Climate & Sustainability
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Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members named 2024 AAAS fellows
David Deamer, Theodore Holman, and Raphael Kudela awarded lifetime honor
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Forum captures urgency to use ecosystems now to keep people safe from looming natural disasters
The National Practice Forum on Nature-Based Solutions was held in Irvine on February 4 and 5, and sponsored by UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR). The forum drew over 500 attendees from around the country to discuss how our ecosystems can protect us from natural disasters.
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New study shows how microalgae could help advance sustainable trout farming
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz created a successful experimental aquaculture feed formulation for rainbow trout that fully replaces traditional fishmeal ingredients sourced from wild-caught fish with leftover marine microalgae from the human dietary supplement industry. Their findings support efforts to increase the variety and quality of fish-free feed options, so that aquaculture can expand food…
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Whale waste helps health of oceans by funneling nutrients to the tropics, new study shows
New research shows that whales move nutrients thousands of miles—in their pee and poop—from as far as Alaska to Hawaii, supporting the health of tropical ecosystems and fish. UC Santa Cruz professors Dan Costa and Ari Friedlaender contributed their marine-mammal expertise to the study, which was published on March 10 in the journal Nature Communications.
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Biologist Erika Zavaleta receives Science Division’s Outstanding Faculty Award
The Science Division has announced that Erika Zavaleta, a professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, has won its 2023-24 Outstanding Faculty Award. The annual prize is the division’s highest honor for faculty achievement, recognizing combined excellence in research, teaching, and service.
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Join the 2025 International Freezer Challenge
The UC Santa Cruz Office of Sustainability is excited to announce campus participation in the 2025 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, a global initiative promoting sustainable cold storage practices. This is a fantastic opportunity for labs across UCSC to reduce energy use, improve efficiency, and contribute to our campus sustainability goals.
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UC Santa Cruz earns Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award
In recognition of long-standing efforts to safely and sustainably manage pests, UC Santa Cruz has earned the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award. Integrated Pest Management is any approach that uses the least-toxic, effective method to solve pest problems. Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) is a whole-system approach that builds on the…
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UC Santa Cruz ocean scientist Adina Paytan honored for international research leadership
Adina Paytan, a professor in the Earth and Planetary Science Department and the Institute of Marine Science, has been awarded the Tommy and Yvette Edmondson Distinguished Service Award by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.
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Forever fighter
Right Livelihood Laureate Rob Bilott’s battle against PFAS “forever chemicals” takes center stage in new documentary How to Poison the Planet, featuring Mark Ruffalo
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Tools and training combat health impacts on farmworkers that are worsened by climate change
A UC Santa Cruz-led project has launched a new bilingual app allowing the public to assess and anonymously report climate-related health risks in agricultural communities statewide. Over 50 newly trained community health advisers will use the app and other tools to teach farmworkers about health risks worsened by climate change and the remedies available through…
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Foraging seals enable scientists to measure fish abundance across the vast Pacific Ocean
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz marine biologist Roxanne Beltran to be published as the February 14 cover story for Science concludes that seals can essentially act as “smart sensors” for monitoring fish populations in the ocean’s eerily dim “twilight zone.”
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UC Santa Cruz scientists slither into the history books with first complete genome of a banana slug
Not only is the banana slug the endearing mascot for UC Santa Cruz — making the project fitting for campus researchers — but the slugs’ unique slime was a particularly challenging undertaking for UCSC’s experts in genomics.