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2022 Social Sciences

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 04, 2022
Two UCSC grad students are finalists for prestigious Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships
The finalists for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program include UCSC graduate students Austen Stovall and Ellen Willis‑Norton.
July 25, 2022
Help ‘Stuff the Bus’ and get students ready for school
With the new school year just around the corner, the United Way of Santa Cruz County and Santa Cruz Office of Education are looking for volunteers to help Stuff the Bus. Come and help fill new backpacks with school supplies for K-12 students.
July 18, 2022
UC-HBCU grants support UCSC faculty collaborations with HBCUs
A summer research program and a historical archaeology course won funding from a UC initiative to support partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
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 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.
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
Campus recognizes innovative, 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 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
Students dip their toes into coastal science at Younger Lagoon
Ocean Sciences Professor Carl Lamborg uses Younger Lagoon Reserve to teach Field and Lab Methods in Aquatic and Coastal Science.
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 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.
May 31, 2022
Brittany Caldwell
Brittany Caldwell, a scholar focused on the impact of early-grade math instruction, has pulled off an impressive feat: earning her Ph.D. in math education and teaching hundreds of students in seminars, all while raising three children.
May 31, 2022
Candy Martinez
The daughter of Oaxacan migrants, Candy Martinez has found a meaningful way to reconnect with her roots, investigating the ways in which Indigenous communities process and heal grief and trauma.
May 31, 2022
Maxwell Ward
Maxwell Ward always wanted to be an archeologist, following tales of adventure like the search for the tomb of Genghis Khan. But he realizes now that treasure hunting is the smallest part of being an archaeologist. The biggest part today is ethics, and helping make the discipline accessible to native people who have been historically shut out of it.
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 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 10, 2022
Research video brings attention to an inspiring way of learning
“Learning by Observing and Pitching In” is featured in a National Science Foundation video contest May 10-17; viewers can vote for their favorite video
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
Nearly 30 years of conservation in Santa Cruz, alumna stays connected to the university and invests in students
UCSC alumna Jodi McGraw (Rachel Carson ’94, Environmental Studies and Biology) founded her conservation consulting firm in 2001 and has since hired upwards of 15 UCSC graduates and has sponsored almost 50 UCSC interns.
May 02, 2022
International stages to the Quarry, alumna Terisa Siagatonu returns for dedication ceremony
UCSC alumna and award-winning poet, Terisa Siagatonu (John R. Lewis ’11, community studies), will be a keynote speaker at the John R. Lewis College dedication ceremony on May 6.
May 01, 2022
Summer Session Invites Students to Stay for Summer
UC Santa Cruz Summer Session enrollment is underway and for the first time since 2019, students can choose to stay on campus for in-person classes, or the option remains to study online from anywhere.
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 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 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 15, 2022
Honoring UC Santa Cruz’s 2022 Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni
Each year, UC Santa Cruz’s five academic divisions select one graduate student alumnus/a/i as their Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni honoree. The awards ceremony for the 2022 cohort will take place on April 23 of Alumni Weekend.
April 14, 2022
Kelp restoration project is finalist in LaunchPad pitch competition
Andrea Paz-Lacavex, a graduate student in UCSC’s Coastal Science & Policy Program, leads SPORA, a kelp restoration project in Baja California.
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
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 07, 2022
Sarah Peelo named 2022 Social Sciences Division Distinguished Graduate Student Alumna
Sarah Peelo (Ph.D. Anthropology ’09) looked to UC Santa Cruz as an institution beaming with women in leadership. Now company president and co-owner of cultural resource management firm, Albion, Peelo is at the forefront of cultural preservation in the Bay Area.
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 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 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 10, 2022
Keeping the stoke fresh
Alumnus David Schulkin, who has taught surfing to UC Santa Cruz students for more than two decades, is 'all about joy and about passing on the joy of surfing.'
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 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 02, 2022
Danielle Dadiego named recipient of 2022 Society for American Archaeology Dissertation Award
UC Santa Cruz alumna Danielle Dadiego (M.A. Anthropology, ’17; Ph.D. Anthropology, ’20) has worked in the archeology field for nearly two decades. Her dissertation, Beads, Bullets, and Brokerage: Exploring Economic Agency in Eighteenth-Century West Florida, has been nationally recognized by the 2022 Society for American Archaeology Dissertation Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the archeology field.
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
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 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 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 04, 2022
An advocate for menstrual equity
Student Amanda Safi helped get a new California law passed that requires public schools to stock restrooms with free menstrual products—a move activists say is a first step toward rectifying the discrimination, stigma, and financial, educational, and health consequences faced by those who menstruate.
February 03, 2022
Bridging the educational divide on a global scale
Alumnus Fred Mednick, founder of two-time Peace Prize–winning NGO Teachers Without Borders, has worked to expand worldwide educational access for over two decades.
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 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 13, 2022
Appetite for entrepreneurship leads alum to launch successful meal-prep business
Economics alumnus Andy Sartori, a Sacramento Business Journal 40 under 40 honoree, helps people eat with purpose.
January 13, 2022
Economics professor takes deep dive into challenges and opportunities of climate change
The widespread impacts of climate change raise urgent and critical questions.
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 04, 2022
A cup of kindness
UC Santa Cruz student Tommy Alejandrez was living on the streets when he met former NFL player Zack Follett on a busy corner in Fresno. The meeting—over a cup of coffee—sparked a friendship that would change both of their lives.