Author: Public Affairs

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Leticia Quezada, the first Latina to serve on the Los Angeles City Board of Education, says ethnic minorities are still greatly underrepresented in the UC system, but that will change with the coming generation of urban students. "The university is not ready," Quezada warns. "It’s going to create a culture shock, both for…

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Black History Month will be celebrated at the University of California, Santa Cruz, through a range of performances and talks, an exhibition, and other events. A partial listing of activities planned for the month is provided below. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free. February 1-28: Exhibition "Jazzin’ Up Our Roots: The True…

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Recent stories and photos of Russian soldiers battling in the country’s southeastern borderlands are nothing unusual. Preceding the bloody conflict now raging in Grozny, Chechnya, was the war in neighboring Azerbaijan. In both cases, native Islamic populations have fought against more than 100 years of domination imposed by a country with drastically different…

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Susan Harding, professor of anthropology, has been named acting dean of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The appointment, which was approved by the UC Office of the President last week, was announced by UCSC Executive Vice Chancellor Michael Tanner. Harding, who has been on the faculty…

Nearby Dwarf Galaxy In Sagittarius Yields Rare Opportunity To Study A Strong Tidal Interaction In Detail TUCSON, AZ–Dwarf galaxies spiraling into the gravitational maw of the Milky Way should leave visible trails of debris that persist for a billion years or more, according to new computer simulations by three astrophysicists. Astronomers could learn much about…

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Among the major environmental laws that could come before the new Congress for renewal or revision are the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Superfund toxic-waste cleanup legislation. At the University of California, Santa Cruz, experts in these and other environmental subjects are available for media interviews. UCSC boasts one…

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Bell Hooks, whose writing addresses black womanhood, feminism, the Civil Rights movement, and critical theory, will be the keynote speaker for the eleventh annual Martin Luther King, Jr., convocation taking place at the University of California, Santa Cruz, on Thursday, January 12. The convocation begins at 4 p.m. in the Porter College Dining…

SANTA CRUZ, CA­ When does regulating "hate speech" against past victims of human rights abuse conflict with the principles underlying the First Amendment? How does the American history of slavery affect the meaning of recent efforts to honor the Confederate flag? These are two of the questions that will be discussed at "Constitutions and Survivor…

Study Extends The Classes Of Objects In Which Astronomers Have Detected Dark Matter SANTA CRUZ, CA–Astronomers have long suspected that dark matter, the mysterious material composing most of the mass in the universe, envelops galaxies and clusters of galaxies in tenuous shrouds. Now, they have found strong clues that dark matter also exists in a…

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–Aftershocks of three large earthquakes at Cape Mendocino, California, in April 1992 have shed new light on the interplay among three tectonic plates at the Mendocino Triple Junction, one of the country’s most complex seismic settings. A detailed study of the aftershocks suggests that the Gorda plate, a wedge of Pacific Ocean seafloor,…

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Biotechnology is a growing and exciting field, especially in the area of drug design and research. From finding potential drugs in nature to determining how existing drugs work, from making compounds in the lab to inventing molecules on a computer, this aspect of biotechnology holds great promise for improving our health. Now, thanks…

SANTA CRUZ, CA–James Zachos, an assistant professor of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is one of 197 outstanding scientists to receive a Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, the foundation announced last week. The award helps universities attract and retain outstanding faculty researchers who might not otherwise pursue teaching…