Science & Tech

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 30, 2024

AAPI Faculty Highlight: UCSB professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen’s path to pioneering chemistry

By Nandini Kuppa, Qien Feng

Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, an award-winning researcher at UC Santa Barbara and Director of Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, has made significant contributions to modern organic electronic devices as a means of improving g...

May 23, 2024

Maykonome: Conservationist and photographer Cristina Mittermeier speaks on ocean protection efforts

By Natalie LeFevre

On Friday, May 10, Cristina Mittermeier spoke as part of UC Santa Barbara’s Arts and Lectures “Earth, Air, Fire, Water” series, sharing with audiences her experiences as a photographer and how they led to her life-...

May 23, 2024

UCSB hosts collegiate California Workshop on Evolutionary Social Science

By Isabelle Kang

UC Santa Barbara hosted the annual California Workshop on Evolutionary Social Science for the first time since 2018 from May 3-5. 

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 16, 2024

Making sure it’s Correkt: a group of UCSB students set out to revolutionize the ethics of AI chatbots

By Na Huang

When second-year computer science major Alexzendor Misra first came to UC Santa Barbara in Fall Quarter 2022, he had no idea an ill-fated encounter with a conspiracy-believing peer would inspire the creation of an artifi...

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...

May 2, 2024

Simply Stated: The science behind blacking out

By Katharine Chi

After a night of heavy drinking and regrets, one can experience fear and anxiety when all the memories of the previous night are nowhere to be found.

April 25, 2024

Marijuana and munchies: A possible homeopathic solution

By Tanvi Ladha

At the heart of cannabis culture, beyond the red eyes, giggles and relaxation, lies an indescribable feeling: the “munchies.”

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

Methane-measuring satellite takes off from Santa Barbara

By Qien Feng

On March 4, SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base one hour away from UC Santa Barbara. On board the rocket was Vandenberg Space Force Base, a satellite capable of mapping methane emissions ...

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.