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Faculty

  • Astronomical Society of the Pacific awards highest honor to UC Santa Cruz astronomer Robert Kraft

    The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has awarded the 2005 Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal to Robert P. Kraft, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and former director of the UC Observatories/Lick Observatory (UCO/Lick). Kraft is the sixth astronomer associated with the Lick Observatory to receive this award,…

  • New book by literature professor melds criticism, poetry and fiction

    Paracritical Hinge, a new book by UC Santa Cruz literature professor Nathaniel Mackey, offers commentary on the work of a number of artists as it simultaneously sheds light on the author’s own body of work. A collection of essays, talks, notes, and interviews covering a time frame from 1990 to 2000, the diverse, yet interrelated…

  • Lacking a decent meal, killer whales reach for the popcorn

    A study comparing the nutritional demands of killer whales with the caloric content of their prey has startling implications for the potential impact of these large predators on populations of other marine mammals. The study also raises issues relevant to the establishment of marine reserves and efforts to reintroduce large predators into terrestrial ecosystems, said…

  • UC Santa Cruz scholar warns against mixing religion and foreign policy

    Gary Lease-interim dean of humanities at UC Santa Cruz and an internationally recognized expert on the history of religion-has been studying the relationship between politics and religion for more than two decades. He recently returned from Tokyo where he presented his research at a conference of the International Association for the History of Religions. “I’ve…

  • Are Santa Cruz beaches destined to shrink?

    Wide sand beaches are a prized feature of Santa Cruz and other communities along the northern coast of Monterey Bay. But are they just a temporary aberration, destined to shrink in the years to come? That is the hypothesis championed by Gerald Weber, lecturer emeritus in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of…

  • Computer scientist Darrell Long appointed to the Kumar Malavalli Endowed Chair in Storage Systems

    The University of California, Santa Cruz, has appointed Darrell Long, professor of computer science, to the Kumar Malavalli Endowed Chair in Storage Systems. Long is the first faculty member to hold the endowed chair, established in 2004 with a $1 million gift from Kumar Malavalli, cofounder of Brocade Communications and cofounder and CEO of InMage…

  • $1.8 million NSF grant funds UCSC prof’s research on science learning in museums

    For many parents, taking the kids to the aquarium or a hands-on science museum combines fun and learning. Like parents, education researcher Doris Ash sees facilities like the Exploratorium, Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium as pathways that help all cross sections of the community learn about science while having a good…

  • Biologist Melissa Jurica earns prestigious grant from Searle Scholars Program

    The Searle Scholars Program has awarded Melissa Jurica, assistant professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a three-year, $240,000 grant to support her research. Jurica, who studies the complex system by which human cells process genetic information, is one of just 15 young scientists awarded the prestigious grants…

  • UCSC to lead ambitious multidisciplinary research project on wireless communication networks

    Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are leading a major collaborative effort to develop the technology for complex wireless communication networks that can be set up in rapidly changing environments such as battlefields and emergency situations. Faculty in UCSC’s Baskin School of Engineering will head a multidisciplinary team of scientists at seven major…

  • Ecologist Erika Zavaleta receives prestigious Mellon Foundation grant

    Erika Zavaleta, an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has received a prestigious grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to investigate the ecological impacts of the loss of plant species in California ecosystems. Through a program that supports the research projects of outstanding junior faculty, Zavaleta has been…

  • Sesnon Gallery features innovative exhibit by three new art faculty

    Innovative, kinetic, and sonic installations merging sculpture, electronic media, and performance art will be on display in Faculty Works: 2005 at UCSC’s Sesnon Gallery. The exhibit, from April 6 to May 7, will feature works by three new art faculty: Dee Hibbert-Jones, Ed Osborn, and Jennifer Parker. Dee Hibbert-Jones was recently hired as an assistant…

  • Study shows introduced foxes transformed vegetation on Aleutian Islands from lush grassland to tundra

    Huge colonies of seabirds accustomed to nesting on islands free of predators began disappearing when fur traders started introducing foxes onto islands in the Aleutian archipelago in the 18th century. The ground-nesting birds made easy meals for the foxes. A study published this week in the journal Science now shows that the effects of the…

Last modified: Mar 18, 2025