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Inquiry Magazine

The UCSC Office of Research, in partnership with University Relations, publishes its unique inquiry@UC Santa Cruz research magazine annually. Written and edited exclusively by alumni of the internationally-renowned UCSC Science Communication Master’s Program, the magazine showcases—across all disciplines—the breadth, depth, creativity, and global reach of the UCSC research enterprise. Click the links below to read the current and past issues.

In the 2022-23 issue:

Down on the farm, Growing sustainable food systems...and students
Creature features, A fish—a long, skinny one—out of water
Beyond the end, Imagining better futures in the wake of dystopia
Seeing the forest, The latest research buzz: drones
If genes could talk, Genomic sleuthing paints pictures of both past and present
Documenting reality, Female filmmakers aspire to move the field—and the world
On the spectrum, Seeing people with autism as different, not deficient
Disputed memories, Why do they hide the bad things?
In the heart, Preserving and sharing Watsonville's rich Filipino heritage

In the 2021-22 issue:

Adaptable academics, Amid pandemic upheaval, flexibility finds opportunity
Digital detectives, Advancing human rights through internet investigations
Coral as capital, Showing how coastal conservation pays off
Prison break, Challenging what is, imagining what could be
Birds do it, Putting your eggs in more than one basket
A short story, By strong example and action, advocating for diversity in science
Human remains, People’s choices shape the ruins they leave behind
Disparate impacts, As the pandemic surged, so did inequality
Missing flights, When will electric aviation take off?
Tomorrow’s forecast, Tiny fossils yield big clues on climate change

In the 2020-21 issue:

Nature's master manipulator, Exposing the secrets of a successful symbiont
What are your pronouns?, As choices for gender and sexual identities expand, the world slowly changes
Robotic etiquette, Engineering improved human-robot interaction
Fungi and fuel rise to the top, Grad student research stars in Grad Slam competition
Fish for all, Seeking sustainable aquaculture via fish-free feeds
Living history, New media art connects past to present with archival material
River of life, Modern history ties the altered Nile to disease
A dangerous element, Tracking the elusive biogeochemistry of mercury
Local goes global, As national governments waver, cities take up the climate fight
Superior simulations, Mathematical quest seeks to embrace uncertainty

In the 2019-20 issue:

Waiting with GODOT, Studying the physics of lightning requires fortitude...and patience
Turn me on I'm a radio, Pioneering art along the electromagnetic spectrum
Appraising clues from antiquity, Different lenses can reveal different truths
UC Santa Cruz goes to town, Grad Slam contest spotlights graduate research
Built from scratch, Improving vaccines with molecular insights
The truth is out there, Extracting Big Data insights to believe in
What it means, how...it sounds, Linking the linguistics puzzles of syntax and prosody
No detail too small, Studying the oceanic carbon pump at the atomic level
Agents of Hope, Tackling the Golden State’s crisis of poverty
Responsible data science, Embracing a more holistic approach to digital technology

In the 2018-19 issue:

Beyond the Middle Passage, Intra-American trafficking magnified slavery's impact
Save the data!, Scholar activism seeks social and environmental justice
A three-minute challenge, Competition showcases graduate student research
Canvassing bacterial communities, Targeting biofilms to bust cholera
A window to the early universe, Witnessing the birth of galaxies
Detecting human diversity, Variation graphs facilitate genomic discovery
Viewing lost landscapes, Home movies capture history through a personal lens
Guided by the light, Stars bring biology into focus
Crossed currents, Conflicting stress responses may beach marine mammals
Geoengineering's dilemma, Which comes first, research or governance

In the 2017-18 issue:

Driving change, Self-driving cars could reshape cities
Disarming bacteria, Microbiologist searches for next-generation antibiotics
Art in a climate revolution, Environmental crises call for creative solutions
Electric avenues, Sea creature studies improve human biosensors
Genes to go, Genome sequencing leaves the lab
Camp Dickens, Victorian author unites modern scholars
Forcing evolution’s hand, When humans build, nature remodels
Body work, A mathematical quest
Lessons from teen activists, Youth organizations empower students

In the 2016-17 issue:

Tracking toxic tides, Ocean sciences professor forecasts toxic algae events
Total recall, Do digital footprints alter our relationship to the past?
Seeing past stereotype, Art historian probes racial dynamics through visual media
Thinking in tongues, Uncommon language hints at linguistic logic
Unwinding the clock, Carrie Partch breaks circadian rhythms
The future of the past, Archaeologists use digital tools to dig into an ancient site
A lab in the hand, High-tech creates low-cost medical tests
Following the law, Chronicling politics, religion, and law from Africa to California
Cloudy with a chance of life, Astrophysicists probe inside distant planets

In the 2015-2016 issue:

Age of extinction, Beth Shapiro studies ancient DNA for future conservation
Engineering independence, Researchers design tools for blind and visually impaired people
A cold trail, Antarctic ice may hold the clues to climate change
Just science, The Science and Justice Research Center opens conversations between science and society
Reforming prisons, Psychology professor Craig Haney takes on solitary confinement
Border crossings, John Jota Leaños reveals hidden stories with animated documentaries
The fine art of gaming, Infusing computer games with art, literature, and purpose
Outsider insights, Three UCSC scholars bring perspectives to the history of China
The edges of humanities, Nathaniel Deutsch creates connections with the overlooked corners of history