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Scholarships Available APPLY NOW uchastings.edu MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU II UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE UC SANTA CRUZ 8 Pore strength MAGAZINE A company with UC Santa Cruz roots called FALL 2017 Two Pore Guys has created a biosensing device that may revolutionize the way we do medicine and live in our envi- ronment.
Lessons from history 11 reflect on her story UC Santa Cruz’s new second-in-command, Marlene Tromp, is a respected scholar and professor of Victorian history—and a first-generation college graduate. 14 The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz’s first campuswide campaign closes with record giving by alumni and friends.
18 Chair raising UC HASTINGS The campus has inaugurated 16 new chairs since the start of the Campaign for UC Santa Cruz, bringing new research funds along with heightened creativity, prestige, COLLEGE First-Generation Initiative and influence. UC Santa Cruz has joined a UC systemwide initiative called “#FirstGen An indelible mark College Grad,” focused on supporting 21 OF THE our fast-growing first-generation The late Robert Sinsheimer, who served as chancel- lor from 1977 to 1987, left a lasting legacy by leading a Juris Doctor college student population. Our goal is to create a welcoming and supportive young UC Santa Cruz through major changes, from the March 1 Application Deadline campus environment for all of our audacious to the controversial. No Application Fee students. Where we’ve written about February LSAT Accepted first-generation college graduates in this issue, we’ve included the #FirstGen 3+3 program available for current UCSC undergraduate students College Grad logo.
Master of Studies in Law 1 Year Master’s Program for Working Professionals Law Learn to “Think Like a Lawyer” Application Fee Waivers Available Alumni Notes—online at magazine.ucsc.edu Calendar 3 Alumni Profiles 25 This Is UC Santa Cruz 4 1 More Thing 28 Scholarships Available APPLY NOW About the cover: Illustration by John S. Dykes uchastings.edu MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 1 UC UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ Chancellor George Blumenthal SANTA Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor Marlene Tromp CRUZ Vice Chancellor, University Relations Keith E. Brant MAGAZINE Assistant Vice Chancellor, Communications and Marketing Sherry L. K. Main FALL 2017 Editor Gwen Jourdonnais Creative Director Lisa Nielsen Art Director/Designer Linda Knudson (Cowell ’76) Associate Editor Dan White Proofreader Jeanne Lance Photography Carolyn Lagattuta Contributors Jennifer McNulty, Cheri O’Neil, Ann Parker, Scott Rappaport, Matthew Renda, Joan Springhetti, Tim Stephens (SciComm ’90), Peggy Townsend, Dan White
UC Santa Cruz Magazine Fall 2017, volume 55, number 2. UC Santa Cruz Magazine is published by UC Santa Cruz Communications and Marketing, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064-1077, (831) 459-2495, [email protected], magazine.ucsc.edu. It appears twice a year: spring and fall. Inclusion of advertising in UC Santa Cruz Magazine is not meant to imply endorsement of any company, product, or service being advertised. Advertising opportunities: contact Alexandra Sibille, [email protected], (831) 502-8578. Postmaster: Send address changes to UC Santa Cruz Communications and Marketing, Attn: UC Santa Cruz Magazine, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064-1077. News, notes, and other editorial material should be sent to the address noted above for the Postmaster; (831) 459-2495; or [email protected]. 10/17 (1718-409/110m)
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2•28 •18 2•28 •18 GIVING GIVING Founders Dorianne Laux: UC SANTA CRUZ Celebration Morton Marcus UC SANTA CRUZ Weekend Poetry Reading DAY DAY October 20, 2017 November 16, 2017 Convocation of Chairs 5:30 p.m. 4–5 p.m. Humanities Lecture Hall Music Recital Hall Business October 21, 2017 Design • Open Houses: Campaign Showcase for UC Santa Cruz projects April 17, 2018 2–5 p.m. 6 p.m. Various locations UC Santa Cruz • Founders Dinner Silicon Valley Campus 6 p.m. Martin Luther Porter College King Jr. Cost: $150 per person Memorial Alumni Convocation Weekend Fall into Questions Date TBD April 27–29, 2018 Philanthropy that Matter: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium October 16– Freedom and November 16, 2017 Race Join us online for a month of January 30, 2018 philanthropic opportunities, 7 p.m. hand-selected for you. Kuumbwa Jazz Center Watch your email inbox for Cost: $10, includes one information. complimentary drink
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THIS IS UC Above: The Grateful Dead stand on the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets, SANTA San Francisco, 1966. Right: Students gather in the Quarry Amphitheater in 2006 to hear former U.S. ambassador to Iraq Joseph Wilson—the husband of outed CIA operative CRUZ Valerie Plame—at a daylong teach-in titled Find UC Santa Cruz on The War on Terror: A Credible Threat. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Read UC Santa Cruz Magazine stories at magazine.ucsc.edu.
4 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE
‘Love on Haight’ space located in a once- In coming months, the within the Baskin School celebrates active quarry operation was campus will develop a of Engineering will support Summer of Love the key place to go for big schedule of concerts, our growing activities in events. But the site fell into performances, and other data-driven discovery and Love on Haight: the Grateful disrepair and was closed to Quarry events. decision making,” said Dead and San Francisco events in 2006. Engineering Dean Alexander in 1967—an exhibit Wolf. “It will provide an commemorating the 50th The $8 million renovation Data driven project got a $6.4 million infrastructure for researchers anniversary of the historic UC Santa Cruz has launched boost from the Student Fee in industry and academia to Summer of Love—is open a new data science research Advisory Committee. And exchange ideas and develop at McHenry Library’s Dead center, Data, Discovery, alumni, staff, faculty, and practical solutions to data Central. and Decisions (D3). Led community members also science challenges.” Highlighting materials from by Lise Getoor, professor gave to the project. multiple collections housed of computer science in in the library’s Special The funds went toward the Baskin School of Radical Jewish Collections and Archives, bringing the space back to Engineering, D3 provides Politics makes the exhibit features its former glory with new a platform for collaboration a buzz posters, photography, infrastructure that will allow between industry and A capacity crowd filled and memorabilia from the for future improvements. academia in the emerging the atrium floor of the Grateful Dead Archive Benches have been field of data science. Museum of Art and History and photographs from replaced, while keeping the The ability to collect and in downtown Santa Cruz Ruth-Marion Baruch’s 1967 Quarry’s unique asymmetry. analyze vast amounts of data for a recent public event Haight-Ashbury series. Seating was expanded from has driven the emergence presented by the UC Santa “We want to provide context a capacity of 1,636 to 2,000, of data science as a new Cruz Institute for Humanities for the Grateful Dead in the venue was made current discipline. The Baskin School Research (IHR). 1967 and to highlight two with building codes and of Engineering has identified The occasion was Radical high-profile collections (the accessibility requirements, data science as a key focus Jewish Politics: From Marx Grateful Dead Archive and lighting was introduced area for the school. to Bernie, the second for night events, and Wi-Fi the Pirkle Jones and Ruth- “The establishment of installment of the IHR’s capability has been added. Marion Baruch Photography the D3 Research Center new “UCSC Night at the collection) as well as lesser known materials from both Special Collections and the McHenry stacks,” said Elisabeth Remak-Honnef, head of Special Collections and Archives. The exhibit will be on display through June 2018. Admission is free and open to the public during regular library hours.
The Quarry rocks again The beloved Quarry Amphitheater has undergone a major renovation and is reopening this fall. For nearly 40 years this stunning outdoor gathering PHOTOS: DEAD BY HERB GREENE, COURTESY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ; QUARRY BY JIM MACKENZIE MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 5 Left to right: First-generation faculty Catherine “Cat” Ramírez, associate professor, Latin American and Latino studies, and director, Chicano Latino Research Center; Jaye Padgett, professor, Linguistics Department, and vice provost for student success; Veronica Terriquez, associate professor, Sociology Department; Rebecca Covarrubias, assistant professor, Psychology Department; Juan Poblete, professor, Literature Department.
Museum” series for the ethnicities and cultural Making wood work Accelerating success local community. backgrounds, equitable The U.S. Forest Service An off-campus accelerator educational opportunities. It offered a discussion awarded a $250,000 grant intended to jump-start of the history of radical “In order to unlock the full to the Center for the Study technology businesses Jewish politics—inspired by potential of the country, of the Force Majeure, a launched in June with the both the centennial of the you need to do more than research center based in the support of UC Santa Cruz. Russian Revolution in 2017 educate the same elite Arts Division at UC Santa Three campus-connected and the stunning electoral population generation after Cruz. ventures—Fuzz Stati0n, success of Bernie Sanders, generation,” said acting Founded by Newton and Santa Cruz WaveWorks, which has led to a renewed Vice Provost for Academic Helen Mayer Harrison, and Scoot Science—along interest in socialism in the Affairs Martin Berger. research professors in with a fourth startup, United States. With this in mind, UC Santa the Digital Arts and New PhotoBloomAR, began The evening featured a Cruz launched the First-Gen Media Program, the center a pilot cohort with the public conversation with Faculty campaign, which brings together artists accelerator, called Santa UC Santa Cruz alumnus encourages professors and scientists to design Cruz Accelerates. Tony Michels (Stevenson to identify themselves as ecosystem-adaptation The UC Santa Cruz Office of ‘89, politics), professor of the first in their families to projects in critical regions Research provided $500,000 American Jewish history at graduate from a U.S. four- around the world to respond for Santa Cruz Accelerates to the University of Wisconsin– year university. to climate change. serve early-stage technology Madison, author of A Fire So far, 54 professors have The project will estimate the businesses that have a in Their Hearts: Yiddish identified themselves as supply of wood biomass in product but haven’t started Socialists in New York, and first-generation faculty, the area east of the central selling it. The accelerator editor of Jewish Radicals: A including Rebecca Sierra crest and in western will be run by Santa Cruz Documentary History. Covarrubias, assistant Nevada, and assess the Works, a local nonprofit professor of psychology. possibility of producing that supports science and technology companies. First-gen faculty “In drawing attention to the wood products from that come forward shared identities among supply. The University of California Public institutions are students and faculty, we The aim of the grant—part is committed to ensuring increasingly focused on can send a clear message of $8.3 million in distributed that the knowledge and the degree to which they that we want you here, that funds from the U.S. Forest research developed on enable upward mobility. you belong here, and you Service—is to stimulate its campuses are used to will succeed here,” said the fullest possible extent For many, it is vital that the removal of hazardous Covarrubias. so the benefits reach the U.S. higher education fuels from forests to reduce public, said Mohamed afford people from lower- In 2016, 42 percent of the the risk of wildfires and Abousalem, assistant vice income households, entering class at UC Santa promote forest health, while chancellor for the Office and from traditionally Cruz were first-generation at the same time spurring for Research, Industry underrepresented college students. the economic development of rural communities. Alliances and Technology Commercialization.
6 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE Find more UC Santa Cruz news at news.ucsc.edu. Have news delivered straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the UC Santa Cruz e-newsletter at news. ucsc.edu/newsletter
Los Mejicas: The troupe performs “I feel like learning to swim Justine Smith (M.A. More than dance regularly on campus and for opens up your world to so ’09), who led the study elementary and high school many other things you can as a graduate student in Paola Gomez was eager to students, festivals, and do,” said Raman, who wants environmental studies at leave East LA to study film special events. to learn to surf, snorkel, UC Santa Cruz, and her and environmental studies and scuba dive once he’s colleagues placed audio at UC Santa Cruz. But mastered swimming. equipment at puma kill sites homesickness hit hard during Taking the plunge “When people work with in the Santa Cruz Mountains; her first quarter on campus. Params Raman, 31, churned their own fears, they realize when a puma came to “I was really struggling. through the water at UC anything is possible,” said feed, its movements There were a lot of times Santa Cruz’s Olympic-sized Kimball. triggered recordings of I wanted to go home,” pool, a feat that was, at people talking, and a hidden recalled Gomez (Porter once, both ordinary and Beginning swim classes are camera captured the puma’s ‘19), whose neighbors in extraordinary. offered through the Office responses. They broadcast of Physical Education, LA were predominantly Only a month earlier, Raman, recordings of Pacific tree Recreation and Sports. Mexican American and a graduate student who is frogs as a control. Central American. “I had doing research in artificial “We found that pumas culture shock.” intelligence, was terrified Fraidy cats almost always ran from the All of that changed when of the water. He’d grown New research into the Gomez discovered Grupo up in the northeastern and behavior of mountain lions Folklórico Los Mejicas, a southern parts of India indicates that they don’t like student-run dance troupe where, he said, there was no encountering humans any that celebrates the regional access to swimming pools— more than we like bumping music, dances, and only dangerous wild rivers into them. traditions of Mexico. and dark cistern-like wells. The findings are particularly “It was more than dance,” But under the watchful eye valuable as human said Gomez. “I saw I wasn’t of instructor Julie Kimball development encroaches the only one who needed a (Crown ‘78, German on lion habitat and drives up home away from home.” literature), Raman was the number of human-puma Today, Gomez is one of 51 stroking across the pool encounters. members of Los Mejicas. along with eight classmates. PHOTOS: FIRST-GEN BY C. LAGATTUTA; LOS MEJICAS BY JASMIN AVILA (MERRILL LATIN ’12, MOUNTAIN AMERICAN LION BY SEBASTIAN AND LATINO STUDIES); KENNERKNECHT (RACHEL CARSON ECOLOGY ‘07, AND EVOLUTION) sound of humans—and almost never ran from the sound of frogs,” said Smith, now a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. In addition to establishing the fear response, the study reveals changes in puma feeding behavior that could have implications for their well-being in human- dominated landscapes.
Above: New research shows that mountain lions don’t like encounters with humans any more than we like to encounter them. Left: Grupo Folklórico’s elaborate costumes and dances are specific to the different regions of Mexico. MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 7 A company with UC Santa Cruz roots called Two Pore Guys has created a biosensing device that may revolutionize the way we do medicine and live in our environment PORESTRENGTH
Left to right: Trevor Morin, chief scientific officer, biochemistry; William Dunbar, chief technology officer, nanopores and analytics; and Dan Heller, president and CEO
It was early 2010 and Bill Dunbar sequence DNA strands faster That’s when an idea hit. paced the hallway between his and less expensively by using Self-driving cars needed two office and his lab in UC Santa electronic voltage to pull each separate functions to get someone Cruz’s Engineering 2 building. molecule through a microscopic safely from Point A to B. There A lanky surfer and a drummer hole called a nanopore. They had were the sensors that gathered with a Ph.D. in feedback control a problem they thought Dunbar information like your location, your theory, a backbone technology might be able to solve. speed, and the moment the idiot of self-driving cars, Dunbar had The quandary Dunbar faced as driver in front of you suddenly come to UC Santa Cruz in 2004 he stalked that fluorescent-lit hall hit the brakes. Then there were to help bolster the university’s was that DNA molecules zipped the actuators: the steering, the robotics degree program. through the nanometer-scale hole accelerator, and the braking. But a year after he arrived on the like bullets through a gun barrel, Why not use two nanopores, wooded campus, Dunbar met making them hard to read. Was one as a kind of actuator and David Deamer and Mark Akeson, there a way to slow them down the other as a sensor, to slow two UC Santa Cruz professors and maybe even move them back down and control the molecules who were pioneering a way to and forth so you could decipher in order to read them, Dunbar them with real accuracy? thought.
8 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE By Peggy Townsend
It was a great idea, but it needed molecular pharmacology named and sold a successful email time to develop. Deamer and Trevor Morin, who worked as software company, helped steer Akeson’s team ended up using a postdoctoral researcher on the nascent digital photo industry, another method that was licensed campus; and Dunbar, who left written six books, and circled the by DNA sequencing company his professorship at UC Santa globe as a travel photographer. But Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Cruz in order to devote himself Dunbar’s two-pore theory, along which created a series of genome completely to solving what he with the idea of using a nanopore sequencing systems. But the two- sees as a “significant problem” in made out of silicon instead of the pore notion stuck with Dunbar. the modern world. biological nanopore Deamer and PORESTRENGTH Akeson developed, intrigued him. Fast forward seven years, and “There were two reasons we Dunbar’s idea became the decided to invest in Two Pore “I have a deep enough science seed of a company that has Guys,” said Vijit Sabnis, a partner background that I can smell created a biosensing device in Khosla Ventures, which was something interesting when it that may revolutionize the way started by billionaire and Sun comes up,” Heller said. we do medicine and live in our Microsystems founder Vinod In 2011, the two men started their environment. Khosla. “The first reason was that company and gave it the tongue- The device could one day allow a the technology is highly, highly in-cheek name, “Two Pore Guys.” parent to determine if a feverish differentiated and revolutionary. No one else in the world is Like others, Dunbar and Heller child has strep throat or the flu with also attended engineering a simple swab of the mouth. It working on this and has made the progress this team has.” seminars on campus. There, could help doctors diagnose cancer they noticed a guy who kept and other diseases, and become The second reason, he said simply, asking questions about possible a foundation for telemedicine. is “the quality of the people.” biological and practical uses It could locate E. coli in food, let for whatever device was being farmers check for crop-killing Meeting discussed. One day, Heller disease, help ranchers keep an approached the questioner, eye on the health of their cattle, of the minds learned his name was Trevor and allow government to monitor Heller and Dunbar met at UC Morin, and discovered he water quality with the same ease Santa Cruz in 2010 as Dunbar, was working with UC Santa as using a glucose monitor. now 42, was working on his Cruz Professor Phil Berman, a
PHOTO BY C. LAGATTUTA; DEVICE COURTESY TWO PORE GUYS two-pore idea and Heller, now pioneer in the development of Poring it on 54, was teaching courses recombinant vaccines for AIDS associated with his Center for Called Two Pore Guys, the and other infectious diseases. Entrepreneurship. company has captured $25.4 Heller asked Morin if he would million in venture capital, has Heller had experience starting like to join him and Dunbar for grown to 60 employees (more technology companies from core breakfast at Kelly’s French Bakery than half of them from UC Santa inventions like Dunbar’s. And to talk about nanopore technology. Cruz), is collaborating with UC San the two men bonded almost Francisco on a pilot study to detect immediately over science, a tumor DNA in the blood and urine shared sense of humor, and a of patients with known cancer Right Coast background. diagnoses, and already has willing “Sometimes, it’s just easy with partners waiting in the wings. certain people,” Dunbar said. At its heart are three men: a At the time, Heller, who’d earned successful entrepreneur named both a B.A. in computer science Dan Heller, who founded (Rachel Carson ’85) and a master’s UC Santa Cruz’s Center for in digital media (’13), at UC Santa Two Pore Guys makes a digital, Entrepreneurship (C4E) in 2010; a Cruz, thought he was finished with hand-held testing platform former thoroughbred jockey with big ventures. He’d already founded that detects viruses, bacteria, a doctorate in biochemistry and antibodies, and other biological molecules. MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 9 PORESTRENGTH continued
“I was a poor postdoc,” said tests for things like bacteria, Institute, who is on the advisory Morin, a former horse-racing viruses, and tumor DNA, but board for Two Pore Guys: “This jockey whose riding career ended rather form partnerships with company really breaks through a when he was thrown into a fence, other diagnostic test makers, longstanding technology barrier breaking his wrists, back, and neck. according to Heller. Two Pore by creating a modular, portable He then went on to get a doctorate Guys is currently in contract with assay platform for just about in biochemistry and molecular five unnamed partners and in everything people care about.” pharmacology. Morin said, “If you negotiations with 15 others. buy my breakfast, I’ll talk about The first uses are expected to be Scaling up whatever you want to talk about.” in agriculture. On a recent morning, Heller stood Morin, who’d Meanwhile, the Two Pore Guys in Two Pore Guys’ Santa Cruz worked for a platform is being tested as part of headquarters dressed in khakis Massachusetts a pilot study led by Dr. Andrew Ko, and an untucked collared shirt. biotech company a professor of clinical medicine in Describing himself as curious before following the Division of Hematology and his wife, post- by nature, Heller said he is a Oncology at UC San Francisco. problem-solver and a guy who doctoral researcher In this study, patients’ blood Tomoko Tabuchi, likes the journey even more than and urine samples are being the destination. to UC Santa Cruz, tested for a common mutation in spent the entire pancreatic, colorectal, and other But above all, he considers himself night before the gastrointestinal cancers called an entrepreneur, he said, as meeting reading KRAS G12D. If successful, the he walked down a hallway and about nanopore platform could then possibly be stepped into the heart of Two technology. used by patients within their own Pore Guys, a brightly lit room “I had four pages homes to monitor their response to where scientists, programmers, of notes about treatment or discover recurrences engineers, economists, artists, what we could do with a solid- early following curative surgery. and fabricators hunched over computers or stood at lab benches. state nanopore,” Morin said of that “In a grander scheme, this breakfast meeting in 2013. A short technology even has the potential Right now, the company is time later, Morin officially became to become a cost-effective refining Dunbar’s original two- the company’s first employee, but cancer-screening tool on a larger pore technology, and has also he is generally considered the third population-wide scale,” Ko developed more than 30 tests on founder of Two Pore Guys. behalf of its partners, who will be
said. “There are lots of potential PHOTOS BY C. LAGATTUTA “I think we realized early on, applications.” selling them under their own brand name. Recent funding allows it by combining our collective Venture capitalist Sabnis, expertise, we could be a company to scale up the manufacture of its meanwhile, envisions a time that’s entire system. that would grow as big as our very different from how things are eyes would allow it,” Morin said. now. Instead of a patient visiting For Dunbar, the leap from tenured What those eyes allowed was his or her doctor and then going professorship into what some the development of a palm-sized to a testing lab, waiting days for might see as a risky venture was biosensor device, which uses results, and freaking out about a natural decision, he said. He disposable strips with reagents what the numbers mean before loves discovery, the opportunity on them to do the kind of being able to talk to the physician to concentrate on and solve a big diagnostic tests more expensive and get treatment, a patient would problem. According to him, Two machines do now—and to do wait a few minutes while the Pore Guys was that place. them more quickly. doctor used the device to test for “If I were going to talk to a bunch a suspected disease, explained of young people, I would tell Lots of potential the results, and got treatment them to find the most significant ordered in one visit. problem you can think of, or have applications “It saves time and saves anxiety heard about, and completely Taking a page out of the iPhone and it saves the system money,” devote yourself to it. Otherwise,” playbook, which allowed others to Sabnis said. “That’s a big, big deal.” Dunbar said, “you’re just kind of create apps for its iconic device, wasting your time.” Said David Haussler, director Two Pore Guys also decided it of UC Santa Cruz’s Genomics wouldn’t develop the specific
10 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE By Dan White
LESSONS OF HISTORY REFLECT ON HER STORY
UC Santa Cruz’s new second-in-command, Marlene Tromp, is a respected scholar and professor of Victorian history—and a first-generation college graduate When it was time for Marlene Tromp to start college day to drive to work, but he also worked a lot of in the mid-1980s, her mother and father helped overtime to help pay my tuition. My mother also gave her pack up to leave early in the morning, and they me incredible emotional support.” drove 14 hours to Creighton University in Omaha, Her parents provided a solid foundation for Tromp, Nebraska. the new executive vice chancellor (EVC) and Her parents bought her furnishings for her dorm campus provost for UC Santa Cruz, serving as chief room, but they couldn’t stick around for long to help academic officer and providing academic leadership her get settled. “They simply couldn’t take the time for the campus. away from work and had to go back,” Tromp said. The fast learning curve she picked up in her first Her parents cared passionately about her education. days of college will serve her well at UC Santa Cruz, “My father told me I could be president one day, if where she will manage the campus budget, guide I wanted to do so,” Tromp continued. “He was so the campus through long-term planning, and advise proud of my academic success and encouraged Chancellor George Blumenthal. She succeeds Alison me to pursue my goals, even though they weren’t Galloway, who served for six years and stepped traditional goals for a girl. He got up at 4 a.m. every down last December. MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 11 LESSONSREFLECT continued
Like Galloway, a world-renowned about the value of perseverance, and arts education. From 2013, forensic anthropologist, Tromp while delving into history gives she served as dean of the New is distinguished in a field outside her necessary perspective on College of Interdisciplinary Arts and of university administration. the current political situation in Sciences and vice provost of ASU’s A respected Victorian and America, with polarization between West Campus. Edwardian scholar and the author left and right and the demonization of several books, she looks of people who are branded “the The lessons forward to teaching at UC Santa other” for the sake of political Cruz, although her first year will expediency. of history be spent “learning the ropes” for “(UC Santa Cruz) is the sort If you ever find yourself having her new EVC position. of place where having people a one-on-one talk with Tromp, listen to one another is critical,” consider the sinking of the R.M.S. she said.” I care what people Titanic in 1912 as a conversation think … I am not someone who starter. wants to execute (decisions) Tromp will share fascinating from the top, imperiously. I think and disturbing stories about the that collaborative leadership is people who died in this maritime something this place really values.” disaster and why, as well as the These qualities made Tromp social dynamics and prejudices at stand out in a competitive field of work among the passengers and highly qualified candidates during crew. When asked why so many the search for a new EVC, said people in steerage perished, Tromp Chancellor George Blumenthal. sounded indignant, as if the tragedy had happened just yesterday. “She understands and appreciates the culture of UC Santa Cruz,” She spoke, for instance, of how First generation Blumenthal said. “She embraces difficult it was for steerage passengers—third-class Tromp, as a first-generation college our innovative spirit, values the passengers primarily made up of student, has plenty of experience role of faculty consultation in immigrants moving to the United when it comes to adjusting quickly. effective shared governance, and States and Canada for a better She followed the example of her is committed to diversity and to life—to get to the upper decks in sister, who also graduated from a making educational opportunities time for the launch of the lifeboats. four-year institution. Her parents did available to all.” not have the same opportunity. These days, Tromp’s family is Only 25 percent of the Titanic’s third-class passengers survived. By “My father was brilliant. But money enjoying the transition to life in contrast, 42 percent of the second- was tight,” Tromp said. “He went Santa Cruz after making their class passengers aboard survived, to college, but he was never able to big move from Phoenix, Arizona, and about 60 percent of the first- finish. He was working class. My where Tromp was a professor class passengers survived. mom came from a working-class and administrator at Arizona State family, too. My sister and I are two University (ASU). Tromp’s 15-year- “Many factors played a role,” of the only people in the extended old son, Jacob Tromp-Chacko, Tromp said. “It was difficult to family who ever went to college entered Santa Cruz High School ascend to the upper decks, when and completed a degree.” this fall. Her husband, James you didn’t know the way. It was Spearman, is now finishing up his a very complex and large ship. In Tromp’s thoughts often lead her master’s degree in sustainability the front of the ship, where single back to the recent and distant past, at ASU. men were housed, water was whether she is reflecting on her life, coming in, which made it a very or delving into the world of the late Tromp joined ASU in 2011 different experience than it was 19th and early 20th centuries. as director of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural for people in first-class. People Her college years taught her Studies, and worked closely with in steerage were often reluctant everything she needed to know faculty to invigorate humanities to go to places they hadn’t been
12 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE given permission to go. In some taught, helping future generations Renaissance [1300–1700], but the cases, people were forced back of pioneer students make their way Victorians are pretty familiar to us.” below decks, or were forced to in the world. Tromp believes that the Victorians wait when they got close to the are, at the same time, close lifeboats.” A distinguished enough to be very recognizable She spent five years poring today but different enough to through archives and reading career provide valuable perspective newspapers, legal documents, and That resilience and sense of regarding issues such as the transcripts of declassified legal ambition led Tromp forward. xenophobia—the fear and the conversations while writing her After graduating from Creighton demonization of a perceived other. University with a B.A. in English, book, Untold Titanic: The True Story She speaks, for instance, about Tromp went on to earn an M.A. of Life, Death, and Justice. “interaction with cultures that in English from the University of hadn’t existed in their country Wyoming, and a Ph.D. from the before,” and how this could Finding her way University of Florida. Long before becoming a lead to prejudice and fear. She These qualities also drove Tromp professor and scholar, Tromp, like points out that we are in an to take on new roles in academic so many first-generation students “even more global world now … institutions after distinguishing all across America, was a nervous The technology and media have herself as a professor and scholar. young undergraduate trying to changed. The global economy has Before her career at ASU, Tromp find her way. changed.” was a full professor at Denison She mentions white Americans “Going to college was like moving University in Ohio from 2002 to who feel anxiety about being to a foreign country,” she said. “You 2008 and served as chair and the minority in the near future. don’t have anyone tell you how director of the Women’s Studies She argues that xenophobia is an things work or advise you about Department. what makes sense because they “affective response”—relating to Serving as an administrator never don’t know the customs of that moods, feelings, and attitudes— really occurred to her until friends foreign country.” consisting of a combination of and colleagues urged her to take loathing, fear, and panic. Tromp took on a job in her first on leadership roles because of her But she said that Americans can semester, working hard in the compassion, her feminist outlook, analyze and get a bit of distance hopes that she could save money and her passionate support of from such ingrained responses and live off her earnings during faculty. her other years in college, without and manage their fear. Administration and historical having to have a job. But it didn’t “You can’t tell someone having scholarship may seem like work out that way. Even in her an affective response that it’s separate spheres, but Tromp said senior year, she worked three jobs wrong” because the response these two sides of her working life while handling a full course load. is not rational, she said. “But we continue to inform one another. Asked how she got through this don’t need to make that the end of “People think history is dead period, Tromp chalked it up to the conversation.” history, but it has shaped where “dogged persistence. I had to keep That spirit of bridge-building we stand today,” she said. “It picking myself up off the ground enters into her job here at UC helps us understand the ground over and over again. I think I am a Santa Cruz. “I really care, and that we stand on.” That understanding natural optimist. That was probably is why I want to do this work,” comes from “a little distance,” a part of it.” she said. “It has never been Tromp continued. But she’s also read a lot of about having power or authority. “The Victorian age is not that scholarship about grit and “the It is about how I can serve the far behind us,” she pointed out, growth mindset,” in which students community.” referring to the era from 1837 to are committed to self-improvement. 1901. “It’s a little bit harder to She is convinced that the same understand what life was like in the qualities that got her through can be MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 13 THE CAMPAIGN FOR UC SANTA CRUZ UC Santa Cruz’s first campuswide campaign closes with record giving by alumni and friends | 63,064 donors, $335 million in gifts
FROM THE CHANCELLOR
Together, we made the future know make UC Santa Cruz the campaign was expected to of UC Santa Cruz stronger great: an extraordinary run until the end of the year, than ever. student experience, high- but because of our success we impact research, and an wrapped it up June 30. It is hard to overstate the ethos of social justice and positive impact the Campaign environmental responsibility. At Founders Weekend this fall for UC Santa Cruz is having we are celebrating. But our on our campus. When I look They saw opportunities commitment to increasing around, I see it everywhere: to support those values in private investment in UC Santa the rebuilt Hay Barn at the ways we could not have Cruz doesn’t end here. Rather, main entrance, the renovated imagined when we launched it has begun in earnest. We’ve Quarry Amphitheater in the campaign—the quiet seen what we can do, and the heart of campus, new phase in 2009 and the public we are seeing clearly why it academic programs and phase in 2013. We’d never matters so much. scholarships for our students, before attempted such a research and teaching support comprehensive fundraising Congratulations to all who for our faculty, new cultural effort. In gifts of every size, have been a part of this programs and archives, deeper alumni and friends took wonderful success story. You engagement with our alumni our defining pillars to the have our deep and lasting and community. next level to ensure we are gratitude, today and far into educating the leaders, thinkers, the future. The things that make UC and doers of tomorrow. Santa Cruz unique—our Thank you! people, programs, values, Together, we raised more than George Blumenthal and location—resonated $335 million, surpassing our with donors. They original goal of $300 million supported the things we and closing ahead of schedule; MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU
14 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE 2 By Joan Springhetti
The impact of investment in UC Santa Cruz by our donors is being felt all across campus. Here are some of the ways it is changing the future:
Classrooms in the wild Putting genomics to work The Quarry, Hands-on learning in the field is The UC Santa Cruz Genomics next generation available to more students than Institute is uniting the multiple The reopening of the Quarry ever through donor support for arms of genomics research, Amphitheater and plans for the Natural Reserves, Natural including donor-supported data its future resulted from a History Field Quarter, and the infrastructure and research commitment by students and new Norris Center. focused on childhood cancer and donors to bring the iconic site other diseases. back to life.
Archives of the Coastal science and policy A network of inclusion counterculture From a new graduate program Donors are ensuring that new that will launch in fall 2018 to The University Library has generations of decision makers research by our scientists now, emerged as a trusted partner with diverse perspectives and philanthropy is advancing the in preserving the norm-bending experiences will have the benefit work of coastal conservation underground cultures that grew of a UC Santa Cruz education. practitioners and policy makers. out of San Francisco and the Bay Area in the ‘60s and ‘70s. MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 15 PHOTOS: MEADOW BY ROBERTO MANDUCHI, UC SANTA CRUZ PROFESSOR OF COMPUTERCOUNTERCULTURE ENGINEERING; CLASSROOMS, COURTESY SPECIAL GENOMICS, COLLECTIONS, AND INCLUSION UNIVERSITY BY ELENA ZHUKOVA; LIBRARY, QUARRY COURTESY UNIVERSITY BARTON-GILLETTE; OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ (PIRKLE JONES AND RUTH-MARION BARUCH PHOTOGRAPHS); COASTAL BY SEAN BOGLE CAMPAIGNUPDATE continued
Activating social change College Eight meets Innovation in Donors reached out to programs Rachel Carson data sciences that train students to work with The endowment and naming of Private investment advanced social organizations around the Rachel Carson College and two new research and learning at world, shed light on injustices, related chairs telegraph to the the convergence of machine and explore immigrant and world the importance we place learning, big data, data science, feminist issues. on environmental education and inexpensive storage, and high- science writing. (See page 19.) powered computing.
Arts and letters Grounded in history, Connecting for the ages the future the arts and sciences Endowments supporting The philanthropy that rebuilt the With donor support for its the study of modern poetry historic Hay Barn symbolizes the programs, the Institute of the and Charles Dickens and university’s powerful connection Arts and Sciences is bringing the operation of an art press to the land—and support for together research in the arts
demonstrate the breadth its farm, gardens, and farming and sciences in new ways and PHOTOS: SOCIAL CHANGE, INNOVATION, AND ARTS BY ELENA ZHUKOVA; HISTORY BY C. LAGATTUTA;ERICH HARTMANN CARSON BY / MAGNUM PHOTOS; CORAL REEF COURTESY CO2CA-CO2LA OCEAN UC SANTA AT CRUZ, 2017 of programs capturing the apprenticeships. sharing it with the world. imagination of donors.
Doubling down on chairs Learn more about what’s behind the headlines Faculty across campus are building on the vote of confidence 16 at giving.ucsc.edu. new chairs confer, using resources to support research and student involvement. (See our story and the full list of chairs on page 18.)
16 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE Other Organizations: $2,587,213 (8.2%)
Other Organizations: $2,587,213 (8.2%) Other Organizations: $2,587,213 (8.2%)
Other Organizations: $2,587,213 (8.2%)
Together, we raised $335 million THE CAMPAIGNWho FOR UC SANTA CRUZ created realUse differences and new possibilities in the Whatlives of our students and faculty, providing increased opportunities in education and enabling even more world-class research. In our first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, together we built a stronger, more dynamic future for UC Santa Cruz.
gifts by gifts by type of source use gift ($ millions) ($ millions) ($ millions)
Foundations, Other Organizations: Students and Programs: $143.34 (43%) Cash: $229.62 (68%) $132.87 (40%) Research and Faculty: $130.73 (39%) Planned Gifts: $56.26 (17%) Parents and Friends: $90.89 (27%) Campus Improvements: $42.80 (13%) Gifts in Kind: $49.75 (15%) Alumni: $64.71 (19%) Unrestricted and Other: $18.75 (5%) Corporations: $47.15 (14%) Support WE BUILT A CULTURE WE CHANGED WE EXPANDED OF PHILANTHROPY THE LANDSCAPE STUDENT EXPERIENCES
In gifts large and small … Hay Barn rebuilt into $47.5 million for scholarships, 63,064 donors environmental center | Quarry fellowships, and student support 40,274 first-time donors Amphitheater renovated and $31.8 million for campus life and 53 gifts of $1 million or more reopened | University Library undergraduate education 51,943 gifts of $100 or more major new collections added | 8,600 gifts made in two 24-hour Coastal Science Campus Giving Days, totaling $860,000 infrastructure updated | 121,595 individual gifts Natural Reserves outreach and giving totals (by fiscal year $ millions) area expanded | 80 and in interactions … Rachel Carson College named Students and Programs: $143.34 (42.7%) 89,917 in record attendance and endowed 70 Research and Faculty: $130.73 (39.0%) by alumni and friends at events, 60 Campus Improvements: $42.80 (12.8%) lectures, programs, and reunions Unrestricted and Other: $18.75 (5.5%) 50 WE LAUNCHED INITIATIVES 40
WE SUPPORTED FACULTY AND UC Santa Cruz Genomics 30 RESEARCH Institute | Institute of the Arts 20 and Sciences | Graduate program 10 16 new faculty chairs established in Coastal Science and Policy | $107.5 million for research Expanded applications and 0 11 17 12 13 14 15 16 20 2 010 20 centers for data science 20 20 20 20 20 te Fiscal year is July 1 to June 30. Some gifts in FY 2009 are included in campaign totals. MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 17 (additional photo come)
18 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE By Dan White CHAIRRAISING The campus has inaugurated 16 new chairs since the start of the Campaign for UC Santa Cruz, bringing new research funds along with heightened creativity, prestige, and influence
UC Santa Cruz’s new bumper crop of Here we’ve highlighted three of the Every year, the program offers academic chairs promises to do much new chairs and their inaugural holders, intensive training for 10 students to elevate research and discovery in and included a list of all the chairs with scientific backgrounds who a multitude of areas across campus, that have been established during are transitioning into full-time from advancing the fight against the Campaign for UC Santa Cruz. A communications work. “The chair will pediatric cancer to adding prestige and dozen of the new endowed chairs are allow me to undertake a number of permanence to gender studies. designated “presidential” in recognition projects to help recruit top candidates, Other chairs will help take current of matching funds provided by the UC including candidates from diverse scholarship to a new level, such as Office of the President. backgrounds, and support their helping science journalists increase training,” Check Hayden said. their impact, and giving high-tech Spreading accuracy The funding will also allow Science workers of the future an edge in their Presidential Chair Communication faculty to launch fight against hacking and data thievery. in Science Communication themselves into ambitious projects. Chairs, established with funding from Erika Check Hayden, Science The program was recently awarded a donors, are awarded to distinguished Communication Program director grant from the John S. and James L. scholars and teachers to support Knight Foundation to explore new Journalists and communicators have ways to use digital and social media teaching, research, and other services. a great burden and responsibility. It Because being named to a chair more effectively to spread accurate and is their job to improve the reach and influential information about science. is a prestigious award, chairs can impact of accurate information. attract highly sought-after faculty and academic candidates. “We can’t simply blame social media A sense of companies for the influence of ‘junk A total of 16 new chairs have been news,’” said Science Communication permanence established at UC Santa Cruz since Program Director Erika Check Hayden. Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation October 2013, when the campus “We must adapt our practice to account Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies launched the public phase of its first- for the increasing influence of social and Bettina Aptheker, distinguished ever comprehensive fundraising effort, digital media in all realms of public life.” professor of feminist studies the Campaign for UC Santa Cruz. Donors contributed more than $335 That is why Check Hayden is so excited The launch of this chair is a very good million in gifts to the university during about the launch of the Presidential sign that gender studies are getting the the campaign, which closed on June 30. Chair in Science Communication, which recognition and respect they deserve, The total number of chairs at UC Santa was established with a joint gift from said renowned feminist studies Cruz climbed from 22 to 38. the Helen and Will Webster Foundation professor Bettina Aptheker. and Mark Headley (Stevenson ‘83, Aptheker is deeply touched by the The chairs’ importance can’t be politics and economics) and Christina fact that the donors “recognize and overstated, said Paul Koch, dean of Pehl. “We have a small program, and understand that what was once Physical and Biological Sciences. “They during times of budget stress, it can be called women’s studies—now also can spur faculty creativity by offering difficult for programs like ours to sustain sometimes called gender studies—was seed funds to test a new idea that is a themselves,” she said. “The chair offers not just a fad or something that would little risky or provide a base of support us a long-term secure future, which we disappear, that you can’t really for a talented graduate student.” have lacked in the past.”
What is a chair, anyway? Chairs are funded by donors to advance scholarship in specific areas. They are awarded to distinguished scholars and teachers to support teaching, research, and other services. In some cases, the chair payout supports the salary of chair holders or their graduate researchers. A chair can also provide funds in support of a department, research unit, school, or college. Chairs can be named on behalf of the donor or someone they want to honor. They often specify the area of research or administrative expertise supported—at UC Santa Cruz, that includes everything from MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU
PHOTOS BY MIRANDA POWELL astrophysics to writing for television. Fall 2017 19 CHAIRRAISING continued
do research and understand the world The presidential chair will give UC unless you understand gender, race, Dealing with Santa Cruz students access to Git class, and sexuality, and how these a digital dilemma servers running software widely things interlock and connect.” used in industry to efficiently record Veritas Presidential Chair changes made to code projects. Aptheker hopes to use the funds to in Storage and Security bring visiting scholars to campus. Ethan Miller, professor of “Let’s say you made changes to fix “This is very exciting for the computer engineering something in the code, and something department,’’ she said. “And it deeply else broke,” Miller said. With the Git The Veritas Presidential Chair in Storage enriches the experience, especially for server, “you can go compare the new and Security will help new generations the graduate students.” version to the old version to see where of high-tech workers explore one of the to look.” Students can collaborate on The initial endowment for the most pressing questions in modern life: complex multi-person projects, work department was matched by the In an age when almost all information cooperatively, and know exactly what UC Office of the President. The is digital, how do you protect your data, changes each of their team members result, said Aptheker, “is a sense and how do you find the data you need? of permanence to feminist studies, has made to the code. “How do you manage it and make and an understanding that this is a The Git software doesn’t cost the it reliable so someone can’t break in bonafide and important field of study.” university anything, “but you’ve got and steal your information, and how to run it on something,” Miller said. The chair is also a great honor for do you avoid losing it?” said computer The endowment money will cover the a scholar of history with a national engineering professor Ethan Miller. cost of servers and solid-state drives reputation for her talents as an “These are issues you have to deal to store student work, and will soon instructor. Aptheker has taught one of with. What about genomic data, medical be expanded to provide storage for the country’s largest and most influential data? If you are 20 years old, you’ll want research project code as well. introductory feminist studies courses for medical records available when you’re nearly three decades at UC Santa Cruz. 70. But how do you manage and build Those students are hard at work that? Very large storage and long-term addressing “a vitally important issue in storage are of critical importance.” our society,” Miller continued. “We are in big trouble if our digital storage fails.”
2015 Wilton W. Webster Jr. E. K. Gunderson Family Bringing chairs Natural Reserves Chair in Theoretical to the table Kenneth R. Corday Family Presidential Chair Astrophysics Presidential Chair in Writing Gage Dayton, administrative Ruth Murray-Clay, The Campaign for UC Santa for Television and Film director of the UC Santa professor of astronomy and Cruz helped the campus Cruz Natural Reserves astrophysics establish the following Jordan-Stern Presidential chairs. If an inaugural chair Chair for Dickens and 19th- Faggin Family Presidential Presidential Chair in holder has been chosen, that Century Literature Studies Chair for the Physics of Science Communication information is also included. John Jordan, research Information Erika Check Hayden, director professor of literature and Anthony Aguirre, professor of Science Communication 2013 director of the Dickens of physics Program (see page 19) Project Dorothy E. Everett 2016 Robert Headley Presidential Endowed Chair for Global Stephen R. Gliessman Chair for Integral Ecology Information and Social Presidential Chair in Water Colligan Presidential Chair and Environmental Justice Entrepreneurship Resources and Food System in Pediatric Genomics Ronnie Lipschutz, professor Chris Benner, professor of Sustainability Narinder Kapany Professor of politics environmental studies and Sage Weil Presidential Chair in Entrepreneurship 2017 sociology for Open Source Software Sue Carter, professor of 2014 Scott Brandt, professor of physics Murray Baumgarten Chair computer science and vice Peggy and Jack Baskin in Jewish Studies Veritas Presidential Chair in Nathaniel Deutsch, chancellor for research Foundation Presidential Storage and Security professor of history Richard L. Press University Chair for Feminist Studies PHOTO: DON HARRIS Ethan Miller, professor of Librarian Presidential Chair Bettina Aptheker, professor computer engineering (see Elizabeth Cowell, university of feminist studies (see above) librarian page 19)
20 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE By Dan White
AN INDELIBLE MARK Above: A BBC crew The late Robert Sinsheimer, who served films a documentary on the Genome as chancellor from 1977 to 1987, left Project in 1988. At left a lasting legacy by leading a young is Robert Sinsheimer, along with (left UC Santa Cruz through major changes, to right) biology professors Robert from the audacious to the controversial Edgar, Harry Noller, and Robert Ludwig. When internationally renowned biologist Robert Sinsheimer took the job of chancellor at UC Santa Cruz in 1977, admissions applications were dropping and rumors were flying that the campus was going to close. With his adventurous mind, his love for the sciences, and his direct and sometimes brash way of expressing himself, Sinsheimer, who died in April at 97, made a big impression from the start. To this day, visitors and students can see the signs of his influence on campus, from Sinsheimer Labs on Science Hill to the prestigious and groundbreaking Genomics Institute. “Sinsheimer left an indelible mark on UC Santa Cruz and in the greater scientific world,” UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal said shortly after Sinsheimer passed away this year. “He was a tireless advocate for UC Santa Cruz and was widely respected by the campus community.” MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU
Fall 2017 21 INDELIBLEMARK continued
A ’crazy’ question authority to set curriculum were made and I had to go one way or removed away from the colleges. the other, and I chose the way When referring to the beginnings that made sense to me.” of the Human Genome Project To some, the reorganization was a welcome sign of progress, at UC Santa Cruz, the campus’s Beginnings of scientific community looks allowing the campus to focus to 1985, when Sinsheimer more forcefully on research and a brilliant career convened a distinguished increase its prestige among the When he was only 16, group of scientists to discuss other UCs; to critics, it amounted Sinsheimer, a native of the feasibility of a seemingly to a “watering down” of UC Washington, D.C., enrolled at far-fetched idea—mapping the Santa Cruz’s original mission to the Massachusetts Institute of complete set of DNA instructions provide a world-class education Technology (MIT). He graduated for the making of a species. in a small and intimate liberal arts in 1941. During World War II, setting and brought it closer to At the time, Sinsheimer predicted Sinsheimer worked on aircraft the giant research universities its that such a genome project would radar for MIT. In 1957, he became founders were reacting against. have “major medical implications” a professor of biophysics at the and lasting influence, while For his part, Sinsheimer told California Institute of Technology placing UC Santa Cruz at the an interviewer that he believed (Caltech), where he worked for forefront of biological research. UC Santa Cruz didn’t have the two decades before taking the financial resources to run the chancellor job at UC Santa Cruz. “Bob characterized the UC Santa colleges the way the founders Cruz spirit: He was never afraid to At the time, he was 57, and “at a envisioned them. He was also ask the big questions,” said David point where you’ve got enough concerned about lingering Haussler, distinguished professor time to do one more major thing conflicts between the colleges of molecular engineering and in your career,” Sinsheimer told and what were called boards scientific director of the Genomics interviewer Randall Jarrell in of studies regarding hiring and Institute. “When he convened 1991. “You don’t want to put it tenure decisions. He likened this the world’s experts to determine off much longer than that .…” “standoff” to a constant “tug-of- if it would be possible to read the war” that threatened to harm UC Sinsheimer was familiar with the entire human genome sequence, Santa Cruz’s reputation. campus because his daughter, most of his colleagues thought this was so big, it was actually a crazy question.” This skepticism was not surprising, considering that the human genetic code is millions of times larger than what was being read in laboratories at the time, Haussler continued. “But several of the best and brightest came to UC Santa Cruz to examine this question, and the surprising answer was ‘yes.’ Fifteen years later we had the first draft.”
Campus organization “It was essential to improve Kathy Sinsheimer, had attended More controversially, Sinsheimer the academic standing of the UC Santa Cruz in the early ‘70s. also initiated a dramatic campus campus,” said Sinsheimer during Nevertheless, the invitation to reorganization that scaled back an extensive interview. “… I apply for the job was “quite out the role of UC Santa Cruz’s think some people felt that I was of the blue,” he recalled. colleges in the campus’s academic antithetic to the colleges, and I development. During his tenure, for wasn’t antithetic to the colleges. Immediately, Sinsheimer saw example, hiring decisions and the It was that a choice had to be potential. “In a growing university,
22 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE you can impress some new Even at a time when budgets In 1986, the newly formed Student concepts and programs on it. were tight throughout the UC Union Assembly voted to put the Also at this time, because of my system, he oversaw major growth mascot issue on a campuswide concern with bioethics and with in academic programs at UC Santa ballot measure. The students had the social impacts of science, Cruz, and was heartened to see spoken; the banana slug easily I’d come to feel that we had a that more students were seeking defeated the sea lion at the polls. serious problem—and we still do, out the campus. Initially, Sinsheimer, in spite of it’s even worse—in that we have “In 1984, application for the nonbinding ballot measure a scientifically illiterate populace. enrollment at UC Santa Cruz results, could not work up “I felt that some serious efforts turned upward, and again, enthusiasm for the slug. were needed to develop sharply, in 1985,” he observed Later on, Sinsheimer went along programs that would provide in his memoir, Strands of a Life. with the vote, though he greeted some kind of background for the “The bad image of the campus the news with a characteristically general student—not the Caltech was finally behind us.” tongue-in-cheek statement: kind of student, other students,” During his tenure, a new Sinsheimer continued. undergraduate major in computer engineering came online, and Large potential, graduate enrollments doubled. big problems Under him, the campus expanded But when he got to UC Santa linguistics, high-energy physics, Cruz, several faculty members and new research programs in told him that the enrollment seismology, agroecology, and issue was becoming “dire.” applied economics. Sinsheimer, after conversing with students, parents, and faculty, as Slugging it out well as members of the greater with a sea lion Santa Cruz community, came Fans of UC Santa Cruz’s quirky to believe that UC Santa Cruz’s mascot, Sammy the Slug, reputation, rightly or wrongly, remember Robert Sinsheimer’s had taken a major hit after an name because of his spirited, initial glory period, when it if short-lived, opposition to the received national press for its mascot in the mid-1980s. high standards, its human scale, and, in Sinsheimer’s words, a It all started when Sinsheimer private school atmosphere “with brought the campus into the the imprimatur of a great public National Collegiate Athletic research institution.” Association (NCAA) as a Division III school for the first time. UC Santa He believed that its once Cruz had unofficial sports “clubs” prestigious reputation had given but no NCAA teams up to then. way to the popular notion that UC Santa Cruz was “a hippie school, NCAA Division III–affiliated its reputation tarnished by the colleges were expected to have an Vietnam War, negative publicity official mascot. In 1981, a group engendered by the campus youth of student athletes supported the culture, and increasingly strained sea lion; Sinsheimer backed their Above: top, student in Banana Slug town-gown relations with the choice. And yet the slug lived on in costume with Chancellor Robert Santa Cruz community.” the hearts and minds of students Sinsheimer at the Banana Slug Spring who wanted a more surprising Fair, May 1986, on the East Field; below, Sinsheimer worked hard to change and nontraditioanl mascot. “Slime sea lion statues by Thimann Lecture Hall; opposite page, student demonstrators the structure of UC Santa Cruz, ‘em!” and “Go, Slugs!” were hoping that the campus’s image at Chancellor Sinsheimer’s inauguration, common cheers at sports games. October 1978.
PHOTOS: DEMONSTRATORS BY CAROL FOOTE; SLUG BY DON FUKUDA; SEA LIONS BY CATALINA MARAVILLA (KRESGE MCD ’14, BIOLOGY) would be elevated as a result. MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 23 INDELIBLEMARK continued
“As is well known, I would prefer a mascot with more spirit and vigor. However, the students are entitled to a mascot they desire and with which they can identify,” Sinsheimer wrote. “I also suggest that it would be most desirable for our biological scientists to begin a program of genetic engineering
Above: Richard C. Atkinson, president of the University of California, presented the UC Presidential Medal to Robert Sinsheimer during the At the Edge of Knowing: Human Genome Symposium in 2001. Left: Karen Sinsheimer, Robert Sinsheimer, and unidentified woman playing croquet at University House in 1982.
Harry Noller, director of the genuinely sorry to see us leave, Center for Molecular Biology and I was deeply touched.” of RNA and winner of a $3 As a parting gift, Karen Sinsheimer million Breakthrough Prize in Life was named “Woman of the Year” Sciences in 2016, holds the chair. by the Santa Cruz Chamber of After his retirement, Sinsheimer Commerce. Like her husband, moved to Santa Barbara with his she had left a lasting mark on research upon the slug, ‘to wife, Karen. Karen Sinsheimer the campus and the Santa Cruz improve the breed.’ The potential served as curator of photography community. She was hailed as one seems endless.” at the Santa Barbara Museum of the “great leading ladies” of of Art until her death in 2015. Shakespeare Santa Cruz, serving Easing into a new life Sinsheimer became a professor as the founding board president for in the UC Santa Barbara Biology Sinsheimer retired from UC the festival. Later, she served on Department, then joined the Santa Cruz in 1987. Donor the Santa Cruz Shakespeare board. Department of Molecular, Arthur Graham, along with his The Sinsheimers appreciated the Cellular, and Developmental wife, Carol, chose to honor him good wishes of their friends and Biology as emeritus professor. that year by establishing the colleagues as they prepared for Robert L. Sinsheimer Professor But Sinsheimer took some time their big move. to savor his years at UC Santa of Molecular Biology Chair to “Even faculty and community Cruz before heading off into this support teaching and research people with whom I had been new chapter. in molecular biology. Graham, much at odds seemed to mellow a longtime campus benefactor, In his last days as chancellor and sheathe their swords and was Sinsheimer’s roommate at here, “There were the wish us well as the time drew MIT. Distinguished professor accustomed bittersweet farewell near,” Sinsheimer recalled. dinners and events,” he recalled
“But it was time to go. Science PHOTOS: CROQUET BY DON FUKUDA AND GENOME BY DON HARRIS, COURTESY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS,LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ; NOVELLUS BY J. BRAXTON PHOTOGRAPHY later on. “Many people seemed beckoned.”
24 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE ALUMNIPROFILES
Roshawnna Novellus: The Wealthy Yogi Rachel Carson ’01, business management economics (B.A.) and engineering (B.S.)
When Roshawnna Novellus graduating high school—as visited a university in China as valedictorian and homecoming a UC Santa Cruz senior, the queen—she applied for 200 students assumed she was a scholarships and received sports or television star. over $600,000 in educational funding. Her two concurrent “That was their experience of undergraduate degrees from African Americans,” she says. UC Santa Cruz were followed “They couldn’t believe I was by a master’s degree from an engineering student.” Rensselaer Polytechnic Novellus, now 38, lives in Institute and a doctorate Atlanta and has become a of science from George star in her own right. Washington University. Known professionally as “I’ve always been driven,” “the Wealthy Yogi” for her says Novellus. “And I’ve combination of mindfulness always known the importance and financial savvy, she has of money and financial been featured in Huffington strategy.” Post, the Wall Street Journal, While studying yoga in and Fast Company magazine, Thailand, she says, “I learned and recently authored several we have all the resources we articles for Forbes magazine. need—we just have to figure Novellus cofounded two out how to integrate them businesses, Novellus Financial into our lives.” and Bootstrap Capital, Novellus applies that concept and serves on Atlanta’s to everything from meditating Commission on Women. Now and working out to creating working on her third finance- her latest venture, EnrichHer, related book, she holds a a crowdfunding platform coveted spot on Georgia designed to support women- Trend magazine’s 2017 “40 led businesses. Under 40” list. “I’m most proud when This powerhouse people say I’ve helped them. entrepreneur grew up in That’s my vision: It drives me San Diego, where both her to keep going.” parents were teachers. Before
Alumni profiles by Ann Parker MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU
Fall 2017 25 ALUMNIPROFILES
Adolfo Mercado: An authentic life Kresge ’98, anthropology
As the son of Mexican His brother, Aldo R. The former director embodies his belief in migrant workers who Mercado, a fellow UC of tuition-free college serving others and giving met in California, Adolfo Santa Cruz graduate preparation program back. Mercado says one of his (Stevenson ‘00, Breakthrough “We all have a earliest memories was of literature), became a Sacramento, Mercado responsibility to make picking tomatoes in the lawyer. recently became regional this world better,” he field with his family. After attending Boston manager, Northern says. “To advocate for University as a freshman, California, for California the marginalized, to be Mercado returned home Charter Schools authentic and true to for a year of community Association. The role yourself.” college before touring UC Santa Cruz. “My grandmother visited the campus with me,” Susannah Rogers: he recalls. “She pointed at the Earth and said in Stage presence Spanish, ‘I see you here.’” Stevenson ‘94, theater arts His UC Santa Cruz experience, says A kindergarten Builder, she portrayed a Mercado, “magnified disappointment may sharp-witted architect me.” He discovered have shaped Susannah opposite theater arts Latino studies and spent Rogers’s career as a professor Danny Scheie— his junior year in Mexico professional actress. her first acting teacher at UC Santa Cruz, and a City, realizing a deeper “We were doing Winnie professional and personal understanding of his the Pooh, and I really, mentor. Mexican identity. An really wanted to be active member of the Kanga, but got cast as Among her many roles, He grew up in UC Santa Cruz Alumni Eeyore,” she recalls. “My Rogers appeared on a Sacramento Council since 2010, he mother said, ‘That’s a Broadway in All the neighborhood so is currently the council’s much better role: Kanga is Way—in which Breaking notorious that it was president. boring.’ She was right.” Bad star Bryan Cranston made his Broadway called “Danger Island.” Mercado came out as a That early lesson planted debut—and toured with To safeguard Adolfo gay man while attending the seed for a love of the national company of and his younger brother, UC Santa Cruz, and interesting characters. Steve Martin’s their mother managed to later founded an LBGT Rogers says she tends Picasso She secure scholarships to a ministry at his Catholic to play strong, even at the Lapin Agile. lent her talents to the private Catholic school. church in Sacramento. problematic, roles groundbreaking filmThe “She changed our life. on stage, film, and “Coming out to friends Diary of a Teenage Girl That school was so television, ranging from in college helped me and appeared in two different from our very the infamous Hedda prepare to come out to award-winning television poor neighborhood,” says Gabler to an exacting my family. That’s just one series, Mr. Robot and Mercado. political consultant. In example of life education Younger. complementing my South Coast Repertory’s formal education,” recent production of Amy “My husband is much PHOTOS: MERCADO BY STEVE KURTZ; ROGERS BY JORDAN MATTER; VASALLO BY BRANDON HUNT he says. Freed’s The Monster more famous,” she says
26 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE Combining acting “My dad was a Teaching is intensely and motherhood stereophile,” says gratifying to this is challenging but Vasallo, who is of Filipino composer/performer, wonderful, says and Taiwanese descent. whose many honors Rogers. include the San Francisco At 14, a Nirvana concert Classical Voice Music “Acting is what changed his life. I’ve always Educator Award 2013. “Kurt Cobain smashed wanted to do. I “Seeing students come his guitar onstage: It was grew up watching from point zero to the such a great, distorted rehearsals and highest apex of their cheerfully about actor sound,” recalls Vasallo, hanging out with capabilities is amazing.” who asked for an electric Reg Rogers (known actors: They were my guitar for his birthday and Vasallo says of his wife, for roles in television’s teen idols.” Hell On Wheels and formed an extreme metal Denise Linda Vasallo, Boardwalk Empire, and Her advice to young band called Antagony. “I couldn’t do anything theater students at without her. She’s my in Present Laughter After studying music at UC Santa Cruz: “Do MVP, and super-mom to with Kevin Kline on Diablo Valley College everything. Do main- our children: 4-year-old Broadway). “We’re never and California State stage shows and Madison and 9-month-old competitive: I’m such a University, East Bay, he experimental shows. And Lucas.” fan of his.” earned a master’s and take advantage of where doctorate of musical Deathcore has a soft side. A family photo shows you are: Choose all kinds arts at UC Santa Cruz, their 4-year-old son, of classes.” Rowan, visiting on becoming the first music set with Kevin Kline. doctoral candidate to win the President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship Award. Nick Vasallo: “My dissertation was about championing heavy Hitting all metal within academia,” the right notes he says. Vasallo wrote his first M.A. ’09, music; D.M.A. ‘11 song at 14. (“It was about a girl,” he admits.) His He’s a loving husband Now the Music innovative compositions and devoted father, an Department cochair have been performed award-winning composer, and director of music internationally by groups a renowned musician, a industry studies and music such as Contemporary respected teacher. composition at Diablo Music Ensemble Valley College in Pleasant Nick Vasallo is also the Korea and the Silesian Hill, Vasallo has an eclectic originator of “deathcore,” Philharmonic. He’s musical background that a genre-blending mix of currently recording two started with his father’s death metal and hardcore albums. love of classical and rock music.
PHOTOS: MERCADO BY STEVE KURTZ; ROGERS BY JORDAN MATTER; VASALLO BY BRANDON HUNT recordings. MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU Fall 2017 27 1MORETHING by Lindsey Dillon Saving science In the days following the 2016 presidential election, I grew concerned about the impact of the new administration on environmental science, policies, and federal agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As my concerns grew, I knew I had to act. With a dozen colleagues across the U.S. and Canada, I cofounded an organization called the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI). Given some of the campaign rhetoric, we worried about the integrity of federal environmental agencies, including their environmental and climate data and other information. We began monitoring the websites of environmental agencies. Since January 2017 we have observed and reported on shifts in descriptions of climate change and important environmental regulations, reflecting the new administration’s priorities. EDGI researchers also organized the first “DataRescue” event at the University of Toronto in December 2016, with the goal of independently archiving important environmental and climate datasets. In collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania’s Program in the Environmental Humanities, we coordinated over 30 other DataRescue events, which archived important federal environmental websites and datasets. EDGI also embarked on an interview project with current and recently retired EPA career employees. Since December 2016, we’ve interviewed more than 60 employees. These transcripts provide an important window into the agency at a tumultuous moment in history. Moving forward, EDGI researchers are tackling broader questions about justice and sustainability in environmental and climate data. My experience with EDGI has taught me the power of public-oriented social science research and reinforced my belief that people, working together, can make the world a better place.
Lindsey Dillon is an assistant professor of sociology who studies environmental justice.
28 UC SANTA CRUZ MAGAZINE Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Emma Jean (nicknamed Rusty) and Barry Bowman worked side by side for nearly 40 years in UC Santa Cruz’s Sinsheimer Laboratories. Now the retired researcher and emeritus professor are putting their department— Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology—in their will.
The couple’s cell research helps us Entering retirement, they created an understand bone growth, kidney function, endowment, the Barry and Emma Jean and how we hear, among other things. Bowman Fund for Research in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. Their Over the years, Rusty and Barry noticed a bequest will help support research during recurring challenge. Gaps in funding would gaps between grants for years to come. delay important scientific research. Barry remembers, “You’d find these very bright Barry hopes to inspire other professors to young people who’d got that first grant establish planned gifts. Whatever your and done well, and they were struggling to passion, you can get that second one funded.” “If it has been your whole career, help it live on. you kind of want to see the university Find out how to thrive.” —Barry Bowman include UC Santa Cruz in your estate planning. Please contact the Office of Planned Giving MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU MAGAZINE.UCSC.EDU PHOTOS: DILLON BY C. LAGATTUTA; BOWMANS BY BARRY BOWMAN plannedgifts.ucsc.edu at (831) 459-1045. Fall 2017 29 185 University Relations University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, CA 95064-1077
A RICH TRADITION OF NON-TRADITIONAL THINKING
UC Santa Cruz bioengineering undergrad Stefanie Brizuela is used to defying odds and thinking differently. It’s what propelled her through the rigorous application process as she earned a prestigious research scholarship from the National Institutes of Health. Stefanie, like many Banana Slugs, wants her story to inspire future first-generation, Latina, LGBT, and other students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue their scientific dreams. ucsc.edu | #thinkucsc