News & Events
Constitution Day 2016
April 16, 2025
Student Resources
April 16, 2025
Ancient DNA research aids de-extinction efforts and reveals surprising dire wolf ancestry
April 14, 2025
UC Santa Cruz scientists worked with Colossal Biosciences to help reveal secrets in the dire wolf genome that contributed to what the startup is calling the world’s first de-extinction
Science Division staff honored with new award for outstanding service and dedication
April 14, 2025
The Science Division is honoring staff members Jeannette Peters, Patti Schell, and Deana Tanguay for demonstrating outstanding service, leadership, teamwork, innovation, or dedication to the division’s mission within the past five years.
Inaugural Landesman Lecture features Dr. Terrie M. Williams
April 10, 2025
The Edward and Miriam Landesman Lecture series, integrating mathematical and scientific research with excellence in teaching. Dr. Terrie M. Williams is the speaker for the inaugural event.
Cell biologist discovers two proteins are key to proper transfer of genetic material
April 9, 2025
The biological research of UC Santa Cruz’s Needhi Bhalla to determine the molecular motions at the heart of heredity has yielded a new discovery: The proper transfer of genetic materials depends on two key proteins that choreograph the delicate dance between chromosomes when sexual-reproduction cells divide.
UC Santa Cruz researchers honored in Hollywood style at Breakthrough Prize ceremony
April 7, 2025
The Breakthrough Prize Foundation, established by Silicon Valley luminaries including the tech icons behind Google and Facebook, named UC Santa Cruz astrophysicist Rebecca Jensen-Clem and former postdoctoral researcher Maaike van Kooten as co-recipients of the early-career New Horizons in Physics Prize.
Astronomy Ph.D. candidate researching mysteries of sub-Neptune planets wins fellowship
March 27, 2025
UC Santa Cruz astronomy Ph.D. candidate Sagnick Mukherjee has received one of the most sought-after postdoctoral awards in the field: the prestigious 51 Pegasi b Fellowship. In its March 27 announcement, the awarding Heising-Simons Foundation named Mukherjee one of eight new fellows, recognizing them as exceptional postdoctoral scientists who deserve support to continue their research in planetary astronomy.
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members named 2024 AAAS fellows
March 27, 2025
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members have been named new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS awarded the lifetime honor to professors David Deamer, Theodore Holman, and Raphael Kudela on March 27.
Six UC Santa Cruz professors awarded 2025 NEH Grants for groundbreaking research on AI, colonial violence, and social justice
March 24, 2025
Six UC Santa Cruz professors have received prestigious 2025 National Endowment for the Humanities awards this year, advancing scholarship on topics ranging from colonial violence to the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.
Long-accepted theory explaining the nature of our universe may need updating, new analysis indicates
March 19, 2025
The standard model of how the universe works involves the widely accepted theory that dark energy is a fundamental constant of nature that drives the accelerating expansion of the universe. But a new analysis announced today by the international Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration raises the possibility that this theory may need to be updated.
In Memoriam: Carlos Garita-Alvarado
March 17, 2025
The UC Santa Cruz community is deeply saddened to share the sudden and unexpected passing of Carlos Garita-Alvarado on March 9 at his home in Santa Cruz at the age of 38.
Forum captures urgency to use ecosystems now to keep people safe from looming natural disasters
March 12, 2025
The National Practice Forum on Nature-Based Solutions was held in Irvine on February 4 and 5, and sponsored by UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR). The forum drew over 500 attendees from around the country to discuss how our ecosystems can protect us from natural disasters.
Research Corporation for Science Advancement honors Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
March 12, 2025
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz has been named a recipient of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement’s (RCSA) Robert Holland Jr. Award, which honors outstanding contributions to research, leadership, and mentorship in the sciences.
Whale waste helps health of oceans by funneling nutrients to the tropics, new study shows
March 11, 2025
New research shows that whales move nutrients thousands of miles—in their pee and poop—from as far as Alaska to Hawaii, supporting the health of tropical ecosystems and fish. UC Santa Cruz professors Dan Costa and Ari Friedlaender contributed their marine-mammal expertise to the study, which was published on March 10 in the journal Nature Communications.
Critical Imagination in Crisis Times: A Conference on the power of the Humanities at UC Santa Cruz
March 10, 2025
In times of growing inequality, political upheaval, and climate crisis, how do we imagine a different future, one that breaks free from the cycles of crisis and oppression? This question will be explored in depth at UC Santa Cruz's Critical Imagination in Crisis Times conference at Merrill College on Tuesday, March 11.
Biologist Erika Zavaleta receives Science Division’s Outstanding Faculty Award
March 10, 2025
The Science Division has announced that Erika Zavaleta, a professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, has won its 2023-24 Outstanding Faculty Award. The annual prize is the division's highest honor for faculty achievement, recognizing combined excellence in research, teaching, and service.
Student-built app slashes weeks off brain mapping to speed up neuroscience research
March 6, 2025
UC Santa Cruz neuroscientists aiming to better understand how specific brain connectivity contributes to perception, thoughts, and behavior are leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance their study of brain function. By integrating AI, they are streamlining the process of aligning thin slices of mouse brain tissue with a reference atlas, helping to identify key details such as the brain region of origin more efficiently.
Explaining how our biological clocks work and how to better regulate our circadian rhythms
March 5, 2025
As anticipation builds for the longer days that follow this weekend’s switch to daylight savings time, the moment seemed ideal to turn to one of the nation’s leading circadian-rhythms researchers, UC Santa Cruz’s Carrie Partch.
New biology study reveals four novel genes required for male fertility in mice
March 3, 2025
The pioneering research of UC Santa Cruz’s Upasna Sharma to determine how a father’s life experiences and environment can influence the health and wellbeing of his children moves forward with the recent discovery of four genes required for male fertility and the creation of specific RNA molecules in sperm.
Clinical pediatric cancer lab at UC Santa Cruz is cleared to accept and test patient samples
March 3, 2025
The UC Santa Cruz Colligan Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory has received its CLIA certificate of registration from the California Department of Public Health, which clears the way for it to begin accepting patient samples.
UC Santa Cruz ocean scientist Adina Paytan honored for international research leadership
February 28, 2025
Adina Paytan, a professor in the Earth and Planetary Science Department and the Institute of Marine Science, has been awarded the Tommy and Yvette Edmondson Distinguished Service Award by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.
UC Santa Cruz welcomes future STEM leaders for annual MESA Day competitions
February 26, 2025
Pre-college students to showcase STEM skills through a day of hands-on challenges and interactive learning on March 1.
UC Santa Cruz astrophysicist explores the interconnectedness of art and science in 'Painting the Cosmos'
February 24, 2025
A new book by UC Santa Cruz astrophysicist and visual artist Nia Imara debuts tomorrow that explains the universe and traces how art has blended with science throughout human history.
Turning opportunity into impact
February 21, 2025
UCSC student Cali Kimura is pursuing a career in women’s health and finds motivation with Weiss Family Scholarship award
Phillip Crews honored with inaugural ASP Mentorship Award
February 21, 2025
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Phillip Crews has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) Phillip Crews Mentorship Award.
Cosmic radiation from supernova altered virus evolution in Africa, study proposes
February 18, 2025
A new study led by recent undergraduate student Caitlyn Nojiri and co-authored by astronomy and astrophysics professor Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz and postdoctoral fellow Noémie Globus examined iron isotopes to identify a 2.5 million-year-old supernova. The researchers connected this stellar explosion to a surge of radiation that pummeled Earth around the same time, and they assert that the blast was powerful enough to break the DNA of living creatures.
Foraging seals enable scientists to measure fish abundance across the vast Pacific Ocean
February 13, 2025
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz marine biologist Roxanne Beltran to be published as the February 14 cover story for Science concludes that seals can essentially act as “smart sensors” for monitoring fish populations in the ocean’s eerily dim “twilight zone.”
New study documents California coyotes eating harbor seal pups
February 13, 2025
A paper published on February 12 in the journal Ecology details how the researchers used motion-triggered cameras placed at MacKerricher State Beach on California's North Coast during harbor seal pupping season in the spring of 2023 and 2024.
Economically, culturally important marine species vulnerable to changing climate, new study shows
February 12, 2025
Dungeness crab, Pacific herring, and red abalone are among the marine species most vulnerable to the changing climate's effect on California's coastal waters, a new study led by UC Santa Cruz researchers finds.
AAAS names UC Santa Cruz organelle discovery most outstanding paper in 2024
February 11, 2025
The discovery by UC Santa Cruz researchers of a new organelle within single-celled algae that converts nitrogen gas into ammonia continues to be celebrated by the science community, this time by winning the prestigious AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize.
NIH awards Kellogg Lab nearly $3 million to continue research on molecular mechanisms that control cell growth, size
February 11, 2025
Doug Kellogg, professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded $2.95 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study control of cell growth and size in normal cells—and how it goes wrong in cancer.
SCIPP scientist Simone Mazza honored with international physics award
February 7, 2025
Simone Mazza, an assistant research scientist at the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP), has won an international award that recognizes contributions in the fields of fundamental interactions of matter. Mazza received the 2024 INFN Bruno Toushek Award from the Italian Scientists and Scholars of North America Foundation.
UC Santa Cruz scientists slither into the history books with first complete genome of a banana slug
February 4, 2025
Not only is the banana slug the endearing mascot for UC Santa Cruz — making the project fitting for campus researchers — but the slugs’ unique slime was a particularly challenging undertaking for UCSC’s experts in genomics.
New research and art installation demonstrate the viability of using fog as a water source
February 3, 2025
In a state known for its droughts, where the southern half recently experienced devastating fires, understanding California’s natural water sources is more important than ever. Three University of California, Santa Cruz professors have teamed up to create a multipart scientific and artistic research study, Art+Fog as a collective,
Explorer society honors Roxanne Beltran for advancing scientific field research, education equity
January 31, 2025
Roxanne Beltran, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, is among 50 people from around the world being honored this year for “doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration.”
Innovative techniques aim for climate-safe restoration of Ms. Blue
January 30, 2025
A new project is underway to give Ms. Blue another life, this time enabling her to teach the community about the power of climate-safe innovation
Climate change reshuffles species like a deck of cards, new study finds
January 29, 2025
A new study led by UC Santa Cruz ecology and evolutionary biologist Malin Pinsky finds that temperature changes due to climate change have a doubly detrimental impact: Not only do they destabilize animal populations, but the impacts accelerate as temperatures change more rapidly.
UC Santa Cruz Innovation Catalyst Grant program propels research into real-world solutions
January 27, 2025
UC Santa Cruz has announced the Innovation Catalyst Grant proof-of-concept program awardees, showcasing the campus’s commitment to fostering transformative research with significant societal benefits.
Pushing the boundaries of biotechnology
January 24, 2025
Unnatural Products, a Santa Cruz-based biotech company founded by UC Santa Cruz alumni Cameron Pye and Joshua Schwochert breaks new ground in the biotech landscape.
Students make winning videos about importance of federal support for science research
January 21, 2025
Impactful scientific discovery isn't possible without funding to support the research, and three UC Santa Cruz students have created short videos that took top prizes in a national competition held by the Science Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research.
UCHRI grants advance Humanities research on campus
January 17, 2025
This year, UC Santa Cruz researchers are advancing cutting-edge projects that tackle critical issues such as antiracist education, environmental resilience, and the intersections of identity and power, with critical funding from the University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI).
Hubble Telescope images combined into giant mosaic of neighboring Andromeda Galaxy
January 17, 2025
Astronomers are celebrating the completion of a 2.5-billion-pixel panoramic picture of the entire Andromeda Galaxy. The team includes several UC Santa Cruz researchers who made significant contributions to the enormous photomosaic that combines some 600 snapshots taken by the Hubble Space Telescope over more than a decade and 1,000 orbits.
American Astronomical Society honors four UC Santa Cruz affiliates at national meeting
January 17, 2025
At this week's AAS national meeting, the society named UC Observatories Director Bruce Macintosh and two alumni, Laura Lopez and Mark Phillips, among the 24 new fellows chosen for 2025.
Building the tools to explore new worlds
January 16, 2025
UC Santa Cruz Engineering Fellowship supports alumnus Michael Gonzales’ role with SCALES
Coral-reef restoration can be cost-effective for saving lives, money
January 15, 2025
A new study co-led by the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) at UC Santa Cruz shows coral reef restoration in Florida and Puerto Rico could save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and economic interruption each year.
Honoring UCSC’s 2024 Alumni Awards recipients
January 13, 2025
Six alumni were honored on Oct. 25 at the Alumni Awards Celebration dinner. Learn more about each recipient and watch their video feature.
Researchers link mysterious cosmic signals to collapsed stars
January 10, 2025
An international team of scientists has provided the clearest evidence yet that some fast radio bursts (FRBs)—enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio waves from space—originate from neutron stars, the ultra-dense remnants of massive stars that have exploded in a supernova.
A ‘remelting’ of lunar surface adds a wrinkle to mystery of Moon’s true age
December 18, 2024
In an "idea paper" published on December 18 in Nature, UC Santa Cruz Professor Francis Nimmo and his co-authors propose a "remelting" of the Moon's surface 4.35 billion years ago due to the tidal pull of Earth causing widespread geological upheaval and intense heating.
Scientists collaborate on immersive technology to address climate challenges
December 17, 2024
The UC Santa Cruz Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) and a team of scientists and science communicators at UC San Diego have developed an initiative focused on immersive technology that uses advanced hardware and software to simulate environments and experiences.
Teri Greeves, Oakes '95
January 25, 2016
Craft becomes art for celebrated Kiowa artist and alumna
Lasting friendship, enduring inspiration: J. Herman Blake and Don Rothman move crowd at forum
April 30, 2012
Blake, founding provost of Oakes College, and Rothman, emeritus writing lecturer, spoke of interdisciplinary learning, empathy and the value of listening
Lasting friendship, enduring inspiration: J. Herman Blake and Don Rothman move crowd at forum
April 30, 2012
Blake, founding provost of Oakes College, and Rothman, emeritus writing lecturer, spoke of interdisciplinary learning, empathy and the value of listening
