News
Sea otters maintain remnants of healthy kelp forest amid sea urchin barrens
March 8, 2021
While kelp forests have declined dramatically along the California coast, sea otters in Monterey Bay are maintaining patches of healthy kelp forest, according to a new study.
Return to Rat Island: Conservation strategy leads to ecosystem rebound
March 8, 2021
Hawadax Island's birds and seashore ecosystem have returned to a natural balance after the removal of invasive rodents.
The collapse of Northern California kelp forests will be hard to reverse
March 5, 2021
Most of Northern California’s kelp forest ecosystem is gone, replaced by widespread ‘urchin barrens’ that may persist long into the future, according to a new study.
Scientists describe ‘hidden biodiversity crisis’ as variation within species is lost
March 1, 2021
Many of the benefits people receive from nature depend on diversity within species, but this intraspecific variation is poorly understood and declining rapidly.
Massive debris flow swamps Big Creek Reserve as heavy rains follow summer wildfire
February 26, 2021
Boulders the size of vehicles and decades-old redwoods were ripped from the banks of the Big Creek drainage when an atmospheric river inundated the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve on the Big Sur coast in late January.
Forest monitoring efforts contribute to new understanding of climate change impacts
February 25, 2021
Data collected by student interns at UC Santa Cruz’s Forest Ecology Research Plot recently contributed to a breakthrough in understanding how climate change affects forests.
COVID and the road ahead
February 23, 2021
UC Santa Cruz infectious disease expert A. Marm Kilpatrick looked toward the future during his immersive Kraw Lecture about COVID vaccines, variants and the road ahead.
Oldest DNA sequences reveal how mammoths evolved
February 17, 2021
Analysis of ancient DNA sequences recovered from mammoth teeth reveal North American mammoths were descended from two earlier mammoth lineages.
Healthy oceans need healthy soundscapes, say marine scientists
February 4, 2021
A global team of researchers has documented the pervasive impacts of noise on marine animals and ecosystems and identified actions to return to the soundtrack of the healthy ocean.
Green New Deal architect Rhiana Gunn-Wright will make a virtual campus visit
February 1, 2021
Gunn-Wright previewed some of the insights she'll share on climate policy and environmental justice during her February 10th event with the Institute for Social Transformation.
Fellowship program gives UCSC grad policy experience in Sacramento
January 27, 2021
After earning his Ph.D. in 2020, Jason John will work at the California Natural Resources Agency as a CCST Science Fellow.
Energy spent avoiding humans linked to smaller home ranges for male pumas
January 25, 2021
New research shows that fear of humans causes mountain lions to increase their energy expenditures as they move through the landscape, and this can ultimately limit the size of the home ranges they’re able to maintain.
Seymour Marine Discovery Center offers new marine science virtual expeditions
January 25, 2021
“Scientists Saving the Oceans” program begins with a behind-the-scenes look at how marine mammal researchers are working to protect dolphins and whales from ocean noise.
Grant funding will advance aquaculture research in UCSC’s new state-of-the-art facility
January 19, 2021
Researchers won a USDA grant in support of their efforts to develop a more ocean-friendly feed formula for farm-raised rainbow trout. This work will take place in the team's new aquaculture facility at the UCSC Farm.
Study of flowers with two types of anthers solves mystery that baffled Darwin
January 12, 2021
Some flowers use a clever strategy to ensure effective pollination by bees, doling out pollen gradually from two different sets of anthers.
UC Santa Cruz offers virtual tours of Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve
January 11, 2021
Prompted by the temporary suspension of in-person tours due to COVID-19, the new virtual tours are available in English and Spanish.
CITRIS UCSC Tech For Social Good Program funds student teams
January 6, 2021
Six student teams at UCSC have been chosen for funding this year through the Tech for Social Good Program run by CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UCSC and co-sponsored by the Institute for Social Transformation.
Shedding light on one of environmental policy’s most under-the-radar strategies
January 4, 2021
Associate professor of environmental studies Sikina Jinnah studies the environmental provisions contained within trade agreements and wants to help policymakers better navigate this space.
Surge in online grocery shopping brings a quantity-over-quality jobs shift
December 9, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated emerging labor market trends associated with e-commerce in the grocery industry, creating mixed implications for jobs, according to a new report led by UCSC professor Chris Benner.
National Academies report on sustainability education features UC Santa Cruz expertise
December 4, 2020
UC Santa Cruz professor Anne Kapuscinski chaired the committee that developed the report, and campus initiatives were highlighted within as examples of innovative sustainability education.
Marine mammals’ adaptations to low oxygen offer new perspective on COVID-19
December 3, 2020
Humans are poorly adapted for oxygen deprivation, making us vulnerable to long-term effects from a disease that disrupts the body’s oxygen supply pathway.
UCSC iGEM team wins gold, nominated for best environmental project
November 30, 2020
Thirteen undergraduates were recognized for their research accomplishments at the world’s largest competition in synthetic biology.
UC Santa Cruz celebrates its first Rhodes Scholar
November 24, 2020
Spring 2020 graduate Garima Desai was named among the top 32 scholars from across the U.S. who will have all of their expenses paid to attend graduate school at Oxford University through a Rhodes Scholarship.
Research breakthrough achieves fish-free aquaculture feed that raises key standards
November 12, 2020
A new aquaculture feed formula eliminates conventional fish meal and fish oil ingredients and is the first to demonstrate across-the-board gains in sustainability, performance, economic viability, and human health.
Quantitative ecologist wins Tansley Medal for plant science contributions
November 4, 2020
Environmental studies assistant professor Kai Zhu was recently chosen from a global field as one of two recipients of the Tansley Medal for Excellence in Plant Science, presented by the journal New Phytologist.
UC Santa Cruz iGEM team seeks a solution to plastic waste
October 23, 2020
Through campus shutdowns, wildfires, and a two-week quarantine, 13 UCSC students have been finding ways to research a solution to agricultural plastic pollution.
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
October 21, 2020
The PBSci Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.
Doctoral candidate wins Switzer Fellowship for environmental justice research in El Salvador
October 19, 2020
James Alejandro Artiga-Purcell, a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Studies, was recently selected for the 2020 Switzer Environmental Fellowship as part of a cohort of 20 top scholar-activists from around the country.
UC Santa Cruz study cited in arguments against gig economy proposition
October 15, 2020
The report, "On-demand and on-the-edge: Ride-hailing and Delivery Workers in San Francisco," underscores the financial vulnerability of workers in the gig economy.
Challenging how we see the prison-industrial complex
October 13, 2020
An ambitious two-part exhibit, titled Barring Freedom and Visualizing Abolition, organized by the UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences, combines art and activism to address prison and policing issues.
Rising from the ashes
September 29, 2020
Archaeological researchers from UC Santa Cruz are among the volunteers searching through rubble for homeowners who lost their loved ones’ cremains in the fires that ravaged Oregon and California.
The global land rush
September 16, 2020
In her new book, 'Fields of Gold, Financing the Global Land Rush,' Madeleine Fairbairn looks at forces and players that have transformed farmland into a novel financial asset class.
Cooperative research effort documents northward migration of kelp forests
September 9, 2020
From Alaska to Mexico, warming waters are driving widespread changes in these highly productive coastal ecosystems.
In the line of fire
September 1, 2020
Alumnus Adam Lowdermilk had built a career as a musician, but the tragic 2018 Camp Fire prompted a change of heart and a leap into firefighting.
Rising to the Eco-Challenge
August 31, 2020
Two Slug alumni were part of a grueling, 11-day, 416-mile adventure race called Eco-Challenge Fiji, caught in a 10-episode series streaming on Amazon Prime.
Big Creek Reserve and Six Other UCNRS Sites Burn in 2020 Wildfires
August 26, 2020
An arsonist likely set the fire a few miles north of Big Creek Reserve. After slowing for a short time, the Dolan Fire exploded. Flames raced through the reserve’s main canyon and out to its southern boundary.
Marine mammals show off their training in evacuation from Long Marine Lab
August 24, 2020
All of the resident marine mammals at UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory are safe and well after a successful evacuation effort.
Research buildings saved as wildfire sweeps across Big Creek Natural Reserve
August 22, 2020
Fire preparedness and hard work by fast-moving fire crews and UC Santa Cruz staff is being credited for saving research and residential buildings at the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve on the Big Sur coast.
Alaska’s salmon are getting smaller, affecting people and ecosystems
August 19, 2020
A comprehensive study of four salmon species across all regions of Alaska finds salmon are returning to rivers smaller and younger than in the past.
UCSC linguists receive $400,000 NSF grant for research on rarely studied languages
August 5, 2020
UC Santa Cruz linguistics professors Maziar Toosarvandani, Ivy Sichel, and Matthew Wagers have been awarded a $411,058 grant from the National Science Foundation to support research on endangered languages.
Influential marine biologist John Pearse dies at 84
August 5, 2020
A leading authority on marine invertebrates and intertidal ecology, Pearse was a beloved teacher and mentor to generations of marine biologists.
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.
Report exposes rampant illegal fishing in North Korean waters
July 22, 2020
Ground-breaking study reveals hundreds of vessels fishing illegally in one of the world’s most contested ocean regions, contravening UN sanctions and fueling overfishing.
Is COVID-related reduction in marine traffic reducing stress in whales?
July 17, 2020
Whale researchers are taking advantage of changes in boat traffic in Monterey Bay during the pandemic to collect data on stress hormones in humpback whales.
STEM Diversity Programs honored by ‘Insight into Diversity’ magazine
July 10, 2020
'Insight into Diversity' magazine has recognized the STEM Diversity Programs at UC Santa Cruz with its 2020 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award.
A call for caution, personal responsibility
July 2, 2020
If people simply wait around for federal, state, and local governments to save them from the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than take precautions to keep themselves and their communities safe, “we will lose the economy and our lives,’’ said infectious disease expert A. Marm Kilpatrick this week.
Researchers honored for work in UCSC-NOAA Fisheries Collaborative Program
July 1, 2020
Three researchers affiliated with the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at UC Santa Cruz have received awards from the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center for their outstanding contributions to research in 2019.
Michael Soulé, father of conservation biology, dies at 84
June 23, 2020
Michael Soulé, a professor emeritus of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz who was widely considered the "father of conservation biology," died on June 17. He was 84.
Hellman Fellows Program and UC announce $125 million commitment to faculty research
June 23, 2020
The Hellman Fellows Program and the University of California announced a plan to permanently support the Hellman Fellows Program on all 10 campuses in the UC system.
A new challenge for engineering students’ capstone projects—COVID-19
June 22, 2020
Engineering students always face obstacles in completing their senior capstone projects, but the pandemic created unique challenges for this year’s teams.
Royal Geographical Society publishes special COVID-19 issue
June 5, 2020
A virtual special issue of Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers features Politics Professor Matt Sparke's article, "Contextualizing Coronavirus Geographically," and provides free access to additional articles that provide perspective on the pandemic.
Social Sciences recognizes students amid unprecedented times
June 5, 2020
The Social Sciences Division announced the recipients of its annual student achievement awards.
NOAA funds new Cooperative Institute for Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Systems
June 3, 2020
CIMEAS supports the ongoing collaboration between UC Santa Cruz and the National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
Two vital buffers against climate change are just offshore
June 1, 2020
A new study underscores the need to conserve and restore mangroves and coral reefs for coastal protection.
Emerald predators: Ohlone tiger beetles reclaim territory with the help of local scientists
May 28, 2020
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists released 43 Ohlone tiger beetles to a new home in Santa Cruz County earlier this year with the help of UC Santa Cruz students and reserve managers
Field courses boost STEM diversity, study reveals
May 19, 2020
The challenge of diversifying STEM fields may get a boost from the results of a new study that show field courses help build self-confidence among students—especially those from underrepresented groups.
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
Corals can survive in acidified ocean conditions, but have lower density skeletons
June 26, 2019
A two-year transplantation experiment near a natural low-pH submarine spring evaluated growth and physiological response of different coral species to ocean acidification.
Sixth annual Climate Conference links science and justice
March 14, 2019
For the first time, the annual UC Santa Cruz Climate Conference will bring together prominent ocean scientists and leading social-justice advocates to discuss the environmental and equity dimensions of the crisis.
NSF funds innovative stable isotope equipment at UC Santa Cruz
January 2, 2019
The new equipment will support research across a wide range of disciplines, ranging from oceanography and earth science, paleontology, anthropology, ecology and fundamental biochemical cycle research.
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
