Author: Laney Mae Velazquez
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Ensuring equitable technological transitions: AI use in the workforce
While much of the public conversation about generative AI and work focuses on job replacement or increased productivity, Chris Benner’s research is taking clues from prior technological transitions to understand what other improvements are possible.
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New basic needs directory provides UC students with one stop shop for resource information
With assistance and input from students and UC’s basic needs community of practice, the Center for Economic Justice and Action has launched a directory and an AI-powered chatbot to help UC community members locate critical basic needs resources.
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Students in summer field school unearth artifacts and a new passion for archaeology
Interns funded by a UC-HBCU grant learned key professional skills and found their calling while excavating an archaeological site in West Africa
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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 well-being among young adults.
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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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Environmental studies professor wins grant to support community-engaged research on California watersheds
Hannah Waterhouse was awarded the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research’s New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award for her research on soil health practices.
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Institute for Social Transformation awarded $700k grant to support inclusive economic development throughout Central California
The James Irvine Foundation has awarded the institute a two-year community-level learning partner grant as part of its Priority Communities initiatives, which seeks to strengthen regional economies by empowering low-wage workers, families, and organizations to drive economic change.
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Two UC Santa Cruz Education Ph.D. candidates receive 2025 National Academy of Education fellowships
Micah Card and Emanuel Suarez Jimenez were awarded the 2025 Spencer Dissertation Fellowships to study crucial emerging issues in education.
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Students support local antipoverty efforts through internship program
UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Economic Justice and Action provided paid student internship opportunities with local nonprofits through a program funded by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
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Economics Ph.D. candidate receives grant to study effects of rental control on household finances and labor market mobility
In the face of the increasing cost of living, economic research is uncovering how public policy initiatives are directly and indirectly shaping housing markets.
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Social Sciences Division honors student awardees at annual luncheon
26 students were recognized with awards from the Social Sciences Division and Division of Undergraduate Education.