Cruz students can now borrow a laptop at both the McHenry and Science and Engineering libraries.

Federal grant to advance transfer student success at UC Santa Cruz

Advancing campus-wide efforts to achieve educational equity, UC Santa Cruz has earned a $3 million grant that will support Latinx community college students in transferring to campus and, while they’re here, contributing to research projects and preparing for graduate school.

Bay Tree Campus Store partnership with Akademos paving the way for more affordable course materials

The new online bookstore, launched in partnership with UCSC’s Bay Tree Campus Store and Akademos, a premier provider of higher education course content, is in full swing this fall.

Social Documentation MFAs to share thesis documentaries at live screening event November 9

UC Santa Cruz’s annual Social Documentation (SocDoc) exhibition returns live and in person for the first time since 2019, free to the public this November 9th from 7-10pm at the Del Mar Theatre in downtown Santa Cruz.

Food system researcher unpacks the narratives driving a race for new protein sources

UC Santa Cruz professor and food system expert Julie Guthman's latest paper explores the cultural mythologies around protein that are being spread through marketing and fundraising efforts for novel protein products.

micha cárdenas wins prestigious Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize from National Women's Studies Association

UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Performance, Play and Design, and Associate Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Dr. micha cárdenas has been awarded the National Women's Studies Association’s Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize for her book Poetic Operations: Trans of Color Art in Digital Media.

UC Santa Cruz named 2022 Fulbright HSI Leader

UC Santa Cruz has been named a Fulbright HSI Leader for the second year in a row by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

Politics Professor Mark Fathi Massoud recognized nationally for teaching and mentoring, research excellence

Politics and Legal Studies Professor Mark Fathi Massoud won two awards during the recent American Political Science Association (APSA) annual meeting.

UCSC welcomes 41 outstanding new faculty members

With the start of the 2022-23 academic year, UC Santa Cruz welcomes 41 new senate faculty members. The research and creative scholarship and expertise brought to our campus by these new faculty colleagues will strengthen existing areas of work and open discovery opportunities.

Honoring our innovative and creative faculty

The Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards is a new program that celebrates our talented faculty, researchers, staff, students, and community partners for their outstanding contributions to innovation and creativity that catalyze transformative change and societal impact.

Partnership across UC campuses will prepare the next generation of leaders in organic agriculture

A USDA grant of more than $700,000 will support a collaboration led by UC Santa Cruz to improve and expand undergraduate education in organic agriculture, with an emphasis on supporting underrepresented students.

UC Santa Cruz’s Research Center for the Americas to be named in honor of Dolores Huerta

UC Santa Cruz will rename the Research Center for the Americas, which is celebrating 30 years of groundbreaking research, in honor of social justice icon Dolores Huerta, whose legacy has influenced the center’s work and values.

UC Santa Cruz recognized for longstanding commitment to undergraduate teaching in latest rankings

UC Santa Cruz is ranked among the top 10 public universities for excellence in undergraduate teaching, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report. UCSC also ranked as a leading university for social mobility and among top public universities.

UCSC researchers win big at American Sociological Association annual meeting

Professor emeritus Craig Reinarman was honored with the 2022 Senior Scholar Award by the ASA’s Drugs and Society Section, and Ph.D. student Michelle Gomez Parra received the Sociology of Sexualities Section's Martin P. Levine Memorial Dissertation Fellowship. Politics Professors Eleonora Pasotti and Mark Massoud were celebrated for book awards.

New book explores citizenship rights and Black anti-racist politics in Italy

Associate Professor of Sociology Camilla Hawthorne’s latest book, Contesting Race and Citizenship, explores how Black Italians are fighting for change against the country’s restrictive citizenship laws.

Economics Professor Robert Fairlie takes home the Bradford-Osborne Research Award for the second year in a row

The annual award recognizes the best peer-reviewed paper on diversity and entrepreneurship, and Fairlie was honored for his years-long research on the lack of access to capital for Black-owned startups compared to white-owned startups.

Envisioning food systems change with new Center for Agroecology Executive Director Darryl Wong

The UC Santa Cruz news team interviewed the Center for Agroecology's new executive director, Darryl Wong, to learn more about the center’s goals for the future and the perspective he’ll bring to the role.

Incoming UC Santa Cruz class exemplifies academic excellence and diversity

UC Santa Cruz anticipates welcoming approximately 5,100 new Banana Slugs this fall, concluding an admissions cycle that reflected increased interest in the campus. Campus leaders are carefully managing student enrollment and working to provide more on-campus housing for students because of a statewide housing crisis that is particularly difficult in Santa Cruz.

UC Santa Cruz teams with TiE Global to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life

UC Santa Cruz and TiE Global are establishing the Destination Silicon Valley program to leverage the Silicon Valley presence of both organizations and create new learning opportunities for university-based entrepreneurs from across the world, including University of California students and innovators, and others from TiE’s 59 chapters.

Center for Reimagining Leadership

Center for Reimagining Leadership has been established, effective July 1, 2022. Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, will be the faculty director of the center.

Eric Palkovacs appointed Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives

UC Santa Cruz’s new Department of Performance, Play & Design redefines the art of storytelling for the modern era

Earlier this year, the Department of Theater Arts and the Art & Design: Games + Playable Media Program (AGPM) within UC Santa Cruz's Division of the Arts fused to become the the Department of Performance, Play & Design (PPD). It is the only university department in the world to break the traditional silos of theater, dance, and games.

The Humanities Division honors faculty, alumni, and students at the 2021-22 Spring Awards

UC Santa Cruz’s Humanities Division marked the end of the school year with their Spring Awards, a ceremony that celebrates the achievements of students, instructors, and alumni.

Two from UC Santa Cruz awarded Fulbright grants

Two PhD candidates at UC Santa Cruz have been offered prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for the 2022-2023 academic year.

California approves $5 million to fund diversity in science and technology education

Cal-Bridge Program brings together the three levels of the California higher education system to diversify the California public university faculty and tech workforce.

New executive leadership position for the Arts Division

UC Santa Cruz Dean of the Division of Arts Dr. Celine Parreñas Shimizu has appointed Art Professor Dee Hibbert-Jones to serve as Associate Dean of Research, Exhibition and Engagement.

Zimmer to develop Responsible AI course

Zimmer will join colleagues from around the U.S. to plan classes that better explore the impact of artificial intelligence on our world.

UC Santa Cruz joins in forming alliance to increase Hispanic opportunity

Joining with 19 leading universities, UC Santa Cruz today announced the formation of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities, which aims to increase opportunity for those historically underserved by higher education.

Proposal for new program, Pathways to the Professoriate in the Arts and Humanities, selected for funding by UC President’s Office

A new cross-divisional initiative to prepare graduate students in the Arts and Humanities at UC Santa Cruz from historically underrepresented groups to go on to the professoriate has been selected for funding.

UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor of the Arts Isaac Julien knighted by Queen Elizabeth

UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor of the Arts Isaac Julien was granted knighthood by Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee

UC Santa Cruz named No. 2 public university for ‘making an impact’

Princeton Review has named UC Santa Cruz the No. 2 public university in the nation for students focused on making an impact on the world. The honor underscores the university’s commitment to encouraging positive social impact and is an increase from last year’s No. 3 spot.

‘Crossing Latinidades’ program selects UC Santa Cruz faculty and graduate students for national research and mentoring collaboration

Two UC Santa Cruz faculty were awarded $310,000 grants to lead national research working groups, and two doctoral students have been selected for one-year research fellowships and a summer institute focused on interdisciplinary research methods.

Year-end exhibition highlights the work of UC Santa Cruz’s 2022 Irwin Scholars

Throughout the month of June, visitors to the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at UC Santa Cruz will have the chance to see the work of twelve undergraduate artists selected as this year’s Irwin Scholars.

Fellowships support graduate students studying queer movies, Mau Mau Uprising

Raed El Rafaei is examining queer movies made by artists from Lebanon and the diaspora, and Christian David Alvarado is investigating how the Mau Mau Uprising, which ran through the 1950s in Kenya, fits in with the larger processes of decolonization in Africa.

Karen Miga named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022

Karen Miga, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at UC Santa Cruz, was named one of the 100 most influential people of 2022 by TIME. The honor was announced on May 23.

A new class in the Arts Division aims to broaden students’ understanding of careers in the creative economy

Careers in the Creative Economy, a first-time course in the UC Santa Cruz Division of the Arts, has been introducing students to a wide array of professionals in creative fields to help them explore and prepare for arts careers.

May concerts of new work by UC Santa Cruz composers the result of residencies with leading new music artists

UC Santa Cruz doctoral students in composition will premiere several new works this May developed during two unprecedented residencies with top names in the experimental music world.

UCSC joins multi-institutional effort to advance equity and inclusion in science

The HHMI Inclusive Excellence Learning Community initiative is supporting efforts to redesign the introductory science curriculum.

New global and community health majors available this fall

UC Santa Cruz students who want to build a future with better, more equitable health outcomes will have the option to declare one of two new global and community health majors, starting in fall 2022.

10 questions all funders should ask before supporting tree-planting campaigns

Environmental Studies Professor Karen Holl is concerned that widespread enthusiasm for tree-planting may be leaving restoration best-practices by the wayside. But a new set of research-based questions can help potential funders determine which reforestation campaigns are poised for success.

Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells awarded $1M training grant for postdoctoral researchers

The directors of the Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells brought in a new $1M training grant for postdoctoral researchers, and have been awarded over $12M in grants in just two years.

Politics professor’s book challenging Western notions of Sharia wins global acclaim

In the past year, Politics and Legal Studies Professor Mark Fathi Massoud's latest book has earned him a series of award recognitions, speaking engagements around the globe, and an invitation to a closed session with resident representatives of the United Nations Development Program.

Celebrating 50 years of immersive natural history education at UC Santa Cruz

In June, an event will gather UC Santa Cruz alumni, faculty, staff, current students, and community members to honor the legacy of Ken Norris and natural history at UCSC, including the 50th anniversary of Natural History Field Quarter.

Economics Professor Rob Fairlie testifies before committee in U.S. House of Representatives to share research on Paycheck Protection Program

Fairlie testified on his latest research, which showed that changes to the Paycheck Protection Program in 2021 helped to improve racial equity in loan distribution.

UC Santa Cruz lecturer and alumna contributes to IPCC’s 2022 report on global climate change

Pam Rittelmeyer, a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Studies and College Nine, is a contributing author on the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Institute For Advanced Study selects environmental sociologist Hillary Angelo as a member

UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor of Sociology Hillary Angelo was selected among a group of 25 world-leading researchers and academics who will focus on the theme “Climate Crisis Politics" as 2022-2023 members of the IAS School of Social Science.

UC Santa Cruz joins Social Science Research Council

The campus is now a member of the Social Science Research Council's College and University Fund for the Social Sciences, which will offer new opportunities for UC Santa Cruz to help shape research priorities across the field.

UC Santa Cruz announces ambitious investment to hire 100 additional faculty over decade, part of broader effort to advance student success and research excellence

To advance its place as an international leader at the intersection of innovation and social justice, UC Santa Cruz announced today its intention to prioritize faculty hiring by adding 100 additional faculty over the next decade.

'From the Margins: Dante 701 Years Later' to provide critical perspectives on author's work

Funded through the Siegfried B. and Elisabeth Mignon Puknat Literary Studies Endowment and presented by The Humanities Institute, the series will include events taking place throughout 2022 to engage with Dante’s work through a much different lens than the usual discussions of his life and work.

Equity gaps in COVID-19 deaths closed for some racial and ethnic groups, widened for others during vaccine rollout in California

New research from UC Santa Cruz, Stanford University, and UC San Francisco shows how racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 deaths across California changed as the rollout process for vaccines began.

UC Santa Cruz receives National Endowment for the Humanities grant to connect studies of humanities, engineering

UC Santa Cruz will create a new Certificate in the Humanities introducing students enrolled in the Baskin School of Engineering to humanities disciplines aimed to help them better understand the social and cultural impacts of technological change.

Merrill College courses offer opportunity to learn about Africa, develop global connections

Merrill is offering two Global Classrooms, courses developed with the support of the Global Engagement Division that involve online collaboration between students from UCSC and the Co-Operative University of Kenya.

Undergraduate Pearl Ibeanusi wins national scholarship in honor of late U.S. Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink

UCSC student Pearl Ibeanusi was one of five women selected among nationwide applicants to receive a scholarship award recognizing her outstanding record of community service and educational and career goals.