Events

Enrollment Prep Week Tea Party
2026-02-19 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Merrill College Plaza, 641 Merrill Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Merrill Peer Advisors will be dishing out support and advise around your spring schedule. Stop by for Butterfly Pea tea, snacks, and peer advise.

Mental Health First Aid Certification
2026-02-19 10:00 - 14:00 | CA
Thursday, February 19, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Register for the Zoom link
Be prepared to support those around you by getting certified in Mental Health First Aid. Mental Health First Aid teaches the skills needed to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges, as well as how to provide someone with initial support until they are connected with appropriate professional help. In the course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies to help someone in crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.
We encourage all staff and faculty to take advantage of this opportunity. Whether you work directly with students or behind the scenes, your participation in MHFA training is a crucial step in building a resilient and supportive campus community.
Register for the Zoom link. For more information, please visit the Occupational Health Training website.
For questions or to schedule a training for your team, please contact Occupational Health Specialist, Elizabeth Tomlinson, at ektomlin@ucsc.edu.

Reframing the STEM Classroom: Justice as Pedagogical Practice
2026-02-19 10:15 - 12:00 | Namaste Lounge, 615 College Nine Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
In this conversation, Jabari Jones, Emily Murai, and Kriti Sharma reflect on their experiences integrating justice into teaching and curriculum design. They discuss why this work is critical for STEM fields and share lessons learned, concrete approaches, and the institutional and disciplinary transformations needed for justice to become core pedagogy across fields.
Click here for additional details.

Jabari Jones is an Assistant Professor of Earth and Oceanographic Sciences at Bowdoin College. His research is centered around the role of humans as a geologic agent on Earth and how rivers change through time.
Emily Murai is a Lecturer in UCSC’s Environmental Studies Department and Director of the Emerging Leaders Fellowship program at the Center for Reimagining Leadership. She explores interdisciplinary writing, critical environmentalism, and belonging in higher education.
Kriti Sharma is an Associate Professor of Critical Race Science & Technology Studies and Climate Justice Fellow with the Center for Reimagining Leadership at UCSC. She works at the intersection of science, philosophy, poetics and justice.

The Center for Reimagining Leadership (CRL) is dedicated to establishing workplaces and learning environments that reflect our equity-forward values and allow the full human diversity of our nation and the world to meaningfully contribute to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The Teaching & Learning Center (TLC) at UC Santa Cruz supports all members of the teaching community by using research- and equity-minded practices to strengthen the culture of teaching, advance innovative and accessible pedagogy, and promote student success through collaboration with educators and campus partners within our minority-serving research university.

Networking Skills 101
2026-02-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Career Success Student Lounge (125 Hahn), 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Does the concept of “networking” leave you feeling a little mystified? Everyone says this is an essential skill for career development, but how do we do it effectively? Join us for this fast-paced and informative workshop led by UCSC Career Success Student Coaches who will share best practices, insider tips, and relevant steps that you can take to network with confidence and success!

All students are welcome. The presentation will last 45 minutes, followed by a 15-minute Q&A.
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.

Ecology of Presence: Pathways to the Natural World
2026-02-19 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-20 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-21 12:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-23 12:00 - 17:00 | Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, 11 Cowell Service Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Norris Center Art + Science Graduate Fellowship Exhibition
Ecology of Presence: Pathways to the Natural World brings together the work of ten graduate students supported by the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History Art + Science Fellowship, a program dedicated to creative research connecting art with the natural world. Across media – including sound, moving image, music, performance, installation, comics, social practice, photography, and storytelling – the artists in Ecology of Presence emphasize relationality and careful attention to place as essential to building relationships with environs. As accelerating environmental change and technological dependency threaten ways of belonging, the works in this exhibition maintain a steadfast commitment to interdisciplinary approaches that propose kinship with the natural world. By coming together, Art + Science Fellows artworks and social practices suggest ways of imagining human life in relation to the more-than-human world.

Global Seminar: Latin American Spain in Madrid Info Session
2026-02-19 13:00 - 14:00 | https://ucsc.via-trm.com/visitor/events/7105
Learn more at our upcoming Information Session: Thursday, February 19th at 1:00-2:00 pm via Zoom.
Register Here
Earn 6 units on a summer program on the UCSC Global Seminar: Latin American Spain in Madrid this summer. This program is taught by Catherine S. Ramírez, Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies.
Quick Facts:

Location: Madrid, Spain
Courses: LALS 184S: Latin American Spain (6 UC quarter units)
Led by: Catherine S. Ramírez
Eligibility: Good academic and disciplinary standing, Min Age: 18, 45 units completed at time of departure, Minimum GPA- 2.3 cumulative GPA or higher
Dates: June 22-July 24, 2026
Finances: Financial aid applies and is packaged at your home UC campus.
How to apply: Visit here for instructions. Applications open on December 1, 2025 and close on March 2, 2026.
Get in touch: Email your questions to globallearning@ucsc.edu.

Program Description:
What would gazpacho be without the tomato? What would LaLiga be without Messi? What would agriculture, restaurants, construction, and child and elder care be without migrants? Exploring subjects as varied as food, soccer, music, labor, and fascism, this course addresses these questions by examining Spain’s legacy as an imperial power in the Americas and the ways Latin Americans are transforming Spanish society and culture. This 6-unit Global Seminar fulfills UC Santa Cruz’s Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC) General Education requirement and is for undergraduates with a desire to learn about Spain’s diversity and dynamism from a Latin American and Latinx studies perspective. Students from any major who meet the standard eligibility requirements are welcome. The ability to speak Spanish is helpful, but not required. Discover more here.

Info Session: Global Seminar Evolution and Fish Biology in Southern Africa
2026-02-19 14:00 - 15:00 | CA
Learn more at our upcoming Information Session: Thursday, February 19 at 2:00-3:00 p.m. via Zoom.
Register here
Earn 12 upper-division units on an experiential EEB program this summer on the UCSC faculty-led Global Seminar: Evolution and Fish Biology in Southern Africa. This program is taught by Giacomo Bernardi, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Quick Facts:

Locations: South Africa and Malawi
Courses: BIOE 157A: Ichthyology (5 units) and BIOE 157B: Evolution (7 units)
Led by: UCSC EEB Professor Giacomo Bernardi
Dates: June 15-July 13, 2026
Finances: Financial aid applies, and scholarships are available! Budget will be posted on the website when it is available.
How to apply: Visit here for instructions. Applications open on December 1 and close on March 2.
Get in touch: Email your questions to globallearning@ucsc.edu.

Program Description:
Dive into Evolution and Fish Biology through fieldwork and experiences in South Africa and Malawi. Begin your journey on a farm outside Pretoria, in Southern Africa, visiting the Sterkfontein Caves, one of the world’s most important archeological sites. Venture towards Kruger National Park, viewing evolution and evolutionary strategies. Fly to Cape Maclear in Malawi and embark on daily visits to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Lake Malawi National Park, an underwater park where you will snorkel and do hands-on experiments on how fish biology is performed in the field, specifically focusing on the huge variety of cichlids native to this region.

Amplifying the History Curriculum for Multilingual Learners
2026-02-19 16:30 - 18:30 | CA
Join us to discuss how teachers can “amplify” rather than “simplify” history instruction for multilingual learners (and all students) by engaging with historical texts and interactive learning opportunities. We are celebrating the publication of the 2nd edition of Amplifying the Curriculum: Designing Quality Learning Opportunities for Multilingual Learners, which includes a chapter co-authored by Professor George Bunch and HCP Director Dr. Daisy Martin.
We will focus on the History/Social Studies chapter titled, “Selecting, Preparing, and Using Multiple texts in the History Classroom, ” and consider teaching the Deportations of the 1930s. The event will include presentations and discussions about creating inclusive learning environments and advancing equity using student-centered curriculum frameworks! We will host these events at both a Santa Cruz County and Monterey County location.
DATE: FEBRUARY 19 & MARCH 18, 2026
TIME: 4:30-6:30
TWO LOCATIONS: COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN APTOS & CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY MONTEREY BAY
Register for Community Foundation Santa Cruz County in Aptos Location Here (Feb. 19)
Register for California State University Monterey Bay Location Here (Mar. 18)
Free books for the first 15 registrants who attend!
This event is supported in part by a grant from the Institute for Social Transformation at the University of California, Santa Cruz

Amplifying the History Curriculum for Multilingual Learners Flyer DOWNLOAD

Slugs at Sundown: Strengthening Your Professional Brand
2026-02-19 17:30 - 19:30 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
In a constantly evolving job market, having a clear and authentic professional brand can open doors at any career stage. Join fellow Banana Slugs for a practical, engaging conversation focused on how to show up—and stand out—professionally. We’ll explore how AI-powered tools can help you efficiently tailor your resume for specific opportunities, along with best practices for sharpening your LinkedIn presence and building meaningful, genuine connections online. Whether you’re exploring a new direction, preparing for your next move, or simply refreshing your professional story, this session offers actionable takeaways you can put to use right away.
New: Complimentary headshots will be available on-site for attendees.
Thursday, February 19
5:30 – 5:45 p.m. | Check-in
5:45 – 6:45 p.m. | Welcome, Presentation, Q&A
6:45 – 7:30 p.m. | Networking
The workshop will be presented by COOP Careers, in partnership with UCSC Career Success.
Professional headshot photography by Cherlyn Wagner (Merrill, ’99).
Please register to confirm your attendance.

Graduate Council Workshop: Future of Graduate Education at UCSC
2026-02-20 11:30 - 14:00 | University Center, University Center, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Graduate Council will be holding a winter 2026 graduate director brown bag workshop on the future of UC Santa Cruz graduate programs
When: Friday, February 20, 2026 from 11:30am–2:00pm
Where: University Center Alumni Room (this is an in-person only event)
Who should attend: All current and former graduate program directors. Interested faculty who are not graduate directors may also RSVP to the event, but space is limited.
Format: Brown bag workshop (please bring your own lunch)
GC’s goal is to learn how graduate programs are affected by the changing financial climate and career landscapes for graduate training, and to strategize how best to adapt. The workshop will begin with opening remarks from the Senate and Graduate Division, followed by breakout groups with faculty graduate directors to strategize the changing graduate landscape within their departments. The session will culminate in a collective discussion to define potential action items.
In preparation for this workshop, we ask that you engage in conversation with your departments around the following questions:

What curricular issues, if any, are your graduate programs facing? Are creative solutions possible, such as shared courses across disciplines and/or streamlining of curriculum? Are there other partnerships across disciplines that could assist your program in delivering graduate training?
What innovations have helped to decrease time-to-degree, particularly for your doctoral programs? What resources would be required to decrease normative time in your different disciplines?
How has your program’s training mission changed over the last 5-10 years? What innovations have departments adopted to prepare students for careers? Could your program envision internship/residency as part of graduate training and/or relationships with industry, the private sector, or government organizations?
How has your program adapted to changes in admissions and/or funding? What novel admissions process ideas could help to stabilize programs? What innovations might help your programs adapt to smaller cohort sizes?
Are there any initiatives that your program is interested in piloting?
How can campus and divisional administrators provide support to help existing students through their programs? What is the administrative role in innovations that will secure the future of graduate education on our campus?

Departments may also wish to discuss the following reports:

Future of Doctoral Programs at the University of California: Challenges, Opportunities, and Potential Paths Ahead
Systemwide Academic Senate Task Force on UC Adaptation to Disruptions (UCAD) Interim Report & Recommendations
Implementation Task Force for Inclusive Excellence in Graduate Education

Faculty may submit questions or issues they would like to discuss at the workshop through the RSVP form. Please contact Graduate Council at gc@ucsc.edu if you have any questions about the event.

Fredrickson, K. (CSE) - Practical Anonymity with Formal Resistance to Traffic Analysis
2026-02-20 14:00 - 16:00 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Anonymous communication systems hide who is talking to whom, not just what is said. However, existing systems are either vulnerable to traffic analysis attacks–attacks where adversaries observe and correlate the network traffic of users–or are forced to rely on unrealistic and unenforceable assumptions about how users behave. Worse, existing theory lacks tools to rigorously model traffic analysis attacks, much less inform whether if a system is secure against traffic analysis or how to design systems that are.
We make several contributions toward our goal of practical anonymity systems that resist traffic analysis. First, we develop the first formal framework for describing the security of systems against traffic analysis attacks, allowing us to quantitatively describe and compare the security of all existing works. Second, leveraging this framework, we develop a security definition that distinguishes between systems that are and are not susceptible to traffic analysis. We call this property input/output independence. We use this definition to prove that the dominant model of systems–synchronous systems–cannot practically provide input/output independence. We then design a new asynchronous anonymity functionality, deferred retrieval, that achieves input/output independence with far more flexible user assumptions and up to 3400 times less traffic overhead for the same latency compared to prior methods. Finally, we design and implement Sparta, a family of high-throughput, scalable instantiations of deferred retrieval using trusted execution environments and oblivious algorithms, yielding the first practical anonymity systems that are formally resistant to long-term traffic analysis.
Event Host: Kyle Fredrickson, Ph.D. Candidate, Computer Science and Engineering
Advisor: Darrell Long
Zoom – https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/98133127429?pwd=[REDACTED]
Passcode – 242206

Slugs Go Bowling
2026-02-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Boardwalk Bowl, 115 Cliff St, Santa Cruz, 95060, United States
Join the Office of Leadership and Involvement, in collaboration with the Slug Mentor Network and the Services for Transfer, Re-entry, and Resilient Scholars (STARRS) Office, for Slugs Go Bowling — a UCSC student takeover at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk Bowl!
Celebrate and connect with fellow Banana Slugs during an evening of free bowling, desserts, swag, and community-building. This event is designed to help students mingle, build connections, and learn more about campus support services in a fun, welcoming environment.
Don’t miss the chance to snap a photo with Sammy the Slug!
Date: Friday, February 20
Time: 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Location: Boardwalk Bowl 115 Cliff St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
RSVP HERE
If you have questions or need accommodations, please email involved@ucsc.edu.
We can’t wait to see you there!
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.

Barnstorm Presents—"Secret Family" Sketch Comedy
2026-02-20 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-02-21 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-02-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Theater Arts B100 Studio Theater, 453 Kerr Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Get ready to laugh with “Secret Family,” UC Santa Cruz’s home-grown sketch comedy team.
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ABOUT BARNSTORM
UC Santa Cruz students experiment with and create their own innovative theater and gain a sense of operating and creating art in the Barnstorm Theater Company, a student-run theater arts production company established in 2004.
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ADVISORIES
– Ticket holders not seated at least 10 minutes before the advertised start time may forfeit their ticket/seat and no refund will be issued.
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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Fri. Feb. 20: 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 21: 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 22: 2:00 p.m.
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ADMISSION
– Tickets issued through Eventbrite HERE; Follow the Dept. of Performance, Play & Design and Barnstorm on Eventbrite for notifications and updates.
– Free for UCSC undergraduate students (ticket required).
– General admission “Pay What You Like” options $5–20
– A limited number of tickets/seats may be available at the door, even after online ticket sales end or reach full capacity.
– Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.
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PARKING
– Parking by permit, ParkMobile, or $11 cash/credit via the on-site parking attendant
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– UCSC affiliates must purchase their permits before arriving at the event in order to receive their discounted UCSC rate. Attendants will only sell the non-affiliate-priced permits.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
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This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Dreamgirls—Presented by the African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT)
2026-02-20 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-21 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Theater Arts Mainstage, 411 Kerr Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Move into the spotlight with Dreamgirls, the electrifying musical sensation that brings the soul, sparkle, and spirit of Motown to the stage. Follow the unforgettable journey of three talented young women as they rise from hopeful dreamers to international superstars. With powerful vocals, stimulating choreography, and hits like “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” this AATAT production will bursts with passion, ambition, and inspiration!
Directed by Don Williams.
Co-presented by the African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT) and the Department of Performance, Play & Design (PPD).
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ADMISSION
– General admission with “Pay What You Like” options.
– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).
– Tickets issued online here through Eventbrite only.
– Follow the Dept. of Performance, Play & Design on Eventbrite for notifications and updates.
– Doors are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to event start time.
– Ticket holders not seated at least 5 minutes before the advertised start time may forfeit their ticket/seat and no refund will be issued.
—
FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Dreamgirls is a two-week production, with seven performances at UC Santa Cruz*, including the following:
– Fri., Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m.
– Sat., Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.
– Sun., Feb. 22, 2:00 p.m. matinee
– Fri., Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.
– Sat., Feb. 28, 2:00 p.m. matinee
– Sat., Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.
– Sun., Mar. 1, 2:00 p.m. matinee
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PARKING
– Parking by permit, ParkMobile, or $11 cash/credit via the on-site parking attendant
– Arts Lot #126 is the closest parking lot to the event
– Visitors with DMV placards or plates may park for free in DMV spaces, Medical spaces, or ParkMobile spaces without additional payment, or in timed zones for longer than the posted time.
– UCSC affiliates must purchase their permits before arriving at the event in order to receive their discounted UCSC rate. Attendants will only sell the non-affiliate-priced permits.
– More information provided by UCSC Transportation & Parking Services (TAPS)
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ABOUT AATAT
For nearly 35 years, the African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT) at UC Santa Cruz has been a vehicle to create unity, higher visibility and greater understanding of the multicultural community at UC Santa Cruz and the greater Santa Cruz community. AATAT hope for your continued support for the next 30 years and would appreciate your support of the scholarship fund. Donations are welcome here. AATAT awards a minimum of $5,000 in scholarships to individuals participating in the program who exhibit exemplary academic performance. Since 1993, thanks to generous donors, AATAT has raised over $120,000 in annual scholarship funding.
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This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Wedding Vendor Showcase and Hay Barn Open House
2026-02-21 11:00 - 15:00 | Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Join us for our annual Open House and Vendor Showcase at the Historic Cowell Ranch Hay Barn. Take this opportunity to experience what our local vendors have to offer, first hand.
Explore an array of talented local vendors, each showcasing their finest work in the wedding and events industry, as we gear up for the 2026 season. From breathtaking floral designs, mouth watering catering options, innovative photographers, and stunning table scapes, you’ll find everything you need to bring your wedding vision to life.
Indulge in delightful samples, engage in inspiring demonstrations, and enjoy personalized consultations. Whether you’re newly engaged, planning your next big celebration, or even if you’ve already booked your wedding at another venue, all are welcome to join us for a day of inspiration and connection.
Be sure to RSVP and mark your calendars—don’t miss this chance to experience the best in the business.
See you there!

See the full list of vendors and RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vendor-showcase-open-house-tickets-1867525692619?aff=erelexpmlt.

Santa Cruz Pickwick Club presents: Bleak House
2026-02-22 13:00 - 15:00 | CA
Spontaneous human combustion! Evil lawyers! Detectives! Family intrigue! These all come together in Charles Dickens’s masterwork, Bleak House. This year, we will spend the year reading the 2026 Dickens Universe novel. Join Dickens enthusiasts and Pickwick Club members on Zoom for a series of discussions about this beloved book.
Register via Zoom
Reading Schedule:

OCT 26: Chapters 8-13
NOV 23: Chapters 14-19
DEC 28: No meeting
JAN 25: Chapters 20-25
FEB 22: Chpaters 26-32
MAR 22: Chapters 33-38
APR 26: Chapters 39-46
MAY 24: Chapters 47-53
JUN 28: Chapters 54-67 (End)

Recommended Edition: We recommend the Penguin Classics edition of the novel for its appendices and notes, but other versions are fine. First-time readers should avoid the Introduction if they don’t want spoilers. Download the novel to read at Gutenburg.org or listen to it at LibriVox.org.
The Santa Cruz Pickwick (Book) Club, a branch of the Dickens Fellowship, is a community of local bookworms, students, and teachers who meet monthly to discuss a nineteenth-century novel. The Santa Cruz Public Libraries provide support for the reading group.

UCSC Dining Competes at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Clam Chowder Cook-Off
2026-02-22 13:00 - 15:00 | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Come support UCSC Dining as they compete in the legendary Clam Chowder Cook-Off at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk! This two-day event is one of the country’s largest and longest-running clam chowder competitions, where talented chefs prepare and serve their best chowder recipes along the Boardwalk.
On Sunday, February 22, UCSC Dining will join professional teams in both Boston (white) and Manhattan (red) clam chowder categories. Cheer on our teams — University Chowder led by Chance Taylor (cooking up the white Boston chowder) and Redwood Chowder Heads led by Chad Glassley (cooking up red Manhattan chowder) — as they compete for top honors and People’s Choice votes.
When: Sunday, February 22, 1–3 p.m.
Where: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Details: Boardwalk admission is free; tasting kits go on sale starting at 10 a.m. or you can pre-purchase your tasting kits online. (public tasting begins at 1 p.m.) and benefit Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation.

Food For Thought
2026-02-22 15:00 - 18:00 | Cardiff House, 114 Carriage House Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join People of Color Sustainability Collective for Food for Thought! This event will be focused on food sovereignty and connecting our community with local organizations involved in related work. The event will include dinner, including presentations and discussion with impactful food justice representatives, and a hands-on food preserving workshop.

Food For Thought
2026-02-22 15:00 - 18:00 | Cardiff House, 114 Carriage House Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join the People of Color Sustainability Collective for a fun, community-centered day of activities, shared food, and meaningful conversation. This gathering creates an informal, educational space for the UCSC community to connect with one another while exploring themes within environmentalism, with an emphasis on inclusive sustainability.
Food for Thought will focus on food sovereignty and strengthening relationships with local organizations leading food justice work. The evening will include a shared dinner, presentations and discussion with community leaders in food justice, and a hands-on food preservation workshop to build practical skills and collective knowledge.

ECE 290 Seminar: High-Frequency Circuits for Next-Generation Communication: From Beyond-5G mm-Wave MIMO to Co-Packaged Optics
2026-02-23 10:40 - 11:45 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Susnata Mondal, Research Scientist, Intel
Description:
Rapid growth in wireless connectivity, cloud computing, and AI infrastructure is driving an urgent need for communication systems that can deliver higher data rates with improved energy efficiency. Meeting these demands requires advances in high-frequency circuit design across both wireless and wireline domains, spanning millimeter-wave radios to optical interconnects.
This seminar will present recent developments in two complementary directions. The first focuses on millimeter-wave MIMO systems for beyond-5G communication. Conventional phased arrays are typically limited to single-stream beamforming, while fully digital solutions, although flexible, incur significant power and area overhead. Emerging hybrid architectures enable multi-stream, multi-band operation with improved spectral efficiency by combining RF and baseband beamforming, supporting carrier aggregation, adaptive spatial processing, and full-duplex operation. Prototype systems have demonstrated scalable multi-antenna transceivers operating across 28/37 GHz bands, integrating RF front-ends, beamforming networks, and system-level signal processing.
The second direction addresses high-performance computing interconnects, where electrical links increasingly struggle with loss and energy efficiency at high data rates. Co-packaged optics offers a promising alternative by placing optical engines in close proximity to compute and switch chips, improving link efficiency. The seminar will discuss circuit and system innovations enabling scalable optical I/O, including equalization, clocking, and high-linearity design techniques for high-speed optical links, along with recent prototype demonstrations achieving high data rates with low energy per bit.
Bio: Susnata Mondal received the B.Tech. and M.Tech. degrees in E&ECE from IIT Kharagpur in 2015 and the Ph.D. degree in ECE from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, in 2020. Since then, he has been a Research Scientist at Intel, Hillsboro, working on co-packaged optics and high-speed I/O. He has authored several lead-author papers in ISSCC and JSSC and holds 18 U.S. patents. He is a Technical Program Committee member of RFIC and an Associate Editor for TCAS-I, TCAS-II, and SSCL. His honors include the SSCS Predoctoral Achievement Award, the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from CMU ECE, and selection as an SSCS Rising Star.
Hosted by: Professor Soumya Bose, ECE Department
Zoom: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/97975378707?pwd=[REDACTED]

Wellness in Action: Managing Stress in Times of Uncertainty
2026-02-23 13:00 - 13:30 | CA
Monday, February 23, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Location: Register for the Zoom link
Periods of uncertainty can increase stress, reduce focus, and affect overall well-being. Participants will learn practical strategies to pause, regain perspective, and respond to stress with greater clarity. These sustainable skills build resiliency, help maintain calm, and create balance during challenging times.
The Wellness in Action series is designed to help you improve your health in a short session with simple tips you can try in your own life. In the follow-up session on Monday, March 9 from 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM, you will have the opportunity to share your experience and learn from others in the group.
Register for the Zoom link. The workshop will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be sent out after the first session. The follow up session will not be recorded.
To learn more about our events and workshops, visit the Upcoming Wellness Events page.
For questions, please contact Health and Well-being Specialist, Ashley Parker, at aseparke@ucsc.edu.

Career Success Drop-In Coaching at the EOP Office - Winter 2026
2026-02-23 13:30 - 15:00 | Academic Resources Center (ARC), 408 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Drop-in with Career Coach & Engagement Specialist Bridge Kennedy to discuss Career Exploration, Job Search Strategy, Interview Prep, Grad School Prep, or whatever’s on your mind related to your career success!
Time: 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Dates: Mondays, Weeks 2, 4, 6, & 8 of Winter Quarter 2026
1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 2/23
Location: Academic Resource Center, EOP Lounge
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.

AM Seminar: Multiscale Modeling of Cellular Membranes and Oncogenic Proteins
2026-02-23 16:00 - 17:00 | CA
Presenter: Liam Stanton, Professor, San Jose State University
Description: In this talk, I will present a multiscale model for cellular membranes, which is trained on molecular dynamics simulations. The model is constructed within the formalism of dynamic density functional theory and can be extended to include features such as the presence of proteins and membrane deformations. This new framework has enabled simulations that can access length-scales on the order of microns and time-scales on the order of seconds, all while maintaining near fidelity to the underlying molecular interactions. Such scales are significant for accessing biological processes associated with signaling pathways within cells and experimentally relevant regimes. As applications, we consider the cellular interactions of two membrane proteins of biological interest: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and RAS-RAF complexes, the latter being implicated in roughly 30% of human cancers.
Bio: Dr. Stanton received his PhD in Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University in 2009. He went on to do a postdoc at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he later became a staff scientist at the Center for Applied Scientific Computing. In 2018, he joined the faculty at San Jose State University in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, where he is now an associate professor and a recent recipient of the Dean’s Scholar Award in Research Excellence. Dr. Stanton’s current research interests are in the multiscale modeling of non-equilibrium, many-body systems. In particular, he focuses on areas such as fusion energy, biophysical systems and statistical mechanics.
Hosted by: Applied Mathematics
