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2022 Press Releases

August 12, 2022
Astrophysicist Bruce Macintosh appointed director of UC Observatories
UC President Michael Drake has appointed Bruce Macintosh director of UC Observatories, an astronomical research unit headquartered at UC Santa Cruz and serving nine UC campuses.
August 11, 2022
New study shows COVID-19 genomic recombination is uncommon but disproportionately occurs in spike protein region
An analysis of millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes finds that recombination of the virus is uncommon, but when it occurs, it is most often in the spike protein region, the area which allows the virus to attach to and infect host cells.
August 11, 2022
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.
August 10, 2022
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.
August 08, 2022
Locally supportive climates may do little to aid mental health for LGBTQ+ youth amidst broader societal stigma
New research shows little difference in mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth between some of California's most and least supportive communities for sexual and gender diversity. The findings also indicate factors that may contribute to this trend.
August 05, 2022
With a focus on student success and research impact, UC President Michael V. Drake visits UC Santa Cruz
The daylong visit included meetings with faculty, staff, and students to learn more about research, teaching, and learning at UC Santa Cruz—and the important work that supports the university’s mission as a Hispanic-Serving research university centered on student success.
August 03, 2022
New research explores opportunities for eliminating equity gaps in computer science gateway courses
New research shows how addressing “gateways within gateway courses,” specific factors that hold able students back from success in introductory courses, may provide a path forward for closing equity gaps for students pursuing engineering degrees.
August 02, 2022
UCSC student named one of 50 top hackers of 2022
Rising second-year computer science: computer game design student Mansi Saini has been recognized by Major League Hacking for outstanding contributions to the hackathon community.
July 29, 2022
As alumni regent, Art Torres advocated for access, diversity in higher education
Art Torres (Stevenson, ’68, government) worked to support the University of California in advancing the diversity of its student body while serving a two-year term as the alumni representative on the UC Board of Regents.
July 29, 2022
New book traces the scientific and technological development of militarized border
In her new book, Professor of Feminist Studies and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Felicity Amaya Schaeffer draws stunning connections between indigenous ways of life and relationships to the land with modern-day, militaristic border surveillance technologies.
July 28, 2022
Data from elephant seals reveal new features of marine heatwave ‘the Blob’
Instruments carried by migrating elephant seals measured deep warm-water anomalies that lasted much longer than the surface warming.
July 28, 2022
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.
July 22, 2022
Measuring the universe with star-shattering explosions
An international team of scientists has analyzed archive data for powerful cosmic explosions from the deaths of stars and found a new way to measure distances in the distant universe.
July 19, 2022
Hallmark cancer gene regulates RNA ‘dark matter’
A new study finds that a key genetic mutation that occurs early on in cancer alters RNA “dark matter” and causes the release of previously unknown RNA biomarkers for cancer early detection.
July 18, 2022
UCSC iGEM developing yeast-based type 2 diabetes medication for 2022 international competition
14 UCSC undergraduates are addressing access and cost of Type 2 diabetes medications by creating an alternative, yeast-based treatment that will be presented at the 2022 iGEM Jamboree in Paris.
July 17, 2022
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.
July 15, 2022
DOE supports UCSC ‘spin chemistry’ research with $1.2 million grant
Chemistry Professor Yuan Ping leads a project to develop computational tools for spin dynamics applications in chemistry and materials science.
July 13, 2022
ASPIRE program launches to aid conservation in a changing climate
A new program out of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute involves students in an effort to measure changes in biodiversity and ultimately prevent them.
July 12, 2022
Alternate reality game launching Fall ‘22 will measure resilience of first-year students
“LUX,” a non-traditional research project to measure the resilience of its players, will officially launch this fall, recruiting participants from the incoming first-year class..
July 12, 2022
California budget supports UCSC in building additional housing for hundreds of students
California lawmakers have awarded $89 million to UC Santa Cruz in the 2022-23 state budget, funding that will help to significantly increase student housing at Kresge College.
July 12, 2022
New study dives deep into the sustainability of an alternative aquaculture feed ingredient
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz developed a new life cycle sustainability assessment documenting the environmental benefits and impacts of using the marine microalga Schizochytrium sp. to replace fish oil as an ingredient in aquaculture feed.
July 08, 2022
Narwhals show physiological disruption in response to seismic survey ship noise
Scientists deployed monitoring devices on narwhals to record heart rates, breathing, and diving behavior during seismic air gun pulses from a ship in the fjords of Greenland.
July 07, 2022
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.
July 06, 2022
UCSC scholars join researchers statewide on a massive genomic study of California’s biodiversity
The California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP) is a state-funded initiative with a single goal: to produce the most comprehensive, multispecies genomic dataset ever assembled to help manage regional biodiversity.
July 06, 2022
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.
July 06, 2022
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.
July 01, 2022
Adapted machine learning models will allow for better understanding of federal surveys
With the support of a three-year, $337,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Assistant Professor of Statistics Paul Parker will develop statistical and machine learning methods to best suit the analysis of complex surveys produced by federal statistics agencies.
June 29, 2022
~$6M NSF grant for cyber-physical systems project will enable engineers to explore the next generation of transportation systems
With the support of a nearly $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), researchers at UC Santa Cruz will lead a five year, multi-institutional project to explore a new vision of engineering cyber-physical systems.
June 29, 2022
Destruction and recovery of kelp forests driven by changes in sea urchin behavior
A long-term study of kelp forest dynamics on California’s Central Coast highlights the critical role of sea urchin behavior, not just the size of the urchin population.
June 29, 2022
Autistic adults have become increasingly visible in media, books, television, and more in the past decade, but challenges with representation persist
Researchers documented a shift toward more numerical representation for adults in popular portrayals of autism, which have historically focused on children.
June 28, 2022
UC Santa Cruz celebrates innovative and dedicated teachers
The Academic Senate’s Committee on Teaching (COT) in collaboration with Chancellor Larive and CP/EVC Kletzer, Cruz celebrated UCSC’s innovative and dedicated teachers with a gathering at the Cowell Provost House in early June.
June 28, 2022
These red flags can let you know when you’re in an online echo chamber
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have identified specific elements of tone and style in online speech that are linked to hyperpartisan echo chambers. These language markers could also prove useful for flagging spaces where disinformation may be likely to emerge.
June 27, 2022
Study finds chaos is more common in ecological systems than previously thought
The idea that chaos is rare in natural populations may be due to methodological and data limitations, rather than the inherent stability of ecosystems.
June 21, 2022
The team behind a tree of 10 million Covid sequences
10 million sequences of COVID-19’s genomic code have now been organized into a phylogenetic tree in the UC Santa Cruz SARS-CoV-2 Browser, which is the largest tree of genomic sequences of a single species ever assembled.
June 17, 2022
Study shows mangrove and reef restoration yield positive returns on investment for flood protection
A robust analysis demonstrates that nature-based solutions to reduce the damage caused by coastal flooding are cost-effective.
June 16, 2022
Polar bears in Southeast Greenland shed light on the species’ future in a warming Arctic
The most genetically isolated population of polar bears on the planet, they have limited access to sea ice and use ice from Greenland’s glaciers to survive.
June 16, 2022
100,000-year-old polar bear genome reveals ancient hybridization with brown bears
Scientists found that all brown bears today have some polar bear ancestry due to genetic admixture that occurred during a warm interglacial period more than 100,000 years ago.
June 15, 2022
Grant funding will support university-community partnership on inclusive economic development in neighboring city of Salinas
UCSC's Institute for Social Transformation will partner with the Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative in an effort to reduce economic inequality and improve financial stability and quality of life for local families.
June 14, 2022
Microbiologist Jacqueline Kimmey named Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences
Kimmey’s lab is investigating how susceptibility to infections is influenced by the daily biological cycles known as circadian rhythms.
June 13, 2022
Hunting in darkness, elephant seals use sensitive whiskers to find prey
Researchers used miniature video cameras to study how free-ranging elephant seals use their whiskers to track down prey in the darkness of the deep ocean.
June 13, 2022
Simulations reveal hydrodynamics of planetary engulfment by expanding star
A new study using hydrodynamical simulations reveals the forces acting on a planet when it is swallowed by an expanding star, as will eventually happen to the inner planets of our solar system when the sun becomes a red giant.
June 13, 2022
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.
June 13, 2022
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.
June 08, 2022
Prestigious $3.8M NIH grant awarded to biomolecular engineering professor to develop an RSV vaccine
Associate Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Rebecca DuBois will use the five-year grant to develop a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, a common and potentially dangerous virus.
June 08, 2022
Social Sciences Division recognizes students at annual awards event
The annual Student Awards Luncheon honors undergraduates and graduate students across the Social Sciences Division for excellence in scholarship and creativity.
June 08, 2022
Graduate student’s research helps environmental organizations better serve coastal communities of color
Coastal Science and Policy Program graduate student Kalina Browne led development of a new research report on behalf of Green 2.0, a national watchdog organization focused on diversity and equity in the environmental sector.
June 07, 2022
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.
June 07, 2022
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
June 06, 2022
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.
June 03, 2022
‘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.
June 01, 2022
Free public beach tours of Younger Lagoon Reserve have resumed
Tours of the reserve, which were suspended due to COVID-19 precautions, are again being offered through UCSC’s Seymour Marine Discovery Center.
May 31, 2022
Capstone to console: UC Santa Cruz student-developed game releasing to Nintendo Switch
The soon to be released, interactive, fast-paced game Squish was developed by UCSC engineering and arts, games, & playable media students.
May 27, 2022
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.
May 26, 2022
Marcella Gomez appointed as the Baskin School of Engineering’s inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Marcella Gomez has been appointed as the Baskin School of Engineering’s inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and will focus on student success and recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented groups in STEM.
May 25, 2022
Sociology doctoral candidate wins national fellowship for research on travel programs that teach youth about the African diaspora
Theresa Hice-Fromille was one of five top scholars selected nationwide for the American Sociological Association’s 2022-2023 Minority Fellowship program. Funding from this and other recent awards will support her dissertation research on travel abroad programs led by Black women that teach youth about the African diaspora.
May 24, 2022
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.
May 23, 2022
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.
May 23, 2022
A special outdoor production of The Fairy Queen celebrates the return of fully-staged, live opera at UC Santa Cruz
The UC Santa Cruz Music Department presents Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen in a very special outdoor production to celebrate the return of fully-staged, live opera at UCSC on May 27 and 28, 2022.
May 19, 2022
Politics doctoral candidate wins Newcombe Fellowship for research on women’s testimony against sexual violence
Natali Levin-Schwartz is one of 22 winners of a national fellowship award for scholars working on ethical or religious issues. Her dissertation research focuses on how women resist and organize against sexual violence and the role that testimony plays in that process.
May 18, 2022
Sloan Foundation funds two-year pilot open source program office at UC Santa Cruz
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation awarded Professor Carlos Maltzahn a $695,000 two-year grant aimed at establishing an open source program office (OSPO) that will serve the entire campus community.
May 18, 2022
New findings enable monitoring for harmful toxin in freshwater environments
Researchers have identified the genes involved in biosynthesis of guanitoxin, a potent neurotoxin produced by some freshwater harmful algal blooms.
May 18, 2022
Instrumentation grant will establish UCSC hybrid robotic systems experimental testbed
A $275K instrumentation funding award from the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program will support a multi-university project to create a hybrid robotics system test environment to run verification and validation testing on autonomous systems.
May 16, 2022
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 16, 2022
Grant funding will augment calculus courses to support engineering students’ success
A seed grant from the state-funded California Learning Lab will be used to help address the equity gap in calculus courses and increase retention for engineering students at UC Santa Cruz.
May 16, 2022
Former UCSC Chancellor Karl S. Pister dies at age 96
Former UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Karl S. Pister, who devoted more than 70 years to the University of California, to higher education, and to expanding educational opportunities for students from kindergarten to graduate school, died on Saturday, May 14, at his home in Walnut Creek.
May 10, 2022
A public dedication in the name of civil rights
Hundreds of campus and regional community members gathered beneath the redwoods encircling Quarry Amphitheater to watch the former College Ten make history, rededicating itself as John R. Lewis College in memory of the legendary civil rights leader.
May 10, 2022
New Department of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies invites students to think critically about race during a time of global reckoning with racism
CRES was first introduced as a degree program in 2014 and, thanks to its rapid growth and strong faculty and student advocacy, gained departmental status in 2021.
May 06, 2022
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.
May 05, 2022
UC Santa Cruz Dean of the Arts Division Celine Parreñas Shimizu will debut her latest film at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on May 12
Filmmaker and film scholar Celine Parreñas Shimizu, UCSC’s Dean of the Division of Arts, debuts her new documentary at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on May 12. The feature film 80 YEARS LATER explores the racial inheritance of Japanese American family incarceration during World War II through multigenerational conversations with survivors and their descendants.
May 04, 2022
John Brown Childs earns UC’s highest system-wide award for emeriti
UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology John Brown Childs is a 2021-2022 recipient of the Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award, which recognizes exceptional legacies of research, teaching, and service.
May 03, 2022
Team of researchers win the public benchmark phase of new Alexa Prize competition
UC Santa Cruz’s team of computer science and engineering (CSE) Ph.D. students came out victorious by a generous margin during the public benchmark phase of the first-ever Amazon Alexa Prize SimBot Challenge, far surpassing other teams in the university competition focused on advancing virtual assistant technology.
May 03, 2022
Deep Read welcomes author Yaa Gyasi to UC Santa Cruz
The annual program of The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz has brought together students, faculty, alumni, and other curious minds from across the globe to unpack and discuss Transcendent Kingdom, the most recent novel by Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi.
May 02, 2022
As climate shifts, species will need to relocate, and people may have to help them
A new survey summarizes scientific recommendations for conservationists and land managers tasked with managing biodiversity in a changing climate.
May 02, 2022
Women's water polo team wins Division III championship
The UC Santa Cruz women's water polo club won the Collegiate Water Polo Association Women’s Division III Club Championship in Middlebury, Vermont, on Sunday.
April 29, 2022
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.
April 28, 2022
New Google-funded research project applies computer science to aid bird conservation
Two faculty members have begun a new collaboration to use machine learning models to create continent-wide maps of bird habitat connectivity for conservation purposes, and they have recently received a $60,000 Google Research Scholar award to fund this work
April 28, 2022
Afrofuturism takes center stage in the Institute of the Arts and Sciences’ Surge series
UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences offers a month-long series of performances and discussions on Afrofuturism, a global artistic and social movement, utilizing the arts, science, and technology to imagine—and create— a world where African-descended peoples and cultures can live and flourish.
April 28, 2022
Unlocking a cure for carbon monoxide poisoning
UCSC researcher Tim Johnstone has designed small molecules that can bind CO, sequester CO that is already bonded to hemoglobin, and rescue red blood cells exposed to CO, all promising signs for a future antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning.
April 28, 2022
Linguist Sandra Chung elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Sandra Chung, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Linguistics, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
April 28, 2022
Summer programs draw visitors to Lick Observatory for music and stargazing
Tickets are on sale now for the observatory's popular summer evening programs.
April 25, 2022
CITRIS drone program lands $1 million grant from James Irvine Foundation
The UC Santa Cruz CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER) along with several partners has received a $1 million, 15-month planning grant to support regional drone education and workforce development from The James Irvine Foundation.
April 25, 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.
April 21, 2022
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.
April 20, 2022
New global forecasts of marine heatwaves foretell ecological and economic impacts
The forecasts could help fishing fleets, ocean managers, and coastal communities anticipate the effects of marine heatwaves.
April 20, 2022
New study examines ethics of community-engaged research from the perspective of community partners
Even the most collaborative research models come with ethical challenges, a new study shows. This highlights the importance of equity-centered approaches.
April 20, 2022
Cruz Foam teams up with DiCaprio, Kutcher as advisors and adds a major industry partner
Cruz Foam, a company that started as a Ph.D. student’s project at the UC Santa Cruz Baskin School of Engineering and makes a compostable alternative to styrofoam packaging, has added actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher as advisors and investors.
April 19, 2022
Thought-provoking new works of media art in exhibition by Digital Arts and New Media MFAs
The UC Santa Cruz Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) MFA program presents unforgetting, the culminating exhibition of its 2022 MFA cohort, on view free to the public at the Digital Arts Research Center April 22-May 1 with a special performance May 20-29 at the Experimental Theater.
April 19, 2022
Superheroes, spaceships, and social wearables: An immersive, social STEM camp for middle school girls sparks interest, builds confidence in STEM
The UCSC-developed STEM camp combines the crafting of wearable technology with social experience to pique interest in computation and technology for middle school girls.
April 14, 2022
Statistics professor wins Hellman fellowship to rethink verbal autopsy survey design
Assistant professor of statistics Richard Li will use his Hellman award to rethink survey design for verbal autopsy, the process of determining cause of death outside of the hospital which is routinely implemented in many low- and middle-income countries throughout the world.
April 14, 2022
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.
April 12, 2022
Rock on: summer concert series coming to Quarry Amphitheater
In partnership with Noise Pop Industries, UC Santa Cruz announces summer concert series to be hosted in the Quarry Amphitheater.
April 12, 2022
Watsonville Filipino history digital archive now available for public viewing
The Watsonville is in the Heart Digital Archive is now viewable online and features oral history recordings, original documents, photos, and family artifacts highlighting Filipino history in the Pajaro Valley.
April 12, 2022
Caitlin Keliiaa and Philip Longo receive American Council of Learned Societies fellowship
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announced the recipients of their 2022 ACLS Fellowships. Philip Longo, Continuing Lecturer in the Humanities Division’s Writing Program, and Caitlin Keliiaa, assistant professor in UC Santa Cruz’s Feminist Studies Department, will both be receiving awards that will allow them to take leave to continue their scholarly research.
April 11, 2022
UCSC and Amazon Web Services work to accelerate genomics research
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to allow researchers to quickly and efficiently execute bioinformatics pipelines on AWS’s global cloud infrastructure.
April 11, 2022
Grazing goats to help reduce wildfire risk
Hundreds of hungry goats will arrive on campus later this week to graze on about 30 acres of vegetation that would otherwise dry into potential wildfire fuel as summer arrives.
April 11, 2022
Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu to receive prestigious award
The Association for Asian American Studies has selected UC Santa Cruz Division of Arts Dean, Dr. Celine Parreñas Shimizu, for its 2022 Excellence in Mentorship Award.
April 05, 2022
Title IX graduate interns shine a light on sexual violence and sexual harassment research
Two UC Santa Cruz graduate students are working to showcase campus research focused on preventing, responding to, and addressing gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination with a new online spotlight series.
April 05, 2022
Works by some of the country’s most influential contemporary artists on view in Strange Weather
A new group exhibition presented by UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences (IAS) and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH), features contemporary artworks by some of today’s leading artists. On view April 14-August 14, 2022 at the MAH, Strange Weather: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation is co-organized by IAS director Dr. Rachel Nelson and UCSC History of Art and Visual Culture Professor Jennifer González.
April 05, 2022
UCSC selects Aisha Jackson as Vice Chancellor for Information Technology
Aisha Jackson comes to UC Santa Cruz from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she is that university’s first Assistant Vice Provost and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Technology and Student Success.
April 05, 2022
UC Santa Cruz hosts ‘Universe in Verse’ April 16 in the Quarry Amphitheater
The fifth annual Universe in Verse—a charitable celebration of science and nature through poetry and music, created and hosted by writer Maria Popova (Marginalian)—will be held in person at UC Santa Cruz in the Quarry Amphitheater on Saturday, April 16.
April 04, 2022
Genomics Institute tool becomes primary method to identify lineages of COVID-19 worldwide
As COVID-19 continues to mutate, software developed and maintained at the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Genomics Institute will now be at the core of the primary tool used by health officials worldwide to track the spread of variants in their community. It is now the default software behind the ubiquitously used tool Pangolin, replacing previous software to more accurately assign genomic samples of COVID-19 to a known branch on the virus’s family tree.
April 04, 2022
Ricky Bluthenthal announced as 2022 social sciences distinguished alumni award recipient
The Social Sciences division is proud to announce trailblazing health equity researcher and advocate Ricky Bluthenthal (Merrill ’86, History and Sociology) as the recipient of the 2022 Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award.
March 31, 2022
First complete, gapless sequence of a human genome reveals hidden regions
Parts of the human genome now available to study for the first time are important for understanding genetic diseases, human diversity, and evolution.
March 29, 2022
UCSC Ph.D. students dive deep into engineering open-domain dialogue AI with the support of industry partners
LivePerson, which builds conversational AI, is funding two students' study of the models that drive chatbots, digital assistants, and more
March 28, 2022
Methane could be the first detectable indication of life beyond Earth
A new study assesses the planetary context in which the detection of methane in an exoplanet’s atmosphere could be considered a compelling sign of life.
March 28, 2022
UCSC leadership shares bold vision for campus’s future with Regents
Chancellor Cynthia Larive on Thursday presented the University of California Regents with a bold vision for UC Santa Cruz’s future — leading at the intersection of innovation and social justice — and detailed how the campus’ strengths, challenges, opportunities, and planning processes are advancing this vision.
March 28, 2022
Seed funding grants for early-stage research, creative projects given to 19 awardees
The UCSC Office of Research has awarded funds this month to 19 projects through its inaugural Seed Funding for Early Stage Initiatives program
March 28, 2022
Local pumas don’t sense danger in places where they’re most often killed by humans
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz researchers suggests that pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains don’t make accurate assessments of where they are most likely to be killed by humans, especially when it comes to the threat of being killed in retaliation for loss of livestock.
March 28, 2022
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.
March 24, 2022
Annual Confronting Climate Change Conference focuses on local impacts and solutions
UC Santa Cruz offers a weekend of free events at the Seymour Center to spark conversation and inspire action.
March 24, 2022
A remarkable, first-time film course tackles the criminal justice system
UC Santa Cruz Film Professor Sharon Daniel’s two-quarter undergrad course, FILM 171S-02, is not your typical film school fare. This course, titled Reasonable Doubts: Making an Exoneree, aims for nothing less than to free wrongfully convicted persons currently incarcerated in American prisons.
March 21, 2022
NSF funding boosts undergraduate research experience in MCD Biology
A course-based undergraduate research program is expanding opportunities for biology undergraduates to get faculty-mentored research experience.
March 21, 2022
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.
March 18, 2022
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).
March 16, 2022
Effects of ancient carbon releases suggest possible scenarios for future climate
New findings reveal a precursor event before the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, giving scientists a fresh perspective on future global climate scenarios.
March 11, 2022
Chemical analysis reveals effects of wildfire smoke on grapes and wines
A new study provides practical guidelines for using biomarkers to identify ‘smoke taint’ in grapes and wines affected by the smoke from wildfires.
March 10, 2022
New study confirms bioengineered RSV protein vaccine evokes protective immune response
Two UC Santa Cruz researchers just marked a major milestone in their effort to create an effective vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can cause severe respiratory disease in children and the elderly.
March 10, 2022
UC Santa Cruz Professor Marianne Weems directs new interactive online performance I Agree To The Terms
UC Santa Cruz Professor in Performance, Play & Design Marianne Weems, Artistic Director and Founder of the award-winning performance and media ensemble The Builders Association, debuts a new interactive crossmedia performance, livestreaming online this March 25-April 3.
March 10, 2022
UC Santa Cruz to implement strategic plan for internationalization
UC Santa Cruz is advancing comprehensive internationalization to ensure that the members of the campus community are prepared and encouraged to study, teach, conduct research, and work in a global context, and that institutional policies, programs, and initiatives are aligned to achieve this shared goal.
March 09, 2022
New responsible data sharing technique will enable better understanding of disease-causing genetic variants
Scientists may better understand and test for the genetic variations that cause cancer and other heritable diseases through the application of a novel strategy for securely sharing and analyzing genomic data developed at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute.
March 04, 2022
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.
March 03, 2022
Computer scientist Yang Liu wins NSF CAREER award
Yang Liu, assistant professor of computer science as the Baskin School of Engineering, won a prestigious NSF CAREER award for his study of human-centered machine learning.
February 28, 2022
Elephant seals’ map sense tells them when to head ‘home’
Researchers found that female elephant seals know their distance from the breeding beach and allocate extra time to get back if they have farther to travel.
February 28, 2022
A slow-motion section of the San Andreas Fault may not be so harmless after all
A study of rocks drilled from nearly 2 miles under the surface suggests that the central section of the San Andreas fault has hosted many major earthquakes, including some that could have been fairly recent.
February 25, 2022
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.
February 24, 2022
Family-friendly opera returns to Mainstage Theater this March with My Head is Full of Colors
On March 12, Family Opera returns live to the Mainstage Theater with My Head is Full of Colors, a joyful tale of imagination composed by UCSC Lecturer Chris Pratorius Gómez, with a libretto by Nicole Paiement, and directed by Lecturer Sheila Willey.
February 24, 2022
Record applications enable UC Santa Cruz to build strong, diverse fall class
With record-breaking applications from undergraduate students, UC Santa Cruz is looking to admit students who will be ready to contribute to and benefit from a high-impact research university.
February 24, 2022
Ocean scientist Claudie Beaulieu wins NSF CAREER Award
Claudie Beaulieu, assistant professor of ocean sciences, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support her work using data science to study climate variability and climate change.
February 21, 2022
A surprising heat source is melting the Greenland Ice Sheet from the bottom up
Researchers have observed extremely high rates of melting at the bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet, caused by huge quantities of meltwater descending from the surface to the base.
February 18, 2022
Easy aluminum nanoparticles for rapid, efficient hydrogen generation from water
UCSC chemists developed a simple method to make aluminum nanoparticles that split water and generate hydrogen gas rapidly under ambient conditions.
February 17, 2022
'Abolition. Feminism. Now.' earns national praise
The book, authored by Professor Emerita Angela Y. Davis and Associate Professor Gina Dent, is garnering national attention for its pathbreaking examination of abolition and feminism in the 21st century.
February 14, 2022
Tilting of Earth’s crust governed the flow of ancient megafloods
Study provides a new perspective on Washington state’s Channeled Scablands, carved by the Missoula megafloods at the end of the last ice age.
February 11, 2022
San Lorenzo River was transformed by early logging in the Santa Cruz Mountains
The San Lorenzo River cut a deep channel and abandoned its floodplain in the Felton area around the time of intensive clearcutting in the surrounding mountains, according to a study by UCSC researchers.
February 10, 2022
UCSC selected to join US CYBERCOM Academic Engagement Network
UCSC will join the inaugural class of the U.S. Cyber Command’s (CYBERCOM) Academic Engagement Network (AEN), a group of 84 colleges and universities selected to help strengthen the country’s cybersecurity operations.
February 10, 2022
First nationwide study of scams targeting immigrants shows local social context may help or hinder reporting
Assistant Professor of Sociology Juan Manuel Pedroza's latest research offers insights that may help improve access to justice for vulnerable communities.
February 09, 2022
White House honors astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz with mentoring award
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring represent the highest honors bestowed upon mentors who work to expand STEM talent.
February 09, 2022
Genome of extinct Steller’s sea cow reveals surprising link to human skin disease
Analysis of ancient DNA from sea cow bones finds genes that may have played a role in adaptation to cold marine environment and yields evidence of a long population decline.
February 08, 2022
Computer scientist Lindsey Kuper wins NSF CAREER award
Lindsey Kuper, assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund her lab’s study of distributed systems.
February 08, 2022
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.
February 08, 2022
UC Santa Cruz Foundation votes to provide additional one-time endowment payout to support student scholarships, fellowships
Hundreds of continuing and incoming UC Santa Cruz students will benefit from additional financial support from scholarships and fellowships after the UC Santa Cruz Foundation Board approved an additional, one-time payout from the university’s endowment.
February 07, 2022
'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.
February 07, 2022
UC Santa Cruz tops ranking of women in leadership at R1 universities
UC Santa Cruz is first in the nation for racial and gender diversity in leadership, according to a new report by the Women’s Power Gap Initiative at the Eos Foundation, in partnership with the American Association of University Women.
February 04, 2022
Stories of Black women take center stage in upcoming performance of ''da Kink in My Hair'
The award-winning play "‘da Kink in My Hair" will be presented February 18-27 by the Department of Performance, Play & Design and the African American Theater Arts Troupe.
February 03, 2022
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.
January 31, 2022
Climate action planning misses equity opportunities in many California cities
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz analyzed 170 climate action plans across California to find out how cities are incorporating equity into their efforts to curb emissions and address climate change impacts.
January 26, 2022
History professor earns 2021 National Jewish Book Award for look at New York Hasidic Jewish community
Nathaniel Deutsch was recently announced as a winner of a 2021 National Jewish Book Award in the category of American Jewish Studies for his recently-published work, A Fortress in Brooklyn: Race, Real Estate, and the Making of Hasidic Williamsburg. He shares the award with his co-author Michael Casper.
January 25, 2022
Ten new picnic tables customed designed, handcrafted, and installed on campus
It was a rush order, no question about it. In early September, Chancellor Cynthia Larive asked Physical Plant, Development and Operations to install 10 picnic tables on the main residential campus by the opening of fall quarter. Campus carpenters decided to do-it-themselves.
January 25, 2022
The struggle to protect voting rights must go on. Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement can help
Distinguished professor emeritus John Brown Childs shares his opinion on the U.S. Senate's recent blockage of voting rights legislation and reflects on lessons he learned during the Civil Rights Movement that may help voting rights activists today.
January 20, 2022
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.
January 20, 2022
Rebecca Hernandez to serve as campus's first community archivist
Rebecca Hernandez, who previous served as the director of the American Indian Resource Center, will seek out partnerships with community organizations and leaders to support the preservation of community history, with a particular focus on reaching out to traditionally underrepresented communities.
January 20, 2022
National Endowment for the Arts award to support 'Surge,' an afrofuturism festival
Events will take place throughout the academic year, culminating in a month-long festival in May 2022 with live music concerts and dance performances.
January 13, 2022
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.
January 11, 2022
MaNGA team releases largest-ever collection of 3D maps of nearby galaxies
The release of the complete dataset of 10,000 galaxies observed by the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) project makes MaNGA the largest galaxy survey of its kind.
January 10, 2022
Simulated image shows how NASA’s Roman could expand on Hubble’s deepest view
The Roman Space Telescope will have the power to perform an observation similar to the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, but on a much larger scale.
January 10, 2022
UCSC selects Akirah J. Bradley-Armstrong as vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Success
Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, who comes to campus from the University of Colorado Boulder, is a dedicated student affairs professional with 17 years of experience in the field.
January 06, 2022
Astronomers witness the explosive end of a dying star
The Young Supernova Experiment transient survey observed a red supergiant during its final 130 days leading up to a supernova explosion.
January 06, 2022
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.
January 05, 2022
Legal studies major Aissata Ba looks back on the “whirlwind” of meeting Michelle Obama at recent event
Aissata Ba, a 20-year-old Black Muslim first-generation American, was among a group of students brought together to be part of a conversation with Michelle Obama on some of the themes addressed in her best-selling memoir.