News & Events
November 27, 2023
Roles & Responsibilities
November 27, 2023
November 27, 2023
Graduate Student Researcher Gap Funding
November 27, 2023
Fishing chimpanzees found to enjoy termites as a seasonal treat
November 17, 2023
A UCSC-led research team that copied chimpanzee tools and techniques showed that chimpanzees living in western Tanzania can only reliably fish for termites in the early wet season.
UCSC doctoral graduate wins prestigious Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists
November 16, 2023
Jessica Kendall-Bar, who received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology last year from UC Santa Cruz with co-advisors Terrie Williams and Dan Costa, was named a recipient of the prestigious Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists for her research on elephant seal sleep habits while they are at sea.
Brain-inspired AI code library passes major milestone, new paper offers perspective on future of field
November 16, 2023
UCSC Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jason Eshraghian's open source code library for brain-inspired deep learning, called “snnTorch,” has surpassed 100,000 downloads and is used in a wide variety of projects. A new paper details the code and offers a perspective on the future of the field.
A major new site expansion at Lick Observatory is on the horizon
November 14, 2023
Lick Observatory's positioning in the Northern Hemisphere enables observation of a substantial portion of the Milky Way galaxy where there are a multitude of stars, billions of potential sites for life. Making Lick Observatory a perfect home for PANOSETI, or "Panoramic SETI or Pulse All-sky Near Infrared Optical SETI."
Immigrants targeted by scams are seeking justice. Here’s how to help them get it
November 1, 2023
Assistant Professor of Sociology Juan Manuel Pedroza's research has identified trends in what types of justice immigrants who have been targeted by scams are seeking and offers recommendations for policymakers and law enforcement agencies on how to expand access to justice.
Coral reefs identified as national natural infrastructure
October 31, 2023
The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) approved a resolution on Oct. 26 that designates coral reefs along U.S. states and territories as national infrastructure. This resolution makes it easier to direct federal funding, particularly infrastructure, hazard mitigation, and disaster recovery monies, to reef conservation and restoration to protect people, property, and livelihoods.
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.
Bacteria can enhance host insect’s fertility with implications for disease control
October 24, 2023
New research led at UC Santa Cruz reveals how the bacteria strain Wolbachia pipientis enhances the fertility of the insects it infects, an insight that could help scientists increase the populations of mosquitoes that do not carry human disease.
Remembering the grave injustices to Japanese-Americans in the 1940s through female activism
October 24, 2023
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Cowell College’s Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery launched a two-month exhibition entitled “Never Again is Now: Japanese American Women Activists and the Legacy of the Mass Incarceration.” The exhibit — on display through Dec. 2 — features artwork and historical renderings of women’s memories surrounding this time period, including challenges to racial and gender stereotypes, promotions of intergenerational ties, and developed coalitions of years past.
Working to improve clarity for patients assessing their genetic breast cancer risk
October 23, 2023
A project to expedite the analysis of variants on the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, the most commonly affected genes in breast cancer cases, will help more people to better understand their cancer risk.
Rebates can offer solutions to California’s groundwater woes
October 18, 2023
Many aquifers in California and around the world are being drained of their groundwater because of the combined impacts of excess pumping, shifts in land use, and climate change. However, a new study by scientists at UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley, published on Oct.18 in Nature Water, may offer a solution - it describes the development and operation of a novel incentive program that uses water rebates to pay for some of the costs of getting stormwater runoff into the ground. The program is called recharge net metering (ReNeM).
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.
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.
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.
CITRIS Core Seed Funding Program open for submissions
September 26, 2023
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute invite proposals for their Core Seed Funding Program.
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.
Innovation Catalyst Grants help early-stage innovators with resources, training, and financial support
September 19, 2023
Two UC Santa Cruz research teams that can make impactful advancements in drug discovery and human health outcomes have been chosen as recipients of the university’s inaugural Innovation Catalyst Grants program. These new grants, administered by the Innovation & Business Engagement Hub, are designed to support and propel early-stage technology innovations developed by UCSC researchers.
UC Santa Cruz Computer Game Design program ranked top five in the nation by U.S. News and World Report
September 18, 2023
The Computer Game Design program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was listed in the top five best game/simulation development programs in the nation according to rankings released today by U.S. News and World Report.
New long-term NIH grant supports breast cancer research
September 7, 2023
Cancers are easier to treat if caught early on in their development. Once the cancer cells metastasize and spread around the body, the disease becomes more difficult to target. Shaheen Sikandar, an assistant professor of MCD Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was recently awarded up to seven years of funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), to study the process of metastasis in breast cancer.
Novel device combines nanopores with electronic signals for disease detection
September 6, 2023
Research led by UC Santa Cruz Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Marco Rolandi shows the power of bioprotonic nanopores for disease detection.
Campus leaders showcase innovation, entrepreneurship efforts to special Regents committee
September 5, 2023
UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive and other campus leaders showcased the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives to a group of UC regents and external advisors on Monday.
New blood test for noncoding RNA significantly improves cancer detection
August 31, 2023
Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Daniel Kim and his lab are developing more accurate and powerful liquid biopsy technologies that take advantage of signals from RNA “dark matter,” an understudied area of the genome.
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.
Coastal fisheries show surprising resilience to marine heatwaves
August 30, 2023
Researchers found that fish biomass often increased or was unaffected in the year following a marine heatwave.
The sky’s the limit: Becca Fenwick gives research and education a new perspective with drone tech
August 29, 2023
The CITRIS principal investigator and director of the CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research at UC Santa Cruz advances wildland management, ecology research and workforce development with uncrewed aerial vehicles and remote sensing systems
10 mysteries of the Y chromosome
August 23, 2023
Researchers have just completed the first full sequence of a Y chromosome — what will we learn?
Scientists release the first complete sequence of a human Y chromosome
August 23, 2023
Scientists have completed the first full sequence of a human Y chromosome, completing the set of end-to-end human chromosomes and helping researchers to better understand human reproduction, evolution, and population change.
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.
Marine scientists explore the future of open data science
August 15, 2023
Alexa Fredston, an assistant professor of ocean sciences considers open science to be a vital part of their academic career and a key way to make the field of marine science more transparent and inclusive. They recently published an article in the journal Annual Review of Marine Science about improving open data science practices within marine science.
Researchers’ tool finds bias in state-of-the-art generative AI model
August 10, 2023
UCSC researchers introduce a new tool to measure bias in text-to-image AI generation models, which they have used to quantify bias in the state-of-the-art model Stable Diffusion.
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.
Engineering faculty take on innovative climate resilience projects
July 28, 2023
Engineering professors are leading three major projects to address climate crisis issues with funding from UCSC’s newly launched Center for Coastal Climate Resilience.
First DNA analysis of Machu Picchu residents offers insight into Inca society
July 26, 2023
DNA analysis, conducted largely at UC Santa Cruz's Paleogenomics Lab and led by Anthropology Professor Lars Fehren-Schmitz, suggests that servants at Machu Picchu were a uniquely diverse group, and the geographic extent of ancestral origins may even challenge historical narratives about how and when the Inca Empire expanded.
Announcing new AVC for Staff Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer
July 11, 2023
Kamala Green will be joining Staff Human Resources (SHR) as our next Associate Vice Chancellor for Staff Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer effective July 17.
New Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research: Csilla Csaplar
July 6, 2023
Csilla Csaplar joined UC Santa Cruz on July 6 as the new Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research. Csilla joins UCSC from Stanford University, where she has served as Director of Engineering Research Administration in the School of Engineering for the past six years. At Stanford, Csilla was responsible for all the sponsored research activity for nine School of Engineering departments, approximately 275 faculty, 1,000 awards, and $150 million annually.
Study shows significant decline of snow cover in the Northern hemisphere over the last half century
June 29, 2023
Professor and Statistics Department Chair Robert Lund collaborated on a new study that uses rigorous mathematical models and statistical methods and finds declining snow cover in many parts of the northern hemisphere over the last half century.
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.
White House cites economist Rob Fairlie’s research on Native American entrepreneurship
June 27, 2023
The Biden-Harris Administration cited research by UC Santa Cruz Economics Professor Rob Fairlie on the coronavirus pandemic’s impact for Native American-owned businesses.
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.
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.
Novel deep learning-based software detects and tracks individual cells with high precision
June 13, 2023
Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Ali Shariati and doctoral student Abolfazl Zarageri together with several student researchers in the Shariati lab have developed and released a new deep learning model called “DeepSea,” one of the only tools with the ability to segment cells, track them and detect their division to follow lineages of cells.
Astronomers observe giant tails of helium escaping Jupiter-like planet
June 7, 2023
Heat from the host star is evaporating the atmosphere from a “hot Jupiter” exoplanet, creating some of the longest gas tails ever observed around a planet.
UC Santa Cruz announces recipients of Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards
June 2, 2023
The Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards celebrate the university’s talented faculty, researchers, staff, students, and community partners for their outstanding contributions to innovation and creativity.
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.
Study reveals key molecular interaction that sets the timing of our biological clocks
May 18, 2023
New findings point toward a promising target for the development of therapies for sleep disorders, jet lag, and other effects of clock disruption.
Comb jellies proven to be the sibling group to all other animals
May 17, 2023
New research proves comb jellies are a unique lineage or “sibling group” whose ancestors diverged before the common ancestor of all other animals.
Human pangenome reference will enable more complete and equitable understanding of genomic diversity
May 10, 2023
UC Santa Cruz scientists, along with a consortium of researchers, have released a draft of the first human pangenome—a new, usable reference for genomics that combines the genetic information of 47 individuals from different ancestral backgrounds to allow for a deeper, more accurate understanding of worldwide genomic diversity.
Center for Agroecology will support new USDA Regional Food Business Center
May 4, 2023
The University of California, Santa Cruz will support the establishment of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Food Business Center to support resilient food systems.
Deep neural network provides robust detection of disease biomarkers in real time
May 2, 2023
Holger Schmidt's lab has developed a deep neural network that improves the accuracy of their unique devices for detecting pathogen biomarkers.
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.
One of the planet’s most important carbon sinks is revealing its secrets
April 26, 2023
New research clarifies how tiny organisms in the Southern Ocean play an outsized role in moderating Earth’s climate.
UCSC Chemical Screening Center symposium features drug discovery talks
April 26, 2023
The center will hold a Grand Reopening Celebration and Research Symposium on Friday, May 5, marking a major upgrade with new state-of-the-art equipment.
New stable isotope map of Angola helps archaeologists trace individual life histories across the African Diaspora
April 21, 2023
UCSC researchers' methods could provide significantly more detail and certainty in identifying first-generation enslaved individuals in the Americas and tracing back their origins within Africa than was previously possible through strontium isotope analysis work or genetic analysis.
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.
Indirect cost recovery changes for fiscal year 2024
April 18, 2023
Attention Principal Investigators: UC Santa Cruz recently updated its federal Facilities and Administration (F&A) agreement approving indirect cost recovery rates for sponsored contracts and grants.
Two film and digital media faculty receive 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship Awards
April 18, 2023
Sharon Daniel and Anna Friz were among 171 artists, scholars, scientists and writers selected from nearly 2,500 applicants for the award.
Rebecca London testifies in support of bill that would guarantee recess for California students
April 14, 2023
Associate Professor of Sociology Rebecca London testified before the California State Senate Education Committee on April 12 in support of SB 291, which would guarantee at least 30 minutes of recess per day for California students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Study pushes back the emergence of African grasslands by more than 10 million years
April 13, 2023
An international team of scientists has documented the earliest evidence for local abundance in eastern Africa of the types of grasses that now dominate grassland and savannah ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.
Naming system for transfer RNA fragments will increase research productivity, standardization
April 12, 2023
UC Santa Cruz Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Todd Lowe and his group created a new naming scheme for tRNA fragments aimed at standardizing research.
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.
Two major stem cell research projects supported with more than $2.6 million in funding
April 6, 2023
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will provide more than $2.6 million in total funding for two major stem cell research projects led by scientists at UC Santa Cruz, the organization announced.
Milestone land acknowledgement event brings campus, local tribe and community members together
April 4, 2023
On Wednesday, April 12, the campus will host its first Land Acknowledgment event, recognizing the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and its place in the local history of the land and the creation of UC Santa Cruz. The event will aim to answer the community’s questions about land acknowledgments, and the importance of such events moving forward.
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.
Pedroza received Russell Sage Foundation Pipeline Grant
March 25, 2023
Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Pedroza aims to learn more about these challenges and speak to them, with the help of a recently awarded grant from the Russell Sage Foundation.
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.
JWST’s first direct spectrum of planetary-mass object reveals dynamic atmosphere
March 22, 2023
The most detailed spectrum ever for a planetary-mass object outside our solar system covers an unprecedented range of wavelengths, providing a wealth of new insights.
Computer engineering research prompts bug fixes, updates to major GPU frameworks
March 21, 2023
A new suite of GPU tests developed by Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Tyler Sorensen and his students led to changes to an important GPU framework for programming web browsers.
Scientists, policy leaders, and insurance experts meet to address climate risks
March 21, 2023
The Coastal Climate Resilience Symposium held at the Seymour Center focused on integrating nature-based solutions into risk management and insurance.
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.
Young Supernova Experiment releases first set of transient survey data
March 15, 2023
UC Santa Cruz astronomers organized the survey, which has discovered thousands of cosmic explosions and other transient events of interest to astronomers and astrophysicists.
Researcher solves nearly 60-year-old game theory dilemma
March 14, 2023
Dejan Milutinovic has solved a nearly 60-year-old game theory dilemma called the wall pursuit game, with implications for better reasoning about autonomous systems such as driverless vehicles.
Minke whales are as small as a lunge-feeding baleen whale can be
March 13, 2023
Research on the feeding behavior of Antarctic minke whales found that a smaller whale could not capture enough food to survive using the lunge-feeding strategy of baleen whales.
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.
New project will develop safer, highly accurate GPS alternative
March 9, 2023
Ricardo Sanfelice, UCSC professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his team of graduate students and researchers are designing a new and resilient Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) system.
First images released from James Webb Space Telescope’s largest general observer program
March 9, 2023
Mosaic images from the COSMOS-Web program offer a treasure trove of early galaxies, including dazzling examples of spiral galaxies, gravitational lensing, and evidence of galaxy mergers.
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.
SpikeGPT: researcher releases code for largest-ever spiking neural network for language generation
March 7, 2023
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jason Eshraghian and two students recently released the open-sourced code for the largest language-generating spiking neural network ever, named SpikeGPT.
Graphene quantum dots show promise as novel magnetic field sensors
March 6, 2023
Physicists found that speeding electrons trapped in circular loops in graphene quantum dots are highly sensitive to external magnetic fields.
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.
Major expansion of Lick Observatory education programs will benefit Bay Area students
February 21, 2023
Scientific Teaching through Astronomy Research (STARs), a suite of new outreach and education programs at UC’s Lick Observatory, will reach a diverse population of K-12 and college-age students.
RNA Rescue challenge invites players to solve puzzles and advance RNA therapeutics
February 21, 2023
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a new puzzle challenge for the online game Eterna, enlisting players to help design a novel RNA drug to treat hemophilia A.
UCSC professor building collaborations to shape future minds through ethnic studies
February 15, 2023
Many believe we are at a pivotal moment in this country regarding anti-racist reforms, police abolition, and restorative justice. And according to Rekia Jibrin, an assistant professor in critical studies of education within UC Santa Cruz’s Education Department, engaging local communities is vital to bringing about transformative change.
Bots and Broadway: Technology and theater go hand-in-hand for UCSC professor
February 9, 2023
Using AI-generated text to produce dialogue during a live performance may seem like a wild idea to some, but not to performance and new media professor Marianne Weems. Weems, co-founder and artistic director of New York-based multi-dimensional theater company The Builders Association, is used to pushing the envelope with her ground-breaking work at the intersection of technology, media, and theater arts.
Funding opportunity to develop university innovations
February 3, 2023
The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub is now accepting applications for its new Innovation Catalyst Grant; a proof-of-concept program focused on providing targeted gap funding, training, mentorship, and support to UC Santa Cruz researchers in order to help de-risk and/or validate the implementation and adoption potential of early-stage technology innovations.
UC Santa Cruz leads DOE program to train computational high-energy physicists
February 3, 2023
The Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP) at UC Santa Cruz is leading a consortium of western research universities and national laboratories in a new program to train the next generation of computational high-energy physicists.
Astronomers observe light bending around an isolated white dwarf
February 2, 2023
The first detection of gravitational lensing for a single, isolated star other than our sun comes 100 years after a landmark experiment using the sun to confirm Einstein’s prediction.
Three UCSC faculty win prestigious NSF CAREER awards
February 1, 2023
The CAREER Awards are NSF's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.
University launches new center, Campus + Community, to facilitate engaged scholarship
January 31, 2023
After more than 50 years of engagement in the region, UC Santa Cruz is launching a new center to coordinate campus and community connections for action-oriented scholarship that advances social justice.
Disclosing foreign collaborations in research projects
January 30, 2023
In order to comply with evolving federal regulations related to disclosing foreign collaborations and other support, the Office of Research has updated Cayuse to include screening questions. These questions are meant to trigger information that needs to be disclosed on all applications and progress reports for projects with federal funding.
NIH grant funds research on a powerful new approach to drug development
January 30, 2023
A new NIH MIRA grant funds biochemist Scott Lokey’s efforts to develop complex, membrane-permeable molecules as next-generation therapeutic agents.
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’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences to open new, off campus galleries
January 17, 2023
The state-of-the-art facility will showcase the Institute of the Arts and Sciences’ groundbreaking exhibitions and programs, highlighting the work of major national and international artists working to address the most pressing issues of our day at the intersection of the arts and social justice.
Researchers produce first-ever toolkit for RNA sequencing analysis using a ‘pantranscriptome’
January 17, 2023
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz introduce the first-ever method for analyzing RNA sequencing data genome-wide using a “pantranscriptome.”
Study finds active galactic nuclei are even more powerful than thought
January 16, 2023
A new study indicates that scientists have substantially underestimated the energy output of active galactic nuclei powered by supermassive black holes because their light is dimmed by dust.
Sensorium, a new project of UC Santa Cruz’s Center for the Study of the Force Majeure, to be an unprecedented experience of the world ocean
January 12, 2023
A new project in development by UC Santa Cruz’s Center for the Study of the Force Majeure will give the public a transformative opportunity to interact with the world’s ocean ecosystem in a fully immersive work of environmental art entitled Sensorium.
Earth scientist James Zachos honored for climate change research
January 11, 2023
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category recognizes Zachos and fellow paleoclimatologist Ellen Thomas of Yale University.
Astronomers find the most distant stars in our galaxy halfway to Andromeda
January 9, 2023
A search for variable stars called RR Lyrae has found some of the most distant stars in the Milky Way’s halo a million light years away.
Bering Land Bridge formed surprisingly late during last ice age, study finds
December 26, 2022
By reconstructing the sea level history of the Bering Strait, scientists found that the strait remained flooded until around 35,700 years ago, not long before humans began migrating into the Americas.
UCSC researcher explores drug use, harm reduction in San Francisco’s Latino/x community
December 17, 2022
It’s no secret that the opioid epidemic has devastated our country, especially within communities of color. Latino/xs have seen some of the highest drug addiction rates, which have only increased due to the rise of synthetic opioids like fentanyl and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, San Francisco was the county with the third-highest opioid-related death rate among Latinos in California.
New study presents vision of machine learning leveraged for precision medicine
December 16, 2022
In a new perspective published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics Marcella Gomez details a vision for how the field can move beyond static data to create systems that measure and monitor the real-time responses of the body to a variety of factors and use a machine learning algorithm to produce, and even in some instances carry out, a treatment plan.
Biochemist Laura Sanchez receives Allen Distinguished Investigator award
December 15, 2022
Sanchez is among 16 new Allen Distinguished Investigators awarded a total of $10 million in research funding to support cutting-edge projects in protein lifespan and nutrient sensing.
Breaking up is hard to do: Separation of Fiji and Vanuatu tied to Samoan seamounts
December 14, 2022
New analyses of volcanic rock samples collected in the 1980s link the geologic histories of these South Pacific islands to explain their current locations and character.
UC Santa Cruz scholar receives major new grant to support inclusive community development throughout California
December 13, 2022
As state and federal agencies are investing increasing funding in pandemic recovery, infrastructure development and initiatives to address climate change, a collaboration of renowned scholars led by UC Santa Cruz are working with community groups to ensure equity and inclusion are at the heart of these efforts.
Social Sciences dean wins prestigious research award, visiting fellowship in Germany
December 9, 2022
Social Sciences dean Katharyne Mitchell will be busy packing her bags for the holidays, but not for the reason you may think. She’s heading to Göttingen, Germany, as a visiting scholar for the next six months at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Economic Diversity.
Astronomers report most distant known galaxies, detected and confirmed by Webb telescope
December 9, 2022
Spectroscopic observations with the James Webb Space Telescope confirm four early galaxies dating back to less than 400 million years after the Big Bang, three of which are the most distant confirmed to date.
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.
Computer engineer embarks on bold project for a new vision of distributed shared memory
December 6, 2022
With the support of a new NSF grant, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Peter Alvaro is embarking on a project, called Memory at Scale On Networks (MaSON), to achieve a bold vision for a novel operating system and network that support a new overall model for programming big data systems.
Central Coast K-16 Education Collaborative secures planning grant for six-county region
December 6, 2022
Spurred by California’s Regional K-16 Education Collaborative Grant Program, educational leaders from Santa Cruz to Ventura formed the Central Coast K-16 Education Collaborative to address the urgent, systemic educational inequities and economic needs in the region.
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.
Integrated platform promises to accelerate drug discovery process
December 1, 2022
Novel approach integrates complex datasets from screening of natural products libraries, improving characterization of bioactive molecules and their mechanisms of action.
Long-standing genomic mystery about the origins of introns explained in new study
November 29, 2022
A new study led by scientists at UC Santa Cruz and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) points to introners, one of several proposed mechanisms for the creation of introns, as an explanation for the origins of most introns across species.
Braingeneers develop novel method to automate the growth of brain tissue organoids on a chip
November 28, 2022
A team of engineers and scientists at UC Santa Cruz has developed a new method for remote automation of the growth of cerebral organoids – miniature, three-dimensional models of brain tissue grown from stem cells.
New JWST data reveal more details of exoplanet WASP-39b's atmosphere
November 22, 2022
A 'mystery molecule' seen in the initial spectrum has been identified as sulfur dioxide produced by photochemical reactions in the planet's atmosphere.
Batalha testifies at Congressional hearing on the initial scientific findings of the JWST
November 22, 2022
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful telescope humans have sent to space and, Batalha asserts, it is ushering in a new era of exoplanet science.
Growing Our Own - From research opportunities to the professoriate
November 22, 2022
Solidifying its commitment to increasing the diversity of its faculty, both underrepresented minorities and female faculty, last year, the University of California launched the Growing Our Own initiative.
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.
