All news
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UCSC engineers develop assistive technologies for the blind
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are developing new assistive technologies for the blind based on advances in computer vision that have emerged from research in robotics. A “virtual white cane” is one of several prototype tools for…
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Deep Down Things, a new book by physicist Bruce Schumm, explores the astonishing world of particle physics
Particle physicists have developed an amazingly successful theory describing how the universe works on the most fundamental level. This theory, known as the Standard Model and hailed as one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the 20th century, is still…
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Students, alumnus honored for helping police catch suspect
Two UCSC students and an alumnus whose quick action led to the apprehension of a suspect in a recent attack at the campus library were honored Friday by campus police. Julia Dean, a community studies senior from Atlanta; Jeff Basinger,…
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Computer analysis shows scientists could reconstruct the genome of the common ancestor of all placental mammals
Contrary to the movie Jurassic Park, in which scientists recreate dinosaurs from ancient DNA, genetic material more than about 50 thousand years old cannot be reliably recovered. Nevertheless, a team of scientists has now demonstrated that computers could be used…
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Civil rights activist Joseph Lowery to speak at Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation Jan. 10
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, who helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King in 1957 and led the organization for 20 years, will be the keynote speaker at UCSC’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation on…
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Antibiotic rifampicin shows promise for fighting Parkinson’s disease in laboratory tests
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have shown that rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis, can prevent the formation of protein fibrils associated with the death of brain cells in people with Parkinson’s disease. The…
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UC Santa Cruz Library receives half-million-dollar gift to benefit Special Collections photo archives
The University of California, Santa Cruz, has received a $500,000 gift to benefit Special Collections in the University Library. The endowment will be established in honor of the late Miller and Bunny Outcalt and their lifelong partnership in the field…
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Unusual material that contracts when heated is giving up its secrets to physicists
Most solids expand when heated, a familiar phenomenon with many practical implications. Among the rare exceptions to this rule, the compound zirconium tungstate stands out by virtue of the enormous temperature range over which it exhibits so-called “negative thermal expansion,”…
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New Engineering 2 Building receives design award
The just-dedicated Engineering 2 Building at UC Santa Cruz has received a merit award for design from the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles chapter. The merit award honors built work designed by Los Angeles architects. Anshen + Allen Los…
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Marine biologist John Pearse to give Emeriti Faculty Lecture at UCSC on Tuesday, Nov. 23
John Pearse, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology, will give the Emeriti Faculty Lecture at UC Santa Cruz on Tuesday, November 23. His talk, “Reproduction in Freezing Oceans: Paradigm Shifts in the 20th Century,” will begin at 7:30 p.m.…
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A puzzle posed by black-headed ducks yields to persistent biologists
Some 100 species of birds are what scientists call “obligate brood parasites”–instead of building nests and raising their own young, they lay their eggs in the nests of other species and let those birds do the hard work of parenting…
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Order of Species Loss has Important Biodiversity Consequences, Grassland Study Reveals
In a study that mimicked the natural order of species loss in a grassland ecosystem, researchers found that declining biodiversity greatly reduced resistance to invasive species and that the presence of even small numbers of rare species had profound functional…
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UCSC scientists harness powerful new supercomputer at NASA Ames for research on cosmology and astrophysics
Astrophysicists and cosmologists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are among the first scientists to have access to the powerful new Columbia supercomputer at the NASA Ames Research Center. The UCSC scientists have been using the new system’s unprecedented…
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Scholarships Benefit Dinner raises $1 million to aid students
A record $1 million–double the amount from last year’s event–was raised for UCSC student scholarships and fellowships at a gala dinner on Saturday, November 6. “This is a perfect launch to our 40th anniversary,” said Acting Chancellor Martin M. Chemers,…
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UCSC announces first campuswide fundraising campaign
Building on its record fundraising success in 2003-04, UC Santa Cruz has announced its first-ever campuswide fundraising initiative: the two-year, $50 million Cornerstone Campaign. Fundraising is already well under way, with $45 million raised. $50 million target expected to be…
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Major gift from storage industry leader Kumar Malavalli establishes endowed chair in storage systems at UC Santa Cruz
Kumar Malavalli, cofounder of Brocade Communications and cofounder and CEO of InMage Systems, has made a gift of $1 million to the University of California, Santa Cruz, to establish the Kumar Malavalli Endowed Chair in Storage Systems Research at UCSC’s…
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UCSC Arboretum will hold Dried Flower and Succulent Wreath Sale on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13 and 14
Wonderful holiday decorations and gifts will be available from the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum at the annual Dried Flower and Succulent Wreath Sale on Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14. Exotic dried flower arrangements, living succulent wreaths, rare and…
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Seymour Center hosts sneak preview of ‘Coastal Clash,’ a KQED documentary on California’s coastal conflicts, on November 11
On Thursday, November 11, the Seymour Center at UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory, in partnership with KQED Public Television, presents a sneak preview of Coastal Clash, a new documentary that takes an in-depth look at the struggle between public and private…
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Monterey Institute of International Studies and UC Santa Cruz delay merger
In a joint statement issued today (November 2), Monterey Institute President Steven J. Baker and UC Santa Cruz Acting Chancellor Martin M. Chemers announced that severe limitations in state funding preclude incorporation of the Monterey Institute of International Studies into…
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ARCS Foundation contributions to UCSC pass $1 million with 2004-05 scholarships for seven top students
At the annual awards luncheon of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation in San Francisco this week, participants from the University of California, Santa Cruz, will have special cause for celebration. Since 1976, the ARCS Foundation’s Northern California…
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Tech industry pioneer Lee S. Ting will speak at UCSC Foundation Forum on Friday, November 5
Lee S. Ting, advisory director at W. R. Hambrecht and former vice president and managing director of geographic operations at Hewlett-Packard, will speak at the University of California, Santa Cruz, on Friday, November 5. Ting will speak on “Innovation Leadership…
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Media tours and interviews available prior to dedication ceremonies for Engineering 2 Building
The Engineering 2 Building on the UC Santa Cruz campus will be dedicated on the afternoon of Friday, November 5, with ceremonies including UC President Robert C. Dynes and State Senator Bruce McPherson starting at 3 p.m. Tours of the…
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Two UCSC professors elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Two professors at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are among the 2004 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced by the association this week. They are Anthony Fink, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and…