Earth & Planetary Sciences
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Meet this historian of alien worlds
With equations and simulations, astronomer Ruth Murray-Clay is working to understand how distant planets form, evolve and could offer conditions to support life.
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UC Santa Cruz joins NASA project probing ocean worlds for signs of life
Earth and planetary sciences professor Andrew Fisher will lead hydrogeology simulations to study how water, heat, and chemicals circulate between rocky seafloors and subsurface oceans on worlds like Europa and Enceladus
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ARCS Foundation scholarships support 14 outstanding graduate students in science and engineering for 2025-26
The scholarships are awarded to students who show exceptional promise of making a significant contribution to the scientific and technological strength of the country.
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A Lifeline for Salmon: UCSC and NOAA Join Forces to Secure a Future for California’s Most Iconic Fish
A decades-long collaboration is giving Central California’s dwindling coho salmon population a fighting chance.
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From nanopore sequencing to neutron stars, UC Santa Cruz research advances our understanding, wellbeing
The federal government has been—and must remain—a critical partner in foundational technological innovation and research breakthroughs.
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Get to know our researchers
Meet some of the passionate people leading our impact and innovation. Public support and federal funding make this work possible.
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Protecting NASA funding ensures breakthroughs in space science and benefits in daily life continue
From GPS to innovations in computing and optics, technologies developed for space research touch nearly every aspect of modern life
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Rooted in education, expanding opportunity
Inspired by a shared love of learning and a family of educators, alumnus Roger Koopmann (Stevenson ’80, economics) and his late husband, Tom Bullen (Ph.D. ’86, Earth sciences), established scholarships that give UC Santa Cruz students the chance to pursue research and study abroad experiences.
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UC Santa Cruz ranks among top 25 global public universities in new rankings
UC Santa Cruz’s high placement underscores a growing influence on the global research stage and strengths in areas with significant scientific and societal impact.
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Faculty, fellows among global leaders at 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference
University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience represented at recent international climate meetings
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James Webb telescope confirms cooling effects of Pluto’s haze
New study in Nature Astronomy affirms hypothesis made by UC Santa Cruz’s Xi Zhang in 2017
