Science, Solutions, Santa Cruz

Restoring Ms Blue’s skeleton sustainably is the Seymour Center’s top priority. Swell Cycle co-founder and CEO Patricio Guerrero is using large-format 3D printing to create high-performance surfboards with less waste and is working with the Seymour Center to restore Ms Blue. Make sure to check out the full documentary episode on YouTube and join us at the Seymour Marine Center on November 8th from...

In honor of Ms Blue’s return to the Seymour Center, this podcast episode features Steve Davenport, a longtime UCSC marine science leader. Steve shares the stories of how this iconic blue whale was recovered, restored, and brought back to life. Make sure to check out the full documentary episode on YouTube and join us at the Seymour Marine Center on November 8th from 11am-3pm for Ms Blue Returns, M...

Climate change is pushing whales to change faster than the people who study them can keep up. Cetacean research senior manager Gina Lonati reveals how drones, thermal imaging, and long-term monitoring are transforming the way scientists track gray whales, humpbacks, and entanglement risk along the California coast. Marine Mammal Center Hotline for injured animals: 415-289-SEAL Chapters: 00:00 — Du...

After a second fire at the Moss Landing battery plant, residents still face urgent questions: what entered the air, what reached people, and why are answers so hard to find? UCSC environmental toxicology expert Don Smith joins the podcast to unpack the science behind lithium-ion battery fires, failures in the response, and the data related to health impacts that communities still need. Don explain...

Santa Cruz County faces wildfire, floods, earthquakes, and coastal storms nearly every year. Dave Reid, director of the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, explains how local leaders prepare for disasters, coordinate emergency responses, and help communities like Santa Cruz rebuild after catastrophic events. He shares lessons from the CZU fire, the power of Cruz Aware alerts, and the diff...

Description: California’s kelp forests are in crisis, but an unexpected solution may be making a comeback: the sunflower star, a giant sea star that once helped keep urchin populations in check and kelp forests healthy. In this episode, Reuven Bank and Andrew Kim of the Sunflower Star Laboratory explain how their grassroots conservation effort grew from a volunteer project in a garage into a serio...

Description: What if a surf break was more than a wave? Nik Strong- Cvetich reveals why surf ecosystems are worth protecting, how they shape local economies, and why Santa Cruz could become a model for coastal conservation everywhere. Save the Waves CEO Nik Strong-Cvetich unpacks the idea behind a newly defined category: the surf ecosystem. It is not just the break itself, but the geology that cre...

Prepared to feel charmed by chemistry professor and big wave surfer Sarah Gerhardt in this episode. Sarah steps into her role as a teacher in this conversation to walk listeners through the itty bitty, nitty gritty details of how materials we interact with every day are just miraculous strings of molecules that shape our lives. As the first woman to ride the giant waves of Mavericks, Sarah knows t...

Javier González-Rocha grew up with his feet on Watsonville soil and his mind on aerospace engineering. He knew from an early age that he wanted to apply his penchant for math and science to helping people and solving real world problems. Now a professor of applied mathematics at UCSC, Javier’s research focuses on designing drones that can improve measurements of air quality in agricultural areas....

How does studying the dust of distant galaxies help us understand our oceans? Apparently, tools that tell us what stars are made of are also good at pointing out things like phytoplankton or heat waves. In this Deep Dive episode, astrophysicist and UCSC professor X Prochaska details his professional pivot from outer space to ocean surfaces. His work with spectroscopy, or understanding how light ch...

What do chubby bears and antifreeze fish have in common? A legacy of extreme survival coded into their genes. In this Deep Dive special, guest host Eric Palkovacs sits down with UC Santa Cruz professor Joanna Kelley to chat about her research on animals that develop radical adaptations to overcome freezes, famine, and toxins. Observing how these adaptations are passed down, transformed, or elimina...

Hilary Bryant’s passion and entrepreneurial spirit led her to wear many hats as a Santa Cruz community member. She went from majoring in biology at UCSC to brokering real estate to building an animal hospital to running for Mayor. Now, she’s the Donor Services Director at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County where she helps people make impactful contributions to our present and future community....

Follow a drop of water from the Santa Cruz Mountains to your faucet at home in this episode with Heidi Luckenbach, Water Director for the City of Santa Cruz Water. Heidi walks listeners through the water sources and systems that deliver this precious resource throughout the community. With the mind of a civil engineer and a heart for public service, Heidi is passionate about helping people underst...

Prepare to journey into a deep, mysterious realm on our planet from the comfort of your streaming device. In this special Field Diary episode, guest host Cassidy Beach follows marine biologist Steve Haddock from the podcast studio to a day of deep sea exploration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Steve’s research focuses on the boneless, bioluminescent beings in a slice of...

In this special “Deep Dive” episode, guest host Eric Palkovacs, Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, sits down with Mark Carr. Mark is a living legend of marine ecology who helped pioneer the concept of Marine Protected Areas (MPA'S) in California and now advises for new MPA’s all over the world. As a scientist, Eric brings a different perspective to his interviews. He st...

This week, we're sharing a bonus crossover episode with our friends at "Designing Tomorrow" - a podcast all about creativity and authenticity in social impact strategies. Host Eric Ressler sits down with Sarah Newkirk, Executive Director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz, who shares her insights on conservation strategies, community engagement, and innovative climate adaptation projects. Tune in to...

Imagine sitting by Mission Street for an hour and only seeing 5 cars pass through, or being in one of the first graduating classes from the “new” school of UC Santa Cruz. That’s the perspective Senator John Laird brings to this episode as shares his extensive experience across California’s local and state governments. As he reflects on the past 50 years of environmental policy, he highlights the l...

After chasing illegal fishing boats and skydiving to disrupt illegal wildlife hunts, Myra Finkelstein’s unique journey from the skies to the high seas led her to become a professor of environmental toxicology at UC Santa Cruz. Her research on lead poisoning has identified major threats to scavenging species, including the iconic California Condor, and helped inform a ban on lead ammunition in the...

Julie Packard shares her journey from a UCSC student to a global leader in ocean conservation, highlighting the importance of science, policy, and community action in protecting our oceans. Resources: Seafood Watch Program - https://www.seafoodwatch.org/ Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust - https://montereybayfisheries.org/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:54 Journey into Science and Conse...

When Otter 841 started hijacking surfboards at Steamer Lane, she exposed a much deeper conflict brewing just beyond the breakers. In this special episode, guest host Cassidy Beach hits the cliffs of Lighthouse Point with Gena Bentall, director and senior scientist of Sea Otter Savvy. Together, they look past the viral headlines to track the energetic costs of sharing an intensely crowded coast wit...

Andrew Fisher, a distinguished professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, shares insights on hydrogeology, water management, and flood risk mitigation along the Pájaro River. Discover how long-term monitoring, community engagement, and innovative engineering are shaping sustainable solutions for flood control, habitat restoration, and groundwater recharge. 00:00 The Pájaro River F...

Mountain lions are slipping through our neighborhoods under the cover of darkness, radically altering their behavior just to avoid us. In this episode, Chris Wilmers, UC Santa Cruz professor of wildlife ecology, pulls back the curtain on the cryptic world of our region's apex predators. From a toothless "old man" puma targeting local livestock to the hidden ways backyard rat poison disrupts local...

How does science actually become law? In this episode current Santa Cruz Mayor, Fred Keeley, reflects on his legendary career rewriting California’s ocean protection rules. From body surfing through literal oil slicks as a nine-year-old to passing the historic Marine Life Management Act at the final midnight hour of a governor's term, Keeley shares what it really takes to build a "Blue Wall" for t...

The California coast is witnessing a silent crash in peregrine falcons that threatens to outpace the devastating legacy of DDT. In this guest-hosted episode, Zeka Glucs, Director of the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group leads us into the field to track the invisible killer: bird flu. From the studio to the windswept bluffs of Devil's Slide, we witness the frontlines of an ecological batt...

The morning of April 2nd gave Santa Cruz a sharp reminder that the ground beneath our feet is never truly still. In this episode, we use that recent shake to uncover the seismic secrets lurking under our feet with Emily Brodsky, an earthquake scientist and UC Santa Cruz professor. From the legacy of the 1906 disaster to modern earthquakes triggered by geothermal energy and fracking, we explore the...