News
New book shares expertise from UC Santa Cruz and beyond on preparing students to tackle environmental justice issues
November 21, 2023
A new book developed by UC Santa Cruz faculty and staff offers teaching examples, strategies, and classroom tools to help integrate environmental justice into courses in ways that center equity.
Life Beyond the Redwoods: Noah Whitley reflects on the value of a UCSC degree one year later
November 20, 2023
One year after graduating from UCSC, Noah Whitley works as a legislative assistant for a political consulting firm that works closely with the California State Legislature.
Worldwide leaders convene to protect, advance global biodiversity
November 15, 2023
With a focus on sustaining and strengthening global biodiversity in the face of climate change, UC Santa Cruz hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation University Leaders' Forum, bringing together nearly 100 international leaders in education, industry, and government.
Veteran students excel with Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship
November 9, 2023
The Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship was established to support veteran students at UC Santa Cruz. Devin Burkland and Dan Palance are this year's recipients.
Alumna Alexis Jackson takes the lessons from the Pacific Coast near UCSC to the environmental policy tables of California
November 6, 2023
Multidisciplinary team will develop advanced rhizosphere carbon imaging for climate change research with support of major DOE grant
October 30, 2023
A team of researchers at UC Santa Cruz and Stanford University are leading a new project in which they aim to use dynamic imaging and modeling of carbon in the rhizosphere to answer longstanding questions about how carbon moves through the soil and plant root interface.
Creative Technologies, new online major in Arts Division, first of its kind on any UC campus
October 23, 2023
The Arts Division’s new Creative Technologies online major is the first of its kind on any UC campus.
Slugworks welcomes students across campus to new creative space
October 16, 2023
Slugworks, a new creatorspace on campus located in the Jack Baskin Engineering building, is open to the campus community.
FUTURE in Biology program receives NSF grant to explore field courses as a tool for equity
October 12, 2023
A group of researchers at UC Santa Cruz recently received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study the impacts of these field courses and develop best practices for making them more accessible.
Three climate resilience projects supported by 2023 CITRIS Interdisciplinary Innovation Program
October 10, 2023
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the Innovation & Business Engagement Hub collaborated to fund three projects focused on climate resilience and that align with developing solutions that address some of the California's most pressing climate challenges.
Cal-Bridge awarded $4 million to diversify STEM
October 9, 2023
The Cal-Bridge program, which supports students from historically underserved backgrounds in STEM, was recently awarded $4 million in the 2023-2024 California state budget. The funding will provide scholarships, mentorship and professional development opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students around the state in physics and astronomy, computer science, and math.
System-wide leaders visit campus to discuss next steps in Agricultural Experiment Station designation
October 9, 2023
A group from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources visited UC Santa Cruz to discuss implementation for the campus’s official designation as an Agricultural Experiment Station.
UCSC iGEM 2023 addressing harmful algal blooms through synthetic biology
October 4, 2023
A team of UCSC undergraduate students is designing and assembling a plasmid that targets the toxic genes of a type of freshwater bacteria responsible for harmful algal blooms.
US Department of Agriculture visits UC Santa Cruz to learn about research and workforce development projects
September 28, 2023
UC Santa Cruz faculty, staff, and students shared information about USDA-funded research and education projects on campus with special guests from the USDA.
Research partnership will turn power plant emissions into fish feed
September 27, 2023
UC Santa Cruz’s ecological aquaculture research team will partner with the company Global Algae Innovations to test whether a microalgae grown using captured carbon dioxide emissions could be an effective feed ingredient for rainbow trout.
UC Santa Cruz welcomes new faculty to campus
September 26, 2023
UC Santa Cruz welcomes 54 new faculty members to campus who bring a wide array of expertise in research and creative scholarship that will open new areas of investigation and expression and expand existing areas of work.
Eric Palkovacs is awarded the 2023 Excellence in Fisheries Education Award
September 19, 2023
Eric Palkovacs has been awarded the 2023 Excellence in Fisheries Education Award by the American Fisheries Society, the organization announced. This award is presented to an individual to recognize excellence in organized teaching and advising in some aspect of fisheries education.
2023 ARCS Foundation scholarships support UCSC graduate students in the sciences and engineering
September 11, 2023
Sixteen UC Santa Cruz graduate students have received scholarships worth a total of $175,000 from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation for the 2023-24 academic year.
GREAT program creates new opportunities for students to participate in research
September 1, 2023
This summer, the “Genome Research Experiences to Attract Talented Undergraduates into the Genomics Field to Enhance Diversity” (GREAT) programmed welcomed six students from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) to an intensive eight-week research program at UC Santa Cruz.
Five UC Santa Cruz projects win California Climate Action Grant funding
August 31, 2023
Millions of dollars in new funding will support UC Santa Cruz and partners in tackling some of California's toughest climate change challenges through innovative research and community engagement.
Undergraduate research funding available through Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP)
August 18, 2023
LAEP is a form of work-study that funds 100% of eligible student wages for on-campus, research-focused employment.
Nearly $1 million in USDA grants will support 3 UCSC-led agricultural technology projects
August 17, 2023
Three UC Santa Cruz research teams led by engineering faculty will pursue innovative agriculture technology projects with the support of seed grants from the USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
A childhood cancer survivor becomes a cancer researcher
August 7, 2023
This summer, 15-year-old Robert McCabe helped to sequence and analyze a tumor sample in the lab of the UC Santa Cruz Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative.
Kathleen Finlay brings UCSC education to the forefront in her fight for food sustainability and social justice
August 2, 2023
UC Santa Cruz alumna Kathleen Finlay is the president of the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in the Hudson Valley and founder of Pleiades.
UCSC students behind bus tracking app selected as only U.S. team in Google Solution Challenge’s top 10
July 31, 2023
The competition, which invites thousands of students worldwide to compete, tasks students to come up with technical solutions that contribute to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development goals.
Golden-crowned sparrows return to overwintering sites in part because of their friends
July 31, 2023
Golden-crowned sparrows return to the same wintering sites each year after migrating thousands of miles. But their precision — which is often within the tens of meters — depends in part on the return of their friends.
Volunteer who helped keep the Seymour Center open is honored
July 10, 2023
Dale Bieser, one of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center's long-time volunteers, was recognized with the Be the Difference Award - Individual Honoree by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. Over the past 12 years, she has become a vital member of their team.
UCSC’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience awards over $4.6 million to support California coastal projects
June 28, 2023
The UCSC Center for Coastal Climate Resilience has awarded over $4.6 million in funding to 23 UC Santa Cruz research groups for pilot projects and implementation projects supporting efforts to fight climate change in coastal communities across California and beyond. Funds for these grant programs came from the California State Budget Act of 2022-23.
Q&A with John MacMillan, vice chancellor for research
June 27, 2023
After nearly two years as the interim Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) for UC Santa Cruz, John MacMillan was appointed to the permanent VCR role on June 1, 2023, after a nationwide search. Here he discusses his vision for UC Santa Cruz and its research enterprise.
UCSC Arboretum to conduct vegetation surveys under $2.6M state contract
June 26, 2023
A team of UCSC botanists will carry out surveys for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in support of a statewide vegetation classification and mapping program.
UC Santa Cruz receives $10 million grant to cultivate diverse food and agriculture professionals
June 22, 2023
The United States Department of Agriculture awarded the University of California, Santa Cruz a $10 million grant to lead a transformative five-year project. The funding will be leveraged to serve and uplift a broad range of students and community members, ensuring a lasting impact on the food and agriculture sector.
Interdisciplinary team wins Small Farm prize in first-ever Farm Robotics Challenge
June 15, 2023
An interdisciplinary team of students and researchers created an autonomous weeder which was recently recognized with the Small Farm prize at the inaugural Farm Robotics Challenge.
UCSC team wins third place in first-ever Amazon SimBot challenge
June 8, 2023
A team of UC Santa Cruz computer science and engineering (CSE) Ph.D. students won third place in the first-ever Amazon Alexa Prize SimBot Challenge, a university competition focused on advancing virtual assistant technology.
A network for the future
June 7, 2023
UCSC Student Serena Campbell’s senior thesis leads to a comprehensive network between critical environmental researchers on campus.
Study identifies boat strikes as a growing cause of manatee deaths in Belize
June 1, 2023
Belize is a stronghold of the Antillean manatee population, but increasing boat traffic poses a growing threat to this endangered relative of the Florida manatee
Crucial organic farming issue addressed by UC workshops, collaborations
May 31, 2023
UC Santa Cruz-based organic production specialist Joji Muramoto collaborated on a UC Cooperative Extension workshop series for organic vegetable and fruit growers on how to manage nitrogen.
Pulitzer Prize-winning climate journalist Elizabeth Kolbert warns of the complications, perils, and potentials of environmental interventions at Deep Read talk on campus
May 23, 2023
In her on on-stage discussion with New York Times columnist, podcaster and UCSC alumna Ezra Klein, Elizabeth Kolbert spoke about the efforts to roll back the effects of climate change. The talk was part of The Humanities Institute's fourth annual Deep Read series.
Huerta Center naming inspires full-circle gift
May 22, 2023
The naming of the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas hits close to home for a UCSC staff member with a family connection
Salmon documentary produced by UCSC team to air on KQED
May 17, 2023
‘Southern Range’ was directed by Soc Doc alumnus Kyle Baker and produced by the Seymour Center and the Fisheries Collaborative Program at UCSC.
UCSC environmental governance expert named to NASEM committee addressing methane gas emissions
May 1, 2023
Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah has been appointed as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee for Atmospheric Methane Removal to assess viable technological options for reducing a powerful greenhouse gas.
Genome of famed sled dog Balto reveals genetic adaptations of working dogs
April 27, 2023
Still a good boy nearly 100 years after historic sled run, Balto has now helped scientists explore the genetics of working dogs and demonstrate the power of comparative genomics.
As the California sea lion population got bigger, so did male sea lions
April 27, 2023
Unlike other marine mammals, male California sea lions have gotten bigger over the past 50 years as their population has grown.
Elephant seals drift off to sleep while diving far below the ocean surface
April 20, 2023
Brainwave patterns show elephant seals take short naps while holding their breath on deep dives, averaging just 2 hours of sleep per day while at sea.
Biologist Beth Shapiro elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
April 19, 2023
Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
In Memoriam: Margaret I. Fitzsimmons
April 17, 2023
Banana Slugs seek to advance conversational AI in all three Amazon Alexa Prize challenges
April 17, 2023
Three teams of UC Santa Cruz Baskin School of Engineering students are developing next-generation, multimodal AI-powered systems for a chance to win $500,000 or more per challenge.
Coming to Fruition
April 13, 2023
UCSC alumni Tallula Preston and David Purgason founded Watsonville based Fruition Brewing in 2019. Four years later, the duo’s establishment is a staple in the Santa Cruz and Watsonville communities.
Undergrad Samantha Contreras wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
April 12, 2023
Samantha Contreras, a junior majoring in physics at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
Colombian all-female team uncovers naturalist Elizabeth Kerr’s long-forgotten legacy
April 11, 2023
Many fields of study have long been dominated by men but a team of eight female Colombian researchers are committed to uncovering the story of naturalist pioneer Elizabeth Kerr, whose legacy had remained invisible despite her vast contributions to ornithology.
New program advises UCSC Ph.D. students on their path to entrepreneurship and venture capital
March 30, 2023
Many student-led innovations never make it out of the lab. A new program at UC Santa Cruz aims to change that by mentoring Ph.D. students in the life sciences on alternative career pathways outside academia: entrepreneurship and venture capital.
Humans and housing density are the leading cause of death for local pumas
March 27, 2023
Two new studies involving UC Santa Cruz researchers are shedding light on the challenges facing local pumas where humans are encroaching on their natural habitats.
Grant funds Sarker's aquaculture sustainability research
March 25, 2023
Pallab Sarker received a foundation grant fund from the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, amounting to $170,947 over three years to strengthen his lab’s ecological aquaculture work.
Collaboration with NASA uses eDNA technology to monitor biodiversity
March 21, 2023
UCSC scientists collected environmental DNA samples in South Africa as part of the BioSCape project.
Winning Grad Slam presentation highlights disease threat to Hawaiian birds
March 13, 2023
Ecology and evolutionary biology graduate student Christa Seidl will compete in the UC systemwide Grad Slam in May, presenting her research on avian malaria.
Where is your squid coming from? Most likely unregulated waters, according to a new international study
March 10, 2023
Scientists and policymakers have voiced growing concerns about the decline of global squid stocks, but little has been done to date to target squid fishing activities that are expanding into unregulated spaces, according to a new international study.
Marine mammal reproduction rests on a precarious tipping point of ocean resources
March 8, 2023
A study of northern elephant seals reveals a threshold at which a small decrease in the amount of prey females can find during foraging migrations could lead to a sudden drop in reproductive success.
Indigenous land management focus of this year’s Conversations on Climate Justice
March 7, 2023
Wildfires. Flooding. Drought. The nation has faced these climate issues for centuries. Yet, there’s still a lot that can be learned from pre-colonial indigenous food and land management techniques to combat our current climate problems, according to Dr. Lyla June Johnston, the keynote speaker for UC Santa Cruz’s third annual Conversations on Climate Justice event, coming up this Monday, March 13.
Leaf wetness sensor will enable better plant disease forecasting and management
March 2, 2023
An interdisciplinary team of researchers created a new type of sensor for more accurately measuring leaf wetness which will enable better plant disease forecasting and management.
Shrinking age distribution of spawning salmon raises climate resilience concerns
February 27, 2023
Study suggests changes in hatchery practices could help increase population stability for Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon, the backbone of California’s salmon fishery.
Designing the digital user experience to meet research needs - Meet Jessica Waggoner
February 13, 2023
Jessica Waggoner, the user experience librarian, and her students work to understand information-seeking behaviors so the campus community can easily access the resources they need to be successful in their classes and push the boundaries of research.
Learning-Aligned Employment Program Launches; provides 100% funding for on-campus, student research positions
January 31, 2023
LAEP is a nine-year, state-funded, work-based learning program similar to federal work-study. The program offers eligible students the opportunity to earn money to help defray their educational costs while gaining education-aligned, career-related employment.
Improving the student experience: aligning Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services within the Division of Student Affairs and Success
January 31, 2023
In an effort to improve the student experience, Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services (CHES) is moving from the Division of Finance, Operations, and Administration (FOA) to the Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS).
Two new species of rare succulents found in Mexico named by UCSC botanist
January 30, 2023
A retired staff botanist at the UCSC Arboretum & Botanic Garden studied the rare plants found on an island off the coast of Baja California and identified two new species of dudleya.
Sanya Cowal: Resilience and agency
January 30, 2023
Sanya Cowal was awarded the Jessica Roy Memorial Scholarship in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
Five student teams embark on tech for social good projects
January 23, 2023
Five student teams will take on tech for social good projects with funding from the UCSC CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the UCSC Institute for Social Transformation.
Study reveals influence of krill availability on humpback whale pregnancies
January 23, 2023
Data from Antarctica show more humpback whales get pregnant after years with abundant krill than after years when krill were less plentiful.
UCSC leads new multicampus initiatives on climate change and bilingualism
January 23, 2023
UC Santa Cruz faculty are leading two new collaborative programs funded by grants from UC’s Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) program.
Vulnerability of red sea urchins to climate change depends on location
January 20, 2023
Scientists found that red sea urchin populations are adapted to local environments, but some populations will suffer more than others as conditions change in the future.
UC Santa Cruz earns a top three spot at national codebreaker challenge
December 20, 2022
More than 440 universities competed in the 2022 National Security Agency (NSA) Codebreaker Challenge, where students are challenged to expand their reverse engineering and other skills necessary for careers in cybersecurity.
UC workforce innovation internship program returns summer 2023 for its second offering
December 12, 2022
The eight-week program offers UC students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on career experience in emerging fields of innovation.
Colombia, a global biodiversity hotspot, faces rising threats to bird species from expanding human footprint
December 7, 2022
A new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters used satellite mapping data to analyze how changes in human footprint on the landscape between 1970 and 2018 overlapped with distributions of 1,469 Colombian bird species. The study is the first of its kind to expand focus from forested regions, like the Amazon and Chocó, to all of Colombia’s terrestrial habitats.
UC Santa Cruz innovators among Santa Cruz Works 2022 Titans of Tech
December 6, 2022
Aviv Elor, alumnus and co-founder of Immergo Labs, and Nada Miljkovic, alumna, entrepreneur, and UCSC educator, are among the 11 Santa Cruz Works Titans of Tech finalists.
Undergraduates in UC Santa Cruz’s Human Rights Investigations Lab fight for migrant rights
December 6, 2022
UC Santa Cruz’s Human Rights Investigations Lab, housed in the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas, has been assisting those seeking asylum in the United States and fighting back against the controversial Title 42 immigration policy.
UCSC's 2022 iGEM team brings home gold medal, earns nomination for best therapeutics project
November 18, 2022
This year's UCSC iGEM team engineered a yeast-based Type 2 diabetes therapeutic.
Offshore wind farms may harm seabirds, but scientists see potential for net positive impact
November 17, 2022
A new study presents a framework for assessing and mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on marine birds.
UC Santa Cruz earns Agricultural Experiment Station designation
November 16, 2022
The designation marks more than 50 years of industry-leading research in organic agriculture and sustainable farming practices at the campus and opens doors to expand community impact.
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