Environment & Ecology

May 16, 2024

Diversifying the outdoors with wildlife biologist Rae Wynn-Grant

By Lauryn Cummins

Four-time Emmy-nominated ecologist, television personality, author and Bren School of Environmental Science and Management researcher Rae Wynn-Grant spoke at the Pacific View Room at UC Santa Barbara on April 23.

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.

May 9, 2024

NYU professor proposes solutions for sustainable agriculture at Bren Hall

By Kevin Zhang

On April 29 Sonali McDermid, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at New York University, presented at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren Hall to share her expertise on sustainable methods of reducing greenhouse gas emiss...

May 9, 2024

UCSB doctoral student named Schmidt Science Fellow, aims to advance pollution monitoring

By Kaitlin Lee

UC Santa Barbara doctoral student Satish Kumar was one of 32 early-career scientists from 17 nationalities to be recently chosen as a 2024 Schmidt Science Fellow, a prestigious postdoctoral program.

May 2, 2024

Are we fossil fools? A wake-up call for Earth Day

By Sophia Delap

In honor of this year’s Earth Day, two determined engineers by the names of Craig Smith and William Fletcher presented their key findings on climate change at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on Monday, Apri...

April 25, 2024

Faculty Feature: Dr. Jean-Marie Volland’s road to UCSB

By Alexander Micsa, Leah Cierzan

Dr. Jean-Marie Volland, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at UC Santa Barbara, is delving into the micro-world beyond the scope of the microscope.

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.

April 11, 2024

Unveiling the climate crisis in Santa Barbara

By Kacie Chong

Santa Barbara has warmed by 2.3 degrees Celsius since 1895.. Efforts to reduce emissions saw an increase by 14% despite the City Council's goal of carbon neutrality by 2035.

February 29, 2024

A buzzworthy affair: New Solvang museum exhibition celebrates pollinators

By Kaitlin Lee

Pollinators, the unsung heroes of nature, are vital to the health of our ecosystems as well as to the diversity of our food sources. The California Nature Art Museum in Solvang and UC Santa Barbara’s Cheadle Center for...

February 29, 2024

Recent sewage spill in Goleta Slough leads to beach closure

By Lauryn Cummins

Over the course of four days, more than 1,000,000 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into the Goleta Slough during the rainstorms earlier this month. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department estimates that a ho...

February 22, 2024

UBC professor discusses wildfire mitigation and self-protection at Bren Hall

By Kevin Zhang

Most people believe wildfires are a wall of flame that engulfs buildings. Renowned professor and environmental economist says otherwise. He says the culprit is ember branding, the very foundation of a house. Dr. Patrick ...

February 15, 2024

California Against the Sea: Rosanna Xia visits UCSB to discuss her latest book

By Madasyn Mueller

Los Angeles Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rosanna Xia, visited UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 8 to discuss how sea level rise is threatening California coastal communities from Crescent City down to Imperial Beac...

February 8, 2024

Catching a wave of innovation: Central Coast company Patagonia reinvents the wetsuit

By Madasyn Mueller

UC Santa Barbara  students can swap their lab coat for a wetsuit, trading biology lab at the university’s Marine Biotechnology Lab for catching waves at Campus Point in under five minutes. Surfing has a rich history o...

January 25, 2024

Simply Stated: What caused the massive waves on the California coast?

By Kaitlin Lee

  If you were anywhere on the California coast last month, you were likely one of millions receiving high surf warnings and coastal flooding advisories. On Dec. 28, 2023, Santa Barbara experienced 20-foot waves that...

January 18, 2024

Simply Stated: What is an El Niño year?

By Saanvi Tiwary

If you are like me, you may have heard the explanation, “because it’s an El Niño year” as a response to any questions about why it has been raining so much or why it has been so warm all of a sudden. Santa Barbara...

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...