February 2024 News Archive

UC Santa Cruz-based center leads system-wide commitment to White House food security initiative

The Center for Economic Justice and Action (CEJA) at UC Santa Cruz will lead the University of California’s participation in the White House Challenge to End Hunger and

United for Equity: Central Coast K-16 Regional Collaborative launch event celebrates a groundbreaking collaboration

On Feb. 9, leaders from the Central Coast K-16 Regional Collaborative, representing 30-plus educational institutions and industry partners across the Central Coast, gathered to launch an initiative aimed

Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu launches her new book: "The Movies of Racial Childhoods"

To celebrate, Shimizu will be hosting a book launch on the University of California, Santa Cruz Campus at the Sesnon Gallery, where the book will be available for

Open Educational Resources cut student costs and increase engagement

Many students face a financial challenge when it comes to covering the cost of course materials each quarter. To help reduce this financial burden, a growing number of

Center for Research in Open Source Software welcomes James Davis as new faculty director

Professor of Computer Science and Engineering is the new faculty director of the Center for Research in Open Source Software (CROSS).

Planned gift bolsters Año Nuevo's perpetual impact

Año Nuevo is part of the University of California Natural Reserves System and one of the five reserves overseen by UC Santa Cruz. John Fox is including UC

Alumnus James Dawes thrives in sustainable contracting and remodeling business with focus on reclaimed materials

UCSC alum James Dawes, founder of the successful contracting, demolition, and remodeling business PlaceMakers, takes pride in utilizing reclaimed materials and minimizing waste. Dawes credits his environmentally conscious

Cultivating community treasures

Chancellor’s Associate Francis Garcia shares his connection to UCSC

Two History of Consciousness professors named to lead prestigious political journal

University of California, Santa Cruz History of Consciousness Professors Banu Bargu and Massimiliano Tomba have been named co-editors of the influential scholarly journal Political Theory.

The Center for Creative Ecologies presents "Nuclear Nows: Contemporary Art, Radiation, and Militarized Ecologies”

This two-part symposium is the work of Zoe Weldon-Yochim, a Ph.D. Candidate in Visual Studies, in collaboration with T.J. Demos, Professor in the Department of the History

The UCSC Music Department presents "The World Making Aura of Sonic Blackness" with Moor Mother & James Gordon Williams

On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the University of California, Santa Cruz Music Department presents a very special performance by guest artist Moor Mother (Camae Ayewa) and James

Mourning the tragic death of our student

It is with the deepest sorrow that I share the news that one of our students succumbed on Friday to fatal injuries she endured early that morning at Seabright State Beach.

Continuing student housing application period closes March 4

UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement Webinar Series

I write on behalf of Michelle Deutchman, executive director for the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, to make you aware of a webinar series for UC faculty and staff that is occurring right now.

Closer water monitoring needed as wildfires increase

UC Santa Cruz researchers warn that wildfires can change the chemistry of nearby streams that people and wildlife depend on for drinking water. But they found that the

Scientists begin to crack open climate-change riddles hiding in ancient coral

An international team of researchers on an expedition co-led by UC Santa Cruz Professor Christina Ravelo collected cores of fossil coral off the coast of Hawai'i to look

Stranger Things VR game co-written by UCSC’s Samantha Gorman launches in partnership with Netflix, Meta

A new virtual reality (VR) game set in the world of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things launches today — and UC Santa Cruz Assistant Teaching Professor of Computational

Invitation to the SAB Virtual Winter Forum

The Staff Advisory Board enthusiastically invites you to attend our second Winter Forum on Wednesday, March 6th, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.

Kimberly Lau appointed provost of College Nine and John R. Lewis College

The Division of Social Sciences has selected Literature Professor Kimberly Lau as the new provost of College Nine and John R. Lewis College.

Annual notice on employees responsible for reporting discrimination, sexual violence or sexual harassment

To promote a healthy campus climate, we encourage everyone in our community to report incidents of sexual violence, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation to EEP.

Planned power outage at residential campus on Sunday, February 25

UC Santa Cruz will experience a planned power outage from 7 a.m to 3 p.m on Sunday, February 25. The outage will impact most of the residential campus including all ten colleges and many upper campus facilities.

Net wins

The UC Santa Cruz table tennis team, an informal group formed only in 2022, quickly began finding success at tournaments—but its biggest wins may be the community, friendship,

Upcoming exhibition will shine a light on vibrant Filipino American life on the Central Coast

Sowing Seeds: Filipino American Stories from the Pajaro Valley will run from April 12 through August 4 at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art And History in downtown

UCSC student and two time scholarship recipient shares her transformative experiences

Lizeth Peña Sanchez (’24, education, democracy, and justice, Latin American and Latino studies, and sociology) received scholarships from The Institute for Social Transformation's Transforming Futures and Building Belonging

UC Santa Cruz awarded SEA Change Bronze Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

UC Santa Cruz has been awarded a 2024 STEM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change Initiative Institutional Bronze Award. The award recognizes the university’s commitment to long-term, sustainable institutional transformation

Slugcast rewind: Listen to episodes from the week of Feb. 12

Hosted out of the Student Affairs and Success divisional office, Slugcast is the official UCSC podcast.

Chemists use peptides from Alzheimer’s and Type II diabetes to describe five new rippled beta-sheets

Scientists from the University of California, Santa Cruz, synthesized peptides from proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and Type II Diabetes and described five new rippled beta-sheet

Deadline to register to vote in March primary is Feb. 20

February 20 is the deadline to update your registration online to vote in the March 5 California Primary Election. 

Office of Equity and Equal Protection announces new systemwide anti-discrimination policy

The Office of Equity and Equal Protection (EEP) is pleased to announce the issuance of a new systemwide policy on Anti–Discrimination.

President Drake announces new Systemwide Office of Civil Rights

The University of California’s first Systemwide Office of Civil Rights was launched on Feb. 20, 2024.

Community Voices Series event remembers Santa Cruz's fourth Chinatown

The second UC Santa Cruz Community Voices Series event featured a conversation between UC Santa Cruz Community Archivist Rebecca Hernandez and local philanthropist and developer George Ow Jr.

Two UC Santa Cruz scientists named 2024 Sloan Research Fellows

Assistant Professors Roxanne Beltran and Jacqueline Kimmey have been awarded Sloan Research Fellowships, one of the most prestigious honors bestowed on early-career scientists, each receiving $75,000 to delve

Lessons from COVID reveal how monopoly power in the biopharmaceutical industry is evolving

In his latest paper, Politics Professor Matt Sparke and his coauthor use the case of COVID to demonstrate both the enduring problem of bio-pharmaceutical monopolies and the ways

Legal Studies major Lauren Elscott found her passion with music and events on campus

Lauren Elscott is senior in the legal studies program whose true passion lies in music and events. At UC Santa Cruz she discovered the electronic music minor and

UC Santa Cruz earns national acclaim: awarded NAFSA’s 2024 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization

In recognition of excellence in internationalization efforts, the University of California, Santa Cruz has been selected to receive the prestigious 2024 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization

Alumna and award-winning author empowers the next generation

Renowned author and UCSC alumna Reyna Grande, recipient of multiple literary awards, traces her extraordinary journey to becoming a bestseller. Grande, now giving back to her alma mater

Slugs in love: Celebrating love stories from UCSC alumni

Fourteen alumni share how they found love as students at UC Santa Cruz.

Student Gabriella Goss wins $500 Alumni Leadership Award from Ecology Project International

Her project draws inspiration from her Ecology Project International (EPI) course experience in the Galapagos Islands, where she witnessed the thriving wildlife in an ecosystem largely spared from

Distinguished Emerita Professor Angela Davis receives the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for her contributions to architecture

University of California, Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor Emerita Angela Davis has been honored with the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for her influence on architectural

Protein designer awarded $2.5M to develop bioluminescent protein for deep tissue imaging

Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Andy Yeh was awarded a nearly $2.5 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to develop completely artificial enzymes that can produce bioluminescence

UC Santa Cruz welcomes new AVC for planning, design, and construction

I am happy to announce the appointment of Emil Zordilla as UC Santa Cruz’s new associate vice chancellor for planning, design and construction. He will begin his position on February 26. 

In Memoriam: Frank Andrews, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry

With enormous gratitude, we celebrate the life of UC Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus Frank Andrews, who died of cancer on January 31, 2024, at age 91.

UC Santa Cruz Physicist Joel Primack wins 2024 AAAS Abelson Prize

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded the prestigious 2024 Philip Hauge Abelson Prize to Joel R. Primack, distinguished professor of physics emeritus at

Now streaming: Slugcast, UCSC's official podcast

Hosted out of the Student Affairs and Success divisional office, Slugcast is the official UCSC podcast.

Join the Banana Slug art contest

Get ready to unleash your inner artist and celebrate creativity like never before. The Assembly Bill 1850 (AB 1850) Banana Slug Art Contest is here to bring a splash of color and imagination into your life.

Now streaming: Slugcast, UCSC's official podcast

Hosted out of the Student Affairs and Success divisional office, Slugcast is the official UCSC podcast.

Now streaming: Slugcast, UCSC's official podcast

Hosted out of the Student Affairs and Success divisional office, Slugcast is the official UCSC podcast.

Innovation at the intersection: An alum’s trailblazing ventures in tech, film, and social change

Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler is an award-winning tech entrepreneur, a filmmaker and producer, a social justice advocate, and a scholar.

Widespread machine learning methods behind ‘link prediction’ are performing very poorly, study shows

New research from UC Santa Cruz Professor of Computer Science and Engineering C. “Sesh” Seshadhri published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences establishes that

After Man: Alterhuman Ethics and Poetics at the Climate Change Tipping Point

Join associate professor micha cárdenas for her talk about the meeting point between the end of humanity and contemporary

Commencement schedule announced

This spring’s ceremonies will be held on the East Upper Field from June 14–17, 2024.

Update on the campus budget

Campus leadership has been involved in discussions to address a projected growing structural deficit in our core budget in a timely manner.

The UCSC’s African American Theater Arts Troupe presents Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage

Light-hearted comedy captures the struggles of the formerly incarcerated staff as they hope for a better life

UCSC Central Asian Ensemble honors traditional Uzbek music with special guest master dutarist Rozibi Khodjaeva

UC Santa Cruz is home to the only Western dutar ensemble. They will be playing along with Rozibi Khodjaeva, a master dutar player who is visiting from her

Breaking Records and Feeding Hope

Addressing Bias and Bigotry: Call for Ideas

The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) is providing each campus with on-time funds to combat bias, bigotry and discrimination stemming from recent global events.

Bioelectronics enable precise control of organoids for better understanding of neuro diseases, neuron circuits

UC Santa Cruz researchers have developed a new plug-and-play bioelectronics system that enables researchers to precisely control neuronal activity in cortical organoids, which will help unlock new discoveries

To plan a sustainable future for seafood access in small island developing states, researchers highlight solutions hiding in plain sight

To better understand how fisheries-based food systems might respond to change, a research team led by UCSC Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Katherine Seto took a deeper look

Space Management Policy Update

March 5 is Election Day in California

Attend a housing information session

Housing information sessions are the best opportunity for continuing students to learn about the housing application and assignment process.

UC Santa Cruz's second annual Teaching Week Feb. 26 - March 1

The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) and the Academic Senate are delighted to present UC Santa Cruz’s second annual Teaching Week which will take place February 26–March 1,

Campus division renamed to University Advancement

UC Santa Cruz has renamed the Division of University Relations to the Division of University Advancement.

Undergraduate Public Fellows Program connects humanities studies with real-world impact

The Humanities Institute's Public Fellows Program offers a mutually enriching opportunity for students to bring the humanities skills and knowledge they acquire in their university courses to diverse

UC Santa Cruz Summer Session offers exclusive tuition discount to California Community College students

UC Santa Cruz Summer Session is launching a new 50 percent per-credit Summer Session tuition discount exclusively for California Community College students.

Search launches for Associate Vice Chancellor for Colleges, Housing and Educational Services

The Division of Student Affairs and Success is pleased to announce the launch of a national recruitment for our associate vice chancellor for colleges, housing and educational services (AVC CHES).

Bryant Terry touts power of food and community at 2024 Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation

Food justice advocate, chef, and author Bryant Terry called on people to seek alternatives to the industrialized food system during his keynote address for UC Santa Cruz’s 40th

The Department of Performance, Play, and Design depends on crucial funds from Measure 11

Many are hoping for an adjustment to Measure 11, which dictates the quarterly ticket price for all shows. If the measure makes it onto the ballot and passes

Our plans for Commencement 2024

This spring’s ceremonies will be held on the East Upper Field from June 14–17, 2024.

Institute for Social Transformation releases five-year impact report

UC Santa Cruz's Institute for Social Transformation is celebrating its five-year anniversary and released an impact report reflecting on progress thus far. 

Strengthening our fleet maintenance program

With a commitment to openness and to ensure our campus has confidence in our transit services, UC Santa Cruz is sharing a summary of the CHP inspections, how we are addressing the findings, and the steps we will take over the coming months to ensure a more effective maintenance program.

Promoting safe campus transit services

The safety of our campus community is our utmost priority and we want every rider to be confident that our drivers and shuttles are meeting or exceeding expectations in the delivery of transit services.