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Recent Donors and Their Impact

Stories in giving: John Crary
Nearly 15 years ago, John Crary was introduced to the Lick Observatory and the UC Santa Cruz Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics by a close friend who was a UC Santa Cruz Trustee. Today, he is one of their biggest supporters and advocates. [More]
Local cancer charity group funds four cancer researchers at UC Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group (SCCBG), a local charity supporting cancer research and patient care, has awarded grants of $12,500 each to four researchers at UC Santa Cruz: Lindsay Hinck, professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology; Zhu Wang, assistant professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology; Daniel Kim, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering; and Nikolaos Sgourakis, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry. [More]
UC Santa Cruz student Saloni Gupta earns Sutter scholarship for medical school
Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center (SMSC), part of the Sutter Health network, has awarded the eleventh annual Primary Care Physician award to UC Santa Cruz student Saloni Gupta, who will graduate in December with a B.S. degree in human biology. [More]
Helping students spot medical pseudoscience
A popular new class made possible by a donor delves into history, psychology, chemistry, ethics, and—yes—medicine, exploring the limits and potentials of health care [More]
Anne Irwin
Anne Irwin will never forget her 70th birthday celebration among the swell sharks and octopuses at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. It was a kind of homecoming for her.
Members of a select group of generous donors, she and her late husband, Paul Irwin, were part of the original fundraising board for the center. This year marks the 22nd anniversary of her strong, consistent support of marine science programs at UCSC. And while students and researchers have benefited from her generosity, Irwin has reaped dividends of her own. . . [More]
Finding a way through a will
For nearly 40 years Emma Jean and Barry Bowman built our understanding of a part the cell called the vacuole. Now the retired researcher and emeritus professor are putting their department – Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology – in their will. . . [More]
Honoring a life-changing teacher
Michael Morgan is busy right now. On top of teaching high school chemistry, he’s coaching, and it’s “right in the middle of the academic season.” His teams compete in the Science Bowl, the Chemistry Olympiad, and the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
He takes a short break to speak with exuberance about a subject close to his heart: Frank Andrews, the retired chemistry professor who changed his life. . . [More]
Moore Foundation grant funds UC Santa Cruz groundwater sustainability project
A team of faculty and students at UC Santa Cruz has received a grant of $854,000 from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for a groundwater sustainability project that involves managing runoff from storms to recharge groundwater supplies. The grant supports efforts to link the infiltration of surface water into the ground with improvements in water quality. . . [More]
Local group funds four UC Santa Cruz cancer researchers
The Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group (SCCBG), a local charity supporting cancer research and patient care, has awarded grants of $12,500 each to four researchers at UC Santa Cruz: Angela Brooks, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering; Melissa Jurica, professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology; Carrie Partch, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry; and Seth Rubin, professor of chemistry and biochemistry. . . [More]
UCSC Natural Reserves director Gage Dayton appointed to endowed chair
UC Santa Cruz has appointed Gage Dayton to the Wilton W. Webster Jr. Presidential Chair for the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves. The endowed chair was established in 2015 with a $500,000 gift from the Helen and Will Webster Foundation and matching funds from the UC Regents.
Dayton, who has served as administrative director of the UCSC Natural Reserves since 2008, said the funds from the endowed chair will provide critical support for the reserves and the programs that use them . . . [More]
Physicist Anthony Aguirre appointed to endowed chair in physics of information
UC Santa Cruz has appointed physics professor Anthony Aguirre to the Faggin Family Presidential Chair for the Physics of Information. The endowed chair was established in 2015 with a $500,000 gift from physicist and technology innovator Federico Faggin and matching funds from the UC Regents.
Aguirre said funds from the endowed chair will support projects using information theory to address fundamental questions at the interface of physics and related fields, including cosmology, biophysics, and cognitive science. . . [More]
Astronomy retiree Arnold Klemola establishes endowment for graduate students
Retired UC Santa Cruz astronomy researcher Arnold Klemola has given $400,000 to support graduate student research by establishing the James Keeler Fund for Excellence in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The fund honors the contributions of Keeler, an early director of Lick Observatory who established the technology for large reflecting telescopes and pioneered their use for observing distant galaxies. . . [More]