Events

CSE Colloquium - The EU’s Cybersecurity Framework: what it is, what it means
2026-05-13 11:00 - 12:15 (America/Los_Angeles) | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Chris Jay Hoofnagle, Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius, Lothar Determann, Pieter T.J. Wolters
Abstract:
The European Union has enacted a comprehensive cybersecurity framework (the “Framework”) that imposes far-reaching obligations on developers of standalone software and connected products. This Article describes the European legislative approach before turning to a description of the Framework. Anchored by the Cyber Resilience Act and the Cybersecurity Act, and reinforced by a constellation of sector-specific measures, the Framework effectively creates a California-like-products-liability regime for software. It mandates extensive security-by-design obligations, imposes stringent conformity assessment and incident-reporting duties, and shifts substantial compliance burdens onto manufacturers, importers, and distributors. It even treats emotional wrongs caused by software as injurious. The Framework will take full effect in December 2027, meaning that companies must integrate its requirements into their current product cycles.
Bio: Chris Hoofnagle is professor of law in residence at the University of California, Berkeley, where he teaches tort law and cybersecurity.
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]

Research Lunch & Learn: Cost Sharing
2026-05-13 12:00 - 13:00 | https://events.ucsc.edu/event/research-lunch-learn-costsharing/
Join us on May 13, 2026, 12-1 p.m. for a session led by Deirdre Beach (Executive Director, Sponsored Programs) and Lindsey Demeritt (Executive Director, Research Financial Services), as they discuss the nuance and implications of cost sharing. This session will review the differences between mandatory and voluntary cost share, the requirements for committing cost sharing at proposal, and the mechanisms by which cost sharing is tracked throughout the award.
Join: Zoom link for this session.

Santa Cruz Launchpad Student Startup Competition & Job Fair
2026-05-13 12:00 - 19:00 | the Grove, 400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, United States
The 10th annual Santa Cruz Launchpad event combines a student startup competition with a community career fair, all under one roof! This year’s event takes place at the The Grove at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060) on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
The first half of the day spotlights emerging startups in a live startup competition, with cash prizes. The second half shifts into a job fair featuring 25+ local companies and 300+ opportunities, including part-time roles, full-time positions, and internships.
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND. ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

2026 Schedule
12-4pm: Student business plan pitches (open to the public)
4-4:45pm: Employer Table Setup
5-7pm: Job Fair + Networking (open to the public)
Student Startup Competition | 12-4pm
From 1-4pm, students will compete in a startup competition for cash prizes. The pitch competition portion of the event typically includes 12 student teams who each have five minutes each to deliver their pitches to a judge panel. Check out 2025 winners here. This year’s competition is open to both college and high school students in Santa Cruz County. If you are a student at UC Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College or a high school student in Santa Cruz County or Pajaro Valley Unified School District and would like to compete, click the button below.
Applications are due Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 5pm: https://bit.ly/4d9MaqW
Pitch Prize Categories for 2026

• Biotech/Health (QB3) = $5,000
• Social Impact = $5,000
• Technology = $5,000
• Main Street = $2,000
• Runners Up = $500 each
• People’s Choice Award = $2,000
• High School Award = $2,000

– Top winners eligible to participate in the SC Accelerates program.
– All teams will receive Santa Cruz Works Perks Package by OneValley (Value $1M)

– Every team that qualifies for the final round will receive a cash prize!

Job Fair | 5-7pm
From 5-7pm, job seekers will have the opportunity to interact with 20+ local companies offering 200+ jobs and internships ranging from engineering to marketing, healthcare, project management, sales, customer support, tech, and more.
This event allows students, job seekers, and professionals of all experience levels and backgrounds the opportunity to show off their resumes, find career opportunities, and make new connections. There is no charge for job seekers to attend the job fair. The job fair is open to the public (you do not need to be a student or pitch contest participant to participate). But all attendees must register in advance! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-cruz-launchpad-2026-tickets-1976673979082
Previous employers included Joby Aviation, Capstan Medica, Paystand, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Cruz Foam, Digital NEST, Bay Federal Credit Union, Mynt, Central California Alliance for Health, Unnatural Products, Santa Cruz Seaside Company, California Highway Patrol, BMO, PVUSD, and more.
A list of participating employers will be shared at the beginning of May.

This year’s event is proudly hosted by UCSC Center for Innovation and Development (CIED), UC Santa Cruz Innovation & Business Engagement Hub, UCSC Career Success, and UCSC QB3 Santa Cruz Works, Cabrillo College, , Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD), and Santa Cruz County Office of Education (SCCOE),

Free Attendee Registration

Employer Registration

Community Connections Annual Spring Scholarship Presentation
2026-05-13 14:00 - 16:00 | Arboretum, 122 Arboretum Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join Community Connections as we present scholarships to local first-year and re-entry students. This event is an opportunity to meet, congratulate, and celebrate with these outstanding students. Choral group Fiat Musica will sing, and the scholars will share their stories as we dine.
Register to attend in-person
2:00 p.m.
Presented by Community Connections at UC Santa Cruz.
Questions? Contact Sally Lester at sal@ucsc.edu

Building Belonging Program Student Showcase 2026
2026-05-13 15:00 - 17:30 | Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
Join us for the Institute for Social Transformation’s annual student showcase, celebrating the incredible work of our Building Belonging Fellows! This special event highlights the achievements of undergraduate research fellows. Each student will give a 2-minute lightning talk about a research project they worked on with a Social Sciences faculty mentor.
The event will be held in person on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. in the Seymour Center La Feliz Room, followed by an outdoor reception with light refreshments on the Oceanview Terrace from 5:00–5:30 p.m.
All are welcome—students, faculty, staff, family, and friends—we look forward to celebrating together!
RSVP HERE
Sponsored by:
The Institute for Social Transformation and the Division of Social Sciences
For questions, you can reach us at transform@ucsc.edu

Chat with the Chair: Conversations on AI
2026-05-13 18:00 - 19:00 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
Curious about the newest developments in artificial intelligence?
Join us for Chat with the AI Chair, a monthly drop-in conversation designed for professionals who want to stay ahead of emerging AI trends.
Event details
Praveen Krishna, chair of the Artificial Intelligence Application Development certificate program, will lead the informal discussion about what this technology means for developers, professionals, and organizations adopting AI tools.
Format: Online discussion + open Q&A
When: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month
Who should attend: Developers, technologists, product managers, and professionals exploring AI tools and automation
This is a casual, interactive session—bring your questions, share your experience, and hear directly from an AI educator working at the forefront of applied AI training. You’ll get an insider’s look at the technologies shaping the next generation of AI—and what you need to know to stay ahead.
Register
CLAIM YOUR SEAT.

What is Mythos? Conversations on AI
2026-05-13 18:00 - 19:00 | Silicon Valley Campus, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
What do we know about Mythos?
Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, a next-generation, general-purpose AI model with 10 trillion parameters, is the most powerful AI developed to date. It is highly capable of advanced reasoning, coding, and autonomously identifying and exploiting complex software vulnerabilities, creating significant cybersecurity risks.
Join us for Chat with Praveen Krishna, chair of our AI program, a monthly drop-in conversation about the latest developments in artificial intelligence and what this technology means for developers, professionals, and organizations adopting AI tools.
What you need to know to stay ahead
This is a casual, interactive session. Bring your questions, share your experience, and hear directly from an AI educator working at the forefront of applied AI training. You’ll get an insider’s look at the technologies shaping the next generation of AI.
Event details

Speaker: Praveen Krishna, AI chair, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension
Format: Online discussion + open Q&A about the latest news in AI
When: 2nd Wednesday of the month
Who should attend: Developers, technologists, product managers, and professionals exploring AI tools and automation

Claim your seat today.
Share your perspective. Plan your learning.
Visit our Artificial Intelligence program page to learn more about our AI offerings.

2026 Robert L. Sinsheimer Distinguished Lecture in Biology: Global Vaccines and Immunizations in a Time of Climate Change, Mega Cities, and Anti-science
2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Colleges Nine and John R. Lewis College Multi-purpose Room, 615 College Nine Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join us for an evening with Dr. Peter Hotez, a world-renowned vaccine scientist, pediatrician, and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. A graduate of Yale, Cornell, and Rockefeller University, Dr. Hotez has dedicated his career to global health, co-developing low-cost COVID-19 vaccines administered to over 100 million people in India and Indonesia.
Beyond the lab, Dr. Hotez is one of the nation’s most prominent “science explainers,” tirelessly combating the rise of anti-science sentiment. In this lecture, he will discuss the themes of his current book, Science Under Siege (co-authored with climate scientist Michael Mann), offering a front-line perspective on defending scientific integrity and public health in an era of unprecedented challenge.

Run Like a Slug 5k
2026-05-15 12:00 | Upper East Field
The UC Santa Cruz Department of Athletics and Recreation is proud to announce the second annual Run Like a Slug 5k. Banana Slugs can register here for the race.
Get ready to embrace your inner Banana Slug at the Run Like A Slug 5k Fun Run! Join fellow students, staff, and faculty members for a scenic and spirited run (or walk!) through the beautiful UC Santa Cruz campus. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just looking for a fun way to get active, this event is perfect for all paces—sluggish or speedy.
Expect a laid-back, supportive atmosphere, some slug-themed surprises, and a great way to enjoy the outdoors before finals. Costumes and UCSC pride are encouraged.
Perks include fun giveaways, music, and post-race refreshments.
Lace up, take it slow (or fast), and Run Like A Slug!
Register here »
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.

Risk Services & Occupational Health's Campus Wellness Fair
2026-05-15 12:00 - 14:00 | Upper East Field
Friday, May 15, 12:00 PM -2:00 PM

Where: Upper East Field
The Risk Services & Occupational Health’s Campus Wellness Fair is a fun-filled event open to all students, staff, and faculty. It will showcase the many UCSC departments, programs, and resources on campus that help contribute to a culture of well-being on our campus. You can go visit to their tables, learn what they have to offer, grab some giveaway items, and maybe even win some prizes!
Fill out the tabling request form by Monday, April 20, to showcase how your department contributes to a culture of well-being!

To learn more, visit the Campus Wellness Fair website.
For questions, please reach out to Ashley Parker, Health and Well-being Specialist, at aseparke@ucsc.edu.

STEM Culture Festival
2026-05-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join us for a celebration of UCSC’s vibrant, innovative, and diverse STEM community featuring:

Musical performances
Dance lessons
STEM-themed drag shows
Inspirational talks
Student organization tabling
Student-led games & activities
FREE tacos

This is a rare opportunity for UCSC to come together at Baskin Engineering for an exuberant and colorful celebration – don’t miss out!
This event will be sponsored by Baskin Engineering, the Women’s Center, the Cantu Queer Center, and the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute.

UCSC Graduate Research Symposium
2026-05-15 13:00 - 16:00 | McHenry Library, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Friday, May 15, 1:00-4:00 PM (PDT)
McHenry Library | Information Commons South on the Main Floor
We are delighted to invite you to the 22nd Annual Graduate Research Symposium!
This event celebrates and highlights the work of UCSC graduate students in all academic divisions. Any enrolled graduate student is welcome to present either a poster, talk, or mixed media presentation. The event is free and open to the public. Please see the Graduate Division website for more information.

2026 Graduate Research Symposium
2026-05-15 13:00 - 16:00 | McHenry Library, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
UCSC 22nd Annual Graduate Research Symposium
Friday, May 15, 1:00-4:00 PM (PDT)
McHenry Library | Information Commons South on the Main Floor
This event celebrates and highlights the work of UCSC graduate students in all academic divisions. Any enrolled graduate student is welcome to present either a poster, talk, or mixed media presentation. The event is free and open to the public.

Rasanblé/Rasanblaj: Call & Response
2026-05-15 17:30 - 19:00 | Institute of the Arts and Sciences, 100 Panetta Ave, Santa Cruz, United States
Join us for an evening of call and response between Portsha Jefferson, dancer and artistic director of Rara Tou Limen, and artist-scholar Gina Athena Ulysse. Jefferson will offer a Haitian dance response to Ulysse’s art exhibition Redwoods Rasanblaj: Origins & Disentanglements and screen her short film IMAMOU: Hotô to Shore… Agbe | Agwe. Ulysse will read from her memoir, Loving Haiti, Loving Vodou. A dialogue between Jefferson and Ulysse will follow.

UCSC Concert Choir
2026-05-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
UCSC Concert Choir performs in a spring quarter concert.
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ADMISSION
– General admission.
– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).
– Tickets available online through Eventbrite only.
– Follow the Music Dept on Eventbrite for notices 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.
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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.

Who Can I Run To?, by Alyssa Windom—2026 Dharma Grace Creative Writing Award and Theatrical Production
2026-05-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Second Stage, Second Stage, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Through their belief in Ifá and the divine, three generations of women grow their relationships with each other and navigate living within their African diasporic identities in undergraduate student Alyssa Windom‘s award-winning script, Who Can I Run To? Windom is a 3rd year History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC) major with the Arts Division at UC Santa Cruz and is the recipient of the 2026 Dharma Grace Creative Writing Award. The award includes a full theatrical production of their script.
In a modern, undisclosed time and a familiar yet unvisited space within the Americas, the audience meets four women, Lucia, Esme, Naia, and Aviva, three generations of the Sandorson family. The play follows each woman as they navigate how to live within the African diaspora, as well as grow their relationships with each other. Families are complex, but audiences learn this family does not have to figure out this life alone. Their belief in Ifá, and the divine, connects each woman with a guiding orisha that aids them in discovering themselves and their life paths.
Who Can I Run To? is directed by Theater Arts graduate student Darren Jackson-Wilkins.
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ADVISORIES
– May contain mature themes.
– To request accessibility accommodations, or for more information, contact theaterartstickets@ucsc.edu.
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ADMISSION
– Attend in person at UCSC’s Theater Arts Second Stage.
– Free for UCSC undergrads (ticket required).
– General admission “Pay What You Like” options $5–20.
– Tickets issued through Eventbrite only.
– Follow the Dept. of Performance, Play & Design on Eventbrite for notifications and updates.
– 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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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
This production has seven performances over two weekends between May 15 and May 24, 2026, with 7:30 p.m. evening performances Thurs.–Sat., and Sun. matinees at 2:00 p.m., including:
– Fri. May 15, 7:30 p.m.
– Sat. May 16, 7:30 p.m.
– Sun. May 17, 2:00 p.m. matinee
– Thu. May 21, 7:30 p.m.
– Fri. May 22, 7:30 p.m.
– Sat. May 23, 7:30 p.m.
– Sun. May 24, 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 THE PLAYWRIGHT
The 2026 Dharma Grace Creative Writing Award recipient, Alyssa Windom, is currently the chair of the Student Union Governance Board and co-Chair of the Black Student Union at UC Santa Cruz. Outside of organizing, she is a resident advisor for African, Black and Caribbean housing, a volunteer with Engaging Education, a frequenter in Cultural Arts and Diversity Resource Center (CADrc) spaces—such as Rainbow Theater and the African American Theater Arts Troupe—and is a member of Kasama, a Filipino Ballroom Dance Troupe. Windom is a 3rd year History of Art and Visual Culture major at UC Santa Cruz.
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ABOUT THE AWARD
Established in 2005, the Dharma-Grace Foundation Creative Writing Award Fund, an endowed fund, provides an award for an outstanding script, written by a junior or senior undergraduate student (from any discipline) who is in good academic standing. The award is designated to provide funding for a full production of the script. Eligible candidates for the award are selected by a faculty committee of the Department of Performance, Play & Design and recommended to the Dean of the Division of Arts for final approval. UCSC students interested in submitting a dramatic work to the 2028 award cycle are invited to learn more at the PPD website here.
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This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

La Alegria del Mariachi with guest artist Lupita Infante
2026-05-16 19:30 - 21:30 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Audiences are invited to Alegria Del Mariachi, featuring international guest artist/composer Lupita Infante, granddaughter of the legendary Pedro Infante, and students performing with the UCSC Mariachi Ensemble and Mariachi Eterno de UCSC.
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ADMISSION
– Attend in person at the Music Center Recital Hall at UC Santa Cruz.
– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).
– General admission tickets $5–12.
– Tickets online through Eventbrite only.
– Follow the Music Dept on Eventbrite for notices 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.
—
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.
– 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.

OLLI at UCSC Sunday Speaker Meeting
2026-05-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Colleges Nine and John R. Lewis College Multi-purpose Room, 615 College Nine Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
OLLI Hosts Michael Hutchinson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Santa Cruz invites the public to an in-person presentation from 10:00 to noon on Sunday, May 17th, in the Colleges Nine/Lewis Multipurpose Room at UCSC.
Join us for a social hour and a presentation.
OLLI at UCSC is a community of adults from diverse educational, occupational, and geographic backgrounds who are devoted to the pursuit of learning. This event is free and open to the public. Bring a friend. Coffee and nibbles will be served.
For directions and free parking information, visit: https://olli.ucsc.edu/monthly-gatherings/location-directions-and-parking/
Free and open to the public

Presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Santa Cruz.

DMA Recital—Maisha Lani
2026-05-17 15:00 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Graduate student Maisha Lani debuts new compositions composed over the course of two years in the D.M.A. Music Composition program at UC Santa Cruz. The pieces range in instrumentation and style: from a blues to a post-tonal work, consisting of vibraphone and stringed instruments, to afrobeat inspired compositions, to graphic scores and improvisation. Audiences are invited to an afternoon of emotional exploration and incantations in this graduate student recital.
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ADMISSION
– Free and open to the public
– Attend in-person at the Music Center Recital Hall at UC Santa Cruz
– Open admission (no ticket or registration required)
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PARKING
– Parking by UCSC permit, ParkMobile, or $11 cash/check/credit via the on-site parking attendant at the event.
– 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.
– 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.

Statistics Seminar: Unifying Regression-Based and Design-Based Causal Inference in Time-Series Experiments and Crossover Experiments
2026-05-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Peng Ding, Associate Professor, UC Berkeley
Description: I will present some recent results on unifying regression-based and design-based causal inference in time-series experiments and crossover experiments. Part I: Time-series experiments, also called switchback experiments or N-of-1 trials, play increasingly important roles in modern applications in medical and industrial areas. Under the potential outcomes framework, recent research has studied time-series experiments from the design-based perspective, relying solely on the randomness in the design to drive the statistical inference. Focusing on simpler statistical methods, we examine the design-based properties of regression- based methods for estimating treatment effects in time-series experiments. We demonstrate that the treatment effects of interest can be consistently estimated using ordinary least squares with an appropriately specified working model and transformed regressors. Additionally, we show that asymptotically, the heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent variance estimators provide conservative estimates of the true, design-based variances. This part is based on https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.22864
Part II: Crossover designs randomly assign each unit to receive a sequence of treatments. By comparing outcomes within the same unit, these designs can effectively eliminate between-unit variation and facilitate the identification of both instantaneous effects of current treatments and carryover effects from past treatments. They are widely used in traditional biomedical studies and are increasingly adopted in modern digital platforms. However, standard analyses of crossover designs often rely on strong parametric models, making inference vulnerable to model misspecification. We unify the analysis of crossover designs using least squares, with restrictions on the coefficients and weights on the units. Based on the theory, we recommend specifying the regression function, weighting scheme, and coefficient restrictions to assess identifiability, construct efficient estimators, and estimate variances in a unified manner. This part is based on https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.09215
About the speaker: Peng Ding is an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at UC Berkeley. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Statistics, Harvard University in May 2015 and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health until December 2015. Previously, he received his B.S. in Mathematics, B.A. in Economics, and M.S. in Statistics from Peking University.
This seminar is hosted by Professor Allen Kei.

Privacy’s Defender: Fight Against Digital Surveillance with Cindy Cohn
2026-05-19 12:00 - 13:30 | Humanities 1 Building, 257 Cowell-Stevenson Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Privacy’s Defender
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Executive Director Cindy Cohn’s Journey Inside the Privacy Battles That Shaped Today’s Internet
Cindy Cohn has devoted her life to the fight for digital rights. She’s tangled with federal officials to keep our online conversations secure from the government’s prying eyes, fought to ensure that you are told when your information has been turned over to the government, and argued before judges to protect our right to speak and to share science and knowledge on the internet.
In Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance (MIT Press), Cindy weaves her own personal story with her role as a leading legal voice representing the rights and interests of technology users, innovators, whistleblowers, and researchers during the Crypto Wars of the 1990s, battles over NSA’s dragnet internet spying revealed in the 2000s, and the fight against FBI gag orders.
During this national book tour, Cindy will be at UC Santa Cruz to give a book talk on May 19, 2026 from 12:00-1:30 pm.
Free and open to the public with registration.
RSVP HERE to attend in-person or on Zoom.
In-Person location: UCSC Humanities 1, Room 210 (map link)
Virtual: Zoom link will be sent separately
Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which works to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice and innovation for all the people of the world. Before becoming Executive Director a decade ago, Cindy was the organization’s Legal Director from 2000-2015, and led the organization’s impact litigation work on bringing balance to copyright law, stopping mass spying and protecting freedom of expression online. She’s won many awards for her work and even more court decisions.

UCSC co-sponsors:
Institute for Social Transformation, The Humanities Institute, Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas, The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS), and the Security Research Lab.

The Deep Read: Faculty Salon on Entangled Life
2026-05-19 18:00 | Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Join us for a salon-style event at the Hay Barn on campus where our participating Deep Read faculty, Professors Benjamin Breen (History), Gregory Gilbert (Environmental Studies), and Donna Haraway (History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies) will give brief presentations and discuss Entangled Life with the Deep Read community in a Q&A moderated by Deep Read Faculty Co-Lead, Laura Martin. Participants can also attend virtually.

In person at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn. Doors open at 5:30pm.
Event Logistics: Bicycling, carpooling, ridesharing, and public transportation are encouraged as parking is limited on campus. If you drive to the event, please plan to park in UCSC Lot #115 or #116. To reach these lots, proceed through the main entrance to campus, continue up the hill from the information kiosk on Coolidge, then turn right at the Ranch View/Carriage House Road stoplight into the Carriage House/Campus Facilities parking lot. The Hay Barn is a 5-minute walk across the street from the parking lot. There will be directional signage to help you get to the correct parking lot and the Hay Barn entrance. Overflow parking will be available in lot #122. View the campus parking map here.

The Deep Read is an annual program of The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz made possible through the generous support of the Helen and Will Webster Foundation. We invite curious minds to think deeply about books and the most pressing issues of our contemporary moment.

Annual BE Student Project Showcase
2026-05-21 09:00 - 14:30 | CA
Join Baskin Engineering for our annual Student Project Showcase to celebrate the innovative work and accomplishments of undergraduate engineers in capstone courses and research pathways. The broader campus community, parents, and industry partners are invited to view the culmination of student work.
The day begins with oral presentations from nominated “best-in-class” teams and those working on industry-sponsored projects. Following this, all students will participate in a comprehensive Poster Session featuring project outcomes with some teams including table-top demonstrations of functional hardware.
Event Details:

Date: May 21, 2026
Oral Presentations (Nominated/Industry Teams): 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, Engineering 2, Room 180
Poster Session (All Student Teams): 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM, Engineering Courtyard

Something held by poetry
2026-05-22 12:00 - 14:00 | Institute of the Arts and Sciences, 100 Panetta Ave, Santa Cruz, United States
In this intimate workshop, UC Santa Cruz students, faculty, and staff are invited into conversation with poets Ronaldo V. Wilson and Terri Witek. Something held by poetry is programmed for Wilson’s multimedia exhibition, there are no words, but melodies, currently on view at the IAS.
RSVP is required.

Ronaldo V. Wilson is a poet, interdisciplinary artist, academic, and the author of Narrative of the Life of the Brown Boy and the White Man, winner of the Cave Canem Prize; Poems of the Black Object, winner of the Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry and the Asian American Literary Award in Poetry; Farther Traveler: Poetry, Prose, Other, and Lucy 72. His latest books are Carmelina: Figures and Virgil Kills: Stories. He is the editor of three special issues of hybrid and experimental work in Interim: A Journal of Poetry and Poetics; and Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora. Wilson is Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at U.C. Santa Cruz, where he directs the Creative Writing Program, and serves on the core faculty of the Creative Critical PhD Program; principal faculty member of CRES (Critical Race and Ethnic Studies); and affiliate faculty member of DANM (Digital Arts and New Media).

Terri Witek’s most recent books include her 2026 eco-poetics collection with Amaranth Borsuk, W/ SH, which loops two rain prophets, both women, into a crisis between future worlds, and 2023’s Something’s Missing in This Museum (Anhinga Press). A translation by Dona Mayoora of 2018’s The Rape Kit into Malayalam is forthcoming. Her work has been included in many anthologies, including 2 from 2021: JUDITH: Women Making Visual Poetry (Timglaset Editions ) and the WAAVe Global Gallery (Hysterical Books). Witek’s solo and collaborative work has been featured in a wide variety of text venues, including Fence, The Colorado Review, Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, American Poetry Review, Poetry, Slate, Hudson Review, Lana Turner, The New Republic, and UTSANGA .

Opening Reception: Envisioning Health for All Photo Exhibit!
2026-05-22 15:00 - 16:00 | McHenry Library, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Please join us for an Opening Reception of two student photo exhibits, focusing on health justice. Students across all divisions, undergrad or grad, visually explore global and community health. Photography is a powerful way to represent our care and concern for health justice beyond the university.
Exhibit will be held in conjunction with “Between Two Worlds,”a Photovoice exhibition funded by the UCSC Center for Economic Justice and Action (CEJA). We hope you can join us!

Volunteer Workday at the UCSC Farm
2026-05-23 11:00 - 13:00 | UCSC Farm, 152 Farm Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Spend a morning working at the UCSC Farm in the Community Herb Garden, a BIPOC-centered garden space committed to uplifting knowledge of herbal medicine with fellow volunteers and Center for Agroecology student staff. Tasks may include pruning, mulching, weeding, or hand tilling. Please come prepared with adequate shoes, water, and sun protection. We will provide all the necessary tools, but request that volunteers bring their own work gloves. Heavy rain will cancel.
Free parking is available in UCSC Lots 168 (the Village), 115, and 116. Please do not park in the dirt lot at the farm’s back gate. Biking, carpooling, and busing are encouraged.
RSVP

The Deep Read: The Literature and Poetics of Fungi Salon
2026-05-26 18:00 | Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Join us for a salon-style event at the Hay Barn on campus where we will hold a salon focused on the literary and poetic influence of fungi and its relation to Entangled Life. The salon will feature Professors Hannah Cole (Assistant Professor of Literature at UC Santa Cruz), Brenda Hillman (Professor Emerita of Poetry at Saint Mary’s College), A. Laurie Palmer (Professor Emerita of Art at UC Santa Cruz), and Jennifer Tseng (Associate Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at UC Santa Cruz) in conversation with moderator Laura Martin and the Deep Read community. Participants can also attend virtually.

In person at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn. Doors open at 5:30pm.
Event Logistics: Bicycling, carpooling, ridesharing, and public transportation are encouraged as parking is limited on campus. If you drive to the event, please plan to park in UCSC Lot #115 or #116. To reach these lots, proceed through the main entrance to campus, continue up the hill from the information kiosk on Coolidge, then turn right at the Ranch View/Carriage House Road stoplight into the Carriage House/Campus Facilities parking lot. The Hay Barn is a 5-minute walk across the street from the parking lot. There will be directional signage to help you get to the correct parking lot and the Hay Barn entrance. Overflow parking will be available in lot #122. View the campus parking map here.

The Deep Read is an annual program of The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz made possible through the generous support of the Helen and Will Webster Foundation. We invite curious minds to think deeply about books and the most pressing issues of our contemporary moment.

CSE Colloquium - Learning to Image: Computational Microscopy for Dynamic Systems
2026-05-27 11:00 - 12:30 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Laura Waller, UC Berkeley
Abstract:
Computational imaging jointly designs hardware and algorithms to push beyond the classical limits of imaging, enabling measurement of new quantities (e.g. 3D, phase, and super-resolution) with simple, inexpensive hardware. These approaches have already transformed consumer photography; our goal is to achieve a similar transformation in scientific microscopy.
In this talk, I will show how end-to-end learning is reshaping the design of imaging systems, from programmable illumination with LED arrays to compact, lensless cameras built from Scotch tape. By combining physical models with neural networks, we can jointly learn how to capture data, reconstruct images, and self-calibrate systems that would otherwise be too complex to model. However, many computational methods rely on multiple measurements, limiting their use for live, dynamic samples. I will introduce new space-time algorithms based on implicit neural representations (INRs) that jointly recover structure and motion, correct artifacts, and enable high-resolution imaging in regimes where traditional approaches fail.
Bio:
Laura Waller is the Charles A. Desoer Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. She received B.S., M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004, 2005 and 2010. After that, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer of Physics at Princeton University from 2010-2012. She is a Packard Fellow for Science & Engineering, Moore Foundation Data-driven Investigator, OSA Fellow, and Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. She has received the Carol D. Soc Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Award, OSA Adolph Lomb Medal, the SPIE Early Career Award and the Max Planck-Humboldt Medal.
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]

“So, There We Were...” – Celebrating the Untold Stories Behind the Discoveries
2026-05-27 17:00 - 19:30 | Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
To celebrate another year of profound discoveries, uplifting unheard voices, and opening up the world for the next generation of students, the Academic Senate is planning a year-end celebratory event on Wednesday, May 27, 5-7:30 pm (week 9), at the Haybarn. But lest you think this is yet one more end-of-year academic event with mind-numbing presentations and hard-to-read powerpoint slides, think again. This Scholarly Event is an excuse for us to do what we never get to do: come together to share the real stories behind our work and, most of all, HAVE FUN! In this spirit we are launching a celebratory event to feature the true but unknown, the odd, the awkward, and just plain unbelievable stories behind our research:
“So, There We Were…”
Celebrating the Untold Stories Behind the Discoveries
These might be the adventures, misadventures, revelations, miscues, or simply the “you would never believe it all worked out” moments that we have all experienced but rarely talk about (at least not in public). These are the stories that our friends, neighbors, and students want to hear, but never would make it into scholarly publications or presentations. These are the stories we swap with our colleagues over drinks. While this event is intended primarily for faculty, the campus community and community members will be welcome to attend (in other words, feel free to bring your kids, your partner, your neighbors).
We are therefore soliciting applications (or nominations if you know someone—including yourself—who really needs to share that story) to regale your colleagues with details about “that time that…(fill in the blank),” while showing how those hidden moments shaped what finally came out of that research. This is meant to be a lighthearted and fun event, so while having the audience learn something about what you do and why it is SO COOL is very good, our focus will remain on humor, fun, and engaging tales. As the Ig Nobel Awards put it: “First make them laugh…then make them think!”
Presenters will give a ~10 min TED style talk. Talks must begin with the phrase “So, there we were” (or “So, there I was” ) and they should feature the adventurous, the bizarre, and ideally the humorous in your research. Absolutely no tedious powerpoints, jargon, or literature background review will be allowed.
A reception will follow. Or it may precede, or even take place during, the event. But rest assured, we will be celebrating in style. Please submit your nominations following instructions below, and we expect to see you there.
Faculty, for nominations of yourself (or someone else):
Please send to Senate@ucsc.edu, with subject line “So there we were”

For you: By April 17
A Title, and a brief (no more than 500 words!) description of your proposed talk. It must begin with “So there we were” or “So there I was.” You must also include a statement that you understand this must be fun and that you understand that erudite jargon, literature review, or tedious explication are completely unacceptable. Any supporting details that demonstrate your enthusiasm for your subject and its presentation are welcome.
For someone else: Immediately! (or sooner)
Submit the person’s name, email, and the story or topic that makes you think they really should be harangued by us to apply.
NB: There may well be prizes. But we have not gotten quite that far yet.
