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2023 University News

May 25, 2023
A career of service
After 16 years on campus, Dan Tokar will retire on June 30. His current position is Unit Manager, running the entire Porter/Kresge Dining Hall operations.
May 23, 2023
Pulitzer Prize-winning climate journalist Elizabeth Kolbert warns of the complications, perils, and potentials of environmental interventions at Deep Read talk on campus
In her on on-stage discussion with New York Times columnist, podcaster and UCSC alumna Ezra Klein, Elizabeth Kolbert spoke about the efforts to roll back the effects of climate change. The talk was part of The Humanities Institute's fourth annual Deep Read series.
May 23, 2023
UC Santa Cruz engineers join major transportation cybersecurity project
Researchers from UC Santa Cruz will play an important role in protecting the United States’ transportation systems against cybersecurity threats as part of a new national center
May 22, 2023
Huerta Center naming inspires full-circle gift
The naming of the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas hits close to home for a UCSC staff member with a family connection
May 19, 2023
George Kraw: Solidifying a long-lasting impact
George Kraw attributes his life successes to the education he received from UC Santa Cruz. An alumnus and longtime donor to the university, Kraw talks about his time as a student and why he chooses to support his alma mater.
May 19, 2023
Advancing Student Food Security
The university’s multi-pronged approach—including field-to-plate food security, expanded access and food pantry resources, holistic CalFresh support, student-centered basic needs research and assessment, and Slug Support program—works to ensure a safety net for UCSC students.
May 18, 2023
Karen Miga named 2023 Searle Scholar to study uncharted regions of the human genome
Karen Miga, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2023 Searle Scholar.
May 18, 2023
Study reveals key molecular interaction that sets the timing of our biological clocks
New findings point toward a promising target for the development of therapies for sleep disorders, jet lag, and other effects of clock disruption.
May 17, 2023
Comb jellies proven to be the sibling group to all other animals
New research proves comb jellies are a unique lineage or “sibling group” whose ancestors diverged before the common ancestor of all other animals.
May 17, 2023
Empowering communities through partnership
In partnership with Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay, UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center is working to compile data and stories on the impact of affordable housing in Santa Cruz.
May 17, 2023
Salmon documentary produced by UCSC team to air on KQED
‘Southern Range’ was directed by Soc Doc alumnus Kyle Baker and produced by the Seymour Center and the Fisheries Collaborative Program at UCSC.
May 16, 2023
UCSC ranked number two on Wall Street Journal list for top public colleges for high-paying jobs in engineering
New rankings from the Wall Street Journal place UC Santa Cruz as the number two public school for high-paying jobs in engineering, just behind UC Berkeley, and the number nine public school for high-paying jobs in data science and software.
May 16, 2023
Excellence in Action: Celebrating UCSC’s 2023 Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award Recipients
Now in its seventh year, the Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award welcomes its 2023 cohort.
May 16, 2023
Summer programs draw visitors to Lick Observatory for music and stargazing
The Summer Series program at UC's Lick Observatory draws concert fans and astronomy devotees to the summit of Mt. Hamilton for live music, evening astronomy lectures from world-renowned scientists, and the opportunity to view celestial objects through historic telescopes.
May 16, 2023
Meeting with California lawmakers, UC Santa Cruz leaders highlight impact of teaching, research
UC Santa Cruz leaders met last week with California lawmakers to highlight the University of California's critical role in educating the state's students, conducting cutting-edge research, and ensuring the state remains a worldwide economic powerhouse.
May 16, 2023
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
The Division of Physical and Biological Sciences is honoring three stellar alumni—atmospheric scientist Cora E. Randall, pediatrician Ramon Resa, and marine scientist Colleen Reichmuth—with the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
May 16, 2023
Mark Fathi Massoud awarded Berlin Prize
Massoud's Berlin Prize fellowship will allow him to focus on research about perceptions and experiences of shari‘a in the United States.
May 15, 2023
Partnership between The Humanities Institute and Bookshop Santa Cruz has made Santa Cruz a premiere literary destination
Back in 2015, The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz (THI), and Bookshop Santa Cruz joined forces to promote, support and organize events featuring fiction and creative nonfiction authors, historians, poets, dignitaries, Civil Rights pioneers, philosophers and investigative journalists. Their efforts helped make Santa Cruz into a literary destination.
May 15, 2023
Astronomers observe the first radiation belt seen outside of our solar system
High-resolution imaging of radio emissions from an ultracool dwarf show a double-lobed structure like the radiation belts of Jupiter.
May 12, 2023
UC Santa Cruz ranked No. 2 Best Public University for Making an Impact by Princeton Review
For the second year in a row, UC Santa Cruz has been ranked as the No. 2 Best Public University for Making an Impact by Princeton Review.
May 11, 2023
Dickson Emeriti Professorships awarded to faculty in music, theater arts, and biology
Three UCSC faculty members—Kathy Foley, Edward Houghton, and Susan Strome—have been honored with Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorship Awards for the 2023–24 academic year.
May 10, 2023
Human pangenome reference will enable more complete and equitable understanding of genomic diversity
UC Santa Cruz scientists, along with a consortium of researchers, have released a draft of the first human pangenome—a new, usable reference for genomics that combines the genetic material of 47 individuals from different ancestral backgrounds to allow for a deeper, more accurate understanding of worldwide genomic diversity.
May 09, 2023
Golden Slugs use lessons learned to change the world
Among the magical moments of Alumni Reunion Weekend 2023 were the conversations among classmates who recounted stories of their days on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
May 09, 2023
UCSC part of regional partnership bringing bike share to Santa Cruz County
UC Santa Cruz community members will soon have access to a new bike share system that stretches across the county. Starting this June, e-Bikes will be available to rent through the Regional Electric Bike Share Program.
May 09, 2023
UC Santa Cruz honored for innovative online Orientation Course
UC Santa Cruz’s online summer Orientation Course has been recognized for its innovative and inclusive approach to preparing entering students. The Orientation Course was awarded the 2023 Regional II Innovative Program Award from the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education.
May 09, 2023
UC Santa Cruz to lead data collection center for major federal project on genetic underpinnings of neurological conditions
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute will run the Data Coordination Center for the Scalable and Systematic Neurobiology of Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Disorder Risk Genes (SSPsyGene) Consortium.
May 05, 2023
UCSC prepares alumna for Peace Corps path
Alyssa Scarsciotti (Stevenson ’20, Sociology and Linguistics) dreamed of joining the Peace Corps since she was a child. After graduating from UCSC, Scarsciotti is making her dream a reality.
May 04, 2023
Center for Agroecology will support new USDA Regional Food Business Center
The University of California, Santa Cruz will support the establishment of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Food Business Center to support resilient food systems.
May 03, 2023
Ed Green named QB3-Santa Cruz Scientific Director
Richard (Ed) Green, professor of biomolecular engineering, has been selected to serve as the next director of the California Institute of Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) at UC Santa Cruz.
May 03, 2023
Geoscientist Emily Brodsky elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Emily Brodsky, professor of Earth and planetary sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
May 02, 2023
Deep neural network provides robust detection of disease biomarkers in real time
Holger Schmidt's lab has developed a deep neural network that improves the accuracy of their unique devices for detecting pathogen biomarkers.
May 02, 2023
Meet UCSC’s new Chief of Police Kevin Domby
UC Santa Cruz’s newly appointed Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Kevin Domby credits his high school art teacher with introducing him to the idea of a career in public service. "Throughout my career, whether it was when I was a teacher or as a peace officer, I've enjoyed mentoring, training and teaching," Domby said.
May 02, 2023
UC Santa Cruz and United Way invest in youth perspective in researching mental health throughout local communities
Beginning in early 2021, UC Santa Cruz partnered with the United Way of Santa Cruz County’s Youth Action Network, seeking to support youth empowerment and leadership. As part of that vital work, the partners were recognized as the United Way Partner of the Year.
May 01, 2023
UCSC environmental governance expert named to NASEM committee addressing methane gas emissions
Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah has been appointed as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee for Atmospheric Methane Removal to assess viable technological options for reducing a powerful greenhouse gas.
April 28, 2023
Fulbright scholarship will bring distinguished philosophy professor Paul Roth to Manchester, England this winter
Paul Roth, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Philosophy, has been awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Fellowship—the most distinguished appointment in the Fulbright program. He will be at the University of Manchester for six months starting January 2024.
April 27, 2023
Genome of famed sled dog Balto reveals genetic adaptations of working dogs
Still a good boy nearly 100 years after historic sled run, Balto has now helped scientists explore the genetics of working dogs and demonstrate the power of comparative genomics.
April 27, 2023
As the California sea lion population got bigger, so did male sea lions
Unlike other marine mammals, male California sea lions have gotten bigger over the past 50 years as their population has grown.
April 26, 2023
Enhancing communication across communities
UCSC Ph.D. candidate Andrew Guydish pursues psychology and conversational dynamics with the help of the Fredrico and Rena Perlino Memorial Scholarship
April 26, 2023
UCSC Chemical Screening Center symposium features drug discovery talks
The center will hold a Grand Reopening Celebration and Research Symposium on Friday, May 5, marking a major upgrade with new state-of-the-art equipment.
April 26, 2023
One of the planet’s most important carbon sinks is revealing its secrets
New research clarifies how tiny organisms in the Southern Ocean play an outsized role in moderating Earth’s climate.
April 24, 2023
Peter Bratt announced as 2023 Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award recipient
Rockefeller Fellow, Peabody Award winner, Emmy-nominated film producer, writer, director, community organizer, and social justice activist Peter Bratt is UC Santa Cruz’s 2023 Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
April 24, 2023
Electrical engineer wins award to support improvement of efficient, low-cost agricultural soil sensor systems
UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Colleen Josephson is a recipient of the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research’s (FFAR) 2022 New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award.
April 21, 2023
From the ground up: UCSC Men's Rugby finishes historic season
Jeremy Sanford, Patrick Halpin, Guido Bordignon, Simon Nicholls, and Marcus Viscardi are the forces behind one of UCSC's most historic and competitive sports teams on campus: Rugby. UCSC Men’s Rugby finishes their inaugural season in D1A.
April 21, 2023
New stable isotope map of Angola helps archaeologists trace individual life histories across the African Diaspora
UCSC researchers' methods could provide significantly more detail and certainty in identifying first-generation enslaved individuals in the Americas and tracing back their origins within Africa than was previously possible through strontium isotope analysis work or genetic analysis.
April 20, 2023
Alumni Reunion Weekend: Celebrating Slugs of the past, present, and future
Over 150 alumni from the classes of 1965-1973 returned to campus April 14 & 15 to participate in Alumni Reunion Weekend. The class of ’73 celebrated their 50th reunion. Campus was bustling with current and admitted students and their families for Cowell and Stevenson Family Day and Banana Slug Day.
April 20, 2023
Elephant seals drift off to sleep while diving far below the ocean surface
Brainwave patterns show elephant seals take short naps while holding their breath on deep dives, averaging just 2 hours of sleep per day while at sea.
April 20, 2023
UC chemistry departments gather at UCSC to discuss DEI issues
The first UC-wide conference on diversity, equity, and inclusion in chemistry, held April 15 at UCSC, brought together chemistry faculty and students from across the UC system to discuss challenges and share ideas.
April 19, 2023
Biologist Beth Shapiro elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
April 18, 2023
National Endowment for the Humanities honors Watsonville Is In The Heart with a prestigious $75,000 project grant
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a prestigious $75,000 Public Humanities Projects: Exhibitions Planning grant to Watsonville Is In The Heart (WIITH), a community-driven public history initiative to preserve and uplift stories of Filipino migration and labor in the Pajaro Valley.
April 18, 2023
Indirect cost recovery changes for fiscal year 2024
Attention Principal Investigators: UC Santa Cruz recently updated its federal Facilities and Administration (F&A) agreement approving indirect cost recovery rates for sponsored contracts and grants.
April 18, 2023
Two film and digital media faculty receive 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship Awards
Sharon Daniel and Anna Friz were among 171 artists, scholars, scientists and writers selected from nearly 2,500 applicants for the award.
April 17, 2023
Banana Slugs seek to advance conversational AI in all three Amazon Alexa Prize challenges
Three teams of UC Santa Cruz Baskin School of Engineering students are developing next-generation, multimodal AI-powered systems for a chance to win $500,000 or more per challenge.
April 17, 2023
Annual climate change event takes aim at heat and human health for 2023
The ninth annual Confronting Climate Change event gathered top scholars to discuss the health impacts of climate change and the social and economic transformations needed to address them.
April 14, 2023
Rebecca London testifies in support of bill that would guarantee recess for California students
Associate Professor of Sociology Rebecca London testified before the California State Senate Education Committee on April 12 in support of SB 291, which would guarantee at least 30 minutes of recess per day for California students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
April 13, 2023
Study pushes back the emergence of African grasslands by more than 10 million years
An international team of scientists has documented the earliest evidence for local abundance in eastern Africa of the types of grasses that now dominate grassland and savannah ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.
April 13, 2023
Coming to Fruition
UCSC alumni Tallula Preston and David Purgason founded Watsonville based Fruition Brewing in 2019. Four years later, the duo’s establishment is a staple in the Santa Cruz and Watsonville communities.
April 12, 2023
Naming system for transfer RNA fragments will increase research productivity, standardization
UC Santa Cruz Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Todd Lowe and his group created a new naming scheme for tRNA fragments aimed at standardizing research.
April 12, 2023
Representing her community
A daughter of a Vietnamese refugee and a Mexican immigrant, Kim Bernice Nguyen advocates for her community as the youngest person to hold a seat on the Garden Grove City Council. In Jan. 2023, Nguyen announced her run for Congress.
April 12, 2023
Undergrad Samantha Contreras wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
Samantha Contreras, a junior majoring in physics at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
April 11, 2023
A lifetime of service
Louie Campos graduated from College Seven—now Oakes College—with a cohort of seven other students. Oakes College’s mission deeply resonated with Campos, and after graduating he led a life of community and civil service.
April 11, 2023
Colombian all-female team uncovers naturalist Elizabeth Kerr’s long-forgotten legacy
Many fields of study have long been dominated by men but a team of eight female Colombian researchers are committed to uncovering the story of naturalist pioneer Elizabeth Kerr, whose legacy had remained invisible despite her vast contributions to ornithology.
April 06, 2023
Two major stem cell research projects supported with more than $2.6 million in funding
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will provide more than $2.6 million in total funding for two major stem cell research projects led by scientists at UC Santa Cruz, the organization announced.
April 05, 2023
Challenging the costs
While at UCSC, Marisol Ornelas (Stevenson ‘24, politics and legal studies) is working to remedy the many obstacles on the road to higher education.
April 05, 2023
Food system researcher Julie Guthman wins distinguished career award
Professor of sociology and community studies Julie Guthman was recognized with the Distinguished Career Award by the Cultural and Political Ecology speciality group of the American Association of Geographers.
April 04, 2023
White House cites Rob Fairlie’s research in annual economic report
Economics Professor Rob Fairlie’s research on race and ethnicity in higher education was cited in the 2023 Economic Report of the President.
April 04, 2023
Milestone land acknowledgement event brings campus, local tribe and community members together
On Wednesday, April 12, the campus will host its first Land Acknowledgment event, recognizing the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and its place in the local history of the land and the creation of UC Santa Cruz. The event will aim to answer the community’s questions about land acknowledgments, and the importance of such events moving forward.
April 04, 2023
April in Santa Cruz Music Festival goes beyond the norm
This year's April in Santa Cruz Contemporary Music Festival takes up forces of dedication and imagination featuring wide-ranging musicians. The festival opens on Thursday, April 13, 2023 and continues with performances on April 14, 17, 21 in the UC Santa Cruz Music Center Recital Hall, and closes on April 30th at The Lab in San Francisco. All live, in-person performances are free and open to the public.
April 03, 2023
Big Questions: Astronomer Father and Artist Daughter
An astrophysicist, musician, mentor, and inspiration, Bill Mathews died in September 2021. His daughter, Amey Mathews, began drawing portraits of him in his memory.
April 03, 2023
NASA’s search for life in the cosmos is focus of April 17 lecture and discussion
‘Whispers from Other Worlds,’ a public lecture and discussion at the Rio Theater, features NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen and science journalist Nadia Drake.
March 30, 2023
Grad student Huazhi Ge wins postdoctoral fellowship for planetary science research
Huazhi Ge, a doctoral candidate in planetary science at UC Santa Cruz, has won a prestigious 51 Pegasi b Fellowship from the Heising-Simons Foundation to support his postdoctoral research.
March 30, 2023
New program advises UCSC Ph.D. students on their path to entrepreneurship and venture capital
Many student-led innovations never make it out of the lab. A new program at UC Santa Cruz aims to change that by mentoring Ph.D. students in the life sciences on alternative career pathways outside academia: entrepreneurship and venture capital.
March 28, 2023
Spring 2023 Emeriti Lecture: Peace Teachers In and From Soledad Prison
John Brown Childs began offering courses on transcommunality at Soledad Correctional Facility eighteen years ago. Almost two decades later, his teachings continue to transform the lives of incarcerated men in Soledad.
March 28, 2023
Dickens Project honored with the 2023 Award of Merit from the California Association of Teachers of English.
The CATE award recognizes the Dickens Project’s long history of outreach and partnerships with high school students and teachers.
March 28, 2023
A scholar in his own community: Kevin Weatherwax
Computational Media Ph.D. student Kevin Weatherwax's research is supported through the Piatt Fellowship, a scholarship for doctoral students from Santa Cruz County.
March 27, 2023
Humans and housing density are the leading cause of death for local pumas
Two new studies involving UC Santa Cruz researchers are shedding light on the challenges facing local pumas where humans are encroaching on their natural habitats.
March 25, 2023
Grant funds Sarker's aquaculture sustainability research
Pallab Sarker received a foundation grant fund from the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, amounting to $170,947 over three years to strengthen his lab’s ecological aquaculture work.
March 25, 2023
Pedroza received Russell Sage Foundation Pipeline Grant
Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Pedroza aims to learn more about these challenges and speak to them, with the help of a recently awarded grant from the Russell Sage Foundation.
March 22, 2023
JWST’s first direct spectrum of planetary-mass object reveals dynamic atmosphere
The most detailed spectrum ever for a planetary-mass object outside our solar system covers an unprecedented range of wavelengths, providing a wealth of new insights.
March 21, 2023
Center for Labor and Community opens on UC Santa Cruz campus
Scholars studying the economic and social impacts of a variety of labor and employment issues facing workers in Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Area just announced the opening of a new center on campus that will provide timely and policy-relevant labor research, will educate the next generation of labor and community leaders and will advance labor, community, and occupational health initiatives.
March 21, 2023
Computer engineering research prompts bug fixes, updates to major GPU frameworks
A new suite of GPU tests developed by Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Tyler Sorensen and his students led to changes to an important GPU framework for programming web browsers.
March 21, 2023
Collaboration with NASA uses eDNA technology to monitor biodiversity
UCSC scientists collected environmental DNA samples in South Africa as part of the BioSCape project.
March 21, 2023
Scientists, policy leaders, and insurance experts meet to address climate risks
The Coastal Climate Resilience Symposium held at the Seymour Center focused on integrating nature-based solutions into risk management and insurance.
March 20, 2023
UCSC names astronomer Bryan Gaensler dean of Physical and Biological Sciences
UC Santa Cruz has appointed internationally recognized astronomer Bryan Gaensler to serve as dean of the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences, effective August 15.
March 20, 2023
Cultivating equitable communications
Elise Duffau was awarded the Frederico and Rena Perlino Memorial Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
March 17, 2023
Black Studies minor builds momentum
The Black Studies minor at the University of California, Santa Cruz has grown in size and influence at a time when the United States continues to grapple with its long history of racism.
March 16, 2023
UC Santa Cruz moving forward on project to increase student housing, expand childcare services
Student Housing West will provide housing for more than 3,000 students following project, finance approvals by the UC Board of Regents
March 15, 2023
Young Supernova Experiment releases first set of transient survey data
UC Santa Cruz astronomers organized the survey, which has discovered thousands of cosmic explosions and other transient events of interest to astronomers and astrophysicists.
March 14, 2023
Researcher solves nearly 60-year-old game theory dilemma
Dejan Milutinovic has solved a nearly 60-year-old game theory dilemma called the wall pursuit game, with implications for better reasoning about autonomous systems such as driverless vehicles.
March 14, 2023
Local educators shared expertise at the first STEM Education Central Coast Conference
The conference, which was organized by California State University Monterey Bay in collaboration with UC Santa Cruz, was designed by and for local educators in science, technology, engineering and math. The goal was to share expertise.
March 13, 2023
Minke whales are as small as a lunge-feeding baleen whale can be
Research on the feeding behavior of Antarctic minke whales found that a smaller whale could not capture enough food to survive using the lunge-feeding strategy of baleen whales.
March 13, 2023
Winning Grad Slam presentation highlights disease threat to Hawaiian birds
Ecology and evolutionary biology graduate student Christa Seidl will compete in the UC systemwide Grad Slam in May, presenting her research on avian malaria.
March 13, 2023
Advocating for human rights
Nicole Britton was awarded the Weiss Family Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
March 10, 2023
Where is your squid coming from? Most likely unregulated waters, according to a new international study
Scientists and policymakers have voiced growing concerns about the decline of global squid stocks, but little has been done to date to target squid fishing activities that are expanding into unregulated spaces, according to a new international study.
March 09, 2023
New project will develop safer, highly accurate GPS alternative
Ricardo Sanfelice, UCSC professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his team of graduate students and researchers are designing a new and resilient Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) system.
March 09, 2023
First images released from James Webb Space Telescope’s largest general observer program
Mosaic images from the COSMOS-Web program offer a treasure trove of early galaxies, including dazzling examples of spiral galaxies, gravitational lensing, and evidence of galaxy mergers.
March 09, 2023
Imagining Freedom: Dr. Angela Davis and Dr. Gina Dent Participate in Panel Highlighting UCSC’s Visualizing Abolition Curriculum
On the recent panel “Imagining Freedom,” presented by the Mellon Foundation, UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor Dr. Gina Dent and Distinguished Professor Emerita Angela Y. Davis participated in a live streamed conversation on mass incarceration, the toll it takes on society, and ways the arts and humanities drive opportunities for civic, scholarly, and creative engagement across the criminal-legal system.
March 08, 2023
Alumni Councilor April Yee
April Yee joined the UCSC Alumni Council in 2017.
March 08, 2023
Marine mammal reproduction rests on a precarious tipping point of ocean resources
A study of northern elephant seals reveals a threshold at which a small decrease in the amount of prey females can find during foraging migrations could lead to a sudden drop in reproductive success.
March 07, 2023
UCSC wins prestigious Highly Established Action Plan Seal for voter engagement
UC Santa Cruz has become one of only three University of California campuses awarded a Highly Established Action Plan Seal as part of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) for its voter engagement efforts.
March 07, 2023
Indigenous land management focus of this year’s Conversations on Climate Justice
Wildfires. Flooding. Drought. The nation has faced these climate issues for centuries. Yet, there’s still a lot that can be learned from pre-colonial indigenous food and land management techniques to combat our current climate problems, according to Dr. Lyla June Johnston, the keynote speaker for UC Santa Cruz’s third annual Conversations on Climate Justice event, coming up this Monday, March 13.
March 07, 2023
SpikeGPT: researcher releases code for largest-ever spiking neural network for language generation
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jason Eshraghian and two students recently released the open-sourced code for the largest language-generating spiking neural network ever, named SpikeGPT.
March 06, 2023
Graphene quantum dots show promise as novel magnetic field sensors
Physicists found that speeding electrons trapped in circular loops in graphene quantum dots are highly sensitive to external magnetic fields.
March 06, 2023
Continuing an Academic Legacy
The Dr. Aaronette White Scholarship was awarded to Guneet Hora in 2022.
March 03, 2023
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz wins 2023 AAAS Mentor Award
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded the 2023 AAAS Mentor Award to Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz.
March 02, 2023
Leaf wetness sensor will enable better plant disease forecasting and management
An interdisciplinary team of researchers created a new type of sensor for more accurately measuring leaf wetness which will enable better plant disease forecasting and management.
March 01, 2023
Celebrating UCSC’s Pioneer Alumni
Register today to be a part of the meaningful reunion weekend for our pioneer classes.
February 27, 2023
Introducing The Humanities Institute’s 2023 Deep Read: Elizabeth Kolbert’s Under A White Sky: The Nature Of the Future
This year's Deep Read selection is Under A White Sky: The Nature Of The Future by New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Kolbert. The book delves into the ingenuity and complications of efforts to reverse environmental damage and climate change. The program kicks off this spring and culminates in a live discussion with Kolbert on Sunday, May 21 at the Quarry Amphitheatre.
February 27, 2023
Shrinking age distribution of spawning salmon raises climate resilience concerns
Study suggests changes in hatchery practices could help increase population stability for Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon, the backbone of California’s salmon fishery.
February 24, 2023
UC Santa Cruz sees record number of first-year applications
The University of California, Santa Cruz has begun the process of building the fall 2023 class of students seeking to learn and thrive at an institution that leads at the intersection of innovation and social justice. The competition to earn a spot at UC Santa Cruz remains strong this year, with a record number of applications received.
February 23, 2023
MLK Convocation speaker points way to STEM success
The key to persevering in STEM careers is to find joy in the struggle, discover yourself in the process and lead with passion and purpose, Talithia Williams said at UC Santa Cruz’s online 39th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation Feb. 21.
February 21, 2023
Leading and learning to save the world
CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia heads California’s fight against the ongoing climate crisis with her UCSC education as her foundation.
February 21, 2023
RNA Rescue challenge invites players to solve puzzles and advance RNA therapeutics
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a new puzzle challenge for the online game Eterna, enlisting players to help design a novel RNA drug to treat hemophilia A.
February 21, 2023
Major expansion of Lick Observatory education programs will benefit Bay Area students
Scientific Teaching through Astronomy Research (STARs), a suite of new outreach and education programs at UC’s Lick Observatory, will reach a diverse population of K-12 and college-age students.
February 21, 2023
Researcher wins inaugural NHGRI award for DEIA Innovation in the Genomics Workforce
Ann McCartney received the National Human Genome Research Institute’s (NHGRI) inaugural Staff Award for DEIA Innovation in the Genomics Workforce.
February 16, 2023
Alumni Councilor Christy Martin
Christy Martin is currently serving as the Vice President of Finance for the UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association. Martin enjoys reconnecting with and giving back to the UCSC community, while helping to manage and grow funds that support alumni programs and student success.
February 16, 2023
First In-Person Night at the Museum Since Pandemic Returns With “Resettlement: Chicago Story”
The Humanities Institute’s Signature Event, UCSC Night at the Museum, is returning to the MAH for a screening and panel conversation, featuring “Resettlement: Chicago Story,” a short fictional film and accompanying website about people of Japanese ancestry remaking their lives in the Midwest following their wrongful incarceration during World War II.
February 15, 2023
Speaking his soul: John Rickford to speak at Distinguished Alumni Lecture
Stevenson College Distinguished alumnus John Rickford returns to UC Santa Cruz for a reading of a chapter of his memoir, “Speaking my Soul: Race, Life, and Language.”
February 15, 2023
UCSC professor building collaborations to shape future minds through ethnic studies
Many believe we are at a pivotal moment in this country regarding anti-racist reforms, police abolition, and restorative justice. And according to Rekia Jibrin, an assistant professor in critical studies of education within UC Santa Cruz’s Education Department, engaging local communities is vital to bringing about transformative change.
February 14, 2023
Information about reporting abusive conduct in the workplace
The University of California issued a new Presidential Policy that defines and prohibits Abusive Conduct in the Workplace, effective Jan 1, 2023. This policy applies to all University of California employees, including student employees.
February 13, 2023
Pursuing social justice
Elena Losada received the Jessica Roy Memorial Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
February 13, 2023
Designing the digital user experience to meet research needs - Meet Jessica Waggoner
Jessica Waggoner, the user experience librarian, and her students work to understand information-seeking behaviors so the campus community can easily access the resources they need to be successful in their classes and push the boundaries of research.
February 10, 2023
Big data expert to headline MLK Convocation
Dr. Talithia Williams, a mathematician and big data expert who seeks to “STEMpower” underrepresented groups to enter STEM fields, will address the 39th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation, a virtual event on February 21.
February 09, 2023
Bots and Broadway: Technology and theater go hand-in-hand for UCSC professor
Using AI-generated text to produce dialogue during a live performance may seem like a wild idea to some, but not to performance and new media professor Marianne Weems. Weems, co-founder and artistic director of New York-based multi-dimensional theater company The Builders Association, is used to pushing the envelope with her ground-breaking work at the intersection of technology, media, and theater arts.
February 09, 2023
Legal Studies Program, Santa Cruz County Public Defender’s Office partner for National Public Defense Summit
Interested in learning about the importance of public defense and criminal law? The UC Santa Cruz Legal Studies Program, in partnership with the Santa Cruz County Office of the Public Defender, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and the National Association for Public Defense, will host its first-ever National Public Defense Summit on February 24-25 at the Stevenson Event Center.
February 07, 2023
Campus safety strengthened with new programs, services
Restoring the late-night Safe Ride program, forming a mobile crisis intervention team, and increasing security patrols are just a few of the changes this academic year.
February 07, 2023
UCSC joins FAA/ UAS Collegiate Training Initiative
UC Santa Cruz is now the first UC- or CSU-member of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)/ Unmanned Aircraft Systems’ (UAS) Collegiate Training Initiative program.
February 06, 2023
Pursuing cultural anthropology
Gabriel Ephraim Kaplan Wall was awarded the Jeremy Demian Marx Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
February 03, 2023
Funding opportunity to develop university innovations
The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub is now accepting applications for its new Innovation Catalyst Grant; a proof-of-concept program focused on providing targeted gap funding, training, mentorship, and support to UC Santa Cruz researchers in order to help de-risk and/or validate the implementation and adoption potential of early-stage technology innovations.
February 03, 2023
UC Santa Cruz leads DOE program to train computational high-energy physicists
The Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP) at UC Santa Cruz is leading a consortium of western research universities and national laboratories in a new program to train the next generation of computational high-energy physicists.
February 03, 2023
UCSC receives NEH awards that will further research in anthropology and musicology
On January 10, the NEH announced $28.1 million in grants toward 204 humanities projects nationwide. Two of this year’s recipients are part of the Slug family themselves, and their new grants will help to further their research in both anthropology and musicology at UC Santa Cruz.
February 02, 2023
Uncovering the secret war against the Nazis in the Middle East
In his book talk on Wednesday, February 8 at UCSC, Gershom Gorenberg (Kresge '76, Religious Studies) will reveal the espionage affair that led to the British victory against Rommel at El Alamein – turning the tide of the war and preventing the mass murder of the Jews of Egypt, Palestine and the rest of the Middle East.
February 02, 2023
Astronomers observe light bending around an isolated white dwarf
The first detection of gravitational lensing for a single, isolated star other than our sun comes 100 years after a landmark experiment using the sun to confirm Einstein’s prediction.
February 01, 2023
Three UCSC faculty win prestigious NSF CAREER awards
The CAREER Awards are NSF's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.
January 31, 2023
Three UCSC faculty named 2022 AAAS fellows
Three UC Santa Cruz professors received the distinction of 2022 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the association announced today.
January 31, 2023
Improving the student experience: aligning Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services within the Division of Student Affairs and Success
In an effort to improve the student experience, Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services (CHES) is moving from the Division of Finance, Operations, and Administration (FOA) to the Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS).
January 31, 2023
University launches new center, Campus + Community, to facilitate engaged scholarship
After more than 50 years of engagement in the region, UC Santa Cruz is launching a new center to coordinate campus and community connections for action-oriented scholarship that advances social justice.
January 31, 2023
John Bollard named associate vice chancellor for student health and wellness and chief well-being officer; joins Division of Student Affairs and Success
The Division of Student Affairs and Success is excited to announce John Bollard has been hired as the associate vice chancellor for student health and wellness and chief well-being officer. He will begin his appointment Thursday, February 2.
January 31, 2023
The university invites campus community to come together for SlugUnity: A Space for Healing
In the wake of numerous, horrific acts of violence that have recently unfolded across the country, UCSC invites students, staff, and faculty to gather together in the Quarry Amphitheater this Thursday, February 2 from noon to 1 p.m..
January 30, 2023
Disclosing foreign collaborations in research projects
In order to comply with evolving federal regulations related to disclosing foreign collaborations and other support, the Office of Research has updated Cayuse to include screening questions. These questions are meant to trigger information that needs to be disclosed on all applications and progress reports for projects with federal funding.
January 30, 2023
Two new species of rare succulents found in Mexico named by UCSC botanist
A retired staff botanist at the UCSC Arboretum & Botanic Garden studied the rare plants found on an island off the coast of Baja California and identified two new species of dudleya.
January 30, 2023
NIH grant funds research on a powerful new approach to drug development
A new NIH MIRA grant funds biochemist Scott Lokey’s efforts to develop complex, membrane-permeable molecules as next-generation therapeutic agents.
January 30, 2023
Sanya Cowal: Resilience and agency
Sanya Cowal was awarded the Jessica Roy Memorial Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
January 23, 2023
McKenna Smith: Pursuing biological sciences
McKenna Smith was awarded the Keeley Coastal Scholars Award in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
January 23, 2023
UCSC leads new multicampus initiatives on climate change and bilingualism
UC Santa Cruz faculty are leading two new collaborative programs funded by grants from UC’s Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) program.
January 23, 2023
Study reveals influence of krill availability on humpback whale pregnancies
Data from Antarctica show more humpback whales get pregnant after years with abundant krill than after years when krill were less plentiful.
January 23, 2023
Five student teams embark on tech for social good projects
Five student teams will take on tech for social good projects with funding from the UCSC CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the UCSC Institute for Social Transformation.
January 20, 2023
Vulnerability of red sea urchins to climate change depends on location
Scientists found that red sea urchin populations are adapted to local environments, but some populations will suffer more than others as conditions change in the future.
January 19, 2023
Alumni Councilor Mario Galdamez
Mario Galdamez joined the UCSC Alumni Council in 2022. Since then, he has enjoyed giving back to the UCSC community, honing his leadership skills, reconnecting with the community, and supporting students.
January 17, 2023
Researchers produce first-ever toolkit for RNA sequencing analysis using a ‘pantranscriptome’
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz introduce the first-ever method for analyzing RNA sequencing data genome-wide using a “pantranscriptome.”
January 17, 2023
UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences to open new, off campus galleries
The state-of-the-art facility will showcase the Institute of the Arts and Sciences’ groundbreaking exhibitions and programs, highlighting the work of major national and international artists working to address the most pressing issues of our day at the intersection of the arts and social justice.
January 16, 2023
Study finds active galactic nuclei are even more powerful than thought
A new study indicates that scientists have substantially underestimated the energy output of active galactic nuclei powered by supermassive black holes because their light is dimmed by dust.
January 16, 2023
Zahirah Suhaimi: Exploring ecological states
Zahirah Suhaimi was awarded the Dr. Midori Arima Scholarship in Anthropology in 2022.
January 12, 2023
Alumni Weekend re-envisioned
Alumni Weekend was created to welcome alumni back to UC Santa Cruz for a week of reconnecting with peers, Santa Cruz, and the campus community. In 2023, the program will take on a redesigned look.
January 12, 2023
Sensorium, a new project of UC Santa Cruz’s Center for the Study of the Force Majeure, to be an unprecedented experience of the world ocean
A new project in development by UC Santa Cruz’s Center for the Study of the Force Majeure will give the public a transformative opportunity to interact with the world’s ocean ecosystem in a fully immersive work of environmental art entitled Sensorium.
January 11, 2023
Earth scientist James Zachos honored for climate change research
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category recognizes Zachos and fellow paleoclimatologist Ellen Thomas of Yale University.
January 09, 2023
Astronomers find the most distant stars in our galaxy halfway to Andromeda
A search for variable stars called RR Lyrae has found some of the most distant stars in the Milky Way’s halo a million light years away.
January 09, 2023
Championing opportunity: Alumnus sponsors graduate student fellowships
UCSC alumnus and Stone Brewing Co-Founder Steve Wagner has funded summer research fellowships for four humanities graduate students over the course of four years.
January 03, 2023
UC Santa Cruz Cal Teach program connects area STEM majors with local public schools
Established in fall 2005, the UCSC Cal Teach program is one of nine in the UC system, with a goal to recruit and support undergrads in the STEM field to become teachers in K-12 schools.