Events

AM Seminar: In Search of Stratified Turbulence
2025-11-03 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Presenter: Colm-cille Patrick Caulfield, Professor, DAMTP, University of Cambridge
Description: Statically stable density stratification is ubiquitous in geophysical flows, with the atmosphere, lakes and oceans all typically having an average density distribution that decreases upwards in a gravitational field. Due to the associated stabilising effect of the buoyancy force, it would seem intuitive that such statically stable density distributions should suppress vertical motions, relative to horizontal motions. Such inevitable anisotropy complicates even further developing an understanding of turbulence in density-stratified fluids. Stratified turbulence is not just a fascinating (and inherently complicated) research challenge in classical physics, but also a key component of the global climate system, as stratified turbulence has a leading order effect on the transport of heat and other scalars such as carbon dioxide, pollutants etc in the world’s oceans and atmosphere. Indeed, how stratified turbulence can actually be `born’ and then `survive’ for a significant period, hence irreversibly mixing significant scalar quantities, are open questions, associated with ongoing controversy in the global research community. In this talk, I will review some recent studies by my collaborators that have advanced our understanding of various key properties of stratified turbulence and mixing, while also demonstrating that there is still much more to learn about this fascinating and vitally important class of fluid flows.

Bio: Colm-cille P. Caulfield is Professor of Environmental and Industrial Fluid Dynamics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge, and a faculty member of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF). He is also a Professorial Fellow in Mathematics at Churchill College, Cambridge, and the Co-Director (Science) of the University’s Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS), which studies and supports the role of software engineering, computer science, AI and data science within climate science. Prof. Caulfield’s personal research interests include instability, turbulence transition and turbulent mixing processes in stratified flows, with particular focus on understanding and improving the modelling of heat transport in the world’s oceans. His undergraduate studies were at the University of Ulster at Coleraine, graduating with a BSc in Mathematics in 1987. He then studied for his Masters and PhD in Fluid Mechanics at DAMTP under the supervision of Prof Paul Linden FRS, defending his thesis on stratified shear instabilities in 1991. Following postdoctoral training in the Department of Physics at the University of Toronto and the Department of Engineering Science at Hokkaido University, he was a lecturer in the School of Mathematics at the University of Bristol from January 1995 to June 1999. Prof. Caulfield subsequently joined the faculty of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, San Diego for the period July 1999 to June 2005. Following tenure at UCSD, Prof. Caulfield joined the BP Institute (now IEEF) and DAMTP in July 2005. Prof. Caulfield is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, the Chair of the European Mechanics Society (Euromech) Turbulence Conference Committee, and served as the Head (ie Dept Chair) of DAMTP January 2020-September 2025. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (Division of Fluid Dynamics) in 2014.

Hosted by: Professor Julie Simons

Statistics Seminar: Topological Clustering: from Multilayer Networks to Climate Resiliency and Beyond
2025-11-03 16:00 - 17:00 | CA
Presenter: Professor Yulia R. Gel, Virginia Tech
Description: Multilayer networks continue to gain significant attention in many areas of study, particularly, due to their high utility in modeling interdependent systems such as critical infrastructures, human brain connectome, and socio-environmental ecosystems. However, clustering of multilayer networks, especially, using the information on higher order interactions of the system entities, yet remains in its infancy. We discuss a new topological approach for multilayer network clustering, based on the rationale to group nodes not using the pairwise connectivity patterns or relationships between observations recorded at two individual nodes, but based on how similar in shape their local neighborhoods are at various resolution scales. We quantify shapes of local node neighborhoods using persistence diagrams and then consider either single linkage or k-means forms of topological clustering, which allows us to systematically account for the important heterogeneous higher-order properties of node interactions within and in-between network layers and to integrate information from the node neighbors. In case of topological k-means, we also show that casting it into an empirical risk minimization framework using reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces allows us to derive clustering stability guarantees, similarly to the Euclidean k-means, i.e., property that most existing topological clustering methods lack. We illustrate our topological clustering methods in application to assessing climate-induced risks in insurance and COVID-19 biosurveillance.
Bio: Yulia R. Gel is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at Virginia Tech. Her research interests focus on mathematical and statistical foundations of data science, topological and geometric methods in artificial intelligence and machine learning, risk analytics, and graph learning, with applications to assessing resilience of complex systems, digital twins, and early warning mechanisms. She holds a Ph.D in Mathematics, followed by a postdoctoral position in Statistics at the University of Washington. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she was a tenured faculty member at the University of Waterloo, Canada and University of Texas at Dallas. She also held visiting positions at Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, and the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge University, UK. In her recent stint (2021-2025) as Program Director in National Science Foundation (NSF) at the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) and Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), she has served as a cognizant officer for various inter-agency interdisciplinary research programs at the interface of mathematical sciences and artificial intelligence, including the NSF-FDA-NIH Foundations for Digital Twins as Catalyzers of Biomedical Technological Innovation (FDT-BioTech) and the NSF-NIH Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science (SCH). She has authored more than 150 publications in top statistical, data mining and machine learning venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, KDD, IJCAI, and PNAS and served as senior area chair for ICML and NeurIPS. Her research has been continuously supported by ONR, NASA, and NSF. She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA), recipient of the NSF2023 Director’s Award, NSF STARS Awards, and has multiple Best Paper Awards from the ASA Section on Statistics for Defense and National Security.
Hosted by: Professor Paul Parker

CM Seminar - "Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine"
2025-11-03 12:30 - 13:30 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Presented by: Chaim Gingold

Description: As play is intrinsic to humanity, it should come as no surprise that the history of computing is veined with playful simulations and games of all kinds. From the Balinese cockfight to Los Alamos’s Monte Carlo simulations, play and games, in all their kaleidoscopic glory, reflect the diverse cultures and communities of those who make and play them.
This talk focuses upon SimCity, the genre-defying urban planning hit from 1989, and the people who made it. We’ll examine how SimCity’s design counts urban planning, videogames, graphical user interfaces, and complexity science among its many influences. This set the stage for SimCity’s reception and enabled Maxis, SimCity’s developer, to establish relationships with wide-ranging communities: Nintendo, the Santa Fe Institute, Wall Street venture capitalists, and more.
Focusing on people such as developers, managers, and investors sheds light on the messy process of software development—a negotiation between individuals, their aspirations and worldviews, and shape-shifting technologies. Springing forth from this mess came The Sims, which required an extraordinary amount of research and development. But this same mess also thwarted Maxis’s solvency and its attempts to bring The Sims to market. Ultimately, we’ll see how SimCity, Maxis, and The Sims—like games, play, and software more generally—reflect their time and place, and the people who make them.

Bio: Chaim Gingold is the author of Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine (MIT Press), which Stewart Brand called “one of the best origin stories ever told and the best account I’ve seen of how innovation actually occurs in computerdom.” Gingold began his design career apprenticed to Will Wright on Spore, where his chief accomplishment was designing the critically acclaimed Spore Creature Creator. His projects, like Earth: A Primer, a science book made of interactive toys, have been featured by Wired, CNN, and the New York Times.

Hosted by: Professor Nathan Altice
When: Monday, November 3, 2025 from 12:30PM to 1:30PM
Location:
IN-PERSON @ UCSC Main Campus, E2-280.
Viewing room @ SVC 3212.
LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED AT BOTH LOCATIONS! Faculty and students are highly encouraged to attend.
Zoom info:
https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/95438112782?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 954 3811 2782
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Road Trip! Light in the American West, from Baja to the Yukon
2025-11-03 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-01 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-31 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-30 12:00 - 17:00 | Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, 11 Cowell Service Rd, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
The photographs in this exhibition, made between 2004 and 2025, span across the American West from the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico to The Yukon territory in Canada. Paul Schoellhamer’s (Cowell ‘69) color photographs invite us to travel with him and reflect on our relationship to land, the light that shapes it, and the freedom – contested but essential – to move across it.
The exhibition draws on voices across time and perspective that frame the American landscape as more than a stage for beauty and awe. For Chief Satanta of the Kiowa Nation, to roam the land freely was life itself. For N. Scott Momaday, land must be “believed to be seen.” For Eliot Porter, light and reflection imparted magic to Glen Canyon’s waters. For Wallace Stegner, saving natural places meant saving fragments of our collective sanity. For Brook M. Thompson, the Klamath River is recognized with personhood. Alongside these perspectives, Paul’s images press us to see public land not as scenery to extract or aestheticize, but as sustenance and history. Land is alive and contested. To see closely is not to linger on a romanticized vision of the American landscape, but to reckon with responsibility: how we safeguard access, how we imagine “wildness,” and how we hold space for futures beyond our own. For Paul, this exhibition is a call for students to encounter land and light firsthand and let those encounters be their teachers.
Opening Reception
October 4, 2025
1-4pm
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Join us every Friday for Art Fridays.
No experience necessary. Supplies and snacks provided.

Sep 26 Snail Mail/Postcards
Oct 3 Souvenir Keychains
Oct 10 Stamp Magnets
Oct 17 Cyanotype Totebags/Pouches/Pencil cases
Oct 24 Candy Around The World Linocuts
Oct 31 Abstract Felt Collages
Nov 7 Phone Photos/Buttons
Nov 14 Travel Related Patches With Upcycled Materials
Nov 21 Thanksgiving Break! No Art Friday
Nov 28 Unexpected Landscape Surrealist Collage

Please note that the date and the project is subject to change.

Info Session: Global Seminar Latin American Spain
2025-11-03 12:00 - 13:00 | CA
Location: Zoom

Date: Nov 03, 2025 12:00 pm PST to Nov 03, 2025 01:00 pm PST

Event Description:

Learn more at our upcoming Information Session: Monday, November 3rd, 2025 at 12:00-1:00 pm via Zoom. Zoom link is listed here.
Earn 6 units on a summer program on the UCSC Global Seminar: Latin American Spain in Madrid this summer. This program is taught by Catherine S. Ramírez, Chair of the UCSC Latin American and Latino Studies Department.
Quick Facts:

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

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

Successful Slug Workshop: Reading & Notetaking Strategies
2025-11-03 11:30 - 12:30 | Academic Resources Center (ARC), 408 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Reading & Notetaking Strategies
Monday, November 3, 11:40 a.m.–12:25 p.m.
Location: ARCenter 203
Learn reading and note-taking methods and why they work to help you learn.
Successful Slug Workshop Series
Join Learning Support Services (LSS) for Successful Slug Workshops on Mondays at 11:40 a.m. and Wednesdays at 2:05 p.m.
These 45-minute workshops are open to all UCSC students and offer tools and strategies to support your academic success. Each session highlights best practices for effective, long-lasting learning and is led by LSS professional staff.
To get first priority, sign up on TutorHub or simply drop in. You can also sign up on TutorHub to receive email reminders.
Learn more and sign up: learningsupport.ucsc.edu/programs/workshops/

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.

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.

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.
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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.

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.

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.

Barnstorm presents: At the Hands of Fire & Iron
2025-10-31 19:30 - 21:30, 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.
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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
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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.
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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)
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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.

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.

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

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.

Applied Microeconomics and Trade Seminar Series presents: Shanjun Li
2025-10-30 13:40 - 15:00 | Engineering 2, Engineering 2 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
Applied Microeconomics and Trade Seminar
Date: Thursday, October 30th, 2025
Time: 1:40-3:00 p.m.
Location: E2-499

Speaker: Shanjun Li
Personal Webpage
Title: Steven and Roberta Denning Professor of Global Sustainability
Affiliation: Stanford University
Host: Peter Christensen

Seminar title: Range Anxiety

ABSTRACT: Range anxiety, the fear of depleting battery before reaching a charging station, is often cited as a major barrier to electric vehicle (EV) adoption, yet there has been limited formal economic analysis to quantify its importance and understand the policy implications. We develop a continuous-time dynamic model of EV usage and charging decisions to quantify range anxiety as the utility loss from feasible yet unrealized trips due to perceived range constraints. Using high-frequency data of 188,000 EV trips and 30,000 charging events among 8,000 EVs in Shanghai, we recover model parameters governing consumer driving and charging decisions. The estimates imply that, across EV models with varying driving ranges, average range anxiety was about $1,900 in 2021 but declined to $1,200 in 2024, driven by improvements in charging infrastructure and, especially, in creases in driving range. Policy simulations underscore the importance of coordinating investments in battery capacity and charging infrastructure to address range anxiety: relative to socially optimal levels, Shanghai’s EV market has under-invested in driving range while over-investing in charging infrastructure.

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.

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

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

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)

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
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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.

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!

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

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.

Creative Interventions: "Asymptote" with Nora Khan
2025-10-29 16:00 - 17:35 | CA
Nora Khan explores our personal relationships with computational systems through moments spanning from childhood gaming experiences to contemporary AI. The central metaphor of the “asymptote”—a curve endlessly approaching but never reaching a line—describes both humanity’s pursuit of technological mastery, and the incomputable aspects of experience that resist capture by algorithms and surveillance. Through encounters with drones, machine learning systems, and glitched game worlds, this talk argues for maintaining space for the mystical, ineffable, and offscreen in an era of relentless quantification and prediction. The talk ultimately calls for preserving doubt, acknowledging what cannot be computed, and remembering the personal “why” that precedes professional identity in navigating our algorithmic present.
This event is presented as part of the Creative Interventions (CI) Series and is co-sponsored by the Arts Division’s Creative Technologies program and Porter College at UC Santa Cruz.
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ADMISSION
– Free and open to UCSC affiliates.
– This is an online event.
– Registration is required here.
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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– Event dates to be announced throughout the 2025-26 academic year.
– Learn more about the Creative Intervention Series here.
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ABOUT THE SERIES
Creative Interventions addresses the interconnected work of artists, designers, activists, and knowledge workers—and the intrinsic and transformative capacity of that work to cultivate a just society. More information about the Creative Technologies program.
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This program is open to all UC Santa Cruz affiliates consistent with state and federal law.

Creative Interventions (CI) Series
2025-10-29 16:00 - 17:35 | CA
Creative Interventions (CI) is a community colloquium in contemporary creativity and creative practices that addresses the interconnected work of artists, designers, activists, and knowledge workers—and the intrinsic and transformative capacity of that work to cultivate a just society.
The CI Speaker Series raises questions of import to contemporary creative workers in media and technology:
– How do creative workers address their most challenging problems?
– How does creative labor intersect with other forms of labor to nurture the world views and cultural practices of our democracy?
The Creative Interventions (CI) Series is co-sponsored by the Arts Division’s Creative Technologies program and Porter College at UC Santa Cruz.
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ADMISSION
– Free and open to UCSC affiliates.
– All events in the series are presented online with registration required.
– Refer to the individual event listings for more information and a link to register.
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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
– Wed., Oct 15, 4:00 p.m.: “Expensive-Sounding Sounds” with Catherine Provenzano
– Wed., Oct 29, 4:00 p.m.: “Asymptote: Computation, Disillusion, and Enchantment” with Nora Khan
– Additional event dates to be announced on the Creative Interventions events page here
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This program is open to all UC Santa Cruz affiliates consistent with state and federal law.
