All news
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Using speculative fiction to fill the silences of Colonial history
In his acclaimed new book, First Contact, Associate Professor of Literature Zac Zimmer draws on the power of speculative fiction to revisit, question and upend stories and tropes about early contact between European explorers and Indigenous populations.
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Photo Field Research Quarter: An art-filled road trip across California
Each summer, UC Santa Cruz students spend three weeks on the road in Photo Field Research Quarter, traveling across California to camp, connect with community partners, and create art shaped by the places they visit.
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Evidence suggests early developing human brains are preconfigured with instructions for understanding the world
Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Tal Sharf’s lab used organoids to make fundamental discoveries about human brain development.
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Exploring the hidden kingdoms of fungi: Bestselling author Merlin Sheldrake brings Entangled Life to the Deep Read program
British biologist Merlin Sheldrake—renowned for his scientifically rigorous and lyrical explorations of fungal networks and interconnected life—is this year’s featured author for The Humanities Institute’s (THI) seventh annual Deep Read.
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Students develop AI solutions for wildfire mitigation at Reboot the Earth hackathon
Student hackers tackled California’s wildfire crisis at the event co-hosted by the United Nations and the Baskin School of Engineering
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Indigenous leaders take center stage at event on funding sustainability projects
The inaugural Economic Futures Summit created space for connection, Indigenous innovation, and collective investment in environmental sustainability efforts
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Jazz Big Band students will perform alongside legendary pianist Benny Green
Lecturer and band leader Charles Hamilton, a Bay Area jazz staple, was Green’s middle school music teacher and arranged his visit to campus.
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Leadership gift advances East Field running path renewal
A generous $500,000 gift will revitalize the East Field running path, enhancing movement, connection, and well-being across the UCSC community.
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Humanities EXCEL Fellows build community through hands-on Internships
At UC Santa Cruz, the Humanities EXCEL Program is helping Humanities undergraduates discover new pathways to professional growth and connect to local communities through paid internships.
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Transformative gifts will help students find their paths as changemakers
Experiential learning programs at the Institute for Social Transformation recently received $1.2 million in new funding to support the next generation of social impact leaders.
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Social Sciences faculty and staff honored at annual Fall Breakfast
Interim Dean of the Social Sciences Division, Herbie Lee, along with committees of staff and faculty, presented awards to three faculty members and one staff member for their commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service.
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Study works to uncover the impact of nutrition on the health of young adults
With funding from the National Institutes of Health, The Center for Economic Justice and Action is leading a study that will deepen our understanding of how food access affects lifelong health and how economic and social factors contribute to overall…
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Omar Galvez joins UC Santa Cruz as executive director for Dining Services
UC Santa Cruz welcomes Omar Galvez, a hospitality leader dedicated to connection, community, and student well-being.
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Arts & Culture, Campus News, Climate & Sustainability, Earth & Space, Health, Social Justice & Community, Student Experience, Technology
Inspiring Change: UC Santa Cruz launches $750M campaign
The campaign is a collective effort to raise funding to accelerate the campus’s groundbreaking discoveries, create real, lasting solutions to some of the world’s most consequential challenges, and amplify the next generation of leaders and scholars.
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Are you experienced? Students from first year of immersive-learning initiative share stories of profound impact
From aquatic adventures and mountaintop stargazing to lab work aimed at saving lives, students describe how the Degree-Defining Experiences Program fosters unforgettable moments and deepens meaning
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Leading marine conservation across the Pacific
Alumna Stacy Jupiter (Ph.D. ’06, ecology and evolutionary biology) is the Executive Director of Marine Conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
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New global directory of reforestation organizations helps would-be donors maximize the impact of their philanthropy
Professor Karen Holl and Postdoctoral Researcher Spencer Schubert launched the directory in partnership with nonprofit environmental media organization Mongabay
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UC Santa Cruz scientists to develop diamond-based sensors to monitor fusion-energy generation
Diamonds can withstand the extreme radiation inside the reactor of a nuclear power plant
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UC Santa Cruz earns multiple awards for sustainability excellence
UC Santa Cruz ranked No. 6 Green College by Princeton Review and 10th in Zero Waste Campuses, as developed by the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN).
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Giving Day raises nearly $2 million
On the 10th anniversary of Giving Day, the UC Santa Cruz community shattered records for total dollars raised and number of contributing donors.
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UC Santa Cruz is the top public research university in the world for highly cited researchers amid strong 2025 list
25 UC Santa Cruz researchers earned a spot on the prestigious annual list.
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UC Santa Cruz is giving fallen redwoods a second life
Thanks to an on-site milling program, downed redwood trees are transformed into benches, picnic tables, and other long-lasting fixtures, keeping the wood and its story on campus.
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Humanistic approaches to urgent environmental issues
At UC Santa Cruz, the environmental humanities encourage us to ask: what happens when we stop treating the natural world as merely a backdrop, resource, or object of study—and instead treat it as a web of interconnected lives?
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Empowering community organizations to lead on economic development
The Institute for Social Transformation organized a recent statewide gathering that brought together partners from the Community Economic Mobilization Initiative.
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What happens to ecosystems when you restore iconic top predators? It’s more complicated than you might think.
A new study analyzes findings from more than 170 papers to clarify what we know so far about the ecological impacts of large carnivore recovery in North America and what mysteries still remain.
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Honoring service, building community: Supporting military-connected students at UC Santa Cruz
UC Santa Cruz’s Veterans Resource Center empowers military-connected students with community, resources, and support to help them thrive academically and personally.
