Events

Engineering Teaching Community (Faculty)
2026-07-08 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-06-24 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
During the chaos of a quarter, is it hard to find time to reflect and improve as an instructor? Would you like to be a part of an inclusive, supportive group of engineering instructors who do this in community? ETC is for sharing teaching experiences, classroom ideas, research on learning, and methods that support instructors and students. All are welcome, and lunch is provided. Please reach out to Jenny Quynn with questions.

UCSC Opera—Orpheus in the Underworld
2026-07-07 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-07-06 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-07-05 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-07-04 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-07-03 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-07-02 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-07-01 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-06-30 19:30 - 21:30 and 14 more dates | Music Center Recital Hall, 400 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
A rollicking and irreverent spoof of the Orpheus myth, Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld is most famous as the origin of the “gallop infernal”—the music now strongly associated with the can-can dance. This operetta follows the unhappy (and unfaithful) union of Orpheus and Eurydice, as the latter’s love affair with the god of the underworld results in Eurydice relocating to hell. Cowed by Public Opinion, Orpheus makes an attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld, but Jupiter’s involvement, along with many of the other gods of Olympus, complicates matters further.
The UCSC Orchestra ensemble and voice students are conducted by Bruce Kiesling, with direction by Sheila Willey.
Costumes by Brooke Jennings, wigs by Sharon Ridge, and set/lighting design by David Dunning.
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ADMISSION
– Attend in person at the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall.
– General admission opera tickets available online through Eventbrite.
– Free for UCSC students (ticket required).
– Follow the Music Department 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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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– Th., May 28, 7:30 p.m.
– Fr., May 29, 7:30 p.m.
– Sa., May 30, 7:30 p.m.
– Su., May 31, 3:00 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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This program is open to all members of the public consistent with state and federal law.

UCSC Summer Academy on Artificial Intelligence for High School Students
2026-07-06 00:00 - 2026-07-30 23:59 | 3175 Bowers Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95054, 3175 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, United States
UCSC’s Summer Academy on Artificial Intelligence is a four-week, in-person program for talented and motivated high school students who are interested in exploring artificial intelligence (AI) in a university setting. Hosted at the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus, the program offers an immersive learning experience that combines foundational AI concepts with hands-on, research-inspired work. Students learn from UCSC professors and active PhD researchers, gaining advanced problem-solving skills, research-oriented thinking, and a deeper understanding of how AI is applied in cutting-edge innovations.
Application Deadline: April 24, 2026

First Saturday Tour at the Arboretum
2026-07-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Arboretum, 122 Arboretum Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your knowledge of the Arboretum’s plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year, the interests of the tour guide, and the people who join in. For example, you might learn about the birds and mammals that make this land their home or about the amazing physical adaptations that plants have evolved to better deal with our extreme weather and climate conditions. Tours are free with paid admission.

Santa Cruz Pickwick Club presents: Bleak House
2026-06-28 13:00 - 15:00 | CA
Spontaneous human combustion! Evil lawyers! Detectives! Family intrigue! These all come together in Charles Dickens’s masterwork, Bleak House. This year, we will spend the year reading the 2026 Dickens Universe novel. Join Dickens enthusiasts and Pickwick Club members on Zoom for a series of discussions about this beloved book.
Register via Zoom
Reading Schedule:

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

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

Younger Lagoon Reserve Tours
2026-06-27 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-06-18 10:30 - 12:00 | Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
Younger Lagoon Reserve tours are free and open to the public. Space is limited to 18 participants. Call 831-459-3800 or sign-up online. Virtual tours are available online. seymourcenter.ucsc.edu.

Summer Session 1, 8-Week and 10-Week Classes Start
2026-06-22 00:00 - 23:59 | CA
Summer courses start today! Make sure you’re set with Canvas access, dates and deadlines, and any first-day instructions from your instructors. Find answers to common questions on our website or email summer@ucsc.edu. You can still add classes until the deadline for each session!
