News
Father of Modern Entrepreneurship to speak during inaugural Entrepreneurial Day at UCSC
May 17, 2022
The first annual Entrepreneurial Day at UC Santa Cruz will take place Saturday, May 21. The two-part event will feature a fireside chat with Steve Blank, the Father of Modern Entrepreneurship, followed by a resource fair and networking event with clubs from around campus.
Nearly 30 years of conservation in Santa Cruz, alumna stays connected to the university and invests in students
May 3, 2022
UCSC alumna Jodi McGraw (Rachel Carson ’94, Environmental Studies and Biology) founded her conservation consulting firm in 2001 and has since hired upwards of 15 UCSC graduates and has sponsored almost 50 UCSC interns.
As climate shifts, species will need to relocate, and people may have to help them
May 2, 2022
A new survey summarizes scientific recommendations for conservationists and land managers tasked with managing biodiversity in a changing climate.
UCSC joins multi-institutional effort to advance equity and inclusion in science
May 2, 2022
The HHMI Inclusive Excellence Learning Community initiative is supporting efforts to redesign the introductory science curriculum.
New Google-funded research project applies computer science to aid bird conservation
April 28, 2022
Two faculty members have begun a new collaboration to use machine learning models to create continent-wide maps of bird habitat connectivity for conservation purposes, and they have recently received a $60,000 Google Research Scholar award to fund this work
10 questions all funders should ask before supporting tree-planting campaigns
April 25, 2022
Environmental Studies Professor Karen Holl is concerned that widespread enthusiasm for tree-planting may be leaving restoration best-practices by the wayside. But a new set of research-based questions can help potential funders determine which reforestation campaigns are poised for success.
CITRIS drone program lands $1 million grant from James Irvine Foundation
April 25, 2022
The UC Santa Cruz CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER) along with several partners has received a $1 million, 15-month planning grant to support regional drone education and workforce development from The James Irvine Foundation.
New global forecasts of marine heatwaves foretell ecological and economic impacts
April 20, 2022
The forecasts could help fishing fleets, ocean managers, and coastal communities anticipate the effects of marine heatwaves.
Kelp restoration project is finalist in LaunchPad pitch competition
April 14, 2022
Andrea Paz-Lacavex, a graduate student in UCSC’s Coastal Science & Policy Program, leads SPORA, a kelp restoration project in Baja California.
Paid fellowship opens doors and opportunities for Humanities students
April 12, 2022
Unique partnership between The Humanities Institute, a leading national media outlet, and a generous UC Santa Cruz donor amplifies opportunities for UC Santa Cruz students
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
April 4, 2022
The PBSci Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.
Celebrating 50 years of immersive natural history education at UC Santa Cruz
March 28, 2022
In June, an event will gather UC Santa Cruz alumni, faculty, staff, current students, and community members to honor the legacy of Ken Norris and natural history at UCSC, including the 50th anniversary of Natural History Field Quarter.
Local pumas don’t sense danger in places where they’re most often killed by humans
March 28, 2022
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz researchers suggests that pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains don’t make accurate assessments of where they are most likely to be killed by humans, especially when it comes to the threat of being killed in retaliation for loss of livestock.
Seed funding grants for early-stage research, creative projects given to 19 awardees
March 28, 2022
The UCSC Office of Research has awarded funds this month to 19 projects through its inaugural Seed Funding for Early Stage Initiatives program
A remarkable, first-time film course tackles the criminal justice system
March 24, 2022
UC Santa Cruz Film Professor Sharon Daniel’s two-quarter undergrad course, FILM 171S-02, is not your typical film school fare. This course, titled Reasonable Doubts: Making an Exoneree, aims for nothing less than to free wrongfully convicted persons currently incarcerated in American prisons.
Annual Confronting Climate Change Conference focuses on local impacts and solutions
March 24, 2022
UC Santa Cruz offers a weekend of free events at the Seymour Center to spark conversation and inspire action.
NSF funding boosts undergraduate research experience in MCD Biology
March 21, 2022
A course-based undergraduate research program is expanding opportunities for biology undergraduates to get faculty-mentored research experience.
UC Santa Cruz lecturer and alumna contributes to IPCC’s 2022 report on global climate change
March 18, 2022
Pam Rittelmeyer, a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Studies and College Nine, is a contributing author on the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
California Sea Grant funds graduate research fellows at UCSC
March 10, 2022
California Sea Grant has awarded funding to four UC Santa Cruz graduate students for marine science research projects that address the agency’s priority themes of resilient coastal communities and economies, sustainable fisheries, and healthy coastal ecosystems.
Younger Lagoon study tells a tale of two fishes
March 9, 2022
Research at UCSC's Younger Lagoon shows that the state of estuary waters, not competition from another fish species, is the most important predictor of populations of an endangered fish.
Elephant seals’ map sense tells them when to head ‘home’
February 28, 2022
Researchers found that female elephant seals know their distance from the breeding beach and allocate extra time to get back if they have farther to travel.
UCSC selected to join US CYBERCOM Academic Engagement Network
February 10, 2022
UCSC will join the inaugural class of the U.S. Cyber Command’s (CYBERCOM) Academic Engagement Network (AEN), a group of 84 colleges and universities selected to help strengthen the country’s cybersecurity operations.
Genome of extinct Steller’s sea cow reveals surprising link to human skin disease
February 9, 2022
Analysis of ancient DNA from sea cow bones finds genes that may have played a role in adaptation to cold marine environment and yields evidence of a long population decline.
UCSC researchers study effects of wildfire runoff on steelhead sense of smell
February 2, 2022
The 2020 wildfires offered UCSC researchers a chance to study how the runoff after wildfire affects one of the region’s most iconic fish: steelhead trout.
Two UCSC professors elected 2021 AAAS Fellows
January 26, 2022
Biologist Suzanne Alonzo and Earth scientist James Zachos have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In Memoriam: Paul Niebanck (1934-2021)
December 13, 2021
Paul Niebanck, professor emeritus of environmental studies and founding provost of Rachel Carson College, passed away on November 26, 2021.
New study shows plants struggle to keep pace with climate change in human-dominated landscapes
December 6, 2021
A new global-scale analysis found a mismatch between plant phenology and rising temperatures that was more pronounced in the most human-dominated landscapes, especially crop lands.
UCSC team scores gold for second straight year at iGEM synthetic biology competition
December 3, 2021
For the second year in a row, a team of UC Santa Cruz undergraduates won a gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Jamboree.
Reviving deep-rooted knowledge
November 23, 2021
The Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the Arboretum & Botanic Garden aims to assist the tribe's efforts in cultural revitalization, recuperation and relearning of dormant cultural knowledge, and environmental justice.
Researchers recover ancient mammoth tusk during deep-sea expedition
November 22, 2021
A team of researchers from UC Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and University of Michigan are studying the tusk retrieved from deep waters off the California coast.
New book chronicles more than 50 years of elephant seal research at Año Nuevo Reserve
November 9, 2021
Professor Emeritus Burney Le Boeuf summarizes the findings of the UC Santa Cruz elephant seal research program, one of the longest running studies of any animal
Engineer David Lee wins funding for public interest technology program
November 2, 2021
David Lee, assistant professor of computational media, has received funding through the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) for a program to provide community-engaged experiential learning for students.
Ecologist Erika Zavaleta named ESA Excellence in Ecology Scholar
October 28, 2021
Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been selected by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) as one of four ESA Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholars in the first cohort of this new initiative.
Data-driven animations of marine mammals combine biology, art, and computation
October 27, 2021
New tools for data visualization can transform data from animal-borne tags into cinematic and informative animations of marine mammal behavior.
Seagrass restoration study shows rapid recovery of ecosystem functions
October 25, 2021
Restored plots of eelgrass in Elkhorn Slough expanded rapidly, providing improved habitat for fish and invertebrates and other benefits of a healthy ecosystem.
Emerging ocean conservation leaders set to visit UC Santa Cruz
October 22, 2021
The Blue Pioneers Program (BPP) Accelerator recently announced its 2021 cohort of international ocean conservation professionals who will visit UC Santa Cruz’s Coastal Science Campus.
Long-term study of elephant seal reproduction shows population’s resilience
October 20, 2021
Researchers found that a female elephant seal’s age and experience were more important than ocean conditions in determining the condition of her pup at weaning.
CASFS will become the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology
October 19, 2021
The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) will get a new name, logo, and look and feel through a rebranding project that affirms the center’s commitment to advancing agroecology and equitable food systems.
Biologist Beth Shapiro’s new book explores how humans have shaped life on Earth
October 18, 2021
‘Life as We Made It’ explains how our species has been manipulating nature for the past 50,000 years and what the future may hold, depending on how we use new technologies.
‘Manatee Man' Jamal Galves wins scholarship to study coastal science and policy
October 17, 2021
Biologist Roxanne Beltran wins prestigious Packard Fellowship
October 14, 2021
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering to Roxanne Beltran, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz.
Reimagining our economy for the benefit of all
October 13, 2021
Faculty members at UC Santa Cruz and the University of Southern California released a new book that offers a road map and conceptual framework for equity-driven economic reform in the United States.
Environmental governance expert Sikina Jinnah appointed to Harvard University’s SCoPEx advisory committee
September 29, 2021
Jinnah was appointed to an independent advisory committee that will make governance recommendations for a proposed experiment intended build understanding of the potential efficacy and risks of stratospheric aerosols relevant to solar geoengineering.
Wild, wild life
September 28, 2021
Alumnus Sebastian Kennerknecht cares so deeply about animals that he built a career in wildlife conservation photography to help fight for their survival.
Natural Reserve System was instrumental in biologist’s ascent to grad school
September 24, 2021
UCSC graduate student Tim Brown works atop eastern California’s highest ranges, seeking to understand why a sparrow-sized mountain bird is riding the 'escalator to extinction.'
Long Marine Lab seawater intake repair wins environmental engineering award
September 3, 2021
The seawater intake repair project at the UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab was named the 2021 Environmental Engineering Project of the Year for the American Society of Civil Engineers, San Francisco Section.
UCSC signs $3M state contract to deliver a public health data platform for pathogen genomics
September 2, 2021
The one-year, $3 million contract with the California Department of Public Health will galvanize pandemic-related genomic data analysis efforts for the public good.
Enhanced wetland on UCSC’s Coastal Science Campus will benefit threatened frogs
September 1, 2021
Construction of a seasonal pond within an existing wetland area in the Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve will create potential aquatic breeding habitat for the California red-legged frog.
When humans disturb marine mammals, it’s hard to know the long-term impact
August 26, 2021
Scientists are developing new tools to determine when short-term changes in behavior caused by human activities have biological significance for protected populations.
Experts weigh in on the future of drought management
August 23, 2021
UC Santa Cruz experts share insights on how technological innovations and long-term policy vision could help protect water supply.
The legacy is in the soil
August 18, 2021
Acclaimed chef/farmer and CASFS apprenticeship graduate Matthew Raiford will share his heritage-based approach to food and farming during an August 25 event on campus.
DOE grant funds development of new imaging technology to study roots and soil
August 18, 2021
A multidisciplinary collaboration combines expertise in medical imaging technology and the ecology of plant roots to address questions with global implications.
Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth
August 12, 2021
An international research team has retraced the astonishing lifetime journey of an Arctic woolly mammoth that roamed the Alaska landscape 17,000 years ago.
Fostering anti-racism in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology
August 9, 2021
A UCSC team has assembled a toolkit of resources for academic departments to use in addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Salt marsh resilience compromised by crabs along tidal creek edges
August 9, 2021
A long-term study in Elkhorn Slough revealed the impact of superabundant crabs on salt marsh vegetation and the vulnerability of tidal creek banks to erosion.
Climate change poses threat to ‘tuna dependent’ Pacific Islands economies
July 30, 2021
Shifting distributions of key tuna species could have serious economic impacts for island nations in the Western and Central Pacific, according to a new paper coauthored by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Katherine Seto.
Baskin Engineering students advance to the finals of this year’s Amazon Alexa Prize Challenge
July 9, 2021
The Socialbot Grand Challenge competition showcases the students’ mastery of conversational artificial intelligence.
Careful planning yields a better Big Creek Reserve
July 31, 2020
Big Creek Reserve's new facilities were made possible by a funding opportunity through California's Proposition 84 and the Wildlife Conservation Board.
Redwood Research At The Edge of the Range
April 28, 2020
California's Big Sur has been the coast redwoods' southernmost stronghold for thousands of years. With a warming planet, canopy scientist Anthony Ambrose asks what the future holds for coast redwoods at the edge of the range. His study takes place in a grove that has long been special to humans, the Dance Floor Grove, located within the Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve. While the trees in this grove have outlived generations of people, their future is uncertain.
New website highlights UCSC's "living labs"
September 24, 2019
Diverse campus landscapes are ideal outdoor laboratories—and classrooms
May 25, 2018
Saving Oaks in Big Sur
April 6, 2015
Sudden oak death study aids reserve, teaches field research
