News & Events
RCC Welcome Week Calendar
March 4, 2025
Provost's End of the Year Letter 2016
March 4, 2025
Constitution Day 2016
March 4, 2025
Student profile: Manaiya Scott, class of 2019
March 4, 2025
Environment & Sustainability Calendar
March 4, 2025
Utopian Dreaming Conference (videos now online)
March 4, 2025
Rachel Carson College Environment & Sustainability Calendar
March 4, 2025
UC Santa Cruz AgTech Alliance launches to support interdisciplinary collaboration
January 28, 2025
Building on the long history of innovation in agriculture at the campus, the AgTech Alliance will support research, education, events, and workforce development related to advancing agricultural technology in order to create more formalized opportunities for collaboration within the university and beyond.
A Dream Realized: Silver Slug Award empowers first-gen student
January 16, 2025
UCSC student Stephanie Mayo-Burgos (Porter ’25, environmental studies and legal studies) pursues her dreams with the help of the Silver Slug Award.
UC Santa Cruz innovators recognized for impact at 2024 Santa Cruz Works Titans Awards
December 4, 2024
Two UC Santa Cruz faculty members, Richard (Ed) Green and Chris Benner, have been selected as awardees for the eighth annual Santa Cruz Works Titans Awards
Imperial Valley’s lithium reserves could power a global energy transition. But will they also fuel local economies?
November 18, 2024
Professor Chris Benner's latest book with coauthor Manuel Pastor, a professor at the University of Southern California, explores economic and environmental possibilities for a lithium boom in California's Imperial Valley.
New mapping techniques empower bird conservation in Colombia
October 23, 2024
Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, assistant professor of environmental studies, and a team of Colombian researchers have introduced a transformative approach to mapping bird species distribution across Colombia, harnessing community science data and innovative modeling techniques.
Grasslands live in the climate change fast lane
October 18, 2024
A new paper that built upon prior research efforts in the Environmental Studies Department shows that grassland communities across the California Floristic Province are transitioning toward plants that prefer hotter and drier conditions at a pace that's comparable to the observed rate of changes in climate.
UC Santa Cruz professor helps set national research agenda for atmospheric methane removal technologies that could help fight climate change
October 10, 2024
Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah was a co-author on a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) that recommends a national research agenda for atmospheric methane removal technologies and assesses potential atmospheric removal tools.
Recognizing outstanding faculty and staff in the Division of Social Sciences
October 8, 2024
Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell and award committee members recently announced the recipients of the 2024 Social Sciences Division faculty and staff awards, which are dedicated to honoring significant contributions to teaching, research excellence, and student support.
Professor Stacy Philpott leads U.S. delegates for “Agri-Young Hackathon” at G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Agriculture
October 8, 2024
Environmental Studies Professor Stacy Philpott led the U.S. delegation for a youth hackathon at the recent G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Agriculture in Italy. Philpott was asked by USDA representatives to coordinate and support the country’s team, a reflection of her national leadership role in preparing the next generation of agriculture professionals.
Social Sciences Division welcomes new faculty
October 7, 2024
UC Santa Cruz’s Social Sciences Division is welcoming 10 outstanding new faculty members this academic year.
UC Santa Cruz launches new degree program in Geographic Information Systems, Spatial Technologies, Applications, and Research
October 7, 2024
UC Santa Cruz is launching a new Master of Arts program in Geographic Information Systems, Spatial Technologies, Applications, and Research (GISTAR), designed to meet the growing demand for expertise in geospatial technologies.
Famed economist and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz speaks out against right-wing notions of economic freedom
September 19, 2024
On Tuesday night, famed progressive economist Joseph Stiglitz drew a large and enthusiastic crowd to downtown Santa Cruz, where he took aim at neoliberal economics and called for more equitable alternatives. The event was co-sponsored by The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz.
Preparing California’s agricultural lands for climate change
August 7, 2024
Two UC Santa Cruz researchers won a total of more than $1.5 million in federal funding for their research that's helping to create sustainable "agroecosystems" in response to climate change and other increased environmental pressures.
An overlooked side-effect of the housing crisis may be putting Californians at increased risk from climate disasters
July 29, 2024
In a new article for the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UC Santa Cruz researchers laid out the foundation for their highly-anticipated upcoming study of how lack of affordable housing in urban areas of California may be driving increased development in and near wildlands, leading to more severe climate change impacts.
New grant funding will help UC Santa Cruz build and diversify a climate resilience workforce for the Monterey Bay region
July 26, 2024
UC Santa Cruz will receive more than $2 million in funding to support education and training programs for undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals as part of a larger $71.1 million federal grant to the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation and a host of local partners.
Philanthropy in action: Alumna Roberta Gordon invests in students for Earth's future
July 8, 2024
Roberta Gordon bridges science, law, and philanthropy for environmental progress
UC Santa Cruz expert helps to weigh costs and benefits of controversial research on a high-risk technology to fight climate change
April 11, 2024
Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah recently wrapped up almost three years of work co-chairing Harvard University’s SCoPEX Advisory Committee, one of the world’s first efforts to design and implement a governance framework for an outdoor solar geoengineering experiment.
Global social change leaders gather at UC Santa Cruz for Right Livelihood International Conference
April 9, 2024
From April 23 through 27, UC Santa Cruz will host social change leaders and student activists visiting from around the world for the Right Livelihood International Conference, which includes a series of public events and will launch a new international student network and international research partnerships.
New research reveals steps California must take to capture more jobs from lithium battery boom
March 26, 2024
A new study from the UC Santa Cruz Institute for Social Transformation, New Energy Nexus, and the UC Berkeley Labor Center demonstrates the need for strategic investments and policy approaches to encourage build-out of the lithium supply chain within California in an environmentally friendly and economically inclusive manner.
Shaping tomorrow: Earth Futures Institute’s Frontier Fellows program amplifies student-led innovation
March 15, 2024
UCSC’s Earth Futures Institute's Frontier Fellows Program, wrapping up its second year, supported six undergraduate students engaging in groundbreaking interdisciplinary research aimed at improving the planet's future. The program is made possible through the generosity of multiple donors.
Frontier Fellows Program propels student's research, paving the way for sustainable solutions to carbon emissions
March 15, 2024
UCSC student Jennifer Valadez spearheads pioneering research on carbon sequestration in California coastal prairies, exploring the crucial role of restoration in recovering soil carbon stocks with the help of the Frontier Fellows Program.
Student leads innovative campus composting initiative for sustainable waste management
March 15, 2024
UCSC student Gabriel Schiering, supported by Earth's Future Institute's Frontier Fellows program, leads the innovative Oakes Community Composting Project, demonstrating a model for decentralized composting systems on campus.
Innovating agriculture for a greener world
March 15, 2024
UCSC's Earth Futures Institute's Frontier Fellows Program, wrapping up its second year, supported six undergraduate students engaging in groundbreaking interdisciplinary research aimed at improving the planet's future. Eric Vetha uses his passion for robotics to hone in on soil moisture management practices.
Balancing carbon sequestration and community benefits
March 15, 2024
UCSC student Cole Seither addresses the delicate balance between agroforestry, carbon sequestration, and community benefits in combating climate change. His research is supported by the Earth Futures Institute’s Frontier Fellows program.
Ecotopia House: The Journey Continues
November 29, 2016
Rachel Carson College & Cabrillo College are collaborating on a new design for affordable housing
College Eight is now Rachel Carson College
September 15, 2016
After 44 years, and thanks to the generosity of three UCSC supporters, College Eight will be named for Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson Sustainability Studies & Student Research win UC Award
August 1, 2016
Rachel Carson College's Sustainability Studies Minor and Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Program receive an award at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference
It happens every summer
July 8, 2015
Like lemmings to the edge of the cliff, swallows to Capistrano and Monarchs to Natural Bridges, college students follow an annual cycle.
College Eight Update, Winter 2014
March 21, 2014