UC Santa Cruz (Video)

The Sleepy Lagoon case of 1942 became one of the most racially charged trials in U.S. history. Twenty-two Mexican American youths, mostly teenagers, were tried en masse for the death of José Díaz, though no witness placed them at the scene and the cause of death was never established. Denied fair treatment, they faced a biased judge and jury, with twelve sentenced to San Quentin. In this documenta...

Considered the godfather of A.I. music, UC Santa Cruz professor and composer David Cope, who died in May, 2025, developed the computer program EMI, or Experiments in Musical Intelligence, in the 1980s. It was one of the earliest computer algorithms used to generate classical music. This documentary film by UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges looks at the impact of Cope's genius on the world of music. Series...

UC Santa Cruz has renamed the Research Center for the Americas in honor of social justice icon Dolores Huerta, whose legacy has influenced the center’s work and values. Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in 1962, and has spent more than 60 years leading community organizing and lobbying efforts to address issues like labor rights, gender discrimination, voter registration,...

In 2002, a UC Santa Cruz college with the theme of social justice and community opened with distinguished professors, politically engaged students, and a number for a name: College Ten. That changed for good, and for better, in 2023 when College Ten was named for John R. Lewis, the late American civil rights leader and politician who stood up to Jim Crow–era segregation in the 1960s. He was one of...

UC Santa Cruz scientists, along with a consortium of researchers, have released a draft of the first human pangenome—a new, usable reference for genomics that combines the genetic material of 47 individuals from different ancestral backgrounds to allow for a deeper, more accurate understanding of worldwide genomic diversity. Series: "UC Santa Cruz News" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 39252]

UC Santa Cruz developed a computational tool known as UShER that enables real-time SARS-CoV-2 tracking and helps researchers identify new lineages of the virus. The easy-to-use tool and online server creates an evolutionary tree that helps scientists understand genomic mutations by creating new branches, showing the relationships between virus samples and the order in which mutations happened alon...

The Visualizing Abolition Initiative seeks to change the narrative linking prisons to justice, contributing instead to the unfolding collective story and alternative imagining underway to create a future free of prisons. The initiative is a collaborative effort with artists, scholars, poets, lawyers and activists, and through public exhibitions and educational genres. Series: "UC Santa Cruz News"...

When it comes to moving into a career you love, cultivating relationships is critical. In today’s world of work, it’s easier than ever to make new professional connections with a simple click of a button. Hear from experts as they share why the word “networking” makes most people cringe and how to move beyond your fears, discover what the hidden job market is and how to tap into it, effectively pl...

In this episode, Michael Chemers, Chair of the Department of Performance, Play & Design, and Theater Arts professor at UC Santa Cruz, discusses his wide ranging plans for the newly formed Department of Performance, Play and Design and how it is incorporating DEI issues and concerns. Series: "The Art of Change" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 38223]

Rick Prelinger, Professor of Film and Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz, is a world-renowned archivist, writer, filmmaker, and founder of the Pray-linger Archives and the Pray-linger Library in San Francisco. He’s also been a pioneer in making archives accessible to the public. In this episode, Prelinger talks about his work and how it has been influenced by diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. S...

UC Santa Cruz drama lecturer Don Williams talks about how he founded, in 1991, UCSC's African American Theater Arts Troupe, or "AATAT" as it’s often called. The theater group has had a profound and lasting effect on countless numbers of African American students throughout the years. His students have a deep appreciation and love for his willingness to address head on not only what it means to be...

Professor Sharon Daniel talks about a remarkable undergraduate class called Making an Exoneree that she currently teaches with Georgetown University. This unusual class consists of a group of highly motivated undergraduate students who reinvestigate likely wrongful conviction cases, produce short documentaries that suggest innocence, and create social media campaigns calling for exonerations. Seri...

This episode features Isabel Dees, who was the associate vice chancellor for the Equity and Equal Protection Office at UC Santa Cruz. She recently was hired to serve as deputy Title IX director at UC Office of the President. Originally from the Los Angeles area, Dees has lived and worked in Santa Cruz since 1998. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to attend unive...

In this inaugural episode of The Art of Change, filmmaker, film scholar and Dean of Arts at UC Santa Cruz, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, talks about her personal history as well as her vision for the Arts Division at UCSC. She is well known for her work on race, sexuality and representations, and is the first Asian American female arts dean in the UC system. The daughter of political refugees from the...

UC Santa Cruz Professor of Music, Director of Jazz Studies, and Director of the Digital Arts and New Media program Karlton Hester talks about being appointed as UCSC’s first Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Arts. Professor Hester began his career as a composer and recording artist in Los Angeles where he worked as a studio musician and music educator, performing both flute...

One of UC Santa Cruz's most popular live events had to go virtual this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the student performers were up to the challenge. Watch how they took a fully staged production of The Elixir of Love and made it their own, individually performing remotely, complete with costumes and sets, and turning the entire performance into one superb filmed opera. Enjoy! Series: "UC...

You've got 31 days to build a robot that can navigate the field, get to the other side, turn around, locate its opponent and shoot Ping-Pong balls. Easy right? Welcome to UC Santa Cruz's Mechatronic's class. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Science] [Show ID: 37472]

Take a virtual lab tour and learn more about the significance of the UC Santa Cruz Molecular Diagnostic Lab (MDL) to our community and how testing works at UC Santa Cruz. The MDL has been open since May 2020, working to increase area SARS-CoV-2 testing capacity in order to contribute to a pandemic exit strategy. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37471]

Students at the UC Santa Cruz Human Rights Investigations Lab collaborated with UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center on open-source research focused on the ongoing human rights crisis in Chile, where massive anti-government demonstrations throughout the past year have been met with sometimes brutal government crackdowns. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 37470]

UC Santa Cruz researchers have shown that pumas will go to great lengths to avoid humans, and it’s taking a toll on them. They’re concerned about the long-term impacts on the ecosystem. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Agriculture] [Show ID: 37469]

A computational approach inspired by the growth patterns of a slime mold has enabled a team of astronomers and computer scientists at UC Santa Cruz to trace the filaments of the cosmic web that connects galaxies throughout the universe. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Science] [Show ID: 36784]

An international team including researchers at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute has completed the most comprehensive study of whole cancer genomes to date, significantly improving our fundamental understanding of cancer and suggesting new directions for its diagnosis and treatment. The Pan-Cancer Project has revealed causes of previously unexplained cancers, pin-pointed cancer-causing events,...

Children's museums can be a challenging environment for parents who feel the urge to explain the science behind all the novel activities that dazzle youngsters. New research suggests that timing is key to supporting children's learning in these environments. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Humanities] [Education] [Show ID: 36765]

UC Santa Cruz researchers are making robots socially assistive and helping people with accessibility needs. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Science] [Show ID: 36763]

Recharge Net Metering (ReNeM) is a novel incentive program that encourages individual efforts to use excess surface water to improve groundwater supply and quality. ReNeM engages agencies, researchers, and regional stakeholders in collaboration towards common sustainability goals. A ReNeMe pilot program was launched in the Pajaro Valley, Central Coastal California. This short video describes the R...