CAMPUS UPDATE

An artist's rendering of the "Core East" area, currently under construction in the center of campus.

Courtesy Esherick Homsey Dodge and Davis

Work on bookstore, Grad Commons starts

A year and a half from now, the area of the campus that for years was occupied by the Bay Tree Bookstore and Whole Earth Restaurant will feature a modern bookstore, a new graduate student center, and an attractive pedestrian plaza.

Construction on the $13.5 million project started late last summer. When work in the "Core East" area is completed in spring 2000, project planners predict that members of the UCSC community will come to the redesigned area--in the very heart of the campus--to meet, eat, shop, or simply enjoy the atmosphere.

The new Bay Tree Bookstore will offer an expanded selection of books, supplies, and services; a convenience store with extended hours; and a copy center. The Graduate Commons will provide recreational and office space for graduate students. The Whole Earth Restaurant, which will move into the ground floor of the commons building, will feature patio tables for people to eat on the plaza.

The project will also provide space for conference rooms and new offices for Student Affairs programs and services.

Several other major campus construction projects began in the second half of 1998, including student apartments at Social Sciences 1 and 2. The apartments will house 280 undergraduate students when they are completed next academic year.

Work is also continuing on a new Fitness Center in the East Field area of the campus. The 12,000-square-foot center is sited immediately to the south of the existing tennis courts. The facility will feature window-filled exercise areas, and work is expected to be completed this coming fall.

Construction started in fall 1997 on the Marine Discovery Center, which the UC Santa Cruz Foundation is funding at the Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory. Work is expected to be completed this coming summer on the 20,000 square feet of aquarium and exhibit hall space, a seawater teaching laboratory, a conference and meeting room, and office space.


Astrophysics second in new national analysis

In the field of astrophysics, UCSC's faculty are among the most frequently cited in scientific journals, according to an independent national science group. The group ranked UCSC second in the nation in terms of its impact in astrophysics, with Princeton University occupying the top slot.

The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), based in Philadelphia, ranked the universities whose research papers attracted the most attention from other scholars in each of 21 fields between 1993 and 1997. The results, published in the organization's newsletter ScienceWatch, are presented in a series of "top ten" lists showing the "highest impact U.S. universities" in the biological, physical, and social sciences.

ISI previously ranked the UCSC department 11th for the period 1993-95.


Woman of the Year

Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood was chosen Woman of the Year by the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce for her success in building partnerships with the community.

At the awards dinner in November, she is shown with other award recipients (l-r) Romney Dunbar, Chris Schofield, and alumnus Scott Kennedy (Cowell '71).

covello & covello


Adult depression often has childhood origins

When UCSC psychologist Per Gjerde began looking for early-childhood roots of adult depression, he didn't expect to find much.

After all, the passage from childhood to adulthood is so complex and varied it seemed unlikely that any precursors evident during the toddler years would hold up through adolescence and into young adulthood.

But he was wrong. His findings were surprisingly robust, particularly for boys, who exhibit distinct personality characteristics even at age three that correlate strongly with depression later in life. For girls, too, a path toward depression emerges early on, although that path appears to be more complicated and more difficult to understand.

Intelligence turns out to be a key indicator for both sexes, said Gjerde, whose findings are based on an in-depth study of 100 individuals from the age of three to 23.

International media coverage of this study on depression, including reports on CNN and by the Associated Press, prompted many people to write Gjerde about their own experiences.

Per Gjerde
Photo: David Alexander


Peregrine population is flying higher

In 1970, wildlife biologists knew of only two pairs of peregrine falcons nesting in California. Now there are approximately 150 nesting pairs and an estimated total population in the state of about 750 birds, believes Brian Walton, coordinator of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group (SCPBRG) at UCSC.


Photo: Don Harris

In August, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a proposal to remove the peregrine falcon from the endangered species list. For Walton and his coworkers in the SCPBRG, this move represents the realization of a dream they have steadfastly pursued for almost 25 years.

"Our goal when we started was to build back the peregrine population until they could be removed from the endangered species list, so it's very satisfying," Walton said.

Peregrine falcon populations throughout North America crashed in the 1960s due to widespread contamination of the environment with the pesticide DDT. Peregrines absorbed the pesticide from their prey and accumulated high concentrations of it in their tissues. The toxin caused female peregrines to lay thin-shelled eggs that dried out or broke under the weight of the nesting adults. DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972, but its residues still persist in the environment.

The SCPBRG was the brainchild of Santa Cruz veterinarian James Roush, who teamed up with the late UCSC biologist Kenneth Norris, professor of natural history, to establish the self-funded research group at UCSC in 1975. They asked Walton to run the program.

Captive breeding was one technique Walton used to restore peregrine falcon populations. From 1976 to 1992, the SCPBRG operated a captive breeding facility at UCSC. In addition to peregrine falcons, the group successfully bred aplomado falcons, Harris hawks, and elf owls.

Peregrine chicks produced through captive breeding were typically raised by captive adult falcons for about five weeks and then released into the wild at a "hack site" when they reached the fledgling stage (the age at which birds learn to fly, 40 to 42 days for peregrines). Chicks were placed in a hack box high on a cliff and fed through a hatch for about one week until they were ready to fly, at which point the box was opened.



Rolf Augustine    Photo: Victor Schiffrin

We all want to have jobs we care about, and one staff member at UCSC's McHenry Library clearly does. Rolf Augustine has put not only his heart into his work, but his personal resources as well. The third-most-senior employee on campus, Augustine recently donated $100,000 to the library. This is his second gift to the library and the largest individual gift in the library's history. Augustine's first contribution, in 1996, established the Rolf Augustine Cataloging Endowment. This latest gift ensures that the Augustine Endowment will become a significant vehicle for preserving and expanding the library's cataloging operation.


1973 alumnus elected mayor of San Jose

Ron gonzales, a 1973 graduate of UCSC's Kresge College, was elected mayor of the city of San Jose in California's general election this past November.

Gonzales, who graduated from UCSC with a bachelor's degreee in community studies, was sworn in on January 12.

Prior to his election as mayor, Gonzales was education program manager for the Hewlett-Packard Company.

He was also a mayor and member of the Sunnyvale City Council before serving on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (1989-96).


Focusing on our galactic neighbors

The astronomers used the Keck Ten-Meter Telescope to capture images of the Cassiopeia (left) and Pegasus (right) galaxies, appearing as blue clusters.

Two UCSC astronomers have determined the age and chemical composition of two recently discovered dwarf galaxies. Eva Grebel, a Hubble postdoctoral fellow, and Raja Guhathakurta, an associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics, also confirmed earlier suspicions that the Pegasus (Peg dSph) and Cassiopeia (Cas dSph) galaxies are companions of the Andromeda spiral galaxy. By analyzing the light emitted by stars in the two galaxies, the researchers showed that they do not contain any young, massive stars and show no traces of recent star formation. Instead, these galaxies are dominated by very old stars, mostly older than 10 billion years.


Geologist receives $625,000 Packard fellowship

Lisa Sloan

Photo: Bruce Tanner

For the fifth consecutive year, a UCSC researcher has garnered one of the nation's most prestigious honors for young faculty members: a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering, worth a total of $625,000.

Geologist and paleoclimatologist Lisa Sloan, an assistant professor of earth sciences, is receiving $125,000 in each of the next five years to support her research on global and regional climate change. She is one of 24 scientists and engineers chosen this year by the Packard Foundation for their exceptional promise and creative research.

UCSC is one of only four institutions that have earned at least one Packard Fellowship in each of the past five years. The others are the California Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, and UC San Francisco.

Sloan, 38, joined the UCSC faculty in 1995. She has several ongoing research projects aimed at understanding the causes and effects of climate change. Her work combines studies of past climates based on geologic evidence with computer modeling of earth's climatic systems.


UCSC art historian is recipient of twin honors

Lisa SloanCatherine Soussloff

Photo: Don Harris

Catherine Soussloff has been named chairholder of UCSC's Patricia and Rowland Rebele Endowed Chair in Art History. During her five-year appointment, Soussloff will put in place a program that includes collaboration with Santa Cruz's Museum of Art and History.

At the same time that Soussloff has been named chairholder, she has also been named a recipient of a prestigious Getty Fellowship for the 1999-2000 academic year. Twelve scholars from around the world are selected each year to hold the distinguished fellowship. Getty Fellows work in residence at Los Angeles's Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities. Soussloff and her fellow scholars will work on their own academic projects and meet weekly to investigate the topic of "Humanities in Comparative, Historical Perspective." During her residency, Soussloff will continue to oversee the activities of the Rebele Chair.

As chairholder, she will launch a program titled "Visual Cultures on the California Border." The five-year program will involve students, scholars-in-residence, UCSC faculty, and curators from the Museum of Art and History. Symposia, classes, public lectures, and an exhibition and production of a catalog are planned.

"It's important for art history students to have a connection to a museum," says Soussloff. "It's a practical relationship that many academic programs offer."


Educational Partnership Center opens

One of the most concrete developments to come out of the University of California's new effort to reach out to elementary and secondary schools can be found on the west side of Santa Cruz.

That's where you'll find UCSC's new Educational Partnership Center, which will oversee UCSC's work with K-12 schools in the Monterey Bay Area, Santa Clara County, and Merced, where UC's next campus is being planned. The center is the operational arm of the Chancellor's Educational Partnership Advisory Council (CEPAC), which charts the campus's course regarding school collaborations. Its executive committee will oversee the center's performance and ensure that the council's intentions are carried out. "CEPAC is where faculty help shape the campus's outreach policies," said CEPAC chair Martin Chemers, dean of the Division of Social Sciences.


New major prepares students for business careers in info tech

Anew major offered by UCSC will produce graduates with a combination of business, technical, and communications skills. The information systems management (ISM) major was created to meet the increasing demand for professionals who not only understand information technology but also know how to apply it to meet the specific needs of a business.

The ISM major, which began admitting students in the fall quarter, was jointly developed by the Departments of Computer Science and Economics.

"The ISM major represents an important collaborative effort between departments in the social sciences and the Jack Baskin School of Engineering," said Marc Mangel, associate vice chancellor for planning and programs."The ISM major combines computer science with business management and economics courses. It is a rigorous, challenging major for students who want to pursue a career of solving business problems through the use of information technology," added Jack Callon, director of new program development in the Jack Baskin School of Engineering. The recommendations of industry representatives played a prominent role in designing the new major.


In Memoriam

Kenneth S. Norris, acclaimed marine-mammal researcher, founder of UC's Natural Reserve System, and beloved teacher of natural history at UCSC, died in August at age 74 after several months of illness.

As a champion of the natural world, Norris left a rich and varied legacy. He retired in 1990 after 18 years as a professor of natural history at UCSC, but remained active until shortly before his death.

Norris's research contributions alone reflect the remarkable range of his accomplishments. Much of what we know about whales and dolphins, particularly their social patterns and echolocation skills, stems from groundbreaking investigations by Norris and his various research teams over the years. As a desert ecologist at UCLA, he discovered circadian rhythms in snakes and the function of color changes in reptiles and amphibians. Even his doctoral dissertation on how water temperatures affect intertidal fish won an award from the Ecological Society of America.

His stature as a scientist enabled Norris to influence public policy in significant ways. He helped write the Marine Mam-mal Protection Act of 1972 and spearheaded a national campaign to reduce the numbers of dolphins killed in tuna-fishing nets. For these and other contributions, he was named "Man of the Year" by the American Cetacean Society in 1976 and received the California Academy of Sciences' Fellows Medal for his studies of marine mammals.

Barbara Sheriff, a longtime UCSC staff member, died in Santa Cruz last summer at the age of 73. In 1961 she was asked by Dean McHenry to come to Santa Cruz to be his assistant at the new campus, where she served a succession of chancellors until her retirement in 1981. Sheriff was instrumental in founding the UCSC Affiliates.

Patrick Elvander, a biology instructor for 17 years, died in October. He was 48. He taught a wide range of courses with an emphasis on plant and fungal biology. His students consistently described him as an enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and inspirational teacher. His colleagues described Elvander as an articulate lecturer and genuine educator who wove interesting references from philosophy and literature into his plant lectures. He gave talks to extension classes and friends groups from the Arboretum and the Farm & Garden.

tom o'learyAs a teacher and mentor, Ken Norris helped launch the careers of many students who have gone on to make notable contributions in their fields.


Alumni Association names annual award winners

Apolitics professor, a scientist, and a staff employee on campus have won the highest awards given annually by the UCSC Alumni Association. J. Peter Euben, Brent Constantz (Graduate Studies '86), and Pam Lawson were nominated for the awards by students, alumni, faculty, and staff and were selected by the Alumni Council.

Euben, who won the Distinguished Teaching Award for 1998-99, was praised for his energetic, fast-paced, and often uproariously funny lectures; commitment to challenging his students intellectually; and generosity in teaching, mentoring, and supporting undergraduates.

Constantz, who won the Alumni Achievement Award, is the founder of Norian Corporation, which has developed a paste that dramatically speeds the healing of broken bones.

Lawson, who won the Outstanding Staff Award, was praised by her literature colleagues for her leadership abilities and commitment to students, faculty, and staff.



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