UCSC social scientists examine the economic crisis and its social impacts

UC Santa Cruz social scientists will examine and assess the causes and effects of the unprecedented global economic recession during a one-day forum Tuesday, May 22 at University Center.

Elephant seal tracking reveals hidden lives of deep-diving animals

UCSC researchers use satellite tags to monitor the migrations of elephant seals, revealing their movements and diving behavior at sea in unprecedented detail.

Anthropology Ph.D. student wins Newcombe Fellowship

Adding to the awards for her innovative research into religious minorities, UC Santa Cruz anthropology Ph.D. candidate Sarah Bakker is one of 21 national winners of a coveted fellowship for scholars working on dissertations that involve religious themes.

New provosts named for College Eight, Merrill

Richard Hughey, vice provost and dean of undergradute educaation, has announced the appointments of two new college provosts: Ronnie Lipschutz, at College Eight; and Elizabeth Abrams, at Merrill.

Medical robotics expert Jacob Rosen named Health Care Hero

The Silicon Valley Business Journal honored robotics expert Jacob Rosen with a 2012 Health Care Heroes award.

The man behind the gift to ‘Dead Central’

Dead Central, the long-awaited 1,400-square-foot exhibit space for the Grateful Dead Archive at UC Santa Cruz, is now complete—thanks to Santa Barbara investor and philanthropist Scott Brittingham.

Astronomy lectures spotlight rare astronomical event on June 5

Lectures on May 18, May 25, and June 1 will explain the scientific and historical significance of the transit of Venus.

Seed library holds its second seed exchange, Saturday, May 26

The UC Santa Cruz Demeter Seed Library invites community members from all over Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Area to its second exchange of 2012, happening on Saturday, May 26 from noon to 3 p.m. at the UCSC Farm.

33rd Multicultural Festival set for Saturday, May 19 on Oakes lower field

The 33rd annual Multicultural Festival will take place Saturday, May 19, from noon to 6 p.m. on the Lower West Field - Oakes Lower Lawn at UC Santa Cruz. The band Balance and the Traveling Sounds headlines.

Reporter who revealed undocumented status to speak at Chavez convocation

Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose article "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant," last year revealed his immigration status, will be the keynote speaker at the 9th annual César Chávez Convocation at UCSC.

Documentary by 20 UCSC students to premiere at SC Film Festival

Exit 426: Watsonville—a completely collaborative film made by 20 students in a UC Santa Cruz film class--will have its premiere on Sunday, May 13, at the Nickelodeon Theater in Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Arts Commission names Humanities lecturer Artist of the Year

UC Santa Cruz humanities lecturer Gary Young has been named 2012 Artist of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission

Graduate students present research at annual symposium May 11

Graduate student research will be on display at the University Center on Friday, May 11, during the annual Graduate Research Symposium.

Indian finance experts visit UCSC for advice on reforming India's economic system

Two experts investigating ways to reform India's financial system visited UCSC for a workshop on economic systemic risks as they provide technical support to a commission that is advising India's ministry of finance.

UC Santa Cruz builds national data center for cancer genome research

UCSC has established a large-scale data repository and user portal for the National Cancer Institute's cancer genome research programs.

Record crowd returns for a spirited Alumni Reunion Weekend

UCSC's Alumni Reunion Weekend was filled with inspiring, surprising, and hilarious moments. And it didn't hurt that the weather was perfect for all three days.

Zimmerman scholarship ceremony leads to discussion of public service

Two families, linked by sorrow and promise, met for the first time as the Gabe Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship was presented to Yethzéll Díaz. A panel discussion on Careers with a Conscience followed the ceremony.

McHenry Rededication celebration attracts hundreds to newly renovated library

Several hundred alumni, students, faculty, and community supporters joined University Librarian Ginny Steel and Chancellor Blumenthal last Friday for the official Rededication of McHenry Library.

Registration open for spring and summer 3-day 'Garden Cruz' classes

Intensive class will provide a solid foundation to further the lifelong study, enjoyment, and practice of organic gardening. Class instructors include Orin Martin, manager of UCSC's Alan Chadwick Garden, and local organic farmers Zoe Hitchner and Sky DeMuro of Everett Family Farm.

Huffman Prize winner helps develop better tools for analyzing "big data"

Senior Joshua Rosen, winner of the 2012 Huffman Prize, worked on a project to develop better tools for large-scale data processing.

DANM 2012 MFA Exhibition: ‘I've got something on your mind’

Eleven graduate students from UCSC's Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. Program (DANM) will conclude two years of artistic study with "I've got something on your mind"--an exhibition of their work running April 28 through May 6 at the UCSC Digital Arts and Research Center.

Watsonville High names UCSC’s Bill Doyle to alumni hall of fame

UC Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus of Biology Bill Doyle knows what it’s like to grow up hard. But the founder and long-term director of UCSC's Institute of Marine Sciences, says even though times were tough, those years—especially the ones at Watsonville High—became “the basic, grounding platform” of his life.

UCSC's Hollenbeck named CVC Coach of the year

Todd Hollenbeck, head coach of the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, has been named the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Coach of the Year as voted on by CVC head Coaches.

UCSC's fall class is increasingly selective and includes more first-generation students

UC Santa Cruz has offered admission to 60.5 percent of high school seniors who applied for the fall 2012 quarter, a prospective class that includes more California residents and a higher number of students who would be the first in their family to earn a four-year degree.

Environmental studies researchers take studies to new heights

UC Santa Cruz environmental studies associate professor Jeff Bury and Adam French, an environmental studies Ph.D. candidate, were among 31 high-altitude scientists and researchers from around the world who traveled to Nepal last September to study and find solutions for destructive glacial floods.

Physicist Peter Young elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Peter Young, distinguished professor of physics, has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies.

UCSC Farm & Garden’s annual spring plant sale slated for May 5-6

Physics undergrad makes the most of research opportunities

Senior physics major Melinda Soares has won honors for her research presentations at two conferences in the past year.

UCSC film professor John Jota Leaños wins 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship

UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of film and digital media John Jota Leaños has been awarded a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship for the creative arts.

Earth Week and Earth Day Festival 2012: Finding Room to Bloom

Earth Week, from April 16-22, includes a number of activities on campus, culminating in the Earth Day Festival, sponsored by College Eight on Sunday, April 22.

India film star to appear at screenings hosted by UCSC’s Satyajit Ray Film Center

Actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen to speak at UCSC Media Theater (April 21) and Nickelodeon Theater (April 22)

Aronson, Palca win Social Sciences division awards

The UC Santa Cruz Social Sciences Division has named NPR science correspondent Joe Palca and psychology professor emeritus Elliot Aronson as winners of its distinguished alumni and emeriti faculty awards.

Why letting salmon escape could benefit bears and humans

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz and in Canada suggest that allowing more Pacific salmon to spawn in coastal streams would mean a long term win-win for ecosystems and humans.

Exhibition documents anthropology's focus on emerging worlds

Emerging Worlds, a new faculty exhibition now open at Porter Sesnon Gallery on the UC Santa Cruz campus, documents and illustrates the research theme of UCSC's anthropology department.

UCSC dean taking Arts Division in new direction

Renewed outreach efforts include partnership with alumnus Randall Grahm to create wines with student-designed labels that support UCSC arts scholarships

Arboretum holds annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 21

Since 1977, the Arboretum's plant sales have been providing gardeners with colorful and unusual plants for creating dynamic central coast gardens.

In Memoriam: Charles Selberg

Charles Selberg, who died last month, is remembered by two UCSC alumni, Angela Dracott and Mark Headley. Dracott and Headley were two of the many students on campus who learned fencing (and many other things) from the revered master.

DANM students and alums project digital light on museum’s ‘Glow’ festival

More than 2,500 people showed up for the Museum of Art & History’s “GLOW” festival held in downtown Santa Cruz. Drew Detweiler, a 2010 graduate of UCSC’s DANM program, organized the digital arts portion of the program.

Kepler Explorer app puts distant planets at your fingertips

Kepler Explorer, an innovative app for iPads and iPhones, provides interactive displays of planetary systems discovered by the Kepler Mission.

Peregrine falcon chicks hatch on San Francisco high-rise

Four fluffy, white peregrine falcon chicks have hatched in a nest on the San Francisco skyline where they can be viewed via a web cam hosted by UCSC's Predatory Bird Research Group.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit draws from UCSC Grateful Dead Archive

On April 12, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will launch a major exhibition on the Grateful Dead, featuring a significant number of items on loan from The Grateful Dead Archive at UC Santa Cruz.

Alumni Reunion weekend: embracing tradition, celebrating innovation

UCSC grads will have many opportunities to reminisce at the Natural History Field Quarter 40th Reunion, a Black Alumni Alumni Reunion, an Oakes College’s 40th Anniversary brunch, a Cowell College reunion and the UCSC Class of 2002’s 10-year Reunion.

Peregrine falcon eggs on San Francisco high-rise about to hatch

Four peregrine falcon eggs in a nest at the San Francisco headquarters of PG&E are expected to hatch any day, according to the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, which has successfully reintroduced peregrine falcons to the wild after the species was nearly decimated 40 years ago.

Astrophysicist Michael Turner speaks April 16 on what came 'Before the Big Bang'

Eminent cosmologist Michael Turner will discuss the origins of the universe in a free public lecture on Monday, April 16, at the Rio Theater.

International drilling expedition to probe Japanese fault zone

UC Santa Cruz scientists are involved in an ambitious drilling project to measure properties of the fault that caused the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Washington Post highlights UC Santa Cruz as an 'up-and-comer'

The Washington Post highlights UC Santa Cruz as one of five universities that "really are up-and-comers."

Researchers win grant to explore commercial potential of sensor technology

A new class of biomedical diagnostic devices are among the possible uses for the optical sensing technologies developed in Holger Schmidt's lab.

UCSC professor joins acclaimed writers for new Passover 'users manual'

Two weeks ago, author Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) went on the Stephen Colbert show to promote his latest book New American Haggadah...

UCSC forest research site joins Global Earth Observatory, nearly triples in size

The nearly 15-acre Forest Ecology Research Plot located within the UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve has been accepted into the global network of the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Tropical Forest Science / Global Earth Observatory.

UCSC poet Gary Young to be featured on Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac

Garrison Keillor is scheduled to read a poem by UC Santa Cruz's Gary Young on Keillor's Writer's Almanac on Thursday, March 22.

Catherine Cooper appointed faculty director of EPC

Professor Catherine Cooper has been appointed faculty director of UCSC's Educational Partnership Center.

Raoul Birnbaum appointed faculty director of Honors Programs

Professor Raoul Birnbaum has been appointed faculty director of UCSC's Undergraduate Honors Programs.

Nesting eagles highlight success of restoration program

Discovery of a pair of bald eagles building a nest near Watsonville's Pinto Lake highlights the success of a wildlife conservation effort begun 26 years ago, according to Glenn R. Stewart a UC Santa Cruz alumnus and director of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird (SCPBRG) Research Group at UCSC's Long Marine Lab.

UCSC to showcase UC-wide research in Humanities at Museum of Art & History

The UC Santa Cruz Institute of Humanities Research will host the 2nd annual gathering of the UC Society of Fellows in the Humanities on April 21, at the Museum of Art and History. A free public event, it will showcase the exceptional research efforts underway in the field of Humanities--both at UCSC and throughout the entire UC system.

Biochemist Glenn Millhauser honored for protein structure research

Glenn Millhauser, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has been chosen to receive the 2012 Silver Medal in Biology/Medicine from the International EPR Society.

Chancellor signs 'real food' commitment for campus

Chancellor Blumenthal has signed the UC Santa Cruz Real Food Campus Commitment.

Pirate droids battle in student robotics competition March 14

Robotic pirate "ships" built by UCSC engineering students will face off in battle in a free public demonstration on March 14.

Bridgeman named winner of Dickson emeriti award

Bruce Bridgeman, professor emeritus of psychology and psychobiology at UC Santa Cruz, has been named the Edward A. Dickson Professor of Psychology for the 2012-13 academic year.

Converting junk to surfboards: polystyrene foam collection project launches at UCSC

Sign-ups now open for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program

Memberships in the CASFS/UCSC Farm’s 2012 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program are now available.

Origami exhibit at Cowell College opens April 8 with public talks

"Origami: Art + Mathematics" features internationally known origami artists and honors the late David Huffman, UCSC computer scientist and a pioneer of mathematical origami.

Peter Kenez to deliver annual UCSC Spring Emeriti Faculty Lecture

A Holocaust survivor and native of Hungary, Peter Kenez is a scholar of the history of Russia and the former Soviet Union. On March 15, he will present the annual UCSC Emeriti Lecture on the topic: “The Coming of the Holocaust.”

Research center wins grant to study ethics of community research

The Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California (CCREC), based at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded a $277,550 grant to conduct a 15-month study on the ethics of research in local communities.

Julie Guthman's examination of obesity crisis wins book award

Anew book by Julie Guthman, associate professor of Community Studies at UC Santa Cruz, was named winner of the 2012 James M. Blaut Innovative Publication Award.

Second annual Arts Dean’s research lecture spotlights media and race

If you were around in the 1960’s, you’re probably familiar with the iconic photos of the Civil Rights movement that made the daily news—images of African Americans being sprayed by firehoses, attacked by dogs, and beaten by police with batons...

UCSC ranked among top 10 graduate schools for game design

Princeton Review's list of the top game design programs in the country recommends UCSC's graduate and undergraduate programs.

UC Santa Cruz hosts 11th annual Earth Summit

On Saturday, March 3, the Student Environmental Center will host the 11th Annual Campus Earth Summit from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the College Nine/Ten Multipurpose Room.

New York alumni artist returns to campus to mentor students

Katerina Lanfranco has come a long way since she graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2001 with a BA degree in art.

Two UCSC marine scientists awarded Pew Fellowships in Marine Conservation

Two scientists affiliated with UCSC's Institute of Marine Sciences have been awarded 2012 Pew Fellowships in Marine Conservation.

Coral reef study traces indirect effects of overfishing

A study of the tropical coral reef system along the coastline of Kenya finds that overfishing could threaten the long-term health of the reefs.

Ray Collett, founding director of UCSC Arboretum, dies at age 79

Ray Collett, the founding director of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, died on Wednesday, February 22.

New Theater Arts drama a ‘grand experiment’ in arts and technology

The Thinning Veil—an unusual new play at UCSC featuring some of Greek tragedy’s most prominent characters—literally takes place in two different worlds.

New brain connections form in clusters during learning

A new study reveals details of how brain circuits are rewired during the formation of new motor memories.

New DNA sequencer uses nanopore concepts pioneered at UCSC

A British company announced plans to market the first commercial DNA sequencer using nanopore technology pioneered at UCSC.

UCSC professor named second Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County

UCSC emeritus professor of education and creative writing David Swanger has been named the second Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County.