Issue: Winter 2022–23

From the Chancellor
Chancellor Cynthia Larive: Leading efforts to address the challenges of climate change

State of the art
UCSC’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences has just opened a new climate-controlled gallery on Santa Cruz’s Westside—the first dedicated space for the institute, and a bridge between the university’s arts community and the greater Santa Cruz arts scene.

Monsters among us
The Center for Monster Studies at UC Santa Cruz may have a fanciful name—but its leaders say serious study of these frightful fictional beings shows how much they have to teach us.

A journey through Egypt’s past and present
Two UCSC professors took a group of history students to Egypt on a first-of-its-kind trip in December, making classroom lessons come alive in a life-changing experience

Waves of resilience
UCSC’s emerging Center for Coastal Climate Resilience is applying scientific research to develop policy around climate change and coastal sustainability, while incorporating the campus’s ideals of social justice and collaboration.

Raising the bars
UC Santa Cruz’s Gateways Project provides tech-training programs in Santa Cruz jails and San Quentin State Prison, supporting incarcerated voices and aiming to reduce recidivism

Samantha Hamilton: First Amendment advocate
Award-winning journalist and civil rights lawyer Samantha Hamilton (Kresge ’16, economics) finds herself using skills learned at City on a Hill Press during her fellowship as a newsroom attorney for the New York Times.

Andrew Kramer: A witness to war
A Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter, war correspondent, and now Ukraine bureau chief for the New York Times, Andrew Kramer (Cowell ’94, history) shines a light on world events.

Helen Tran: A term of firsts
Helen Tran (Rachel Carson ’04, American studies), a daughter of Vietnamese refugees, is the first Asian American mayor of San Bernardino and the first Vietnamese American woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. city.

Aliyah Khan: Sharing the scare
Aliyah Khan (Ph.D. ’12, literature and feminist studies) dives into the world of Muslim horror films with the playfully named Halaloween film festival.