iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Happy Filipino American History Month! 🇵🇭 Watsonville is in the Heart project, the Tobera Project and Pangasinan Polytechnic College traveled to the northern Philippines. Celebrate the Fifth Annual Filipino American History Month Festival, October 3, 2026 from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM in Watsonville.

UCSC Humanities EXPLORE Fellow Jamie Dy wearing a safety helmet and harness while zip-lining over green hills and ocean.

PPC Fellow Zoren Franco standing next to a large digital screen with text that reads: “did they migrated?”

Three people (from left to right: Maia Mislang, Dan Fallorina, and Jamie Dy) from the Saritaan research team smiling at a table with halo-halo desserts.

Top: A group of researchers smiling at the camera on a slanted grassy hilltop at Daang Kalikasan in Mangatarem, Pangasinan, the Philippines. Bottom: A group of people from the Saritaan research team smiling at the camera behind a table with the USA and Philippines flags. Text reads: “Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of the Philippines, Mangatarem Chapter, Welcome Senior Citizens Center, Bayan Ng Mangatarem, Pangasinan”

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Reposted by UC Santa Cruz

University of California @uofcalifornia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The midterm elections are just a few weeks away! Are you ready to make your voice heard? If you’re one of the millions of college students voting for the first time this year, it can be hard to know where to start. So we're answering some of UC students' FAQs about registering to vote. 🗳️

Colorful illustration with hands holding smartphones displaying the words "Be an Influencer" and "Vote." Text at the bottom asks, "Are you registered to vote?" Hearts and thumbs-up icons are scattered around.

A graphic titled "Where do I start?" provides voting information. It states that in California, online voter registration takes roughly five minutes at registertovote.ca.gov. For other states, visit RocktheVote.org. The background includes playful geometric shapes.

The image has a pink background with white text and colorful icons. It reads: "Am I allowed to vote? You need to be 18 years old by Election Day and a U.S. citizen (in addition to some other requirements). Not old enough this year? In California you can preregister at age 16 or 17. So when you turn 18, you’ll be set to vote." There are decorative icons like a music note, star, smiley face, and a check mark at the bottom.

Blue background with colorful shapes. Text reads: "When do I need to register by? The day to register online in California is Oct. 19. After Oct. 19, California voters can register at county elections offices or use Same Day Registration on Election Day."

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

For more than three decades, El Centro and the Dolores Huerta Research Center have fostered joy, opportunities, and community for Chicane and Latine students. From volunteering to donating, you can support our students this Hispanic Heritage Month. Follow the link: bit.ly/3Tmg3wT

Smiling graduates at the 2026 UCSC Chicane/Latiné Year-End Celebration.

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Reposted by UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute @ucscgenomics.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

🐆 The extinct "American cheetah" wasn't a cheetah at all! Ancient DNA reveals Miracinonyx trumani was a puma relative whose Arctic Yukon population was uniquely adapted to long days and hunting fish 🎣 news.ucsc.edu/2026/09/amer... New @ucsantacruz.bsky.social study in @currentbiology.bsky.social

An American cheetah chasing what looks like an ancient antelope

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Any other Banana Slugs catch this question on #ESPNJeopardy? If you missed it, the episode is now streaming on Hulu, Disney+, and the ESPN App. Thank you, @jeopardyofficial.bsky.social! #GoSlugs 🍌🐌

Dark blue Jeopardy question that reads: “Sammy, the mascot of UC Santa Cruz, is this type of slimy creature with a certain amount of appeal”

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Taking UC Santa Cruz back to the 00s! 🏠📼🚗

Group of students smiling at Gay Lesbian Bi Trans (GLBT) Resource Center, 2000

Alumna Christy Carew standing next to Volkswagen Beetle, 2001

Two students smiling at Chicano Latino Activities Center, 2000

African American Student Life (AASL) at a cotton candy station, 2000

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Every big breakthrough starts with people who are committed to making positive change. The Donor Collective is built on a simple idea: meaningful change happens when we come together around the causes we care about. Last year, gifts under $250 totaled more than $1 million. bit.ly/4wWdAr6

1- Two students lowering marine science equipment into the ocean.

7- Student actor clapping hands and singing on stage for a play.

5- Two students mid-conversation with code projected in a purple room.

4- Two students smiling and operating a film camera.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Penguin poop is helping scientists understand climate change’s effects on the diets of Antarctic species. UC Santa Cruz ocean sciences professor Michael Polito brought color to this clever work 🐧 bit.ly/4yloU1g

1- Adélie penguins on a rocky Antarctic shore with sea ice in the background.

2- An adult Adélie penguin feeding two chicks.

3- Casey Youngflesh spreading out guano samples in preparation for analysis.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

California’s biodiversity is facing climate pressure. Protect rare species & train future conservation leaders! 🌿 Give to the UC Santa Cruz Aboretum now and your gift will be matched 1:1 up to $25k. bit.ly/4vTGzvq

Purple lupinis nanus in a lush green field.

A purple and green caulanthus forest with rolling green hills in the distance.

Close-up of a bright orange flannelbush flower.

Close-up of a spotted green ceanothus silk moth caterpillar upside down gripping on a mountain whitehorn stem.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Time to rewind back to the 60's at UC Santa Cruz. 👀🎥🎶 📸 Images Courtesy of UC Santa Cruz Special Collections

Professor teaching in lecture hall, 1966

Administrative assistant working on typewriter, 1969

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Reposted by UC Santa Cruz

Rep. Zoe Lofgren @lofgren.house.gov · 08/06/2026

🔭This week marks 150 years of discovery at Lick Observatory! Many people have found their love of science at this iconic facility, and I’m so proud of the research and education programs that Lick Observatory has supported all these years. #CA18

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Rep. Zoe Lofgren @lofgren.house.gov · 27/05/2026

I had the pleasure to tour the @ucsantacruz.bsky.social Institute for Particle Physics yesterday, where they’re doing cutting-edge research, including in fusion energy. California institutions are leading these advancements, and it’s critical that they continue receiving federal support.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

From UC Santa Cruz to managing Apple operations in the Soviet Union, David Gleason used his humanities degree to build an extraordinary career. Today, he still gives back as a mentor and Humanities Dean’s Council member. bit.ly/4v8zTsz

David Gleason running at UC Santa Cruz. Photo by Eleanor Bonner Anderson.

John Sculley explains the Mac and LaserWriter to the academic audience at Moscow State University. Gleason (left) translates.

In the Moscow Kremlin, March, 1988: Al Eisenstat, David Gleason, John Sculley, Dave Barram.

Current selfie of Gleason, smiling for the camera with green forest behind him.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

What happens to human ritual in the age of AI? "Body Proxy," an award-winning XR experience co-produced by @baskinengineering.bsky.social Assistant Teaching Professor Samantha Gorman, debuted at SXSW and explores this through satire. Learn more: bit.ly/3ROT4t3

At the Flux Festival showing of Body Proxy, a participant balances a pink balloon on their knee.

A Body Proxy participant holds a green plant in a vase.

A collage of two photographs. The top photograph shows a Body Proxy participant standing in and being assessed at the Flux Festival showing. The bottom photograph shows items on a table and a screen in the background with prompts: “Open a drawer and look inside. Poke a hold through something. Give a face to something faceless.”

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

We’re measuring the health of a waterways by looking at DNA! 🧬 UC Santa Cruz is using a $2.2M California Department of Fish and Wildlife grant to create an eDNA "health index" for California’s streams—spotting declines from the Mojave to the Redwoods before they turn severe. bit.ly/4wrUc5H

CALeDNA technician, Ajith Seresinghe, samples Pauley Creek, monitored by the Sierra Streams Institute, in Tahoe National Forest. Photo by Emma Walker

Technician crouching creekside and testing water with equipment.

CALeDNA technicians leading the eDNA stream-health index fieldwork creekside in the Mojave Desert.

Sample collection in the Los Angeles River for a CALeDNA project. Photo courtesy of Miroslava Munguia Ramos

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

From de-extinction to saving today’s endangered species, the science shared at Friday’s genomics symposium at UCSC was groundbreaking! 🦣🧬 Huge thanks to Beth Shapiro for showing how DNA research is our best hope for preventing extinction. bit.ly/4tXQ2kz

1 - A person in mid-conversation sits at a table with several large animal skull replicas.

9 - Beth Shapiro smiling while speaking at a lectern.

5 - Panelists Rachel Meyer, Katie Jones, and Meaghan Clark field audience questions.

12 - Members of the non-profit Wise Ancestors at their table at the conservation genomics symposium. Left to right: Wendy Bussiere, Katie Jones, Ann Pace.

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Reposted by UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz Science @ucscscience.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

“We are here ... We’re not something of the past. We are something of the present." Join in person/Zoom on Mon. 5/4 to launch Shadow Indigenous Worlds, which aims to immerse learners globally in Indigenous forms of inquiry and understanding. Learn more and RSVP here: news.ucsc.edu/2026/04/shad...

Event poster for launch of Shadow Indigenous Worlds at UC Santa Cruz

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Dr. Ramon Resa (Crown ’76, biology) started picking oranges and peaches at age three. 🍊🍑 Decades later, he’s a celebrated pediatrician who has spent 40 years caring for underserved families in his hometown. Read more about this UCSC alum: bit.ly/4d3tLLW

Dr. Resa is sitting at his desk in doctor apparel.

Dr. Resa speaks to a room full of students, parents, and teachers in Bakersfield.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Congrats to UCSC’s Greer Murphy on winning ICAI’s 2026 Donald McCabe Research of the Year Award! 🏆 Her work focuses on making academic integrity policies more equitable and more student-centered. bit.ly/4tvZGtU

Greer Murphy, director of the Academic Integrity Office at UC Santa Cruz. Photo: Carolyn Lagattuta

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

UC Santa Cruz in the 80's. 📼✨🌲🦭💙 📸 Images Courtesy of UC Santa Cruz Special Collections

1 - Student team for banana slug costume on the East Field, 1986

2 - Graduate student James Loo with a Finnegan spectrometer, 1980

5 - Students in a Cowell College Dorm room, 1982

10 - Students inside a laboratory using chemistry equipment, 1989

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

“UCSC ‘had me at hello.’ I never even made it to the other two campuses that had accepted me.” Alumnus Tim Shannon (Cowell '71, history) has philanthropically supported the Humanities at UCSC and students' path to UCSC for 15 years. Here's how: bit.ly/4sQ5EG8

Black and white photo of UCSC students with retro clothing and guitar cases.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

How do we build a resilient world? For our two newest AAAS Fellows, the answer lies in the deep histories of migration spaces and the chemical cycles of our coastal wetlands. Congrats to Katharyne Mitchell and Adina Paytan on this lifetime honor! bit.ly/4se3hf8

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Three UC Santa Cruz professor-student teams won Keck Foundation funding. Learn more about how this not only supports the career trajectories of faculty and graduate students but supports high-impact science research: bit.ly/41Lcalx

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

From UC Santa Cruz art studios to the @BattleBots judging panel. Alumna Lisa Winter (Porter ’09) is proof that an Art degree can lead to the top of the robotics industry. As COO of Sensible Robotics, she’s building a more tactile and creative future. Read more: bit.ly/4m0OBOX

UCSC Alum Lisa Winters operates a bandsaw, wearing safety glasses and a MegaBots t-shirt.

BattleBots Judges, including Lisa Winter, smiling at a panel table with an audience behind them.

Lisa Winters controlling a robot using a remote, inside an arena with a brightly lit, futuristic setting.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Students are tackling real-world challenges in Crown's Corporate Innovation Laboratory. One team built an AI system to improve how navigation apps guide people. Crown’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate gives students the chance to have a real impact beyond campus. bit.ly/40hGDqV

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In Crown College’s innovation lab, students work on industry-driven challenges

In Crown College’s Corporate Innovation Laboratory (CRWN 102), students like Evan Rantala and Julien Howard address industry-driven challenges alongside tech and community partners. The course, part o...

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

When Jim Pepper arrived on campus in 1972, Environmental Studies was dismissed by some as “tree-hugger” activism. 50+ years later, it’s a flagship program addressing climate change through sustainability & justice. Now, Pepper’s legacy is continuing to plant seeds of change: bit.ly/4ahAe3A

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Most birds in Hawaiʻi can transmit avian malaria to mosquitoes, leading to multiple bird extinctions and threatening native species. 🐦🦟 But UC Santa Cruz scientists are helping guide conservation strategies like mosquito control + habitat protection: bit.ly/4bTA0SC

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Humanities = real-world skills 💡 UCSC students graduate with the ability to analyze, communicate, collaborate, and adapt, skills that employers value across every industry. From tech to media to entrepreneurship, read how transferable skills power unexpected careers: bit.ly/4l2oLtv

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Science doesn't happen in a vacuum. And for 18 years, the Lamat Institute has mobilized marginalized students' strengths and changed how astronomy is practiced. A new review in Nature Astronomy shows how equity + excellence leads to better science: bit.ly/4b4YXto

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Born enslaved in 1742, David George spent decades running toward freedom and across colonies, wars, and continents 📘 A new book by historian Gregory O’Malley tells his extraordinary story and rethinks the American Revolution from the perspective of the enslaved. Read more: bit.ly/4azL0Dr

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Applied mathematics professor Ashesh Chattopadhyay received a Sloan Research Fellowship to develop AI models that improve climate prediction and help forecast extreme Earth-system events, improving our responses to climate change while conserving energy resources: bit.ly/3Optzgp

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

What happens when Star Trek meets opera? 🚀 A decade-long creative collaboration turns the classic episode “The Menagerie” into a powerful exploration of disability, love, and what makes life meaningful. Join the creators as they ask: What do we need to live long and prosper? bit.ly/4cWPoyf

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Questions that Matter: Lessons on the good life from a Star Trek opera-in-progress

For the past decade, an eclectic group of professors, staff members, and show-business professionals has been working hard to bring a Star Trek opera to vibrant life. Now, they are inviting the public...

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Arts education starts with access. A new California Arts Council grant is helping students experience world-class exhibitions and pass that access on by mentoring high school students: bit.ly/40qqq2x

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Reposted by UC Santa Cruz

Baskin Engineering at UC Santa Cruz @baskinengineering.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

“We’re trying to understand the fundamentals of how neurons can be adaptively tuned to solve problems,” said #BaskinEngineering student Ash Robbins—part of a @ucsantacruz.bsky.social team who taught brain organoids to solve a goal-directed task. Via @discovermag.bsky.social: bit.ly/4uCeatV

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For the First Time, Lab‑Grown Brain Organoids Display Ability to Learn

Learn more about the advances in brain organoids and what this science could mean for the future.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Since 1965, the women of UCSC have been breaking barriers, building community, and paving the way for future students. Here’s a look back at women banana slugs of the past. #WomensHistoryMonth

Image 1: Unidentified students, Cowell College, 1969

Image 5: Unidentified graduate student in a lab, Graduate Division, 1986

Image 6: Student members at an Asian American Student Alliance potluck, 1979

Image 9: Unidentified student, Stevenson College, 1967

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Biology labs still rely on manual work that slows research, but UC Santa Cruz alums want to change that. 🔬 Open Culture Science is building automated systems to keep cell cultures healthy and reproducible, helping scientists share experiments & speed up discovery worldwide: bit.ly/40jkKav

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Reposted by UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz Science @ucscscience.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

For #WomensHistoryMonth we spotlight Prof. Shaheen Sikandar. Her research shows how early pregnancy may protect against breast cancer by blocking age-related cell changes. A new @americancancersoc.bsky.social grant will allow her to shift focus from cure to prevention. news.ucsc.edu/2026/01/preg...

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How early pregnancy impacts aging: implications for breast-cancer risk

New study by UC Santa Cruz team discovers that early pregnancy in mice reduces buildup of ‘confused’ cells that could lead to breast cancer later in life

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

🚜💧Two UC Santa Cruz teams will create low-cost, open-source DIY irrigation systems and smart, electric tractors co-designed with small organic farmers with the support of @usda 2025 Specialty Crop Block Grants.: bit.ly/4scxewF #AgTech

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

⚠️ H5N1 avian influenza has been confirmed in northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo. The first cases in CA marine mammals. UCSC researchers are conducting urgent monitoring & testing 🦭Your gift keeps researchers in the field when it matters most: bit.ly/4sjJj3j

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Meet Tresa Mariya Ignatius, Molly Forst, and Gabby Goss, three UC Santa Cruz undergraduates graduating in just 3 years instead of 4🎓 About 10.3% of students now finish early, thanks to stronger advising, structured degree plans, and summer classes–the highest in the UCs: bit.ly/4rlUIiK

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

🐋 Final week to see Weather and the Whale at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences, always with free admission! 🌊 This exhibition pairs new marine ecology research from the Friedlaender Lab with contemporary artworks exploring climate change, whale behavior, and environmental justice.

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Planetary systems aren’t static. They’re shaped by long, complicated histories 🌌 Astronomer Ruth Murray-Clay studies exoplanets using equations and simulations to understand how they evolve and distinguish ordinary planets from potential life-bearing worlds: bit.ly/3MgT9Dp

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Greenhouses are key to feeding a warming world, and we're developing better open-source, interdisciplinary systems designed for small farmers🌱 Katia Obraczka’s Greener Greenhouses project uses IoT technology to help cut water and energy use while boosting crop production: bit.ly/4tj9fgu

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

✨ Directed by Don Williams & co-presented by the African American Theater Arts Troupe + the Department of Performance, Play & Design, feel the soul of Motown as three young women rise from hopeful dreamers to international superstars in Dreamgirls! Get weekend tickets now: bit.ly/46Vp5UX

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

From dark matter to dirt 🌍✨UC Santa Cruz astronomer Alexie Leauthaud is applying her cosmology expertise to climate action through Seed Spoon Science, a community-based gardening program advancing environmental justice and sustainability: bit.ly/3MfOguv

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Catherine Sue Ramírez @catherinesramirez.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Lots to learn about migration to & from Spain. Students at & beyond @ucsantacruz.bsky.social are invited to join me in "Latin American Spain," a seminar I'll teach in Madrid June 22-July 24, 2026. Register here for our Zoom info session on Thur, Feb 19, 1-2pm PT: ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Congratulations to UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor Emerita of Education, Judit Moschkovich, who has been elected to the National Academy of Education for her influential research on mathematical thinking in linguistically diverse settings. Read more: bit.ly/4cacQY3

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UC Santa Cruz @ucsantacruz.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Using drone technology to protect air quality for farmworking communities 🌱 Researcher Javier Gonzalez-Rocha, his team, and community partners are addressing major gaps in traditional monitoring systems and revealing how pollutants affect people who work outdoors: bit.ly/3YMnxbE

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