Social Sciences
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Experimental economist explores overlooked aspects of human behavior
Alumna Alessandra Cassar, now a professor at the University of San Francisco, found her path by working with UC Santa Cruz’s Learning and Experimental Economics Projects (LEEPS) laboratory as a graduate student.
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Research uncovers local labor issues that may be driving increased unionization
Surveys show young workers suffer from scheduling instability, and those who are LGBTQ+ are more likely to experience wage theft and workplace injuries. Meanwhile, census data show a harmful pay gap for Latina workers.
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Innovative and artful rainwater harvesting nourishes gardens and hope
UC Santa Cruz cosmologist leads widely interdisciplinary project funded by the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience to turn urban runoff into low-cost irrigation
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Applying the science of social impact
UC Santa Cruz alumna Jennifer Rigney uses her Ph.D. in Psychology to support mission-based organizations in making effective, data-based decisions about their programs. She has helped advance the ocean conservation goals of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and now supports early childhood development as the director of evaluation and learning for First Five Monterey County.
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Saritaan: Preserving Filipino migration stories across oceans and generations
A new UC Santa Cruz initiative called Saritaan—meaning “to talk story” in Ilokano—is preserving the untold migration stories of Filipino families.
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New book explores social impacts, public health lessons from Peru’s fight against AIDS
Assistant Professor Justin Perez’s latest book focuses on local engagement with HIV prevention efforts in Peru during the early 2010s. During this time period, as global health leaders began to envision an “end of AIDS,” the course of the epidemic in Peru took a turn for the worse.
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Planting seeds of change: Sheyna Burns reimagines agriculture practices
UCSC undergraduate researcher Sheyna Burns (Oakes ’26) is pioneering inclusive agricultural research and entrepreneurship through her campus-based Sankofa Sky Farm, developing a statewide food hub aimed at supporting more equitable farming, and more.
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Campus exploring dual-degree program with University of Indonesia
Campus leaders last week welcomed an Indonesian delegation for the signing of a memorandum of understanding that recognizes the growing institutional relationship with the University of Indonesia.
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Anthropologist Donald L. Brenneis Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Brenneis is a linguistic and social anthropologist who studies the relationship between language and politics and how communication shapes and transforms communities.
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Social psychologist explains historical progress and pitfalls in addressing anti-Black racism
New book applies seven decades of research on race relations and proposes a path forward
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Associate Professor Joji Muramoto wins award for leadership in agricultural sustainability
Muramoto, who is based at UC Santa Cruz, was the first UC Agriculture and Natural Resources cooperative extension specialist fully dedicated to organic agriculture. The strong partnerships he has built across academia and industry have helped his research to significantly advance the field.
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Research on dry-farmed tomatoes will better equip organic growers to adapt to climate change
New research led by UC Santa Cruz will strengthen understanding of which traits set tomato plants up to be grown successfully without irrigation.