Social Sciences
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Reddit’s Former CEO Wants You to Buy a Subscription for Trees
Karen Holl, a professor of environmental studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz, says those looking to purchase a tree subscription should be asking for data and, critically, how many seedlings make it to maturity. Additional coverage in the Los Angeles Times.
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Do Nations With the Most Birds Attract the Most Bird Tourists?
Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, who is an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, wanted to understand what drives bird-loving tourists to bring their binoculars—and their wallets—to particular countries and how to encourage more of that.
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Tracey Weiss, Our Ocean Backyard | NEXTies: Earth & Sea celebrates Santa Cruz changemakers
Professor Andrew Fisher won the “Brainwave Award” for his groundbreaking hydrological research on urban flooding, saltwater intrusion and freshwater supply in the Pajaro River Valley. Darryl Wong and Gage Dayton of the Center for Agroecology won the “Big Idea Award” for their work on UC Santa Cruz’s recent land acquisition that strengthens conservation, sustainable agriculture…
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Recess Can Boost Student Learning. 9 Ways to Make It Matter
As Rebecca London, a community-engagement researcher and professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, points out, “You can’t just throw 400 kids out on a play yard for 20 minutes with a couple of balls and expect it to go well.”
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The national housing crisis is reviving the debate over rent control
Efforts to control rental increases have led to unintended yet serious consequences, observers say. Gonzalo Respighi Grasso, a doctoral candidate in economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has made rent control the focus of his research.
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California Launches First Solar-Covered Canal
The decision to cover canals with solar panels was influenced by a 2021 study from the University of California, Santa Cruz. The study suggested that shading California’s canals could save 63.5 billion gallons of water annually, enough to meet the residential water needs of over two million people.
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India in the cross hairs
In an opinion article, Distinguished Professor of Economics Nirvikar Singh argues that India should view the latest U.S. move on H-1B visas as a wake-up call to work on becoming a global skilling hub.
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Comedy fans express free speech concerns after ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel
Nolan Higdon, a UC Santa Cruz lecturer with Merrill College and the Education Department, expects that Kimmel’s suspension will have far-reaching impacts. Higdon noted that comedians and entertainers have historically played a significant role in debates around free speech in the United States.
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Free-Speech Lines Blur for Teachers in Wake of Charlie Kirk’s Killing
The government’s move to revoke state-issued teaching licenses in response to teachers’ personal opinions posted to social media—notably not in the classroom or in public school forums—is part of a movement to curtail the free speech of Americans,” said Lora Bartlett, chair of the Education Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Getting Recess Right: A Researcher Shares Best Practices
Community-engaged researcher and professor of sociology Rebecca London recently spoke to Education Week about the role of recess. She addressed both best practices for recess—like how to structure it and when to schedule it—as well as the big-picture ramifications
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‘People Are Losing Hope’: Suicide Risk Is Rife in ICE Detention Centers
UC Santa Cruz Psychology Professor Craig Haney emphasized that many detainee suicide attempts, and suicidal thoughts, were the result “of their circumstances, a reaction to an otherwise very despairing situation,” he said.
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An inmate died in a Nebraska prison fire. That was just the first tragedy.
Craig Haney, a psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, explained how restrictive housing in prisons affects inmate behavior. “They’re allowed to deteriorate in these environments,” he said. “Eventually, they act out. The prison system responds to the acting out in the only way it knows, which is the application of force. And…