News & Events
Global experts attend academic summit on solitary confinement
June 6, 2018
Forty-five of the world's experts on the psychological and physical effects of solitary confinement gathered in Santa Cruz recently for a two-day academic summit.
Biochemist Carrie Partch honored for research on biological clocks
June 1, 2018
The latest findings from Partch's lab have resolved a longstanding question about how the timing of our biological clocks is regulated.
Genes found only in humans influence brain size
May 31, 2018
A set of three nearly identical genes found only in humans appear to play a critical role in the development of our large brains, according to a study led by UCSC researchers.
New model explains what we see when a massive black hole devours a star
May 29, 2018
Theoretical astrophysicists have developed a unified model that explains observations of tidal disruption events, when a black hole swallows a disrupted star.
Diverse campus landscapes are ideal outdoor laboratories—and classrooms
May 25, 2018
UC Santa Cruz is known for its beautiful landscapes, but its meadows, forests, farm fields, and coastal bluffs also support a range of scientific research and hands-on learning opportunities for students.
Selective neural connections can be reestablished in retina after injury, study finds
May 24, 2018
Circuit repair in the retina of adult ground squirrels can recreate the selective neural connections needed for color vision.
Biologist Beth Shapiro selected as Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator
May 23, 2018
Shapiro’s Paleogenomics Lab at UC Santa Cruz uses ancient DNA to study evolutionary history and the effects of environmental change on species and ecosystems.
Computer scientist Owen Arden wins NSF CAREER Award
May 21, 2018
Owen Arden, assistant professor of computer science in the Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Lightning in the eyewall of a hurricane beamed antimatter toward the ground
May 21, 2018
The first detection of a downward positron beam from a terrestrial gamma-ray flash was captured by an instrument flown through the eyewall of Hurricane Patricia in 2015.
Undergraduate builds handcrafted bee hotels to attract pollinators
May 18, 2018
Mindful that the population of European honeybees is crashing worldwide due to Colony Collapse Disorder, Environmental Studies senior Forest Peri wanted to make a welcoming home for native bees.
Transfer RNA research addresses a blind spot in understanding of human genes
May 17, 2018
Biomolecular engineer Todd Lowe has received a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support his lab's international leadership in transfer RNA research.
'Future Garden' environmental art installation opens at Arboretum
May 16, 2018
The Institute of the Arts and Sciences presents the opening of "Future Garden for the Central Coast of California"--a site-specific environmental art installation by emeritus arts research professors Newton Harrison and his late wife Helen Mayer Harrison at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
UCSC Night at the Museum to explore global impact of 1968 protest movements
May 8, 2018
The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz will present "UCSC Night at the Museum: Global 1968—Race and Revolution around the World," a free public event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, on Wednesday, May 16.
Astronomers find an exoplanet atmosphere free of clouds
May 7, 2018
An international team of astronomers has detected an exoplanet atmosphere that is free of clouds, marking a pivotal breakthrough in the quest to better understand what lies at the outer reaches of our galaxy.
NIH grant supports development of a novel drug for stroke treatment
May 1, 2018
A drug discovery grant is funding the quest by UCSC chemistry professor Ted Holman to bring a new drug treatment for stroke to clinical trials.
UC Santa Cruz glaciologist leads project to study Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier
April 30, 2018
Earth sciences professor Slawek Tulaczyk will lead one of eight projects in a joint U.S.-U.K. research program to understand how quickly the massive Antarctic glacier could collapse.
Film professor Jennifer Taylor wins fellowship for summer residency at MacDowell Colony
April 25, 2018
Assistant professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has received a fellowship for a summer residency at one of the nation’s leading contemporary arts organizations.
Face recognition for galaxies: Artificial intelligence brings new tools to astronomy
April 23, 2018
A 'deep learning' algorithm trained on images from cosmological simulations has been surprisingly successful at classifying real galaxies in Hubble images.
DANM 2018 MFA student exhibition culminates two years of intensive study and creative work
April 17, 2018
Nine graduate students from the Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. program (DANM) will conclude two years of artistic study at UC Santa Cruz with "Interstices"--an exhibition of their work running April 27-29, at the UCSC Digital Arts Research Center.
South County housing crisis to be discussed May 2
April 17, 2018
University researchers and community leaders will host a public forum about the affordable housing crisis on Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the Watsonville Civic Center.
J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves appointed director of CITRIS at UC Santa Cruz
April 12, 2018
Computer engineer J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves has been appointed to serve as the UC Santa Cruz director for CITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) and the Banatao Institute.
Nature-based solutions can prevent $50 billion in Gulf Coast flood damages
April 11, 2018
Researchers found that restoration of marshes and oyster reefs are among the most cost-effective solutions for flood risk reduction on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Building a feminist psychology of resistance
April 11, 2018
On a fateful trip to Nicaragua in 2005, Shelly Grabe, now an associate professor of psychology, met women who were organizing to fight domestic violence, and she saw what real and lasting social change looked like.
Coastal stream restoration projects concentrated where residents are 'whiter, wealthier, and more educated,' researchers find
April 10, 2018
Stream restoration efforts along the coast of Central California are unevenly distributed, with activity more likely to occur in areas that are more highly populated and dominated by residents who are "whiter, wealthier, and more educated," according to an analysis by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
New 'Pan-Cancer' analysis reveals the common roots of different cancers
April 5, 2018
In the largest study of its kind, cancer researchers analyzed and classified more than 10,000 tumors from 33 cancer types to trace connections between different cancers.
Jenny Reardon among scholars speaking out on genomics and race
April 4, 2018
Sociology Professor Jenny Reardon joined 66 other scholars in signing an open letter about genetics and race, responding to a recent opinion piece in the New York Times written by David Reich, a professor of genetics at Harvard.
Seismologists introduce new measure of earthquake ruptures
March 21, 2018
Seismologists have developed a new measurement of seismic energy release that can be applied to large earthquakes.
Marine researchers say recent sea star wasting disease epidemic defies prediction
March 20, 2018
Some sea star communities on the west coast could recover, but marine scientists still can’t pinpoint the environmental factors behind the unprecedented disease outbreak.
Soil fungi may help determine the resilience of forests to environmental change, according to UC Santa Cruz study
March 16, 2018
A major new study by Kai Zhu reveals that soil fungi could play a significant role in the ability of forests to adapt to environmental change.
NIH grant funds high-end instrument for shared biomedical research facility
March 15, 2018
UC Santa Cruz establishes a Bay Area facility in electron paramagnetic resonance with a $1.5-million grant from NIH's High-End Instrumentation program.
Four kinds of algal toxins found in San Francisco Bay shellfish
March 12, 2018
Researchers monitoring San Francisco Bay for algal toxins have found a surprising array of different toxins in the water and in mussels collected from the bay.
Antigen study supports new approach to vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus
March 9, 2018
RSV causes serious respiratory disease in infants and older adults, but past efforts to develop a vaccine have met with frustration and disappointment.
Campus receives Mellon Foundation grant to help create new forms of digital publication
March 5, 2018
UC Santa Cruz is the lead institution on a $100,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to help build a sustainable system for the digital publication and discovery of historical records.
Community Studies founder William H. Friedland dies at 94
February 28, 2018
William H. “Bill” Friedland, professor emeritus of community studies and sociology at UC Santa Cruz, whose life and career encompassed the major social movements of the 20th century, from labor struggles during and after World War II, to farm worker and youth movements of the 1960s, to the agriculture-food awareness of today, died at his Santa Cruz home Feb. 20 at age 94.
Fixing damaged ecosystems: How much does restoration help?
February 28, 2018
A new meta-analysis of 400 studies that document recovery from large-scale ecosystem disturbances worldwide suggests that while ecosystems can bounce back, they rarely mend completely, with the final stages of recovery being most difficult.
USDA funds efforts to bring underrepresented students into agriculture
February 23, 2018
A unique collaboration between UC Santa Cruz and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is supporting underrepresented students who are interested in agriculture-related fields.
UC Santa Cruz aims for startup hub with funding, incubator, tech partners
September 29, 2014
Scott Brandt is used to Silicon Valley tech firms like Apple and Yahoo turning to him and his students for an infusion of low-cost tech innovation. So he is spearheading the local portion of a new UC-wide initiative to more effectively commercialize academic breakthroughs with market value — a proposition that stands to boost the school's bottom line after years of public budget cuts
