Events

Zheng, Z. (STATS) - Semi-Supervised Statistical Learning for Oceanographic Data
2026-04-24 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
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 model biological systems, both data generation and labeling are particularly challenging. Limited domain knowledge and less mature laboratory protocols often produce noisy observations, while reliable annotation requires substantial expert effort and is therefore difficult to obtain at scale.
This proposal develops statistical methodology for oceanographic data settings in which a small amount of expert-labeled data must be combined with a much larger collection of unlabeled or imperfectly processed data. A central goal is to incorporate limited scientific knowledge into statistical learning procedures to improve interpretability, component identifiability, and inferential reliability. In particular, I develop semi-supervised statistical methods that explicitly quantify the information contributed by expert annotation.
To address this goal, I study three related problems: semi-supervised functional clustering for subcellular spatial proteomics, anchored semi-supervised mixture-of-experts models for flow cytometry, and temporally structured latent-variable models that separate smooth trend and seasonal variation from scientific signals of interest. Together, these projects aim to develop principled and interpretable methodology for partially labeled, structured, and high-dimensional oceanographic data, with an emphasis on valid uncertainty quantification.
Event Host: Ziyue Zheng, Ph.D. Student, Statistical Science
Advisor: Sangwon Hyun
Zoom: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/93229540289?pwd=[REDACTED]

Harriet: Performing Anarchive
2026-04-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Digital Arts Research Center, 407 McHenry Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Through motion capture, immersive sound, and real-time digital systems, CHARI (Dr. Chari Smith) performs alongside Harriet, a life-scale avatar carrying a living archive of Black sonic and vernacular memory. Drawing from Black archival traditions rooted in call-and-response, improvisation, and communal stewardship, the performance understands memory as relational and alive. Together, our movements shape the environment as the performance unfolds, images shift, sound expands, and memory surfaces in fragments.
Performing Anarchive turns the stage into a threshold between body and code, memory and possibility. It imagines a future where technology is not distant or extractive, but intimate, attentive, and alive.

Rsvp and reserve a seat via Eventbrite

Parking:
Performance Arts Lot
Permits Accepted: A, N, MC, ADA, Medical, Reserved,
Parkmobile: Zone 15158

This performance was made possible in part through grant funding from Investing in Artists: Artistic Innovation at The Center for Cultural Innovation, the Arts Division, and the Arts Research Institute.

Spring Plant Sale
2026-04-25 10:00 - 15:00 | Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Stock your garden with premium organic seedlings while supporting student education! Browse a huge variety of flowers, vegetables, herbs, and strawberries—all grown by UCSC Farm staff, students, and volunteers in our greenhouses. Proceeds support the Center for Agroecology’s hands-on learning programs.
View the full list of varieties here.
Special Perks:

Friends of the Farm & Garden members: 10% off all plants + early bird shopping at 9 AM (There will be a Friends membership table at the sale for those who would like to sign up or renew their membership that morning)
UCSC students with valid ID: 25% off

Parking and logistics:
Please plan to park across the street from the Hay Barn in parking lot 116. We encourage you to bring a basket, wagon, or other means to carry your plants. We will have a limited number of cardboard boxes available but encourage you to bring your own.
Payment:
We accept cash, checks made out to “UC Regents,” or credit card (we do not have a traditional credit card reader; you will need a smart phone to scan a QR code and then manually enter your credit card number.)
Interested in volunteering in the greenhouses in preparation for our plant sale? Fill out this form!
This event is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Chemistry and Biochemistry symposium
2026-04-25 12:30 - 18:00 | Jack Baskin Auditorium, 191 Baskin Cir, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
On April 25, the department will hold its Annual Chemistry Symposium. This year, we will host the Bunnett Organic Chemistry Seminar, the Fink Biomedical Chemistry Seminar, and the Crews Diversity in Science Lecture, all on the same day. In addition, we will include a lecture focused on Physical Chemistry and Materials Research.
We hope to see you in April, more information here.

Chemistry and Biochemistry symposium
2026-04-25 12:30 - 18:00 | Jack Baskin Auditorium, 191 Baskin Cir, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
On April 25, the department will hold its Annual Chemistry Symposium. This year, we will host the Bunnett Organic Chemistry Seminar, the Fink Biomedical Chemistry Seminar, and the UCSC Phillip Crews Symposium: Powered by Chemistry, Strengthened by Discovery Science Lecture, all on the same day. In addition, we will include a lecture focused on Physical Chemistry and Materials Research.
We hope to see you in April, more information and to register here.

Chemistry and Biochemistry symposium
2026-04-25 12:30 - 18:00 | Jack Baskin Auditorium, 191 Baskin Cir, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
On April 25, the department will hold its Annual Chemistry Symposium. This year, we will host the Bunnett Organic Chemistry Seminar, the Fink Biomedical Chemistry Seminar, and the UCSC Phillip Crews Symposium: Powered by Chemistry, Strengthened by Discovery Science Lecture, all on the same day. In addition, we will include a lecture focused on Physical Chemistry and Materials Research.

Event Date:
Saturday, April 25th, 2026

Event time:
12:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Event Location:
UCSC Jack Baskin Engineering Auditorium
Physical Science Building Atrium

Parking:
Core west Parking Structure
Directions

Parking is Free

Itinerary
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM: Davide Donadio - Physical Chemistry seminar (45 min talk, 5 min Q&A, 10 min Awards) Jack Baskin Aud. Rm 101

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Hosea Nelson - Crews Seminar(45 min talk, 5 min Q&A, 10 min Awards) Jack Baskin Aud. Rm 101

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM: Coffee/Posters Physical science Building Atrium

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: Neil L. Kelleher - Fink Biochemistry Seminar (45 min talk, 5 min Q&A, 10 min Awards) Jack Baskin Aud. Rm 101

4:30 PM - 5:40 PM: Gina Wang - Bunnett Talk (45 min talk, 5 min Q&A, 20 min Awards) Jack Baskin Aud. Rm 101

5:40 PM - 8:00 PM: Dinner Physical Science Building Atrium

We hope to see you in April, more information and to register here.

Artist Tour with Libia Posada
2026-04-25 14:00 - 15:00 | Institute of the Arts and Sciences, 100 Panetta Ave, Santa Cruz, United States
We are thrilled to invite you to join Libia Posada, a multidisciplinary artist as well as a physician, for this artist-led tour of Everything is Going Right, the premiere solo exhibition of her work in the United States. With artworks influenced by her medical training, Posada will discuss how she engages the body as a site for the staging of human experience, both individual and collective, and a territory closely connected to the geopolitical.
Libia Posada’s work has been shown broadly internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art of Medellín; Musée Les Abattoirs, Toulouse, France; National Museum of Colombia; and the Havana Biennial.

It’s California Native Plant Month at the UCSC Arboretum!
2026-04-26 11:00 - 14:00 | Arboretum, 122 Arboretum Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join us at Norrie’s Gift and Garden Shop at the UCSC Arboretum & Botanic Garden for a pop-up information booth about California’s Native Plants.
Here at the Arboretum, we like to say: if you plant it, they will come, and that is a fact we have seen borne out again and again in our gardens. Bring your questions about growing natives to the experts from the UC Master Gardeners and learn why, when it comes to habitat, California natives do it best!
The Arboretum’s retail nursery will have lots of native plants for you to add to your garden to create waterwise habitats that capture the true essence of California!
The event is free with paid admission. Current UCSC students are always free!

CM Seminar: Edward Wang, "Inventing a New Blood Pressure Monitor"
2026-04-27 12:30 - 13:30 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
Presented by: Edward Wang
Description: “What does it actually look like to invent something? In this talk, I trace the decade-long journey of turning a smartphone into a blood pressure monitor, from Seismo, which used smartphone accelerometers to measure pulse transit time, to BPClip, a dollar clip that brought calibration-free oscillometry to the fingertip, to VibroBP, which eliminated the attachment entirely using the phone’s vibration motor. Each project was born from the limitations of the last. And each time we thought we’d solved the problem, new layers of unknowns appeared around usability, manufacturing, and FDA classification. This is a talk about what inventing looks like when you zoom in past the papers and patents. Less about creating something new, and more about finding the unknowns between a need and its solution, and creatively working through them, one by one.”
Bio: Dr. Edward J. Wang is the Jacobs Faculty Chair in Entrepreneurship Associate Professor of Design and Electrical & Computer Engineering at UC San Diego, where he directs the Digital Health Technologies Lab. His research explores practical solutions to address real-world medical needs drawn from collaborations with clinicians and world health organizations, but solved using new and creative insights that leverage state-of-the-art applied machine learning, embedded systems, and mobile sensors. He has been named an NAI Senior Member, NIH Trailblazer, Norman Design Laureate, and Google Research Scholar. He publishes in premier computer science and health science venues including ACM IMWUT, CHI, UIST, Nature Publishing, Frontiers in Digital Health, and JMIR, having been awarded 9 best paper awards. He actively engages in the translation of research through faculty entrepreneurship. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and his B.S. from Harvey Mudd College.
Hosted by: Professor Christina Chung
When: Monday, April 27, 2026 from 12:30PM to 1:30PM
Location:
IN-PERSON @ SVC 3212.
Viewing room @ UCSC Main Campus, E2-280.
LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED AT BOTH LOCATIONS! Faculty and students are highly encouraged to attend.
Zoom info:
https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/91516487260?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 915 1648 7260
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Statistics Seminar: Active Learning for Fair and Stable Allocations
2026-04-27 16:00 - 17:00 | Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Riddhiman Bhattacharya, Postdoc, UCSC
Description: We propose an active learning approach for dynamic fair resource allocation problems. In contrast to prior work that assumes full feedback from all agents on their allocations, we focus on scenarios where feedback is available only from a carefully select subset of agents at each epoch of the online resource allocation process. Despite this limitation, our algorithms achieve sub-linear regret in the number of time-periods for multiple fairness metrics commonly used in resource allocation problems and stability constraints inherent to matching mechanisms. The core innovation of our approach lies in the adaptive identification of the most informative feedback through dueling upper and lower confidence bounds. This strategy enables efficient decision-making with limited feedback, achieving favorable outcomes across various problem classes.
About the speaker: I am Riddhiman Bhattacharya, currently a postdoc at UCSC, Statistics Department, working with Justin (Sangwon Hyun). I have previously been a postdoc at Purdue and have obtained my PhD from the University of Minnesota in Statistics. I am interested in methodological development in statistics with varied applications including oceanography, biology and economics. I am also interested in theoretical development of statistics particularly in the fields of Markov Chain Monte Carlo, Optimization and Fast Sampling.

AM Seminar: Machine Learning in Molecular Simulations: From Free Energy to Vibrational Spectroscopy
2026-04-27 16:00 - 17:00 | Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Marcos Calegari Andrade, Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, UC Santa Cruz
Description: In this talk, I will demonstrate how neural networks can represent the high-dimensional potential energy surfaces of many-body systems. By achieving the accuracy of first-principles quantum calculations at a fraction of the computational cost, these models enable atomistic simulations of condensed matter at unprecedented scales. I will discuss how this approach provides a detailed lens into chemical reaction dynamics under experimentally relevant conditions and facilitates the direct calculation of observables, such as vibrational spectra, effectively bridging the gap between theoretical simulation and experimental observation.
About the speaker: Marcos Calegari Andrade is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He earned his PhD from Princeton University, where he developed machine learning models to simulate the chemistry and vibrational spectroscopy of condensed-phase systems. He later joined the Quantum Simulations Group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, applying deep neural network models to fundamental challenges in climate and energy security. His current research at UCSC focuses on the application of machine learning to molecular simulations, with a particular emphasis on chemical reaction mechanisms, vibrational spectroscopy, and the development of automated simulation frameworks.
This seminar is hosted by Applied Mathematics

LinkedIn 101: Create A Great Profile That Gets Noticed!
2026-04-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Hahn Student Services, Hahn Student Services, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
“Do I really need a LinkedIn profile to get hired?” The answer is YES! Employers and recruiters absolutely use LinkedIn to look for and research candidates. Come to this fast-paced and practical workshop to learn more about the basics of creating a LinkedIn profile that gets noticed and just might help you land your dream job!

All students are welcome. The presentation will last about 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.

Taming Two Scorpions: Climate Science Tipping Points Meet Finance Tail Risks
2026-04-28 15:30 - 17:00 | Center for Adaptive Optics, 7487 Red Hill Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
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.

Landesman Lecture
2026-04-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Landesman Lecture: Integrating Mathematical and Scientific Research with Excellence in Teaching
Ancestral Matter, Shared Humanity, Beyond Borders and Labels
This evening blends science, poetry, and storytelling to explore our deepest origins and shared humanity. Tracing the cosmic formation of the elements that make our bodies, we reflect on an ancestry older than nations, borders, and labels. Through verse and story, we connect stellar history with lived experience, inviting us to see how our many identities arise from the same ancestral matter. Together, we explore how storytelling can soften divisions, cross boundaries, and remind us that we are forged from one common origin.
Register to attend in-person or virtual
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for guests attending in person
Lecture: 6 p.m.
Followed by a reception for in-person guests
Free and open to the public
Parking is $11
Presented by the UC Santa Cruz Emeriti Association

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz studies some of the most powerful explosions since the birth of the universe by looking not at the heavens but at computer models. Eager to understand our origins, he uses simulations to explore the cataclysmic death of stars that give rise to many of the elements of the periodic table. His work tests ideas at the edge of human experience, challenging how we imagine the universe and our place within it.

Jasmine Schlafke, better known by her stage name Queen Jasmeen, is a poet, slam coach, diversity trainer, and a doula from Santa Cruz, CA. Her first book, Crowned, published in 2019 by Bay Company Books, is a widely respected expression of the complexity of compounded identities, reflecting on mental health, race, teen parenting, womanhood, ministry, and so much more. Currently, she works as a privately contracted poetry and performance coach and is a proud single mother of two grown children.

Karen Tei Yamashita – Questions 27 & 28
2026-04-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Bookshop Santa Cruz
Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes acclaimed author Karen Tei Yamashita (I Hotel) to celebrate the launch of her new novel Questions 27 & 28—a masterful polyvocal history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II. Yamashita will be in conversation with Alice Yang, Professor of History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC Santa Cruz.
In February 1942, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order authorizing the secretary of war to remove 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast and corral them into inland concentration camps.

Questions 27 & 28 reaches backward and forward from the time of the questionnaire, chronicling the individuals who arrived in the US from Japan at the turn of the century, their children who came of age during war and incarceration, and their descendants who lived in its aftermath. Yamashita mixes fact with fiction and layers genres from James Bond movies to haiku to oral history, transfiguring an enormity of archival research into a chorus of stories. With her signature wit and aplomb, she gives voice to laborers, artists, scholars, informants, and activists who, over three generations, defined an immigrant community.
Karen Tei Yamashita is the author of nine books, including I Hotel, finalist for the National Book Award. Recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, she is Professor Emerita of literature and creative writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2024 Yamashita was inducted as a Literature Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Alice Yang is Professor of History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She received her Ph.D. in history from Stanford University and currently co-directs the Center for the Study of Pacific War Memories. She specializes in memories of the Pacific War, Asian American history, race, gender, oral history, historical memory, and twentieth-century America. Her publications include Historical Memories of the Japanese American Internment and the Struggle for Redress (2007), Major Problems in Asian American History (2003, 2017) and What Did the Internment of Japanese Americans Mean? (2000). Her exhibit, Never Again is Now: Japanese American Women Activists and the Legacy of Mass Incarceration, appeared at UC Santa Cruz, the Watsonville Public Library and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. She also has served as chair of the UCSC History Department and provost of Stevenson College at UCSC.
More information at: Bookshop Santa Cruz – Karen Tei Yamashita

Co-sponsored by The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz.

CSE Colloquium - Towards Safe and Resilient Large-scale Distributed Programming
2026-04-29 11:00 - 12:15 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Philipp Haller, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Abstract:
Distributed programming is notoriously difficult. Not only are distributed systems concurrent, they pose additional challenges including data consistency and fault tolerance. At the same time, the share of software systems that are necessarily distributed systems is growing rapidly. As a result, too many software developers are asked to become distributed systems experts. Thus, tools and techniques for ensuring the correctness of distributed systems are urgently needed in order to leave this unsustainable trajectory. This talk presents research results towards the design and implementation of programming systems that support emerging applications and workloads; provide reliability and trust; and embrace simplicity and accessibility. Concretely, the presented work focuses on two directions.
The first direction explores a distributed programming model that provides consistency while enabling high availability for workloads operating on join-semilattices without sacrificing partition tolerance. We propose a new consistency protocol, called observable atomic consistency protocol (OACP), which leverages on-demand coordination to support both coordination-free operations as well as totally-ordered operations on replicated data types. We present a formal, mechanized model of OACP in rewriting logic and verify key correctness properties using the model checking tool Maude. Furthermore, we present the evaluation of a prototype implementation of OACP based on Akka, a widely-used actor-based middleware. The second direction explores a programming system that aims to reconcile the scalability and fault tolerance of stream processing systems with the flexibility of the actor concurrency model. The programming system ensures a failure-transparency property, effectively masking failures through transparent recovery. Our work is the first to formalize failure transparency using a small-step operational semantics, and to provide proofs of failure transparency for stateful dataflow streaming and a fault-tolerant actor-based programming model.
Bio:
Philipp Haller is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. His main research interests are in the design and implementation of programming languages, type systems, concurrency, and distributed programming. He was part of the team that received the 2019 ACM SIGPLAN Programming Languages Software Award for the development of the Scala programming language. Prior to KTH, he was an early employee at Akka (previously Lightbend, Inc.), a start-up company developing and supporting Scala as well as frameworks for large-scale distributed programming. Prior to Akka, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University, USA, and at EPFL, Switzerland. In 2010 he received his PhD in computer science from EPFL, including a nomination for the 2010 EPFL Doctorate Award. In 2006 he received his Dipl.-Inform. degree from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (previously University of Karlsruhe), Germany.
Hosted by: Professor Mohsen Lesani
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]

Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed
2026-04-29 15:30 - 17:30 | Merrill Cultural Center, 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Please join us as Quinn Slobodian & Ben Tarnoff discuss their new book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed (April, 2026).

A Financial Times Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book of the Year • A Kirkus Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book of Spring 2026• A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of the Year

A pyrotechnic examination of Elon Musk as a symptom and avatar of our postliberal age
Everyone’s got an Elon take. He’s a messiah. A menace; a genius; a clown. The verdicts differ, but they share one theme: they treat him as an individual. Muskism argues otherwise. Elon Musk isn’t a glitch in the system—he is the system. His worldview promises sovereignty through technology: plug in, power up, and become self-reliant. But the more you connect, the more he owns you.
If Fordism defined the capitalism of the twentieth century, Muskism may define the twenty-first. Fordism helped build the welfare state. Musk undoes it. He thrives on dependence while preaching freedom. His cars run on subsidies; his satellites run the battlefield; his social networks train the AI that trains us. Muskism sells itself as the future but entrenches age-old hierarchies. It offers autonomy for some and exclusion for others. It’s pro-natalist but anti-immigrant, futurist but reactionary. It speaks of humanity but warns against empathy. Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff cut through the hype and the hate to reveal what Musk really represents: a new political economy, where to be “free” means to serve a Technoking. Muskism isn’t about the man. It’s about the machine that made him—and the world he’s making next.
Quinn Slobodian is professor of international history at Boston University, and the author or editor of seven books translated into ten languages including, Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ and the Capitalism of the Far Right, Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World without Democracy, and Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism.
Ben Tarnoff is a writer and technologist based in Massachusetts and is the author of Internet for the People and the co-author of Voices from the Valley: Tech Workers Talk About What They Do—And How They Do It. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, and has also written for the New York Times, The New Yorker, and the New Republic, among other publications.

Denim Day Open Mic & Survivor Share-Out
2026-04-29 17:30 - 19:30 | Namaste Lounge, 615 College Nine Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join CARE in closing out Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2026, during Denim Day, for a space where we’ll connect as a community, hand out copies of the new volume of the CARE Art Zine, and hold an open mic and survivor share-out, open to all UCSC survivors, their supporters, and allies! Food and refreshments provided, no RSVP required! For questions or accommodations, please email the CARE team.
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.

Pasifika Patterns
2026-04-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Terry Freitas Commons, 600 McLaughlin Dr. College Nine, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join AA/PIRC and Mauna Kea Protectors on Wednesday, April 29th from 6-8pm at Terry Freitas Commons to learn about the cultural significance of different Pasifika patterns and how to respectfully use the designs, before creating your own linocut stamps!
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.

TLC Convocation 2026
2026-04-30 05:00 - 19:30 | Colleges Nine and John R. Lewis College Multi-purpose Room, 615 College Nine Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
The Opposite of Cheating: Rethinking Instruction in the Age of AI
David Rettinger, Applied Professor and Undergraduate Program Director at the University of Tulsa
Higher education stands at a crossroads. Generative AI is a powerful and flawed tool that may render traditional assessments obsolete and call fundamental pedagogical assumptions into question across all disciplines. Yet this moment of disruption also presents an opportunity to refocus on what truly matters: student learning and growth. In this session, David Rettinger will outline a positive, evidence-based approach to academic integrity in the age of AI, encouraging all of us to move beyond policing to authentic learning. Together, we will take an evidence-based approach toward change, by rethinking assessments to focus on durable human skills, by learning to communicate the value of higher education to our students, and by evaluating strategies for integrating AI thoughtfully into our courses. Attendees will leave with both conceptual frameworks for decision-making and concrete tools for AI integration, communicating about integrity, and reducing misconduct through improved teaching and learning.
Register to attend in person or watch remotely

Portfolio Workshop for Arts Division Students - all majors
2026-04-30 12:00 - 13:00 | https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/2614256373?pwd=[REDACTED]
Employment opportunities in various portions of the Art industry often require a portfolio as part of an application. If you’re unsure how to create a portfolio for an employment application, or what should be included in it, this workshop is for you! We will focus on best practices that apply broadly to almost all portfolio styles for all majors – digital media, fine art, AGPM, music, etc. We will also spend a few minutes on items that are specific to various majors/industries. We’ll end with time for you to ask questions and make a specific plan of action for yourself! Join us for this informative, relevant, and empowering workshop!

KNOW OUR POLICIES
Job postings and employer announcements are made without endorsement, direct or implied, by Career Success or UCSC. Career Success educates students about various opportunities and ensures equity of access to campus recruiting activities for all employers who abide by our Employer Policies. Individual students are encouraged to determine which employers align with their diverse talents, values, and interests.

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.
Online Safety Tips
UC Santa Cruz Career Success〡Hahn 125
Email Career Success: csuccess@ucsc.edu
Visit Career Success Website: https://careers.ucsc.ed

Blue Zones: Secrets to Health and Longevity Workshop
2026-04-30 12:00 - 13:00 | CA
Register for the Zoom link.

What do some of the world’s longest-living communities have in common? In regions known as Blue Zones, people routinely live longer, healthier lives. Known as centennials, they often reach 90 or even 100 with vitality. In this workshop, we’ll explore:

The 5 Blue Zone regions and their secrets to longevity

Everyday habits shared by these longevity hotspots

Tips for eating, movement, connection with others, purpose, and stress management

Take away small and realistic changes they can apply to support long-term health and well-being in your own life.

Register here for the Zoom link.

For questions, please reach out to Ashley Parker, Health and Well-being Specialist, at aseparke@ucsc.edu.

UC Santa Cruz Police Accountability Board (PAB) Spring 2026 Public Meeting
2026-04-30 15:00 - 16:00
The UC Santa Cruz Police Accountability Board (PAB) invites students, staff, faculty, and community members to its Spring 2026 Public Meeting on Thursday, April 30 from 3–4 p.m. via Zoom. This is an opportunity to learn about the PAB’s role in providing civilian oversight of the UC Santa Cruz Police Department, hear updates on complaint data and board activities, and share your questions and feedback directly with board members. The PAB is an independent committee charged by the Chancellor to review investigations into complaints of police misconduct, evaluate UCSC PD policies and procedures, and submit advisory recommendations to the Chief of Police. Your voice matters — join us and help shape the future of public safety at UC Santa Cruz.

Register today: https://ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/register/Rwisb3unSZ-LKKfBbNtx0w#/registration

Book Celebration with Kriti Sharma Relationality: An Emergent Politics of Life Beyond the Human
2026-04-30 16:00 - 17:30 | Humanities 2, Room 259 (Zoom registration), 2 Hagar Dr, Santa Cruz, 95064, United States
Thursday, April 30th in Humanities 2-259 for a talk with Kriti Sharma, Assistant Professor of Critical Race Science and Technology Studies at UCSC and co-author of Relationality: An Emergent Politics of Life Beyond the Human (Bloomsbury UK, 2024) with co-authors Michal Osterweil and Arturo Escobar.
About the Book
This important new book argues that at the root of the contemporary crisis of climate, energy, food, inequality, and meaning is a certain core presupposition that structures the ways in which we live, think, act and design: the assumption of dualism, or the fundamental separateness of things.
The authors contend that the key to constructing livable worlds lies in the cultivation of ways of knowing and acting based on a profound awareness of the fundamental interdependence of everything that exists – what they refer to as relationality. This shift in paradigm is necessary for healing our bodies, ecosystems, cities, and the planet at large.
The book follows two interwoven threads of argumentation: on the one hand, it explains and exemplifies the modes of operation and the dire consequences of non-relational living; on the other, it elucidates the nature of relationality and explores how it is embodied in transformative practices in multiple spheres of life.
The authors provide an instructive account of the philosophical, scientific, social, and political sources of relational theory and action, with the aim of illuminating the transition from living within seemingly ineluctable ‘toxic loops’ of unrelational living (based on ontological dualism), to living within ‘relational weaves’ which we might co-create with multiple human and nonhuman others.
Get the Book

More information can be found at: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/relationality-9781350225992/

About the Authors
Arturo Escobar is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. His main interests are political ecology, ontological design, and the anthropology of globalization, social movements, and technoscience. He is the author of Designs for the Pluriverse (2018), and several other books including Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World (Princeton University Press, 1995), a seminal text in post-development studies. He is an activist-researcher from Cali, Colombia, working on territorial struggles against extractivism, postdevelopmentalist and post-capitalist transitions, and ontological design. Over the past three decades he has worked closely with several Afro-Colombian, environmental and feminist organizations on these issues.
Michal Osterweil is Teaching Associate Professor in Global Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. She is also a radical homemaker and community actionist. Her main areas of interest are social movements, new theories/imaginaries of social change and the intersection of knowledge production, epistemology and change work.
Kriti Sharma is a microbial ecologist and philosopher whose work bridges biology, philosophy, and art to re-tell “the story of life” not as struggle and scarcity, but as radical interdependence. She is Associate Professor of Critical Race Science and Technology Studies in CRES at UC Santa Cruz, and the author of Interdependence: Biology and Beyond (Fordham University Press, 2015).

Planetary Health and Innovation Panel
2026-04-30 16:00 - 19:00 | Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
Join us for an interactive conversation featuring visionary entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem experts at the forefront of global sustainability. This panel explores the intersection of environmental stewardship and cutting-edge solutions to drive meaningful impact. Following the discussion, please stay for a networking reception to connect with fellow attendees and industry leaders. It is a premier opportunity to exchange ideas and forge new partnerships within the planetary health space.

Your Next Degree: Business School
2026-04-30 17:00 - 18:30 | CA
Is business school the right next step for you? This webinar will feature admissions representatives from UCLA Anderson School of Management and other UC programs, offering an inside look at the application process, admissions requirements, and the range of business degrees available.
Designed for alumni at any stage of exploration, this session will help you assess whether business school aligns with your goals, understand the value it can bring to your career, and determine the right timing to apply. The session will conclude with a live Q&A, giving you the opportunity to ask questions directly to admissions professionals.
This program, hosted by UCLA, is open to alumni from all UC campuses.
Website for additional information
Registration link

Slugs at Sundown: CEO of Your Own Career
2026-04-30 17:30 - 19:30 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
Tired of the dreaded question, “So, what do you do?” Join us for a high-impact session designed to help you ditch the “humble brag” and start speaking like the CEO of your career. Our alumna career coach will guide you through a “Marketing Mindset” workshop, using timed journaling and a proven three-part formula to help you craft a powerful statement of your professional impact. You won’t just leave with a draft—you’ll have the chance to test-drive your new narrative immediately during our networking portion. Whether you’re leveling up or pivoting, come gain the confidence to own your value in a supportive, low-pressure environment.
Thursday, April 30
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
This workshop will be presented by Megan Rees (Porter ’99). Megan is a therapist, coach, and workplace consultant with nearly 20 years of experience helping people communicate more clearly and work better together. After studying theater at UC Santa Cruz, she earned a master’s degree in drama therapy at NYU, combining psychology, storytelling, and performance to help people better understand themselves and each other. Megan works with individuals, leaders, and teams to clarify their narrative, strengthen their professional presence, and build the trust and communication that sup11port collaboration and innovation.
Please register to confirm your attendance.

Summer Session Enrollment Open
2026-05-01 09:00 - 17:00 | https://events.ucsc.edu/event/summer-session-enrollment-open/2026-05-01/
Summer Session enrollment is now open! All continuing students can add classes in MyUCSC. Incoming students must register to enroll. Get ahead on your degree, explore new subjects, or catch up on requirements. Financial aid is available. Learn more and enroll at summer.ucsc.edu

Sequence to Survival: Using Genomics to Save Biodiversity
2026-05-01 13:00 - 17:00 | Cultural Center – Merrill College, 641 Merrill Rd, Santa Cruz, 95064, United States
A Free Public Symposium
Friday, May 1, 2026 Merrill Cultural Center, UC Santa Cruz Main Campus Doors open at 12:30 PM | Program begins at 1:00 PM
Registration is free but required!

In the 25 years since the Human Genome Project, scientists have sequenced the DNA of thousands of species. But what can genomics actually do for ecological conservation? The answers are both surprising and urgent. Join us for an afternoon at the cutting edge of conservation genomics as we explore everything from de-extinction to searching water samples for viral genomes, with researchers from the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute who are turning DNA into a tool for protecting life on Earth.
Keynote Speaker: Beth Shapiro Chief Science Officer, Colossal Biosciences Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Santa Cruz; Director of Conservation Genomics, UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute
Beth Shapiro leads the science behind Colossal Biosciences’ efforts to bring back the woolly mammoth and dire wolf. In her talk, “How and Why to Clone a Mammoth,” she’ll share what the science of de-extinction is revealing about how we can protect the species we still have — and why the tools being built for resurrection may be our best hope for preventing extinction in the first place.
Panel Discussion: Conservation Genomics in Action
Following the keynote, Beth joins a panel of researchers working on the front lines of conservation: helping kelp forests survive warming oceans, tracking the genetic health of California’s brown bears, monitoring biodiversity through DNA collected from soil and water, and partnering with Indigenous communities to protect species around the world. Panel participants include:

Beth Shapiro- Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz, CSO of Colossal Biosciences
David Haussler- Scientific Director of the UCSC Genomics Institute, Distinguished Professor of Biomolecular Engineering at UC Santa Cruz
Meaghan Clark- Postdoctoral Scholar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCSC
Katie Jones- Director of Community Engagement at Wise Ancestors
Joanna Kelly- Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz
Rachel Meyers – Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz, CSO of eDNA Explorer

Science Fair Showcase
Explore live demos and talk directly with researchers from some of the top conservation genomics labs in the country. Come curious.
Full list of table topics to come!
Schedule
12:30 PM — Doors open
1:00 PM — Welcome remarks
1:10 PM — Keynote: Beth Shapiro
1:50 PM — Panel discussion and Q&A
2:50 PM — Refreshments and science fair showcase
4:30 PM — Event close

Kuumbwa Jazz Presents – Gregorio Uribe
2026-05-04 07:00 - 20:00 | Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, 95060, United States
“Colombian artist Gregorio Uribe, whose blend of contemporary cumbia and timeless charisma has marked him as an artist to watch.” – Billboard
Uribe was recognized by the Colombian government as one of “The 100 Most Successful Colombians Abroad”, and has received honors from the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts for his contribution to Latin music. He is currently recording his fourth studio album, a groundbreaking collection of songs that will take the Colombian accordion to a new level of versatility. This concert date will feature a dynamic combination of solo and band performances.

Gregorio Uribe is a Latin GRAMMY-nominated Colombian singer-songwriter and accordionist. He graduated from Berklee College of Music and has performed his music at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and the New Orleans Jazz Fest, among others. He has collaborated with renowned artists such as Rubén Blades, Carlos Vives, and Paquito D’Rivera, as well as with folklore masters Alfredo Gutiérrez, Carmelo Torres, and Martina Camargo.
For more information: Kuumbwa Jazz – Gregorio Uribe

Presented by the Kuumbwa Jazz Center and Co-sponsored by The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz.
