Events

Statistics Seminar: Sampling Depth Trade-Off in Function Estimation Under a Two-Level Design
2025-10-27 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Presenter: Akira Horiguchi, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis
Description: Many modern statistical applications involve a two-level sampling scheme that first samples subjects from a population and then samples observations on each subject. These schemes often are designed to learn both the population-level functional structures shared by the subjects and the functional characteristics specific to individual subjects. Common wisdom suggests that learning population-level structures benefits from sampling more subjects whereas learning subject-specific structures benefits from deeper sampling within each subject. Oftentimes these two objectives compete for limited sampling resources, which raises the question of how to optimally sample at the two levels. We quantify such sampling-depth trade-offs by establishing the L_2 minimax risk rates for learning the population-level and subject-specific structures under a hierarchical Gaussian process model framework where we consider a Bayesian and a frequentist perspective on the unknown population-level structure. These rates provide general lessons for designing two-level sampling schemes given a fixed sampling budget. Interestingly, they show that subject-specific learning occasionally benefits more by sampling more subjects than by deeper within-subject sampling. We show that the corresponding minimax rates can be readily achieved in practice through simple adaptive estimators without assuming prior knowledge on the underlying variability at the two sampling levels. We validate our theory and illustrate the sampling trade-off in practice through both simulation experiments and two real datasets. While we carry out all the theoretical analysis in the context of Gaussian process models for analytical tractability, the results provide insights on effective two-level sampling designs more broadly.
Bio: Akira Horiguchi is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Davis. He was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Statistical Science at Duke University, advised by Professors Li Ma and Cliburn Chan. He completed his Ph.D. in Statistics at The Ohio State University, advised by Professors Matthew T. Pratola and Thomas J. Santner. His research interests include improving nonparametric inference for flow cytometry data, developing sensitivity analysis tools for regression trees, and developing tree-based methods for tensor regression.
Hosted by: Professor Paul Parker

AM Seminar: Why do we care about inertial waves on the Sun?
2025-10-27 16:00 - 17:00 | CA
Presenter: Ms. Catherine Blume, University of Colorado-Boulder
Description: Recent observations of Rossby waves and other inertial oscillations in the Sun’s convection zone have kindled the hope that such waves might be used as a seismic probe of the Sun’s interior. Here, we present a 3D numerical simulation in spherical geometry that models the Sun’s convection zone and upper radiative interior. This model features a wide variety of inertial oscillations, including both sectoral and tesseral Rossby waves, retrograde mixed inertial modes, prograde thermal Rossby waves, and the recently observed high-frequency retrograde (HFR) vorticity modes. In this talk, we’ll explore these different waves, their physical impact, and their potential helioseismic utility.
Bio: Catherine Blume is an astrophysics PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she works with Brad Hindman studying solar inertial waves.
Hosted by: Professor Julie Simons

Julian Brave NoiseCat - We Survived the Night
2025-10-27 19:00 - 20:00 | London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz, United States
Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes Julian Brave NoiseCat who will share his stunning debut We Survived the Night. Drawing from five years of on-the-ground reporting, We Survived the Night paints a profound and unforgettable portrait of contemporary Indigenous life, alongside an intimate and deeply powerful reckoning between a father and a son. Soulful, formally daring, indelible work from an important new voice.
This event is cosponsored by the American Indian Resource Center and The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz. It will take place at the London Nelson Community Center.

“Written in gorgeous, sparse prose, We Survived the Night reads like a novel. Told with a blistering honesty, the truth and grit create a beautifully woven coyote story we haven’t heard before. This is a love letter to Oakland, to the Canim Lake Band Tsq’secen of the Secwepemc Nation, to a father from his son, to the act of being a Native person in the twenty first century finding ways to love even through all that wounds have opened and wrought. With this, Julian Brave NoiseCat has written a book I’ve been waiting my whole life to read.” —Tommy Orange
A stunning narrative from one of the most powerful young writers at work today—We Survived the Night (Knopf) interweaves oral history with hard-hitting journalism and a deeply personal father-son journey into a searing portrait of Indigenous survival, love, and resurgence.
Julian Brave NoiseCat’s childhood was rich with culture and contradictions. When his Secwépemc and St’at’imc father, an artist haunted by a turbulent past, abandoned the family, he and his non-Native mother were embraced by the urban Native community in Oakland, California, as well as by family on the Canim Lake Indian Reserve in British Columbia. In his father’s absence, NoiseCat immersed himself in Native history and culture to understand the man he seldom saw—his past, his story, where he came from—and, by extension, himself.
Years later, NoiseCat sets out across the continent to correct the erasure, invisibility, and misconceptions surrounding the First Peoples of this land, as he develops his voice as a storyteller and artist in his own right.
Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, champion powwow dancer, and student of Salish art and history. His writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker. NoiseCat has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2022 American Mosaic Journalism Prize and many National Native Media Awards. He was a finalist for the Livingston Award and multiple Canadian National Magazine Awards, and was named to the TIME100 Next list in 2021. His first documentary, Sugarcane, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. Directed alongside Emily Kassie, Sugarcane premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where NoiseCat and Kassie won the Directing Award in U.S. Documentary. NoiseCat is a proud member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq̓éscen̓ and descendant of the Líl̓wat Nation of Mount Currie. We Survived the Night is his first book.

Alatawi, A. (ECE) - Learning-Based Channel Estimation for Next-Generation Wireless Communications
2025-10-28 10:00 - 12:00
Accurate Channel State Information (CSI) is critical for coherent detection, equalization, and adaptive resource allocation in modern wireless systems. Traditional estimators rely on stationary statistical models, and many learning-based methods assume training and deployment conditions are matched. In practice, these assumptions break down under user mobility and environmental dynamics, leading to degraded performance. This proposal explores machine-learning approaches for channel estimation that address two complementary challenges.
First, we develop an adaptive deep neural network (ADNN) for single-input single-output links over slowly time-varying channels. The method converts readily available physical-layer feedback—cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ)—into reliable self-supervision. Specifically, packets decoded without errors are re-estimated using least squares (LS) across all symbols to generate high-quality labels, and the DNN weights are periodically updated online. This design eliminates the need for ground-truth labels at deployment and enables continual learning. Simulations show that the ADNN tracks distributional shifts and recovers near–linear minimum mean-square error (LMMSE) performance in both mean-square error (MSE) and symbol error rate (SER), whereas a fixed offline-trained DNN degrades as channel statistics change.
Second, we propose a sequence-to-sequence LSTM estimator for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). The model exploits both temporal and frequency correlation by taking LS pilot estimates from several previous OFDM blocks as input and reconstructing the full channel frequency response of the current block. Trained on realistic time-selective channels such as WINNER II, the LSTM outperforms LS interpolation and recent super-resolution–based methods across a wide range of SNRs, pilot densities, and temporal window sizes.
Finally, the proposal outlines future research on semantic-aware channel estimation using CSI timeliness, and enhanced sequence models with DNN-refined pilots, whole-block inputs, and efficient GRU architectures.
Event Host: Abdulaziz Alatawi, Ph.D. Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Advisor: Hamid Sadjadpour & Zouheir Rezki
Zoom- https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/94895993579?pwd=[REDACTED]
Passcode- 884927

CSE Colloquium: A Journey from Programming Systems Research to AI Agents
2025-10-28 11:00 - 12:15 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Speaker: Koushik Sen, UC Berkeley and Google DeepMind
Abstract: Coding has emerged as an important application area for large language models (LLMs), with a proliferation of code-specific models and their applications across various domains and tasks such as program repair, performance optimization, debugging, test generation, documentation, and security hardening. In this talk, I will describe how we built powerful coding agents such as R2E-Gym and DeepSWE using test-driven methodology for solving various kinds of coding tasks, such as repair, optimization, security vulnerability detection, and refactoring. I will also discuss a novel technique, called GEPA, for domain-specific optimization of AI agent systems, which has shown a significant advantage over reinforcement learning.
Bio: Koushik Sen is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. His research interest lies in Software Engineering, Programming Languages, and AI. He is interested in developing software tools and methodologies that improve programmer productivity and software quality. He is known for his work on “DART: Directed Automated Random Testing,” concolic testing, and LiveCodeBench. He has received a NSF CAREER Award in 2008, a Haifa Verification Conference (HVC) Award in 2009, a IFIP TC2 Manfred Paul Award for Excellence in Software: Theory and Practice in 2010, a Sloan Foundation Fellowship in 2011, a Professor R. Narasimhan Lecture Award in 2014, an Okawa Foundation Research Grant in 2015, and an ACM SIGSOFT Impact Paper Award in 2019. He has won several ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Awards. He received the C.L. and Jane W-S. Liu Award in 2004, the C. W. Gear Outstanding Graduate Award in 2005, and the David J. Kuck Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award in 2007, and a Distinguished Alumni Educator Award in 2014 from the UIUC Department of Computer Science. He holds a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in CS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Hosted by: Professor Mohsen Lesani
Location: Engineering 2, E2-180 (Refreshments such as coffee and pastries will be provided.)
Zoom: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/93445911992?pwd=[REDACTED]

2025 Graduate & Professional School Fair (DAY 1)
2025-10-28 11:00 - 14:00 | Stevenson Event Center, Stevenson Service Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
You’re invited to join us, open to all majors!
Undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni interested in pursuing continuing education opportunities are invited to attend. Get the chance to meet admission representatives seeking to share insight into their respective graduate and professional school programs and discuss ways in which to stand out in the application process.
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.
You will receive registration and additional information to your email from Career Success via Handshake. Please make sure to check your junk/spam folder if you are not receiving any communication.
Questions? Send to csuccess@ucsc.edu or visit Career Success at Hahn 125 East Entrance
Need accessibility support? Let us know at slugtalent@ucsc.edu at least two weeks prior to the fair date.

Genomics Rooftop Mixer
2025-10-28 16:00 - 19:00 | Anton Pacific Apartments rooftop, 800 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, United States
On October 28, the rooftop will come alive with the energy of science, entrepreneurship, and community as the Genomics Rooftop Mixer brings together leaders from genomics and biotechnology to shape the future of health, science, and technology. Hosted in collaboration with UC Santa Cruz researchers, this event is a rare opportunity to experience the cutting edge of discovery in one of the fastest-moving fields in the world.
The evening is designed as more than just another networking reception. Guests will hear lightning talks that distill complex science into compelling insights, while table demonstrations will provide the chance to ask questions directly to the researchers breaking new ground. For entrepreneurs, investors, and city leaders, this is a chance to glimpse the innovations that could become tomorrow’s breakthrough companies or public health solutions. For community members, it’s a moment to see how science being developed locally is poised to transform lives globally.
Learn more and get tickets

Mark Primack: The Truth in Drawing
2025-10-28 17:20 - 18:55 | Media Theater, Experimental Theater, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join ART 10D: 2D Foundations for a Lecture by Mark Primack where he will present “Truth in Drawing,” a talk on his recent drawing practice and experiences. Mark Primack (b.1951) is a Situationist who at times engages in drawing, writing, designing, building, critiquing and politicking. He holds degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Architectural Association of London. He resides in Santa Cruz, California, where he has maintained an architectural practice for forty years while serving on various commission and the City Council. In 1978 he was awarded a special projects grant from the California Arts Council to document the World Famous Tree Circus, but has supported his own work ever since. He lives, works, draws and gardens in spaces of his own design, which he shares with landscape architect and artist Janet Pollock.
—
ADMISSION
– FREE and open to the public
—
PARKING
– Parking by permit or ParkMobile
– 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)
—
This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Emeriti Faculty Lecture, Fall 2025
2025-10-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Kicking the Prow: Reflections on a Life in Conversation with Past and Present People and Other Creatures
In this lecture, Distinguished Research Professor Diane Gifford-Gonzalez reflects on fifty-five years of zooarchaeology work, studying animal remains from archaeological sites to explore how past people and their kin interacted. While varying in geographical and theoretical foci, a common thread runs through what she believes are her most influential contributions to archaeology. Starting with a true story, Professor Gifford-Gonzalez will outline how these have “kicked the prow” of wider conversations in archaeology and share a few of her creative works.
Register to attend in-person or virtual
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for guests attending in-person
Lecture: 7 p.m.
Followed by a reception for in-person guests
Free and open to the public

Presented by the UC Santa Cruz Emeriti Association

Global Learning Opportunities Fair
2025-10-29 10:00 - 14:00 | Quarry Plaza, Student Union, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join us in an encouraging space to chat with Global Learning advisors, UCSC peer advisors, and other study abroad providers! Learn about the many global learning opportunities and funding resources available to help you study, explore, and engage with cultures in the U.S. and abroad.
Sign up to receive reminders about the event!

2025 Graduate & Professional School Fair (DAY 2)
2025-10-29 11:00 - 14:00 | Stevenson Event Center, Stevenson Service Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064

In-person Info Session – Japan Research Fellowships (JSPS)
2025-10-29 13:30 - 14:30 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Are you interested in funding for research, collaboration, and travel opportunities in Japan? Representatives from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) will be on campus for an in-person info session:

When: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Where: Engineering Building 2, Room 180 (E2-180)
Light refreshments provided.

Please RSVP here
Who should attend?
Faculty, researchers/postdocs, students in ALL disciplines. This information session is particularly relevant for:

Faculty fellowships at junior, mid, and senior levels (short and long term)
Postdocs (summer, short, and long-term fellowships)
Pre-PhD students (summer and short-term fellowships)

Learn more about JSPS here. Questions? Email gsabo@ucsc.edu.

Academic Senate Forum: Systemwide UCAD Work Group Interim Report
2025-10-29 14:30 - 17:00 | https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/92116175167?pwd%3D8GzPi58g1dddt2aebnPpNEaWQDAwUF.1&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1761590334348990&usg=AOvVaw0IE4jxtMvpYKIH0XD9WgWm
Senate faculty forum for discussion of the UCAD Interim Report (July, 2025) to understand the implications of the systemwide planning framework, UCAD part 2, and plan for divisional and individual feedback via the provided form.

Pokémon Makers Market
2025-10-29 16:00 - 19:00 | Porter College Quad
Catch the Pokémon Makers’ Market at Porter Quad! Shop student vendors, enjoy performances, join a cosplay contest, trade Pokémon cards, and compete in tournaments. Celebrate creativity and community with food, activities, and prizes.
Presented by: UCSC Women’s Center, Cantu Queer Center, and Jack Baskin Engineering
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.

Humanities Grad School 101
2025-10-29 17:00 - 18:30 | https://events.ucsc.edu/event/humanities-grad-school-101/
Are you curious about graduate school in the humanities? Join this Humanities Grad School 101 session, where we’ll hear from Associate Dean of Research Pranav Anand and stellar UCSC graduate students in History, Linguistics, Literature, and Philosophy. We’ll discuss important considerations for deciding to pursue graduate school and what to look for in an academic program and advisor. You’ll leave knowing how to decide whether grad school is right for you and what you can do now to prepare.
This is a hybrid event and will be hosted both in-person in Humanities 1, Room 210 and on Zoom. Dinner will be provided for those joining in person.
Register on Handshake here

Queer Emergent: Scandalous Stories from Twilight of AIDS in Peru: Book Celebration and Conversation with Professor Justin Perez
2025-10-29 17:30 - 19:00 | Charles E. Merrill Lounge, Rutherford House, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join us as Huerta Center Faculty Awardee Professor Justin Perez (Latin America and Latino Studies Department) presents his new book, Queer Emergent: Scandalous Stories from Twilight of AIDS in Peru. In Queer Emergent, Justin Perez explores how advances in HIV prevention work alongside broader economic and political shifts in global health to shape queer subjectivities. Drawing on ethnographic research among gay and transgender communities in urban Amazonian Peru, Perez describes how queer social worlds emerge through scandalous storytelling—a practice of exaggerating and embellishing stories about everyday life that transgresses social norms and hierarchies. Perez shows that through such storytelling, gay and transgender communities contested the assumptions of global HIV prevention’s shift from the provision of costly antiretrovirals to the mitigation of social conditions like discrimination and stigma. He argues that the global ambition to “End AIDS” by 2030 is not just a technical project oriented at ending the epidemic, but also a project of sexual subjectification and ongoing social transformation. By taking seriously the scandalous stories that gay and transgender Peruvians circulated as they responded to new forms of HIV prevention, Perez reveals how they imagine possibilities of what could be as the effort to end AIDS continues to play out in the present.
There will be a short reception following the discussion. We look forward to seeing you there!

ABC Movie Night
2025-10-29 20:30 - 22:30 | Porter/Kresge Dining Hall, 411 Porter-Kresge Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Spend your Wednesday night at ABC Movie Night enjoying the film Sinners by Black filmmaker Ryan Coogler
Wednesday, October 29 at 8:30 p.m.
Porter/Kresge Dining Hall
Free popcorn, refreshments, and prizes from Black-owned businesses!
Come hang out, celebrate Black filmmaking, creativity, and enjoy spooky season with us.
For accommodations email netaylor@ucsc.edu
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.

2025 USPA Postdoc Symposium
2025-10-30 09:30 | CA
The UC Santa Cruz Postdocs Association (USPA) is excited to announce the 8th Annual UCSC Postdoc Symposium, happening Thursday, October 30, 2025, at the Cultural Center at Merrill College. (See attached flyer for details)

We invite department chairs, administrative staff, and faculty to please help us spread the word – share widely within your groups so no one misses this opportunity!

What to Expect

Engaging talks by UCSC postdocs across diverse disciplines
Inspiring keynote lectures by Dr. Tracy L. Bale and Dr. Sandra Faber
Evening poster session & social hour (with poster prizes!)
Outstanding Postdoc Award ceremony
Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award

Registration & Abstract Submission

Registration is OPEN for postdocs, graduate students, faculty, and staff.
Abstracts for posters and talks are highly encouraged from postdocs and graduate students
Deadline for abstract submission: October 10, 2025 (as part of registration)

Bridging Practices: Deepening Collaboration in Community-engaged Research and IRB Process
2025-10-30 11:00 - 13:00 | Namaste Lounge, 615 College Nine Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Building on last April’s Bridging Perspectives: Navigating Community-Engaged Research and IRB Requirements, this Building Practices colloquium event continues the conversation between researchers, administrators, and the IRB with a focus on answering the pressing questions raised by our community. Together, we will explore:

Involving undergraduates in community-engaged research
Navigating IRB requirements in ways that respect cultural, social, and political environments
Minimizing harm and risk when conducting research with vulnerable populations and community organizations
Ethical quandaries in community-engaged research that the IRB does not cover

Through dialogue and collective problem-solving, this session seeks to move beyond identifying barriers toward developing clearer practices, stronger collaborations, and more practical strategies between researchers and the IRB for supporting ethical community-engaged research.
Roundtable Moderators

Regina Day Langhout, Professor of Psychology
Sana Khoury-Shakour, Director of the Office of Research Compliance Administration
Jessica Taft, Professor of LALS and Director of the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas
Lora Bartlett, Associate Professor of Education and Department Chair
Saskias Casanova, Associate Professor of Psychology
Margarita Azmitia, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and IRB Chair
Heather Bullock, Director of the Center for Economic Justice and Action and Professor of Psychology
Ned LeBlond, Managing Director for the Institute of Social Transformation and Campus + Community
Rebecca London, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of Campus + Community

RSVP

This is a B.Y.O. lunch time colloquium event. Event sponsors will provide drinks and snacks.
For more information, please visit the event website.
Sponsors: Campus + Community and the Office of Research

BME 280B Seminar: Preconfigured neuronal firing sequences in human brain organoids
2025-10-30 11:40 - 13:15 | Physical Sciences Building, Physical Sciences Building, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presenter: Tjitse (TJ) van der Molen, Ph.D. (Postdoc, Sharf Lab, UC Santa Cruz and PhD Kosik Lab, UC Santa Barbara)
Description: Neuronal firing sequences are thought to be the building blocks of information and broadcasting within the brain. Yet, it remains unclear when these sequences emerge during neurodevelopment. Here we demonstrate that structured firing sequences appear in spontaneous activity of human and murine brain organoids, both unguided and forebrain identity directed, as well as ex vivo neonatal murine cortical slices. We observed temporally rigid and flexible firing patterns in human and murine brain organoids and early postnatal murine somatosensory cortex, but not in dissociated primary cortical cultures. These results suggest that temporal sequences do not arise in an experience-dependent manner, but are rather constrained by a preconfigured architecture established during neurodevelopment. By demonstrating the developmental recapitulation of neural firing patterns, these findings highlight the potential of brain organoids as a model for neuronal circuit assembly.
Bio: Tjitse van der Molen studies spontaneous and evoked neural circuit activity in human and mouse stem cell derived brain organoids using dense multi electrode arrays. His main goal is to gain a better understanding of how healthy neural circuits process information and how possible malfunctions in neural circuit activity may result in disease, in order to develop appropriate treatments. Tjitse recently completed his PhD in the Kosik lab at UC Santa Barbara and is now continuing his research as a postdoc in the Sharf lab at UC Santa Cruz.
In this talk, Tjitse will present his latest manuscript that is currently in press with Nature Neuroscience, focused on spontaneously occurring repeated sequential firing patterns that are present in the intrinsic activity of both brain organoids and neonatal mouse brain slices but not in 2D primary cultures. Similar sequential firing patterns have recently been shown to be important for information encoding and learning in the human cortex. The presence of these sequential firing patterns in the spontaneous activity of brain organoids that have never received external stimuli supports the notion that they develop in an experience-independent manner.
Hosted by: Professor Josh Stuart, BME Department
Zoom Link: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/99970819390?pwd=[REDACTED]
Full Schedule: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xD09vITwd_Pj9Ge6hHEuBFa5zBUYu2O-bjpSibt7VHE/edit?tab=t.0
Room: PSB-240

When Human-Centered AI Encountered Digital Humanities: A Dialogue between Magy Seif El-Nasr and Minghui Hu
2025-10-30 12:00 - 13:30 | CA
What happens when the ethical and interpretive frameworks of the humanities meet the algorithmic and interactive architectures of artificial intelligence? This dialogue brings together two leading voices from distinct yet converging fields: Magy Seif El-Nasr, a pioneer in human-centered AI, game analytics, and interactive narrative design, and Minghui Hu, a historian and digital humanist, explores the cultural, religious, and intellectual history of China through computational and interpretive lenses.
Together, they will explore shared concerns—from narrative design and agency to ethical modeling and epistemological boundaries—charting new possibilities at the intersection of technology and the humanities. This conversation is not only a meeting of disciplines, but a reimagining of the collaborative future of AI and humanistic inquiry.
This event is sponsored by the Leading the Change Collaboration Series at UC Santa Cruz.

Human Acceptance of Autonomous Systems
2025-10-30 14:00 - 15:00 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Speaker: Sina Nordhoff, Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.
Title: Human Acceptance of Autonomous Systems.
Time: Thursday, Oct 30th, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm.
Location: E2-506 or Zoom.
Abstract: This seminar explores how society engages with autonomous transportation systems, focusing on automated vehicles and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Dr. Sina Nordhoff will present research on human acceptance, trust, and safety, emphasizing that public confidence and social readiness are essential alongside technological progress. Drawing on theoretical models, real-world applications, and extensive empirical data, including over 220 interviews and 40,000 surveys, Dr. Nordhoff will identify key factors shaping acceptance, such as socio-demographics, personality traits, perceived risks and benefits, and the effects of misuse or miscalibrated trust. The seminar will highlight how ethical considerations, societal norms, and regulatory frameworks influence deployment. Attendees will gain insight into how this work can guide policymakers, industry, and communities in ensuring responsible, equitable, and safe implementation. Dr. Nordhoff will also briefly discuss future research directions.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Sina Nordhoff is a leading expert in the field of human factors and user acceptance of new and emerging transportation technologies. She holds a Ph.D. from Delft University of Technology and is affiliated with the University of California, Davis. Dr. Nordhoff specializes in electric vehicles and automated vehicles (AVs), focusing on how to responsibly integrate these innovations into society. Her research spans theoretical models, empirical studies, and real-world applications, involving over 220 interviews and 40,000 analyzed surveys. She has developed innovative frameworks to understand human acceptance, trust, and safety, addressing critical issues such as misuse, trust miscalibration, and cyber-physical attacks. Dr. Nordhoff’s research is published in top-tier journals and has garnered significant attention from policymakers and industry leaders. Her work aims to inform the design, deployment, and regulation of these technologies to ensure they are safe, equitable, and socially beneficial. Dr. Nordhoff’s current research agenda includes pioneering efforts in interdisciplinary theory development, safety assessment, and understanding cognitive measurements. Her overarching goal is to bridge the gap between technological advancements and societal well-being, creating a future where transportation benefits all members of society.

An Evening with Alice Waters
2025-10-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Rio Theater, 1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, 95062, United States
Bookshop Santa Cruz and The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz are delighted to welcome award-winning chef and food activist Alice Waters for a discussion about A School Lunch Revolution, “A blueprint for the ways in which we should feed our kids organic foods, both at home and at school.” (Epicurious)
In this wonderful, multigenerational cookbook for adults and children alike, Waters champions an empowered relationship between students and organic food, offering delicious recipes that will nourish future generations—and ourselves—from the inside out.

All tickets include a donation to the Edible Schoolyard Project and Life Lab.
Alice Waters is a chef and the founder/owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. She has won numerous awards, including the National Humanities Medal, the French Legion of Honor Medal, the Cavaliere of the Italian Republic, the Julia Child Award, and three James Beard Awards. As vice president of Slow Food International and founder of the Edible Schoolyard Project, she has helped bring food awareness to people of all ages all over the world.
More information at Bookshop Santa Cruz – An Evening with Alice Waters

Fright Night 2025
2025-10-30 19:00 - 23:00 | Oakes Learning Center
Head to the Oakes Learning Center for games, costume contests, and the chilling Fright Walk—plus meet campus resource centers along the way!
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: At the Hands of Fire & Iron
2025-10-30 19:30 - 21:30 | Theater Arts B100 Studio Theater, 453 Kerr Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, United States
Set in a fantasy world, a duo meets a solo traveler on the road, and they band together as they set out on a quest for the Tree of Knowledge. In these two snippets, we watch as Azrael discovers his magic abilities after surviving an exorcism, and as Ripley and Aeron confess their love during both a storm and a fight. Presented by Barnstorm. Written and Directed by Jaden Edson.
—
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– Thurs. Oct. 30: 7:30 p.m, Theater Arts B100 Studio Theater
– Fri. Oct. 31: 7:30 p.m, Theater Arts B100 Studio Theater
—
ADMISSION
– General admission $5–$20 “Pay What You Like”
– Free for UCSC undergrads (ticket required).
– Tickets issued online 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.
—
PARKING
– Parking by permit or ParkMobile
– 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)
—
This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

Celebrate Halloween at the University Center Bistro!
2025-10-31 11:30 - 14:00 | University Center Bistro
Join us for a special themed menu, served 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Reservations are recommended but not required — save your spot at dining.ucsc.edu/ucen-bistro.

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.

Welcome to the City: San Francisco
2025-11-01 09:00 - 13:00 | Candlestick Point SRA, 500 Hunters Point Expy, San Francisco, 94124, United States
Join us for Welcome to the City in San Francisco, hosted in partnership with the California State Parks Foundation at Candlestick Point SRA. The project will be held Saturday, November 1 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Candlestick Point (500 Hunters Point Expy, San Francisco, CA 94124). Please register in advance to help us and our non-profit partner plan accordingly.
Project description:
Help build brand new redwood picnic tables for our park! Volunteers must use proper lifting techniques when working with the heavy redwood planks and moving the tables once assembled. Some volunteers will be asked to use hammers and socket drivers, so proper precautions should be taken to ensure safety. If participants would rather, they can choose to pick up micro-trash and debris from the park. We will provide volunteers with tools and gloves. We recommend wearing long sleeved shirts and a hat. Ages 16 and older are welcome (minors must be accompanied by an adult and bring a waiver signed by their guardian). Snacks will be provided.
Welcome to the City is an annual series of regional events which help alumni connect with their local UCSC community. While the program is designed with recent grads in mind, all are welcome to participate.
Please contact alumni@ucsc.edu with questions.

Fiesta on the Hill
2025-11-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Merrill Cultural Center, 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Join Merrill and Crown Programs Offices for an evening of food, fun, and community. Enjoy tamales, Mexican corn, music, and piñata fun while connecting with fellow Slugs.
This festive event also features “Slugs Go Slow,” an initiative focused on making safe choices and building meaningful connections. Come for the food and celebration—stay for the community and good vibes!
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.

Día de los Muertos Ceremonia
2025-11-02 16:00 - 19:30 | CA
When: Sunday, November 2, 2025
Where: Quarry Amphitheater, UC Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, CA 95064
Time: 5:30-7:30pm, doors open at 4:00pm
El Centro and the Quarry Amphitheater present Día de los Muertos Ceremonia. A space to collectively honor and celebrate the lives of our loved ones. Join us for a night of danza, prayer, food, music, and community. This cultural and family event is FREE! Please email elcentro@ucsc.edu for questions or concerns.
As we prepare for this year’s ceremony, we recognize the pain, loss, and grief caused by violence around the world. The community altar, or ofrenda, is a sacred space that represents a remembrance of the departed, a reminder that life is eternal and that the presence of our loved ones is everlasting. The ofrenda speaks of affection and praise toward the deceased and are an expression of love towards life. We preserve this ceremony as a space to reflect and heal. We ask that everyone respect the honoring of individuals lost and come together as we welcome back their spirits through ceremony, dance, song, and offerings. We also recognize that through all cultures and traditions we express ourselves differently, yet at this time we gather as members of humanity to support one another, to share our emotions of joy and sadness, and to embrace our humility as a community of this campus.
Parking and Check-in: Please allow sufficient time to arrive at the Quarry Amphitheater. You can follow the directional signs from the base of the campus to the parking lots. Parking will be free at the Hahn Parking Lot 101. Overflow parking will be free at the East Remote Lot after Lot 101 has been filled.
Shuttles will be available from the East Remote Lot to the Quarry Plaza. ADA parking is available at Parking Lot 102 near the Quarry with an ADA placard. Please let us know if you need any accommodations and/or ADA parking in the form below.
Covid-19 Guidelines: For the safety of our community, we recommend our guests and volunteers wear masks when they are not eating. We will have masks available at the registration table.
Weather: We encourage you to dress for cold weather (hats, layers, and blankets). Our event is outdoors and although rain is not in the forecast, the temperature is expected to drop to the low 50’s, please wear comfortable shoes and a jacket.
Food: We will be serving food for our guests starting at 4:00pm until 5:30pm when the Ceremonia begins. We encourage you to arrive early if you can. We will serve tamales, pan dulce and refreshments starting at 4:00pm until supplies last.
Community altar: We will be having a community altar, we encourage you to bring an ofrenda to add to the altar (pictures, food items, your loved ones’ favorite items, etc). Please don’t forget to pick up your items from the altar at the end of the event. You may bring candles, but will be unable to light them due to fire safety.
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.
________________________________________________________
Cuándo: Domingo 2 de noviembre de 2025
Dónde: Anfiteatro Quarry, UC Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, CA 95064
Hora: 5:30-7:30 pm, las de puertas abren a las 4:00 pm
¡Acompáñanos a nuestra ceremonia comunitaria de Día de Muertos! Habrá comida, música, danza folclórica en vivo y altar comunitaria. Este evento cultural – familiar es totalmente gratuito. El Centro y el Anfiteatro Quarry se complacen en darle la bienvenida a nuestra Ceremonia anual del Día de los Muertos que tendrá lugar el 2 de noviembre del 2025 de 5:30 p. m. a 7:30 p. m., y las puertas se abrirán a las 4:00p.m.
Estacionamiento: Permita suficiente tiempo para llegar al anfiteatro Quarry. Puede seguir las señales direccionales desde la base del campus hasta los estacionamientos. El estacionamiento será gratuito en el estacionamiento lote 101. El estacionamiento adicional será gratuito en el lote East Remote después de que se haya llenado el lote 101. El estacionamiento ADA está disponible en el lote 102 cerca del anfiteatro con un cartel ADA. Por favor, hágame saber si necesita estacionamiento ADA.
Covid-19: Para la seguridad de nuestra comunidad, recomendamos que nuestros invitados y voluntarios usen máscaras cuando no estén comiendo. Tendremos mascarillas disponibles en la mesa de registro.
Clima: Le recomendamos venir abrigados debido al clima frío (gorros, capas y chaqueta). Nuestro evento es afuera al aire libre y, aunque no se pronostica lluvia, se espera que la temperatura baje a mediados de los 40, use zapatos cómodos y una chaqueta.
Comida: Estaremos sirviendo comida para nuestros invitados desde las 4:00 p.m. hasta las 5:30 p.m. cuando comienza la Ceremonia. Le recomendamos que llegue temprano si puede. Serviremos tamales, pan dulce y refrescos a partir de las 5:00 pm hasta agotar.
Ofrenda comunitaria: Tendremos un altar comunitario, si gustan por favor traigan una ofrenda para agregar al altar (fotos, alimentos, los artículos favoritos de sus seres queridos, etc.). No olvide recoger sus artículos del altar al final del evento.
Para mas informacion o preguntas, mande un correo electronico a elcentro@ucsc.edu o llame a (831) 459-5608.

Snow Wonder
2025-11-03 08:00 - 2025-12-14 17:00 | CA
The Faculty & Staff Health and Well-being Program presents Snow Wonder, a UC systemwide wellness challenge!
Registration opens November 3 – November 24
Challenge runs Monday, November 17 – Sunday, December 14
Join this 2025 UC Snow Wonder Challenge! Picture yourself having a healthier, happier holiday season. Form teams with your colleagues and motivate each other and celebrate your healthy habit accomplishments to end the year on a healthy high note and head into 2026 feeling your best!
Visit the UCSC Snow Wonder webpage to learn more. Register to create a new account and choose UC Santa Cruz as your location. Please note that space for this challenge is limited, so sign up early.
