Olivia Lohrer

August 11, 2025

Rooted in place: How traditional ecological knowledge is transforming environmental studies at UCSB

By Olivia Lohrer

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is defined by the Indigenous Climate Hub as the “cumulative body of knowledge, practices, and beliefs about the relationship between living beings and their environment. Passed do...

June 26, 2025

Simply Stated: Green growth vs. degrowth?

By Olivia Lohrer

Can our economies grow even as natural resources dwindle? Or will we need to reimagine prosperity itself by prioritizing life over profits? These questions have laid the foundation for a debate on potential courses for ...

May 29, 2025

Best of Scientific Breakthroughs

By Jesse Chamberlain, Jessica Arocho, John Cho, Katharine Chi, Olivia Lohrer, Rebecca Raymond, Saanvi Tiwary, Yumiko Florando

A look back on notable scientific happenings and achievements at UCSB during the 2024-25 school year. 

April 24, 2025

What’s in the water? Domoic acid poisons marine mammals along Southern California coast

By Olivia Lohrer

Since late March, beachgoers have encountered hundreds of washed-up animals suffering from domoic acid poisoning with symptoms that include seizures, erratic and dangerous behavior and comas.

March 6, 2025

Author Richard Powers speaks on the intersections of science, literature and environmental loss

By Olivia Lohrer

On Feb. 23, bestselling author Richard Powers prompted an audience of nearly 800 people in Campbell Hall to consider the environment as more than just a literary backdrop but a living, breathing and ever-changing charact...

January 16, 2025

Simply Stated: Is gossiping a nasty habit or human nature?

By Olivia Lohrer

While gossiping is often portrayed as a malicious activity, science shows that “spilling the tea” has significant roots in both evolutionary biology and social psychology.

November 14, 2024

Letter from the editors: What does a second Trump presidency mean for the fate of science?

By Olivia Lohrer, Katharine Chi

In light of last Tuesday’s election, we are faced with an urgent question: what will a second Trump presidency mean for public trust in the integrity of science? 

October 10, 2024

Building futures: a conversation with the co-chair of Los Ingenieros

By Olivia Lohrer

Fourth-year chemical engineering student Jessy Gonzalez, co-chair of Los Ingenieros, reflected on his experience being part of a community that uplifts minorities in S.T.E.M.

May 30, 2024

Best of Scientific Breakthroughs

By Nandini Kuppa, Kaitlin Lee, Katharine Chi, Olivia Lohrer

A look back on notable scientific achievements from UCSB researchers during the 2024-2025 year.

May 16, 2024

“What if We Get it Right?”: Author Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges audience to consider the possibility of creating a climate-friendly future

By Olivia Lohrer

On May 7, UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures hosted marine biologist, policy expert and author Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.

April 18, 2024

Going Deeper: A look into scientific diving at UCSB

By Olivia Lohrer

Humans have little understanding of what happens beneath the surface of the ocean. Community members at UCSB are exploring the depths of it with scientific diving.

February 1, 2024

Simply Stated: How sustainable is the Stanley Cup?

By Olivia Lohrer

A series of  TikTok videos went viral in December, showing Target shoppers aggressively running towards and grabbing Stanley’s newly-released, limited edition “Cosmo Pink” and “Target Red” 40 ounce “Quencher...

December 28, 2023

Closing the Loop: UCSB’s A.S. Department of Public Worms’ sustainable solution to food waste

By Olivia Lohrer

For most people, the moment their scraps fall and join the leftovers at the bottom of the dining commons’ green compost bins marks what they believe to be the end of the line for that food. In reality, like the long jo...

November 2, 2023

“The Future of the Amazon”: UCSB’s Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies hosts international conference

By Emma Holm-Olsen, Olivia Lohrer

Dozens of scholars, researchers, activists and policymakers from institutions across the globe arrived at UC Santa Barbara for a three-day international conference from Oct. 25-27, aimed at discussing the crucial questio...

October 26, 2023

“The Heat Will Kill You First”: Writer Jeff Goodell warns against extreme heat, says we are not doomed

By Olivia Lohrer

You probably heard it on the radio, read it in the newspaper or saw a post on Instagram at some point over the past few months: 2023 was the hottest summer ever recorded in human history. According to the National Aerona...