Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology News
2023 ARCS Foundation scholarships support UCSC graduate students in the sciences and engineering
September 11, 2023
Sixteen UC Santa Cruz graduate students have received scholarships worth a total of $175,000 from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation for the 2023-24 academic year.
New long-term NIH grant supports breast cancer research
September 7, 2023
Cancers are easier to treat if caught early on in their development. Once the cancer cells metastasize and spread around the body, the disease becomes more difficult to target. Shaheen Sikandar, an assistant professor of MCD Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was recently awarded up to seven years of funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), to study the process of metastasis in breast cancer.
GREAT program creates new opportunities for students to participate in research
September 1, 2023
This summer, the “Genome Research Experiences to Attract Talented Undergraduates into the Genomics Field to Enhance Diversity” (GREAT) programmed welcomed six students from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) to an intensive eight-week research program at UC Santa Cruz.
A childhood cancer survivor becomes a cancer researcher
August 7, 2023
This summer, 15-year-old Robert McCabe helped to sequence and analyze a tumor sample in the lab of the UC Santa Cruz Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative.
NSF graduate fellowship winner reflects on successes at UC Santa Cruz
July 26, 2023
Graduating senior and NSF-GRFP recipient Valery Ortiz shares about her experience at UC Santa Cruz, her involvement with STEM Diversity, and what she hopes for the future.
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
May 16, 2023
The Division of Physical and Biological Sciences is honoring three stellar alumni—atmospheric scientist Cora E. Randall, pediatrician Ramon Resa, and marine scientist Colleen Reichmuth—with the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Dickson Emeriti Professorships awarded to faculty in music, theater arts, and biology
May 11, 2023
Three UCSC faculty members—Kathy Foley, Edward Houghton, and Susan Strome—have been honored with Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorship Awards for the 2023–24 academic year.
New program advises UCSC Ph.D. students on their path to entrepreneurship and venture capital
March 30, 2023
Many student-led innovations never make it out of the lab. A new program at UC Santa Cruz aims to change that by mentoring Ph.D. students in the life sciences on alternative career pathways outside academia: entrepreneurship and venture capital.
RNA Rescue challenge invites players to solve puzzles and advance RNA therapeutics
February 21, 2023
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a new puzzle challenge for the online game Eterna, enlisting players to help design a novel RNA drug to treat hemophilia A.
Five student teams embark on tech for social good projects
January 23, 2023
Five student teams will take on tech for social good projects with funding from the UCSC CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the UCSC Institute for Social Transformation.
McKenna Smith: Pursuing biological sciences
January 23, 2023
McKenna Smith was awarded the Keeley Coastal Scholars Award in 2022. Learn more about how scholarships support students at UC Santa Cruz.
UCSC Genome Browser selected to first-ever Global Core Biodata Resource List
December 15, 2022
The UCSC Genome Browser is now part of the first list of Global Core Biodata Resources—a collection of 37 resources whose long-term funding and sustainability is critical to life science and biomedical research worldwide.
Biologist Needhi Bhalla awarded ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity
December 5, 2022
Bhalla was recognized for her research endeavors and high-impact diversity, equity, and inclusivity actions over the years.
Braingeneers develop novel method to automate the growth of brain tissue organoids on a chip
November 28, 2022
A team of engineers and scientists at UC Santa Cruz has developed a new method for remote automation of the growth of cerebral organoids – miniature, three-dimensional models of brain tissue grown from stem cells.
Laurie Garrett recounts public health failures in talk on COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness
November 14, 2022
Sponsored by UCSC’s Global and Community Health Program, Garrett’s talk highlighted the urgent need to strengthen public health infrastructure.
Transforming Support into Success: Jodi Lee
October 26, 2022
Thanks to many scholarships and awards, support from UC Santa Cruz resources and faculty members, and support and love from her family, Jodi Lee is now in her first year of graduate school at UCSF —and the first in her family to pursue a Ph.D.
Biologist Carol Greider to receive Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics
October 4, 2022
Greider, a professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology, will receive the Association of Molecular Pathology's highest honor.
UCSC welcomes 41 outstanding new faculty members
October 4, 2022
With the start of the 2022-23 academic year, UC Santa Cruz welcomes 41 new senate faculty members. The research and creative scholarship and expertise brought to our campus by these new faculty colleagues will strengthen existing areas of work and open discovery opportunities.