News
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members named 2023 AAAS fellows
April 18, 2024
Three UC Santa Cruz faculty members have been named 2023 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Diane Gifford-Gonzalez, emerita distinguished research professor of anthropology; longtime journalist Robert Irion, emeritus director of UC Santa Cruz’s science communication master’s degree program; and acclaimed paleo-geneticist Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
UC Santa Cruz ‘Shadow the Scientists’ program honored for astronomical DEI efforts
April 17, 2024
A science-inclusion program based at UC Santa Cruz that has allowed thousands of school-age children, educators, and inquisitive individuals to look through world-class telescopes alongside trained astronomers has been honored for opening up scientific exploration to those from underrepresented backgrounds around the world.
Chancellor’s innovation awards honor excellence in research, creativity
April 15, 2024
The 2023 recipients include innovators who have created breakthroughs in knowledge and technology that are improving our world, creators bringing forgotten history to life by merging storytelling, augmented reality, and holographic filmmaking, and community partners transforming lives and providing nourishment through job training, transitional employment, and organic farming.
The Science Division announces recipients of Distinguished Alumni Awards
April 2, 2024
Dr. José de Jesús González, Dr. Maximiliano Mateo Cuevas, and Dr. Charles A. Lawson are this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for the Science Division.
Kat Gutierrez wins LEAD California's 2024 Richard E. Cone Award for Emerging Leaders in Community Engagement
March 21, 2024
In acknowledgment of her dedication to community engagement, LEAD California awarded Kat Gutierrez, assistant professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the prestigious 2024 Richard E. Cone Award for Emerging Leaders in Community Engagement.
Two UC Santa Cruz scientists named 2024 Sloan Research Fellows
February 20, 2024
Assistant Professors Roxanne Beltran and Jacqueline Kimmey have been awarded Sloan Research Fellowships, one of the most prestigious honors bestowed on early-career scientists, each receiving $75,000 to delve into new areas of research in their respective fields of marine ecology and microbiology.
UC Santa Cruz awarded SEA Change Bronze Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
February 20, 2024
UC Santa Cruz has been awarded a 2024 STEM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change Initiative Institutional Bronze Award. The award recognizes the university’s commitment to long-term, sustainable institutional transformation in support of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) through self-assessment.
UC Santa Cruz earns national acclaim: awarded NAFSA’s 2024 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization
February 15, 2024
In recognition of excellence in internationalization efforts, the University of California, Santa Cruz has been selected to receive the prestigious 2024 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization from NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
Protein designer awarded $2.5M to develop bioluminescent protein for deep tissue imaging
February 13, 2024
Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Andy Yeh was awarded a nearly $2.5 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to develop completely artificial enzymes that can produce bioluminescence in the body for deep tissue imaging.
Terrie Williams honored with 2024 National Academy of Sciences Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal
January 22, 2024
The National Academy of Sciences will honor 20 individuals with awards recognizing their extraordinary scientific achievements in a wide range of fields spanning the physical, biological, social, and medical sciences. Among the esteemed awardees is Terrie M. Williams, a comparative ecophysiologist from the University of California, Santa Cruz, who will be honored with the 2024 NAS Award in the Evolution of Earth and Life - Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal.
Nobuhiko Kobayashi elected to the 2023 National Academy of Inventors
December 15, 2023
Nobuhiko (Nobby) Kobayashi, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Art and History of Consciousness Professor Sir Isaac Julien honored in 2023 ArtReview’s Power 100 list
December 12, 2023
ArtReview, one of the world’s leading contemporary art magazines, has named University of California, Santa Cruz Arts and Humanities Professor Sir Isaac Julien as the fifth most influential artist in its ArtReview Power 100 list, and prominently mentioned UCSC Anthropology Professor Anna Tsing and Professor Emerita in the History of consciousness and Feminist Studies departments Donna Haraway.
2023 list of most highly cited researchers includes 18 UC Santa Cruz scientists and engineers
November 29, 2023
In a notable recognition of scholarly achievement, 18 scientists and engineers from UC Santa Cruz have earned a spot on the 2023 Highly Cited Researchers list, recently unveiled by Clarivate.
Environmental toxicologist Don Smith receives Outstanding Faculty Award
November 21, 2023
Don Smith, distinguished professor of microbiology and environmental toxicology, has been awarded the 2022-2023 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences. The annual award is the division’s highest honor for faculty achievement, recognizing combined excellence in research, teaching, and service.
UC Santa Cruz faculty member elected president of Sociologists for Women in Society
November 21, 2023
Associate Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Sylvanna Falcón was recently elected president of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS). Falcón’s term in the position will start at the beginning of 2024.
François Monard honored with Calderón Prize for inverse problems work
November 17, 2023
University of California, Santa Cruz professor of mathematics François Monard has received the prestigious Calderón Prize for his work in the field of inverse problems.
Communication, connection and inclusion are priorities for 2023 Outstanding Staff Awardee
November 7, 2023
Monique Leduc has been a valued member of the UC Santa Cruz community for 34 years, starting as an assistant analyst in the Financial Aid office in 1989. Six years later, she moved to the office that became Financial Affairs and has worked there ever since.
Alumna Kathryn Sullivan enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame
September 25, 2023
Kathryn Sullivan (Cowell ’73, Earth sciences) was the first American woman to walk in space, the first woman to reach the deepest point of the ocean floor, and the only person to ever do both. On Sept. 22, she was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Washington, DC.
Celebrating UCSC’s 2023 Alumni Award Recipients
September 20, 2023
Seven UCSC alumni will be presented with awards for demonstrating outstanding professional achievements, making distinct contributions to society, providing impactful contributions to UC Santa Cruz, and embodying the values and spirit of the university.
National Postdoc Appreciation Week: Featuring Priya Crosby and Will DeRocco
September 20, 2023
National Postdoc Appreciation Week, organized by the National Postdoc Association (NPA) since 2009, takes place this year from September 18-22. This year, the UC Santa Cruz Science Division is highlighting the work of two outstanding postdocs: Priya Crosby and Will DeRocco.
Eric Palkovacs is awarded the 2023 Excellence in Fisheries Education Award
September 19, 2023
Eric Palkovacs has been awarded the 2023 Excellence in Fisheries Education Award by the American Fisheries Society, the organization announced. This award is presented to an individual to recognize excellence in organized teaching and advising in some aspect of fisheries education.
Valère Lambert is the 2023 Keiiti Aki Early Career Award Recipient
September 13, 2023
Valère Lambert was announced as AGU’s 2023 Keiiti Aki Early Career Award recipient. The Aki Award is among the highest honors made to an early career seismologist.
2023 ARCS Foundation scholarships support UCSC graduate students in the sciences and engineering
September 11, 2023
Sixteen UC Santa Cruz graduate students have received scholarships worth a total of $175,000 from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation for the 2023-24 academic year.
Alumnus Kevin Lunzalu wins major award for his work in plastics pollution reduction around the world
September 7, 2023
UCSC alumnus Kevin Lunzalu received an award from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This award is one of just 23 awarded to individuals and nonprofits across the globe from the first-ever inclusive GEF Assembly Challenge Program.
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.
Koerner Family Foundation provides funds for five UCSC graduate students
August 23, 2023
Five UC Santa Cruz doctoral candidates in Baskin Engineering were awarded a fellowship that covered nearly one-third of their tuition and fees in the 2022-2023 academic year.
Alumnus goes to great depths to sustain the study of oceans
August 4, 2023
After earning his Ph.D. at UC Santa Cruz, James Hein became world-renowned for his deep-ocean research. He has left an indelible mark in his field and is now leaving a legacy in Earth and Planetary Sciences at UCSC by establishing an endowment that will help prepare the next generation of geoscience oceanographers.
St. Baldrick’s Foundation grant will expand pediatric cancer research at UCSC
July 25, 2023
A new $100,000 grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will provide UC Santa Cruz’s Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative funding to expand efforts to study rare pediatric cancers.
Celebrating the success of a human-centered approach to supporting emerging scientists
July 21, 2023
Graduate school admissions, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship awards, and American Astronomical Society honors mark a banner year for UCSC's Lamat Institute.
Volunteer who helped keep the Seymour Center open is honored
July 10, 2023
Dale Bieser, one of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center's long-time volunteers, was recognized with the Be the Difference Award - Individual Honoree by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. Over the past 12 years, she has become a vital member of their team.
UCSC Arboretum to conduct vegetation surveys under $2.6M state contract
June 26, 2023
A team of UCSC botanists will carry out surveys for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in support of a statewide vegetation classification and mapping program.
Chemist Timothy Johnstone wins funding from Beckman Young Investigator Program
June 26, 2023
The award funds a project to explore new chemical bonding motifs with novel reactivity to help develop sustainable chemical processes.
Recognizing excellence in Humanities award ceremonies
June 20, 2023
This month, UC Santa Cruz’s Humanities Division once again marked the end of the school year with the Spring Awards and Graduate Student Awards, in ceremonies that celebrated the achievements of students, instructors, and alumni.
Annual awards recognize outstanding students in the Social Sciences Division
June 6, 2023
The Division of Social Sciences’ annual Student Awards Luncheon was held on June 2 at College Nine’s Namaste Lounge.
Judit Moschkovich joins two national leadership programs for mathematics education
May 31, 2023
Moschkovich is now a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction and a co chair of the National Academy of Education's Equity in Math Education Research Grants (EMERG) Program.
Associate Teaching Professor Alegra Eroy-Reveles receives Distinguished Teaching Award
May 30, 2023
Alegra Eroy-Reveles, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was honored for the positive impact she has had on her students, colleagues, and department.
Huerta Center naming inspires full-circle gift
May 22, 2023
The naming of the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas hits close to home for a UCSC staff member with a family connection
Karen Miga named 2023 Searle Scholar to study uncharted regions of the human genome
May 18, 2023
Karen Miga, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a 2023 Searle Scholar.
Mark Fathi Massoud awarded Berlin Prize
May 16, 2023
Massoud's Berlin Prize fellowship will allow him to focus on research about perceptions and experiences of shari‘a in the United States.
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
May 16, 2023
The Division of Physical and Biological Sciences is honoring three stellar alumni—atmospheric scientist Cora E. Randall, pediatrician Ramon Resa, and marine scientist Colleen Reichmuth—with the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Excellence in Action: Celebrating UCSC’s 2023 Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award Recipients
May 16, 2023
Now in its seventh year, the Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award welcomes its 2023 cohort.
Dickson Emeriti Professorships awarded to faculty in music, theater arts, and biology
May 11, 2023
Three UCSC faculty members—Kathy Foley, Edward Houghton, and Susan Strome—have been honored with Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorship Awards for the 2023–24 academic year.
Geoscientist Emily Brodsky elected to the National Academy of Sciences
May 3, 2023
Emily Brodsky, professor of Earth and planetary sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.