AM Seminar: Flexible Filaments and Swimming Cups: Just Go with the Flow
2026-03-30 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Presenter: Lisa Fauci, Professor, Tulane University
Description: The motion of waving or rotating filaments in a fluid environment is a common element in many biological and engineered systems. Examples at the microscale include chains of diatoms moving in the ocean, flagella of individual cells comprising multicellular colonies, as well as engineered nanorobots designed to deliver drugs to tumors. In this talk we will present mathematical and computational insights into these flows at the microscale. Our modeling approaches will vary from detailed models that capture flagellar material properties and wave geometry to minimal force-dipole models that represent a flagellum by a single point. We will investigate a few intriguing systems, including the journey of extremely long insect sperm flagella through tortuous female reproductive tracts, and the hydrodynamic performance of shape-shifting Choanoeca flexa colonies.
Bio: Lisa Fauci received her PhD from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University, and directly after that joined the Department of Mathematics at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Her research focuses on biological fluid dynamics, with an emphasis on using modeling and simulation to study the basic biophysics of organismal locomotion and reproductive mechanics. Lisa served as president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2019-2020. She is a fellow of SIAM, the American Mathematical Society, the Association for Women in Mathematics, and the American Physical Society. In 2023, she was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.
Hosted by: Applied Mathematics Department

A Sacred Witnessing: A Trans Day of Euphoria Event
2026-03-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Diversity Center, 1117 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, CA, 95062, United States
Join the Cantu Queer Center and the Diversity Center for an intergenerational Trans Day of Visibility gathering rooted in euphoria, joy, and sacred witnessing. Trans, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and gender-expansive people of all ages are invited to share their stories, create art, and witness each other’s full humanity in a moment of dangerous hypervisibility and harm to our community. The event will include intergenerational story sharing, protest sign art, gentle restorative offerings, live performance, tabling with local organizations, and light refreshments.
This event is open to students, faculty, staff, alums, and the wider Santa Cruz community.
RSVP in advance.
You Belong Here: The programs and services described here are open to all, consistent with state and federal law, as well as the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiative—whether a student service, faculty program, or community event—is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of all identities. To learn more, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications.

FINS: Fisheries Insights Narratives and Stories seminar series featuring Dr. Randi Solhjell
2026-04-01 10:30 - 12:00 | Ocean Health Building, McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Please join us for the first talk in the FINS: Fisheries Insights Narratives and Stories seminar series featuring Fulbright Fellow Dr. Randi Solhjell. Her talk, “Managing a Fishy Business: Norway’s foreign aid and its impact on global fisheries governance” will discuss how Norwegian actors shape global fisheries policy through diplomacy, regulatory innovation and engagement in international institutions such as the UN FAO. She will also discuss how she studies fisheries from a social/political science lens.
FINS: Fisheries Insights Narratives and Stories Seminar Series
Dr. Randi Solhjell, Fulbright fellow, University of Oslo
Title: Managing a Fishy Business: Norway’s foreign aid and its impact on global fisheries governance
When: Wednesday, April 1st from 11am-12pm
Where: Ocean Health Building Rm 118, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 and on Zoom
Agenda:

10:30 am – 11:00 am – Professional Networking Session (in person only – light snacks and refreshments provided)
11 am to 12 pm – presentation followed by Q & A
12 pm – 1pm – student lunch with the speaker in OHB courtyard → sign up here

Zoom Meeting Registration: https://ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/register/NwH0_qUbSeuIm3A76DY-Dg
Randi Solhjell is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law, Faculty of Law, The University of Oslo, and visiting Fulbright scholar at the Science and Justice Research Center, the University of California, Santa Cruz. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the London School of Economics.

CSE Colloquium - Messages from across the event horizon: AI Agentic Design for Computer Architecture (and more generalizable learnings)
2026-04-01 11:00 - 12:15 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Christopher Fletcher, UC Berkeley
Abstract:
It is difficult to escape the hype of agentic coding. Is the hype real? Are we still living in ~Summer 2025 — when AI coding would accomplish little more than upset its human supervisor? Or has a level shift in technology finally arrived?
In this talk I will argue the latter. I will describe a self-imposed experiment to discover modern AI coding tools’ capabilities (starting mid February 2026). I will try (my best) to communicate my utter and sheer surprise at where the state of the art actually is. Then I will do a deep dive and try to relay everything I have learned about this new engineering discipline—based on my attempts to push the technology as hard as I can for the past 1.5 months. I will conclude by pontificating about the future of computer architecture and academic research more generally.
Bio:
Christopher Fletcher is an Associate Professor of EECS at UC Berkeley. He is a computer architect whose research spans architecture, security, and domain-specific acceleration, especially at their intersections from cryptography and hardware attacks to algorithm-to-hardware co-design. His work has received 31 paper recognitions and several other honors, including the NSF CAREER Award, Intel and Google faculty awards, UIUC research and promotion awards, election to DARPA ISAT, and MIT’s George M. Sprowls Award, with related work also recognized by Scientific American as one of ten “World Changing Ideas.”
Hosted by: Professor Alvaro Cardenas
Location: Engineering 2, Room E2-180 (Refreshments such as fruit, pastries, coffee, and tea will be provided.)
Zoom Option: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/93445911992?pwd=[REDACTED]

VMCC Talk with Maggie Cao—Sepia: Biotic Media and Ocean Worlds
2026-04-01 16:00 - 17:30 | Porter College, D-Building, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Sepia is a term used to describe inks of a rich, brown color, but few know that this artistic usage is taken from the animal world, where sepia refers to a genus of cuttlefish—a nod to the long history of extracting melanin fluid from cephalopods for drawing and writing. This talk uses cuttlefish ink as a vehicle for rethinking human-ocean relations in the mid nineteenth century, tracing flows between Victor Hugo’s maritime drawings made in the Channel Islands to paleontological discoveries and scientific illustrations on nearby coastlines. During the nineteenth century, the expansion of fisheries and the growth of marine biology fostered public interest in the strangeness of cephalopods, or “devil fish,” whose inkiness was associated with artistic creation. Experiments with biotic media, the talk argues, were efforts to conceptualize the nonhuman environment of the ocean.
This event is presented as part of the Visual & Media Cultures Colloquium (VMCC) Series.
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ADMISSION
– FREE and open to the public
– Located in Porter College Rm. D245
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PARKING
– Lot 124 & 125 are the closest parking lots to the event.
– Parking is by permit or ParkMobile.
– Refer to TAPS for more parking information.
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This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Your AI Advantage: Tools, Skills, and Career Paths
2026-04-01 18:00 - 19:00 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
Transform your workplace with practical AI skills.
Explore how to lead with AI—whether you want to build it or apply it. In this information session, discover two dynamic pathways: AI Business Practices, for professionals seeking practical AI tools to boost productivity without coding, and AI Engineer, for those ready to design and deploy production-ready AI systems. Learn how generative AI, automation, and intelligent agents are transforming today’s workplace—and how you can be part of that change.
Speaker
Join Hien Luu, Program Chair and Head of Machine Learning Infrastructure at Zoox, for an inside look at how our courses help you build prompt‑engineering know‑how, ethical AI awareness, and productivity‑boosting workflows—so you can lead AI‑driven change in your organization.
Learn more
This spring info session is sponsored by the AI Business Practices and Engineering programs.

Claim your seat today.

BME 280B Seminar: Small changes, Big consequences: Modulators of Alphavirus Assembly
2026-04-02 11:40 - 13:15 | Biomedical Sciences Building, 575 McLaughlin Drive
Presenter: Dr. Suchetana (Tuli) Mukhopadhyay, Professor, Indiana University
Description: N/A
Bio: Suchetana “Tuli” Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University, Bloomington. She received her B.A. in chemistry from DePauw University and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Following her doctoral studies, Mukhopadhyay conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, focusing on G-protein mediated signaling. She continued her postdoctoral work at Purdue University in structural virology, where she developed a strong interest in arboviruses. Mukhopadhyay joined Indiana University in 2005, where she established her research program on the assembly and spread of alphaviruses.
Hosted by: Professor Rebecca Dubois, BME Department

Opening Celebration for EASP M.F.A. Exhibition—"Picking up Shells Amid a Tsunami"
2026-04-02 17:00 - 19:00 | Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery, Baskin Service Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
The culminating exhibition of the Environmental Art and Social Practice (EASP) M.F.A. program at UC Santa Cruz presents new projects—Picking up Shells Amid a Tsunami 쓰나미가 밀려오는데, 조개나 줍고 있네—developed through concentrated inquiry over a two-year period and offers a window into the artists’ unique long-term research projects that expand beyond the gallery space.
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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– Ongoing Exhibition: Thurs.., April 2–Sat., May 2, 2026
– Opening Celebration: Thurs., April 2, 5:00–7:00 p.m.
– Artist Roundtable: Thurs., April 23, 5:00–6:00 p.m.
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ADMISSION
– FREE and open to the public
– Gallery hours are Tues.–Sun.noon–5:00 p.m (closed Mondays)
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PARKING
– Lot 124 & 125 are the closest parking lots to the event.
– Parking is by permit or ParkMobile.
– Refer to TAPS for more parking information.
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ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
– More exhibition information here.
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This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

The toughest challenges in advanced IC development
2026-04-02 18:00 - 19:00 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
Explore the expanding career opportunities in semiconductors
The modern economy is powered by silicon and the demand for skilled professionals in semiconductor design and engineering continues to grow.
In this live-online discussion with Jignesh Shah, principal STA & CAD engineer and UCSC Extension instructor, we’ll explore how Timing Closure in Silicon IC Design prepares engineers to meet one of the toughest challenges in advanced IC development.
Our expert instructors and carefully designed courses are here to help you achieve your career goals. Bring your questions about how AI is transforming the industry and gain insights into the essential skills needed to build a standout resume.
This info session is sponsored by the Silicon Chip Design & Semiconductor Engineering Certificate program at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension.
Claim your seat!

BME 80G Seminar: To Infinity and Beyond? Ethical, legal, and social issues of human research in space”
2026-04-03 13:20 - 14:25 | Jack Baskin Auditorium, 191 Baskin Cir, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Vaso Rahimzadeh, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
Description: As humans venture farther into outer space, new scientific discovery awaits including in genomics; but so do new ethical dilemmas. Who bears the risks (and rewards) of space exploration and how should humanity ethically expand beyond our planet? This session will have students think critically about the ethical, legal, and social issues of human genomic research in space and offer frameworks for analyzing them. Students will learn about the contemporary challenges and opportunities of genomic research for the upcoming lunar missions, and in anticipation of future Mars exploration.
Bio: I am Assistant Professor at the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. In my National Institutes of Health-funded research, I investigate the ethical, legal, and social issues of health data sharing on earth and in space. I aim to inform policy and practice in ways that maximize the scientific value of data while respecting the rights and interests of individuals and communities. I director the METEORS program (Mission to Enhance eThics Education, Outreach, and Research in Space) and serve on the Bioethics Advisory Panel for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). I am a proud UC alum, earning my BS in Microbial Biology from UC Berkeley in 2012, and hold a PhD from McGill University with a specialization in biomedical ethics. You can read more about my background and read my work here.
Hosted by: Professor Karen Miga, BME Department

First Saturday Tour at the Arboretum
2026-04-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Arboretum, 122 Arboretum Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your knowledge of the Arboretum’s plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year, the interests of the tour guide, and the people who join in. For example, you might learn about the birds and mammals that make this land their home or about the amazing physical adaptations that plants have evolved to better deal with our extreme weather and climate conditions. Tours are free with paid admission.

Film Screening: Sotong and Against this Messy World
2026-04-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Humanities 1 Building, 257 Cowell-Stevenson Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
On April 6, 2026, the Graduate Training in Southeast Asia (GETSEA) consortium and UCSC’s Center for Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions will host two short films highlighting the challenges to art and expression in Malaysia’s complex political, legal, and societal landscape.
Sotong follows four fierce local drag queens who were part of the 2022 Halloween party raided by the authorities. One of them, Juan, was arrested for ‘a man dressing up as a woman’. Two years later, they revisit on the fallout of that night as they continue to perform underground and nurture the Malaysian drag scene in all its beauty, joy, and pain.
Against This Messy World is a deeply introspective and visually captivating short documentary that delves into the heart and soul of artistic expression in Malaysia. A personal exploration, narrated by Malaysian artists, this documentary takes viewers on an evocative journey to understand the essence and purpose of being an artist in a world marked by chaos and uncertainty and piece together conversations and unfiltered moments in their lives.
Universities from across North America will come together to watch the films simultaneously, then connect via Zoom with the filmmakers for a post-screening discussion. Please join us in conversation!

AM Seminar: The Thinking Eye: AI That Sees, Reads, and Reasons in Medicine
2026-04-06 16:00 - 17:00 | CA
Presenter: Yuyin Zhou, Assistant Professor, UCSC
Description: Medical AI is undergoing a profound transformation, evolving from simple pattern recognition to systems capable of complex clinical reasoning. This talk will chart this evolution across three dimensions: data, models, and evaluation. I will first highlight the shift from limited, unimodal datasets to massive multimodal resources. In particular, I will introduce MedTrinity-25M—a novel collection of over 25 million richly annotated medical images that serves as a foundation for multimodal tasks such as visual question answering and report generation. Building on this, I will describe how grounding decision processes in a structured medical knowledge graph enables the generation of high-fidelity reasoning chains. Using these chains, we construct a large-scale medical reasoning dataset, which in turn allows us to develop a new class of reasoning models. These models not only achieve state-of-the-art performance on multiple clinical Q&A benchmarks but also produce reasoning outputs that physicians across seven specialties have independently verified as clinically reliable, interpretable, and more factually accurate than existing large language models. Finally, the talk will offer a deep dive into the critical evaluation of these advanced models, moving beyond standard benchmarks to expose their current limitations—particularly in interpreting dynamic clinical scenarios such as tracking disease progression from temporal image sequences. To foster a holistic understanding of the mechanisms underlying these reasoning models, I will introduce a new evaluation framework that examines performance from two complementary perspectives: their grasp of static knowledge versus their capacity for dynamic reasoning. Together, these advances point toward a future where AI systems can holistically analyze patient information and function as true collaborative partners in complex medical decision-making.
Bio: Yuyin Zhou is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. Her research interests lie at the intersection of machine learning and computer vision, with a primary focus on AI for healthcare and scientific discovery. Her work (70+ peered-reviewed publications with18,000+ citations) has been recognized with honors including 2025 Google Research Scholar Award, Best Paper Award at KDD 2025 Health Day and at Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics 2024, 2023 Hellman Fellowship, Best Paper Honorable Mention at DART 2022, and finalist recognition for the MICCAI Young Scientist Publication Impact Award in 2022. Beyond her research, Yuyin has organized over 20 workshops and tutorials at major conferences including ICML, MICCAI, ML4H, ICCV, CVPR, and ECCV, with coverage in media outlets such as ICCV Daily and Computer Vision News. She serves as a regular Area Chair for CVPR, ICLR, MICCAI, CHIL, and ISBI, an associate editor for SPIE medical imaging, Image and Vision Computing, and was the Doctoral Consortium Chair for WACV 2025.
Hosted by: Applied Mathematics Department

Statistics Seminar: Some Recent Results on Transfer Learning
2026-04-06 16:00 - 17:00 | CA
Presenter: Oscar Hernan Madrid Padilla, Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
Description: In the first part of the talk, I will introduce TRansfer leArning via guideD horseshoE prioR (TRADER), a novel approach enabling multi-source transfer through pre-trained models in high-dimensional linear regression. TRADER shrinks target parameters towards a weighted average of source estimates, accommodating sources with different scales. Theoretical investigation shows that TRADER achieves faster posterior contraction rates than standard continuous shrinkage priors when sources align well with the target while preventing negative transfer from heterogeneous sources. Extensive numerical studies and a real-data application demonstrate that TRADER improves estimation and inference accuracy over state-of-the-art transfer learning methods. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss some ongoing work involving transfer learning in nonparametric regression with ReLU networks
Bio: Oscar Madrid Padilla is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Previously, from July 2017 to June 2019, he was a Neyman Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Before that, he earned his Ph.D. in Statistics from The University of Texas at Austin in May 2017 under the supervision of Professor James Scott. He completed his undergraduate degree, a B.S. in Mathematics, at CIMAT in Mexico in April 2013.
Hosted by: Statistics Department

Next Wave of Faculty in Genomics Symposium
2026-04-07 11:40 - 13:15 | Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
The BME Department and Genomics Institute are once again hosting our annual Next Wave of Faculty in Genomics Symposium, which will be held on April 7th from 11:40–1:15 in E2 180. Please join us to hear cutting-edge genomics talks from outstanding postdocs from around the country!
A burrito reception catered by Alebrije’s will follow immediately after the talks. Registration is free, but required, so please RSVP HERE!
This year’s speakers include:

Dr. Yutong Wang, UC San Francisco
Talk title: “A genome-wide CRISPR activation screen of surface protein expression in primary human CD4 T cells”
Dr. Ian Traniello, Princeton
Talk title: “The Making of a Queen: Neurogenomic Building Blocks of Social Dominance in Bee Societies”
Dr. Alex Cope, Vanderbilt University
Talk title: “Unlocking the rules of proteome evolution by integrating evolutionary theory, mechanistic models, and functional genomics”
Dr. Conner Langeberg, UC Berkeley
Talk title: “Interpreting RNA Foundation Models to Reveal Structure, Function, and Biological Organization”

Indigenous Language Revitalization
2026-04-07 17:30 - 19:30 | Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Join the American Indian Resource Center for Indigenous Language Revitalization on April 7, 2026, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn. This presentation explores the history of land, language, and cultural loss, alongside current efforts in revitalization and everyday practice. We will share perspectives on language curriculum, cultural resurgence, and mechanisms sustaining this work. Featuring speakers Tracy Eastman and Dr. Sandhya Narayanan, the session will transition into a panel conversation on pre-colonial transcontinental trade, communication, and their relevance today.
Register for the Indigenous Language Revitalization event

You Belong Here: The programs and services described here are open to all, consistent with state and federal law, as well as the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiative—whether a student service, faculty program, or community event—is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of all identities.
To learn more, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications.

History of Science Lecture with Jennifer Derr
2026-04-07 17:30 - 20:00 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
World Wounds: The Damming of the Nile River and the Transformation of Medicine
The damming of the Nile River transformed agriculture and human health in 20th-century Egypt. While dams enabled year-round irrigation and provided hydroelectricity, the prevalence of parasitic disease also skyrocketed. Professor Derr explores the effects of damming the Nile on the health of Egyptians and the impact of large-scale environmental transformation on the knowledge and practice that made medicine during the 20th century.
Register to attend in-person or virtual
In Person Reception: 5:30 p.m.
Lecture 6 p.m.
In-person and virtual
Free and open to the public
Parking is $6

The 2026 Nauenberg History of Science Lecture is presented by the UC Santa Cruz Emeriti Association and co-sponsored by the Center for the Middle East and North Africa, History Department, Humanities Division, Environmental Studies Department, Science and Justice Research Center, and The Humanities Institute.

Jennifer Derr is an associate professor in the History Department at UC Santa Cruz. Her first book, The Lived Nile: Environment, Disease, and Material Colonial Economy in Egypt, won the Middle East Political Economy Book Prize. In 2019, the National Science Foundation awarded Derr a History of Science at the Interface of Biomedical and Environmental Concerns CAREER grant to support her research. In 2024-25, she was a fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.

What's new in AI?
2026-04-08 18:00 - 19:00 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
Lead innovation as a machine learning engineer
Want to learn what’s new in AI? Join Praveen Krishna, chair of the Artificial Intelligence Application Development certificate program, in an informal discussion about the AI topic of the month and an open Q&A. You’ll get an insider’s look at what you need to know for where you want to go. Bring your questions. Share your experience. Plan your learning.
Every 2nd Wednesday | Online
Visit our program page for a closer look at our AI App Development courses and offerings.
Register.

Ticknor, B. (STAT) - Clustering and Tractable Multivariate Inference for Extremes
2026-04-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Modeling environmental extremes often involves large collections of spatial or temporal records where both clustering similar series and modeling dependence among extremes are challenging tasks. This Ph.D. proposal addresses several related problems in extreme value analysis. In particular, we study how to cluster many time series based on their extremal behavior using strategies defined via univariate extremal models, motivated by an application to 975 coastal wave-height records. We also investigate the development of scalable multivariate models for dependent extremes. A tractable construction based on a latent multivariate $t$ process with generalized extreme value margins is proposed, together with a regularization strategy that encourages extremal dependence consistent with a max-stable limit while preserving likelihood-based inference. Together, these efforts aim to provide practical tools for analyzing large collections of environmental extremes.
Event Host: Benjamin Ticknor, Ph.D. Student, Statistical Science
Advisor: Robert Lund
Zoom- https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/94347069554?pwd=[REDACTED]
Passcode- 822764

Secret STEM Jobs Panel
2026-04-09 11:00 | https://ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZNRQDSlnQgOS846hoAHWVQ
You did the hard part- you got into a good university and are chipping away at your classes, now what are you going to actually do with this degree once you get it?
Sign up to attend our virtual panel and learn about different career options in STEM you may not have considered, how to choose the job that is right for you, and how to prepare now for a career you’ll love.
Register Here
Moderated by UCSC Genomics Institute staff researchers Geoff Lyle and Adam Novak. Panelists include:

Krizia Chambers
Analyst at Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness
Jorge Garcia
Systems Administrator Supervisor, UCSC Genomics Institute
Katrina Learned
Data Analyst, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute
Rose Miyatsu
Director of Communications, UCSC Genomics Institute

"Words That Impress: Creating a Great Résumé & Cover Letter"
2026-04-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Career Success Student Lounge (125 Hahn), 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Crafting a fantastic Resume and Cover Letter are the key to getting an interview and landing a job! Join us for this informative workshop that will cover best practices for resume and cover letter development. You’ll gain understanding about the perfect format, navigating AI filters, and how to write captivating resume bullet points and engaging cover letter paragraphs. The presentation will be 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of optional worktime here in our office with coaches to give you brief input.
We will provide captions for the presentation. If you have disability-related needs, please contact the Career Success office at csuccess@ucsc.edu or (831) 459-4420 as soon as possible.
YOU BELONG HERE
Programs and services are open to all, consistent with state and federal law, as well as the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiative—whether a student service, faculty program, or community event—is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of all identities. To learn more, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications.

Arts Internship Scholarship Info Session
2026-04-09 16:00 - 17:00 | Digital Arts Research Center, 407 McHenry Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
UC Santa Cruz students are invited to an info session to review the Arts Division’s internship scholarship application process and address frequently asked questions. More information about the scholarship here.
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ADMISSION
– This event is for currently enrolled UC Santa Cruz Arts Division students only
– Attend in person or online
– In-person attendance limited to the first 15 students
– Pizza provided to those attending in-person
– Register here

Partners Film Screening
2026-04-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Oakes Learning Center
Join the Center for Labor and Community for a free film screening of the documentary, Partners: How Starbucks Baristas Started a Labor Revolution. Following the screening there will be a discussion with unionized Starbucks baristas. RSVP here

Taming Two Scorpions: Climate Science Tipping Points Meet Finance Tail Risks
2026-04-10 08:00 - 17:00 | CA
When two quite different disciplines make eerily similar predictions about the future of the planet and human societies, they deserve notice. Climate scientists warn that we may be heading toward a Hothouse Earth “inhospitable to … human societies,” with “increasingly catastrophic impacts” possibly “worldwide societal breakdown.” Finance and actuarial science emphasize the importance of tail risk (rare adverse events). Planning and preparing for them is essential to the survival of insurance companies, pension funds, banks, and the entire financial system. In Climate Salon 6, Economist Dan Friedman and Environmental Sociologist Andy Szasz team up to show how these disciplinary perspectives interconnect and what they say about the path forward.
Tues Apr 28 3:30-5 pm, Center for Adaptive Optics Atrium or via zoom (free and open to the public!)
Dan Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus at UCSC. The author of 6 books, over 100 research articles and the recipient of 14 National Science Foundation grants, Dan has begun to apply his expertise in finance and evolutionary game theory to issues in environmental economics.
Andrew Szasz is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies. At UCSC he taught courses on Classical and Contemporary Social Theory, Environmental Sociology and Environmental Justice. He has written books and articles on environmental regulation, the grassroots toxics movement, green consuming, environmental justice and climate change.
CO-SPONSORED by UCSC Climate Action Now, the Earth Futures Institute, and Baskin Engineering.

BME 80G Seminar: Sara Ackerman - Doing Ethics From The Inside: Collaboration, Critique, and Contradiction in Team Science
2026-04-10 13:20 - 14:25 | Jack Baskin Auditorium, 191 Baskin Cir, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Sara Ackerman, Medical Anthropologist and Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
Description: Team science has been widely promoted as a collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach to addressing key scientific questions, yet power differences and epistemic hierarchies persist. This talk explores "embedded ethics"—a model in which social scientists and ethicists work directly with scientific research teams. Drawing on findings from an empirical ethics project embedded in a multi-year clinical genomics study, I demonstrate how qualitative methods and participatory design can shift the researcher-participant dynamic toward greater reciprocity and attention to enrolled families’ experiences. At the same time, ethicists and social scientists can find themselves in an uncomfortable and even paradoxical position, expected to facilitate project goals—such as recruitment of historically underrepresented groups—while simultaneously critically assessing the very categories of difference and measures being used. In the future, team science collaborations can result in more just and broadly beneficial science if social science, humanities and community partners are able to meaningfully contribute to the research agenda itself.
Bio: Sara Ackerman, PhD, MPH, is a medical anthropologist and Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research draws on ethnographic methods and public engagement to examine how genomics, artificial intelligence and other emerging medical technologies affect the lives of patients and caregivers and shape conceptions of health, illness and the public good. Sara teaches courses on community-engaged research, qualitative methods, and research ethics at UCSF. As Director of the Bioethics and Regulatory Support Program for UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, she is working to increase patient and public participation in decisions about the use of AI in clinical care and the sharing of patients’ clinical data for research.
Hosted by: Professor Karen Miga, BME Department

2026 Right Livelihood International Conference
2026-04-13 08:00 - 2026-05-15 17:00
The Right Livelihood International Conference is a five-week global conference exploring how education can strengthen democracy, collective intelligence, and just futures. Bringing together Right Livelihood Laureates, students, faculty, and community partners across continents, the conference combines asynchronous learning with participatory dialogue and collaborative action. Rather than advocating specific outcomes, the conference positions education as a democratic practice and the Right Livelihood College as a steward of dialogue, student voice, and long-term institutional learning.
Registration is free and open to the public. Sign up to receive conference updates, session links, and participation opportunities.

ECE 290 Seminar: Speaker Dr. Josh Star-Lack - Photon Counting Detectors for X-Ray Computed Tomography
2026-04-13 10:40 - 11:45 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Dr. Josh Star-Lack, Principal Scientist and Research Manager, Varex Imaging Inc
Description: X-ray computed tomography (CT) provides rapid, detailed 3D imaging of internal organs, bones, and vasculature. By enabling the swift diagnosis of cancer, cardiac disease, neurological disorders, and other pathologies, CT has revolutionized medicine—reducing the need for invasive exploratory surgeries and facilitating precise treatment planning. Despite the technology’s maturity, the clinical demand for higher spatial resolution, increased sensitivity, and lower ionizing radiation doses remains high. This presentation reviews the fundamental principles of CT, traces its evolution since its invention 50 years ago, and describes a new technology, photon-counting x-ray detection, as a transformative solution to current clinical challenges.
Bio: Josh Star-Lack received his B.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley. He has worked on the development of medical imaging technologies, including X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, for his entire professional career. He is currently a Principal Scientist and Research Manager at Varex Imaging Inc, the world’s largest manufacturer of X-ray detectors and tubes. He has co-authored over 150 publications and holds over 50 patents.
Hosted by: Professor Soumya Bose, ECE Department
Zoom Link: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/97975378707?pwd=[REDACTED]

BME 80G Seminar: Speaker Dr. Mohammed Mostajo-Radji - How Close Are We to Consciousness in a Dish?
2026-04-13 13:20 - 14:25 | Jack Baskin Auditorium, 191 Baskin Cir, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Dr. Mohammed Mostajo-Radji, Associate Research Scientist, Genomics Institute UCSC
Description: We can now grow small pieces of human brain tissue in the lab, known as brain organoids. These models show many features of early brain development, including different types of neurons and coordinated electrical activity. This progress raises a fascinating question: how close are we to consciousness in a dish? In this talk, I will explain what brain organoids are, what we mean by consciousness, and why answering this question is more complex than it may seem. I will end by introducing the idea of neurorights, and why thinking about the rights and protections of minds matters as brain science and technology continue to advance.
Bio: Dr. Mohammed Mostajo-Radji is an Associate Research Scientist at the Genomics Institute UCSC. He is part of the Braingeneers group, a multidisciplinary collective of geneticists, neuroscientists, and engineers focused on the human brain’s specification and function. His research explores neuronal specification and fate plasticity in the cerebral cortex using brain organoid models. Additionally, he leads the Live Cell Biotechnology Discovery Lab, which develops cloud-based experimental science education technologies. Dr. Mostajo-Radji earned his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Harvard University and completed postdoctoral training at UCSF. He also co-leads the Data Coordination Center for the SSPsyGene Consortium, an NIH initiative to characterize genetic mutations associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Hosted by: Professor Karen Miga, BME Department

Statistics Seminar: Calibration Weighting-Style Diagnostics for Nonlinear Bayesian Hierarchical Models
2026-04-13 16:00 - 17:00 | CA
Presenter: Dr. Ryan Giordano, UC Berkeley Statistics
Description: Multilevel Regression with Post-stratification (MrP) has become a workhorse method for estimating population quantities using non-probability surveys, and is the primary alternative to traditional survey calibration weights, e.g.~ as computed by raking. For simple linear regression models, MrP methods admit “equivalent weights”, allowing for direct comparisons between MrP and traditional calibration weights (Gelman 2006). In the present work, we develop a more general framework for computing and interpreting “MrP local equivalent weights” (MrPlew), which admit direct comparison with calibration weights in terms of important diagnostic quantities such as covariate balance, frequentist sampling variability, and partial pooling. MrPlew is based on a local approximation, which we show in theory and practice to be accurate and meaningful for the target diagnostics. Importantly, MrPlew can be easily computed based on existing MCMC samples and conveniently wraps standard MrP software implementations.
Bio: Dr. Ryan Giordano is currently an assistant professor of statistics at UC Berkeley. Dr. Ryan Giordano earned a PhD in Statistics from UC Berkeley advised by Michael Jordan, Tamara Broderick, and Jon McAuliffe, an MSc with distinction in econometrics and mathematical economics from the London School of Economics, and undergraduate degrees in mathematics and engineering mechanics from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Ryan Giordano has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at MIT under Tamara Broderick, as an engineer for Google and HP, and served for two years as an education volunteer in the US Peace Corps in Kazakhstan. Dr. Ryan Giordano’s research interests include machine learning, variational inference, Bayesian methods, robustness quantification, and what it even means to do statistics at all.
Hosted by: Statistics Department

AM Seminar: Genetically Admixed Groups as a Laboratory for Mathematical Modeling and Discovery
2026-04-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Dr. Aw, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania
Description: Admixed groups consist of individuals descended from two or more historically separated ancestral populations, and they are underrepresented in biomedical studies. Admixed individuals are unique in that they carry mosaics of ancestral segments within their genome, so their genetic information is typically summarized as a pair of genotype and local ancestry data matrices. I will present two research projects on admixed groups: one applying statistical models to study genetic architecture and polygenic risk, and another using biomedical data analysis to motivate combinatorial and probabilistic questions. In the “math to genetics” direction, we describe structural causal models that show local and global genetic ancestry are instruments for epistasis. These models of genetic architecture imply that certain polygenic scores can differentiate between cis and trans epistases, and highly similar cross-ancestry genetic effects do not rule out pervasive gene-gene or gene-environment interactions. In the “genetics to math” direction, we study the enumeration of genotype and local ancestry data matrices — which we call admixed arrays — subject to constraints that arise naturally in biomedical applications. Using saddle-point approximation and complex martingale techniques, we show that admixed arrays admit a different independence heuristic than the closely related binary contingency tables (e^(–1/4) vs e^(–1/2) correction factor). If time permits, we will discuss ongoing work on designing algorithms for performing exact and approximate enumeration.
About the speaker: Alan Aw is a mathematical scientist specializing in human statistical and population genomics. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher with the Department of Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania, having obtained a PhD in Statistics at UC Berkeley and studied Applied Mathematics as an undergraduate. His research centers on the genetics and mathematical modeling of underrepresented groups. This includes statistical modeling and analyses of Biobank-scale admixed cohorts to better understand the genetic architecture of biomedical traits and improve genetic risk prediction, developing non-parametric hypothesis testing methods for genomics, and interdisciplinary approaches to studying European demographic history inclusive of indigenous Siberians. He is a member of the PRIMED Consortium and a trainee under a National Institutes of Health T32 Grant in Genomic Medicine.
Hosted By: Applied Mathematics
