2023  Alumni News

UC Santa Cruz joins Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative

The initiative provides campus leadership with a comprehensive program to foster a campus climate in which Jewish students feel comfortable expressing their identity free of antisemitism, harassment, or marginalization.

UCSC team wins third place in first-ever Amazon SimBot challenge

A team of UC Santa Cruz computer science and engineering (CSE) Ph.D. students won third place in the first-ever Amazon Alexa Prize SimBot Challenge, a university competition focused on advancing virtual assistant technology.

Alumna Stephanie Foo discusses her newest book, examining the interconnection between dissecting complex-PTSD with entering a new period of healing

Stephanie Foo, longtime journalist and radio producer released her first book, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma, in February 2022

A career of educating

After 38 years of interdisciplinary teaching at UCSC, Professor David Brundage is retiring.

Astronomers observe giant tails of helium escaping Jupiter-like planet

Heat from the host star is evaporating the atmosphere from a “hot Jupiter” exoplanet, creating some of the longest gas tails ever observed around a planet.

A network for the future

UCSC Student Serena Campbell’s senior thesis leads to a comprehensive network between critical environmental researchers on campus.

New exhibitions at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences bring innovative, socially engaged art to the Central Coast

Carolina Caycedo and David de Rozas: The Blessings of the Mystery and Sadie Barnette: Family Business, a multi-sited exhibition with the San José Museum of Art, will be on view at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences April 28 - September 3, 2023.

UC Santa Cruz announces recipients of Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards

The Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards celebrate the university’s talented faculty, researchers, staff, students, and community partners for their outstanding contributions to innovation and creativity.

Latino Alumni Network returns to UCSC

The UCSC Latino Alumni Network aims to serve their community with the help of new Co-Chairs Amaris Trujillo and Guadalupe Sanchez.

Judit Moschkovich joins two national leadership programs for mathematics education

Moschkovich is now a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction and a co chair of the National Academy of Education's Equity in Math Education Research Grants (EMERG) Program.

Crucial organic farming issue addressed by UC workshops, collaborations

UC Santa Cruz-based organic production specialist Joji Muramoto collaborated on a UC Cooperative Extension workshop series for organic vegetable and fruit growers on how to manage nitrogen.

Students find support, success through Next Generation Scholars in Applied Mathematics program

Students have found success through the Next Generation Scholars in Applied Mathematics program, which provides students scholarships and additional support such as counseling and career readiness workshops

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Campus researchers make history with release of first human pangenome

We are extremely proud to share the news that UC Santa Cruz scientists played a critical role in an enormous scientific achievement that boosts our understanding of human biology and genomic diversity, and will ultimately help diagnose disease and guide treatments for people worldwide.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In Memoriam: Margaret I. Fitzsimmons

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Honoring the contributions of Gordon Moore

Science has lost one of its greatest champions with the death of Gordon Moore, a visionary engineer whose pioneering work on semiconductors set the stage for a technological revolution that changed the world in countless ways and enabled research breakthroughs in fields far and wide. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Celebrating UCSC’s Pioneer Alumni

Register today to be a part of the meaningful reunion weekend for our pioneer classes.

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.

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.

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. 

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.”

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.

Pursuing social justice

Elena Losada received the Jessica Roy Memorial Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.

Arts Division to break ground on new state-of-the-art Social Documentation Lab

UC Santa Cruz’s Division of the Arts will soon begin construction of a world-class production and post-production facility in support of its Social Documentation (SocDoc) MFA program.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Welcoming our new Vice Chancellor for Finance, Operations and Administration

Ed Reiskin has spent more than 20 years as a public sector administrator, most recently as the city of Oakland’s top administrative officer.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Learning-Aligned Employment Program Launches; provides 100% funding for on-campus, student research positions

LAEP is a nine-year, state-funded, work-based learning program similar to federal work-study. The program offers eligible students the opportunity to earn money to help defray their educational costs while gaining education-aligned, career-related employment.

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..

UCSC alumna and special advisor to the chancellor earns international recognition for contributions to science, community building

Matlock, a cognitive science professor at UC Merced and special adviser at UC Santa Cruz, studies language use in real world contexts, including climate change, politics, technology, and health.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

Announcing Teenie Matlock as special adviser to the chancellor for Indigenous matters

Teenie Matlock, most recently Vice Provost for Academic Personnel at UC Merced, has officially joined UC Santa Cruz as Special Adviser to the Chancellor on Indigenous Relations.

Zahirah Suhaimi: Exploring ecological states

Zahirah Suhaimi was awarded the Dr. Midori Arima Scholarship in Anthropology in 2022.

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.

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.

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.

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.