• 2026 Right Livelihood International Conference

    Hybrid Event

    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 […]

  • Pawl, E. (STAT) – Flexible and Scalable Mixtures of Experts for Oceanographic Flow Cytometry Data

    Engineering 2 Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA
    Hybrid Event

    Flow cytometry is a valuable technique in microbial research used to measure the optical properties of single-celled organisms at high throughput. Oceanographers often deploy flow cytometers on research cruises in order to study the characteristics of phytosynthetic microbes—called phytoplankton—in regions and times with diverse environmental conditions. Because cytometers cannot distinguish between subpopulations, researchers typically cluster […]

  • Zheng, Z. (STATS) – Semi-Supervised Statistical Learning for Oceanographic Data

    Engineering 2 Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA
    Hybrid Event

    Oceanographic data, generated by modern technologies that measure biological systems across time, space, and cell populations, are often rich, high-dimensional, and highly heterogeneous. Such data provide valuable opportunities to study subcellular organization, cellular heterogeneity, and dynamic biological processes in marine environments. However, because marine plankton systems remain relatively understudied and less well characterized than many […]

  • Wang, Q. (STAT) – Modern Statistical Methods for Modeling Spatial and Temporal Processes

    Jack Baskin Engineering Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA
    Hybrid Event

    Modern scientific studies increasingly rely on complex datasets exhibiting spatial and temporal dependence, particularly in social, environmental, and climate applications. This dissertation develops statistical models and computational methods for analyzing such data, with an emphasis on capturing dependence structures, nonlinear dynamics, and uncertainty quantification. A spatial deep learning framework is developed to extend classical geostatistical […]

  • Johns, M. (CMPM) – Playing Together in a Co-Designed Future: Building Resilience Through Community-Centered Gameful Design

    Engineering 2 Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA
    Hybrid Event

    Complex societal problems (e.g. wicked problems) such as those brought on by climate change can be addressed through a combination of Research through Design (RtD), co-design, and Serious Games (SG) by inviting affected communities to take part in developing iterative, experimental solutions and exploring their potential impact. In the course of my research, I have […]

  • Chen, Q. (CSE) – New Approximation and Online Algorithms using Novel Combinatorial Structures

    Engineering 2 Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA
    Hybrid Event

    Most optimization problems face the challenge of computing an optimum solution requiring superpolynomial time. In particular, they are classified as NP-hard problems that have no polynomial-time algorithm to date. Instead, computer scientists turn to find an approximate solution and create numerous elegant algorithms. However, in the modern era, computational environments have changed drastically, and we […]

  • Ehrlich, D. (CM) – Designing Open Microscopy Tools for Neuroscience Research

    Virtual Event

    Advances in microscopy have transformed our understanding of biological systems, yet the high cost and limited accessibility of commercial imaging platforms continue to re- strict their use in many research settings. This thesis presents the design and development of open hardware microscopy tools for neuroscience research, with a focus on integrating user- centered design principles […]

  • Maram, S. (CM) – Scripture To Console: The Nexus between Religion and Digital Play

    Virtual Event

    Religion has historically been a profound force for global mobilization, shaping geopolitics, economies, and geography. Similarly, contemporary interactive media, with video games at the forefront, has moved beyond mere entertainment to become a powerful vehicle for communication, narrative, and inspiration, reaching millions worldwide. This dissertation investigates the intersection of these two influential forces: religion and […]