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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261025T130000
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SUMMARY:Santa Cruz Pickwick Club presents: Christie Mysteries
DESCRIPTION:Over the coming year\, Dickens Universe readers and Pickwick Club members will meet for discussions focused on these novels and their lasting influence on the mystery genre. This year’s reading series brings together four landmark works of crime fiction: The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens (Penguin Classics\, 2002)\, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (William Morrow\, 2021)\, The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (William Morrow\, 2025)\, and The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (William Morrow\, 2011). Join Dickens enthusiasts and Pickwick Club members on Zoom for a series of discussions about these beloved books. \nRegister via Zoom \nReading Schedule:  \n\nSept 27: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd\nOct 25: The Pale Horse\nNov 22: The Murder at the Vicarage\nDec 27: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nJan 24: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nFeb 28: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nMar 28: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nApr 25: TBD\nMay 23: TBD\nJun 27: TBD\n\nRecommended Edition: We recommend the Penguin Classics edition of the novels for its appendices and notes\, but other versions are fine. First-time readers should avoid the Introduction if they don’t want spoilers. Download the novels to read at Gutenburg.org or listen at LibriVox.org. \nThe Santa Cruz Pickwick (Book) Club\, a branch of the Dickens Fellowship\, is a community of local bookworms\, students\, and teachers who meet monthly to discuss a nineteenth-century novel. The Santa Cruz Public Libraries provide support for the reading group.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/santa-cruz-pickwick-club-presents-christie-mysteries/2026-10-25/
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T104000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T114500
DTSTAMP:20261019T182637Z
CREATED:20261019T182637Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261019T182637Z
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SUMMARY:ECE 290 Seminar: "Learning Dexterous Manipulation: From Simulation to Human Demonstrations"
DESCRIPTION:Presented by: Joe Dong\, Co-Founder & CTO @ Chestnut Robotics \nDescription: “Learning dexterous manipulation requires robot hardware\, training environments\, and data to work together. This talk explores two complementary approaches to making robotic hands learnable: training in simulation and learning from human demonstrations.\nFirst\, I will present Aero Hand Open\, an open-source tendon-driven hand developed with a simulation and reinforcement learning stack. I will discuss its design\, transmission modeling in MuJoCo\, the actuation mapping between simulation and hardware\, and experimental validation\, including an in-hand cube rotation policy transferred to the physical hand without policy fine-tuning. \nSecond\, I will introduce the newer Aero Hand and Aero UMI\, a robotic hand and wearable demonstration interface developed as a matched pair. I will discuss how co-designing the hand and capture interface connects human demonstrations to robot actions\, with particular attention to motion\, contact sensing\, calibration\, and data alignment. Through experimental results and demonstrations\, the talk will examine the engineering tradeoffs and open research questions in connecting robot embodiment with the simulation and data used to train it.” \nBio: Xu (Joe) Dong is cofounder and CTO of Chestnut Robotics\, where he develops robotic hands and the data\, simulation\, and learning infrastructure for physical AI. He previously worked on autonomous driving at Waymo and XPeng Motors\, including learning-based motion planning and production end-to-end driving models. He holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech\, and a B.S. in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China. Personal Website: http://joedong.ai/ \n  \nHosted by: Professor Zhicong Yu\, Electrical & Computer Engineering Department \nWhen: Monday\, October 26th from 10:40 to 11:45 AM PST \nLocation: Classroom E2-194
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/ece-290-seminar-learning-dexterous-manipulation-from-simulation-to-human-demonstrations/
LOCATION:Engineering 2\, Engineering 2 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Seminars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T132500
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T143000
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SUMMARY:Environmental Studies Seminar Series | Morgan Gilmour and James D. Jacobson\, NASA Ames Earth Science
DESCRIPTION:In person and via Zoom (Meeting ID: 978 5545 8946\, Passcode: 454736).  \nIf you are unable to stream the talk live and need to access a recorded version\, please contact Stacy Philpott at sphilpot@ucsc.edu. A UC Santa Cruz email address is required to access the recording. \nHost: Bo Yang \nSpeaker:  Morgan Gilmour\, NASA Ames Earth Science \nTitle: NASA’s Internet of Animals project: Biologging reveals global insights \nAbstract: NASA’s Internet of Animals project uses biologging to study Earth system processes and inform biodiversity. Working with a team of scientists and engineers\, we aim to create a forward-looking approach to improve our ability to monitor the Earth\, animal ecology\, and remote environments. I will highlight case studies in which we used biologgers to quantify protections of a marine protected area\, estimate tuna-fisheries interactions\, and develop sensors that contribute to the validation of satellite measurements.  \nSpeaker:  James D. Jacobson\, NASA Ames Earth Science \nTitle: Introduction to EPIC Lab & Using MASTER over Wildfires in the Continental US \nAbstract: This seminar will introduce the Earth and Planetary Instrument and Calibration (EPIC) Lab at NASA Ames Research Center and highlight its role in advancing airborne remote. I will first provide an overview of the laboratory’s research activities\, instrumentation\, and capabilities\, with an emphasis on how airborne imaging systems are used to investigate environmental processes at spatial and spectral scales that complement satellite observations at home and beyond. \nThe second part of the seminar will focus on the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER)\, an airborne imaging spectrometer that measures reflected and emitted radiation across the visible\, near-infrared\, shortwave infrared\, midwave infrared\, and longwave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. I will discuss how MASTER observations can be used to detect and characterize active fires\, quantify their thermal and spectral properties\, and map fire impacts across the landscape. \nExamples from the recent NASA INjected Smoke and PYRocumulonimbus Experiment (INSPYRE) mission will illustrate MASTER’s capabilities for observing wildfire behavior and its interaction with the atmosphere. These observations provide a unique perspective on intense fire events and demonstrate how airborne measurements can connect processes occurring at the fire and landscape scales to their broader atmospheric impacts. \n 
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/environmental-studies-seminar-series-morgan-gilmour-james-d-jacobson/
LOCATION:Interdisciplinary Sciences Building\, 7487 Red Hill Road\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261026T170000
DTSTAMP:20261019T173811Z
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SUMMARY:Statistics Seminar:  Calibration Methods for Generative Models with Application to Protein Structure Modeling
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Brian Trippe\, Assistant Professor\, Stanford University\, Department of Statistics \nDescription: Generative models frequently suffer miscalibration\, where the statistics of their generations deviate from desired values. Protein structure diffusion models\, for example\, produce highly realistic samples but often underestimate the probabilities of important modes. These deviations are not addressed by existing fine-tuning methods for image and text generation. We frame calibration of generative models as a constrained optimization problem that we seek to solve by fine-tuning. Because the natural objective is intractable\, we introduce two surrogate objectives for which we can compute low-variance gradient estimates amenable to stochastic optimization. The resulting procedures reduce the majority of calibration error across hundreds of simultaneous constraints and models with up to nine billion parameters. Lastly\, we describe an application for assimilating thermodynamic measurements to calibrate a generative model of protein structure Boltzmann ensembles. \nAbout the speaker: Brian Trippe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at Stanford. Previously he was a visiting researcher at the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington where he worked with David Baker\, and a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. He completed his Ph.D. in Computational and Systems Biology at MIT in 2022. His recent research has developed statistical machine learning methods to address challenges in biotechnology and medicine\, with a focus on generative modeling and inference algorithms for protein engineering. \nThis seminar is hosted by Professor Yunyi Shen.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/statistics-seminar-calibration-methods-for-generative-models-with-application-to-protein-structure-modeling/
LOCATION:Jack Baskin Engineering\, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Seminars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261028T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261028T190000
DTSTAMP:20261001T001205Z
CREATED:20260916T232241Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261001T001205Z
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SUMMARY:Reshaping representation: Midterm elections and emerging district map battles
DESCRIPTION:Congressional elections are central to American democratic representation. Their importance underpins recent concerns about partisan gerrymandering in the states and makes civic participation even more critical given the narrow majorities in Congress. Indeed\, the outcome of congressional elections has significant consequences for whose voices are reflected in state and federal policymaking\, especially when both parties have used redistricting strategically to improve their electoral prospects. In advance of the 2026 midterm elections\, this event will contextualize past redistricting efforts and explore some of the most pressing threats to today’s electoral process. Our panel will discuss the long history of redistricting in the United States\, differentiate between racial gerrymandering and partisan gerrymandering\, discuss the intersection of race and partisan objectives\, highlight the role of recent state independent redistricting commissions and California’s Prop 50\, along with exclusionary changes to the Voting Rights Act and recent actions taken by the Supreme Court. You will not want to miss this informative discussion as you prepare to participate in these important elections. \nThis event is the first in a series of 2026-27 Resilient Democracy events brought to you by the Institute for Social Transformation. \nFree and open to the public with registration: RSVP HERE to attend in-person or virtually. Questions? Contact transform@ucsc.edu. \nModerator \n\nMelanie Springer\, Associate Professor of Politics (UC Santa Cruz)\n\nPanelists \n\nSonal Shah\, Board Chair of Consumer Reports and Senior Advisor for Results Prism Advisory\nElspeth Wilson\, Assistant Teaching Professor in Politics/Legal Studies (UC Santa Cruz)\nErik J. Engstrom\, Professor of Political Science (UC Davis)\n\nStudent Q&A Moderators \n\nAngela Navarro\, double major in Legal Studies and Politics (Stevenson College ’28). Angela interned for THE-TEAM as a Social Impact Intern\, and founded Women in Law\, the first women-focused pre-law organization at UCSC.\nNidhi Bhat\, politics major (Cowell College ’28). Nidhi interned with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage this past spring and summer and participated in the UC Washington DC (UCDC) Program.\n\nCo-sponsored by: UC Santa Cruz Institute for Social Transformation\, Politics Department\, Legal Studies Program\, Chancellor’s Office\, Merrill College\, Office for Diversity\, Equity\, and Inclusion\, and The Humanities Institute. \nRegister to vote! On November 3\, 2026 there will be a General Election. Make sure you are registered to vote. You can get more information on the California Secretary of State website or the Santa Cruz County Elections Department. UCSC students\, click here for information on how to vote on campus.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/reshaping-representation-midterm-elections-and-emerging-district-map-battles/
LOCATION:Namaste Lounge\, 615 College Nine Road\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261029T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261029T203000
DTSTAMP:20261007T164050Z
CREATED:20260810T213244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T164050Z
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SUMMARY:The science of life in the neighborhood—and beyond
DESCRIPTION:UC Santa Cruz is bringing Science in the Neighborhood to South County! Join us for our first event in Aptos.\nAre we alone in the universe? Answering that question begins surprisingly close to home. Earth has been many different planets over its long history\, offering clues about how life begins\, evolves\, and ultimately transforms the world around it.  Beyond Earth\, the question leads us to the icy moons of the solar system where hidden oceans may harbor environments suitable for life. And if alien moons weren’t enticing enough\, the galaxy beckons with billions of planets orbiting other stars. For the first time in human history\, we are developing tools that could search nearby worlds for signs of life. Connecting these questions—how life begins and where else we might find it—is the science of astrobiology. In this talk\, we’ll explore these questions and meet the researchers at UC Santa Cruz turning age-old speculation about alien life into a scientific search for evidence. \n  \nNatalie Batalha is a professor of astronomy & astrophysics and the director of the Santa Cruz Center for Astrobiology\, which aims to advance interdisciplinary research and academic opportunities focused on the origin\, evolution\, and distribution of life in the universe. \nThe presentation will be followed by a live Q&A. Free and open to the public. The event is in-person only.  \nRegister to attend. \nLocation:\nCommunity Foundation Santa Cruz County\n7807 Soquel Dr\, Aptos\, CA 95003 \nParking and capacity:\nArrive early for best seating. Seating is available for 50 guests\, with additional standing room. Carpooling is recommended\, as there are only 30 parking spaces in the main lot. Overflow parking is available at the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center across the street. \n  \nScience In the Neighborhood is a public lecture series hosted quarterly by the UC Santa Cruz Science Division.\nJoin the mailing list to be notified about upcoming Science in the Neighborhood speakers\, dates\, and event details.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/science-in-the-neighborhood-and-beyond/
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261030T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261030T120000
DTSTAMP:20261009T184943Z
CREATED:20261009T184943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261009T184943Z
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SUMMARY:ECE Special Seminar: "Bilevel Optimization for Agentic AI: From Theory to Retrieval-augmented Agentic Reinforcement Learning"
DESCRIPTION:Presented by: Quan Xiao\, PhD Candidate @ Cornell University \nDescription: “Agentic AI systems combine large language models with system-level design choices such as post-training data selection\, retrieval\, tool use\, and memory management in augmented inference. Training these systems involves multiple coupled objectives beyond task success\, including safety\, retrieval quality\, and adaptation efficiency. Sequential tuning can cause catastrophic forgetting\, while direct objective mixing training can introduce unit mismatch and obscure credit assignments across components. \nIn this talk\, I will present bilevel optimization as a framework for jointly learning LLM parameters and agentic-system design variables. I will introduce an efficient first-order penalty formulation that replaces lower-level optimality with a merit constraint\, avoiding Hessian inverses and differentiation through full inner trajectories. By turning the bilevel problem into a penalized objective with analyzable structure\, this formulation enables landscape analysis that leads to global convergence guarantees. \nI will conclude with an application to bilevel retrieval optimization for tool-using agents\, where retrieval enables LLMs to access up-to-date information and manage external memory. In this setting\, landscape analysis also guides the design of memory-efficient variants of the penalty method tailored to the application. Experiments on multi-hop and medical question-answering tasks demonstrate the effectiveness of jointly optimizing retrieval and the LLM. Using only a 3B LLM backbone\, the proposed approach outperforms direct inference with GPT-5.6 Luna\, as well as methods based solely on agentic reinforcement learning or retrieval optimization.” \nBio: Quan Xiao (https://jenniferquanxiao.github.io) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University. She received her M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2023\, and her B.S. in statistics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2020. Her research focuses on the theoretical foundations of bilevel and multi-objective optimization\, as well as their applications to generative\, agentic AI and hardware-algorithm co-design. Her work has appeared in leading machine learning and signal processing venues\, including NeurIPS\, ICML\, and IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing\, with papers selected for oral and spotlight presentations. \nQuan has received several awards\, including the IEEE Signal Processing Society Scholarship in 2024 and the Belsky Award for Computational Sciences and Engineering in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2023. Her research has also received supports from industries\, including Google and Lambda Research. \n  \nHosted by: Professor Yu Zhang\, Electrical & Computer Engineering Department \nWhen: Friday\, October 30th from 10:30AM to 12:00PM \nLocation: Engineering 2\, Room 506
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/ece-special-seminar-bilevel-optimization-for-agentic-ai-from-theory-to-retrieval-augmented-agentic-reinforcement-learning/
LOCATION:Engineering 2\, Engineering 2 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Seminars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261102T132500
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261102T143000
DTSTAMP:20260922T225615Z
CREATED:20260916T144522Z
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SUMMARY:Environmental Studies Seminar Series | Edible Insects and the Future of Food: Capitalist Dreams\, Loss\, and Everyday Immigrant Practices
DESCRIPTION:In person and via Zoom (Meeting ID: 978 5545 8946\, Passcode: 454736).  \nIf you are unable to stream the talk live and need to access a recorded version\, please contact Stacy Philpott at sphilpot@ucsc.edu. A UC Santa Cruz email address is required to access the recording. \nHost: Stacy Philpott \nSpeaker: Paolina Hwae Kyung Kao Yook Lu\, UC Davis \nTitle: Edible Insects and the Future of Food: Capitalist Dreams\, Loss\, and Everyday Immigrant Practices \nAbstract: In the 2010s\, edible insects emerged in popular discourse as a potential “food of the future.” Drawing on fieldwork and interviews conducted in the United States from 2019-2024 with entrepreneurs\, farmers\, and food producers\, this talk traces how insects became a hopeful response to anxieties about ecological crisis\, food security\, and changing ways of life. I bring one Southeast Asian American family’s enduring practice of foraging for grasshoppers into conversation with the emergence and transformation of the insect agriculture industry. Doing so reveals two distinct relationships to insects: one shaped by the anticipation of future loss and the desire to secure against it\, the other by losses already lived through displacement and relocation. Attending to these differences while listening for what they share\, the talk asks what an affective throughline of loss can reveal about the ways people imagine futures\, develop relationships with other forms of life\, and work to make and sustain lives through food. \n 
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/environmental-studies-seminar-series-edible-insects-food/
LOCATION:Interdisciplinary Sciences Building\, 7487 Red Hill Road\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261102T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261102T170000
DTSTAMP:20261008T203351Z
CREATED:20260921T170456Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261008T203351Z
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SUMMARY:Statistics Seminar: Sliced Optimal Transport: From Acceleration to Bayesian Modeling
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Enter the speaker’s name\, title\, and institution at the top of the event \nDescription: Optimal transport (OT) provides a principled way to match\, compare\, and interpolate distributions\, but its computational cost limits its use at realistic scales. I will present our recent work on reducing that cost and on using OT for statistical modeling and inference. In the first part of the talk\, I will briefly introduce optimal transport and sliced optimal transport (SOT). I will then present sliced-regularized OT\, which uses a cheap sliced plan as an informative prior for approximating the full plan\, yielding an efficient approximate OT solver. In the second part\, I will show how SOT enables new applications in statistical inference. In particular\, I will introduce distributional determinantal point processes\, which use SOT geometry to place repulsive priors on distributions\, giving a Bayesian model for clustering distributional data. Applications include image processing and the clustering of single-cell and epilepsy data. \nAbout the speaker: Dr. Khai Nguyen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Texas A&M University. He received his Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Texas at Austin and his B.Sc. in Computer Science from Hanoi University of Science and Technology. His research develops computational optimal transport\, particularly sliced methods that make large-scale transport tractable. He brings these tools to problems in machine learning and geometric data processing\, as well as to Bayesian approximate inference and nonparametric models for distributional data. \nThis seminar is hosted by Professor Yunyi Shen.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/am-seminar-sliced-optimal-transport-from-acceleration-to-bayesian-modeling/
LOCATION:Jack Baskin Engineering\, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Seminars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261102T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261102T170000
DTSTAMP:20261001T175836Z
CREATED:20261001T175836Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261001T175836Z
UID:10017706-1793635200-1793638800@live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io
SUMMARY:AM Seminar: Data Analysis Workflow from Low-Code Tools to Generative and Agentic AI
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Reza Fazel-Rezai\, Senior Science and Education Application Engineer\, MathWorks \nDescription: Please join us to learn how to accelerate data analysis using a workflow that spans low-code tools\, Generative AI\, and Agentic AI. Through live demonstrations and practical examples\, you’ll see how to import\, explore\, visualize\, model\, and process data using interactive tools that require minimal coding. The session will demonstrate how these tools can automatically generate reproducible MATLAB code\, how Generative AI can assist with code creation\, explanation\, and troubleshooting\, and how Agentic AI workflows can help plan\, execute code\, validate results\, diagnose issues\, and iteratively refine outcomes. Highlights: – Build a data analysis workflow using low-code and interactive tools. – Use Generative AI to support code generation\, explanation\, and troubleshooting. – Explore how Agentic AI can plan analysis steps\, run code\, test results\, diagnose errors\, and iterate toward reliable outcomes. \nAbout the speaker: Dr. Reza Fazel-Rezai\, with a Ph.D. and MS in Biomedical Engineering and a BS in Electrical Engineering\, brings over two decades of experience in both industry and academia. As a senior research scientist\, research team manager\, and the founding Director and tenured full Professor of Biomedical Engineering\, he has extensive expertise and background in the field. Dr. Fazel-Rezai has authored more than 200 scientific publications\, edited and published seven books\, and pursued diverse research interests in biomedical signal and image processing\, particularly through machine learning and deep learning methods. Passionate about leveraging and sharing his skills to help others achieve their goals\, he currently serves as an ABET PEV for Biomedical Engineering\, works part-time as an instructor at UC San Diego\, and is a full-time Senior Science and Education Application Engineer at MathWorks. \nThis seminar is hosted by Professor Pascale Garaud.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/am-seminar-data-analysis-workflow-from-low-code-tools-to-generative-and-agentic-ai/
LOCATION:Jack Baskin Engineering\, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Seminars
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261103T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261103T110000
DTSTAMP:20261020T173621Z
CREATED:20261020T173621Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261020T173621Z
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SUMMARY:Rondoni\, N. (AM) - Inverse Problems and Control of Nonlinear Systems with Applications in Biology
DESCRIPTION:Steering living systems toward a desired behavior is a central goal in synthetic and quantitative biology. Levers of control range from electric fields and optogenetic stimulation to engineered gene circuits\, chemical dosing\, and tuning the adhesive attraction and repulsion between cells. Biology makes it hard to know how much each lever should be pulled\, or even to discern the current state of the system. Dynamics are nonlinear\, and observations are noisy and indirect. Models are often incomplete\, as exact replication of dynamics requires an immense number of parameters. This dissertation solves inverse problems and develops control methods within this setting across three biological testbeds. Here we take steps toward more reliably engineering tissues to form patterns on demand\, cells to manufacture therapeutics to desired specifications\, and neural experiments to respond to activity in real time. \nIn the first chapter\, we invert the forward mapping between the firing of a neuron and the noisy calcium indicator traces actually recordable in high throughput imaging. This work utilizes model predictive control on a novel mechanistic set of ODEs\, competes with the state of the art\, and is the first of its kind to our knowledge able to provide real time inference of this type with no variable backtracking. While other methods may edit their answers based on future information\, ours operates with 60ms of lag\, then leaves predictions fixed. \nIn the second chapter\, we suppose direct control of the forward mapping\, a nonlinear model representing production of thyroxine by engineered cellular factories\, and ensure the measured output tracks a desired value even when the plant and observations are confounded by stochasticity. We use a radial basis function neural network for online function approximation\, and introduce numerous modifications to this classic architecture to empirically track setpoints stably even in the presence of immense delays in the forward model’s output. We show the median steady state error in terms of normalized root mean square error to be 12.5% or less across setpoints in a Monte Carlo study. \nIn the final chapter\, we again solve an inverse problem\, this time in spatial cellular patterning. Treating a black box agent based model as the forward map\, we recover attraction and repulsion rates that reproduce a target pattern up to rotation\, using an objective defined only on summary entropies of the pattern\, rather than on target cell positions or the true parameters. We show convergence from 100 initial layouts\, for two different target patterns. For a layout where convergence is marginal\, we show that converging and nonconverging initial rates have statistically distinct centroids\, then build a classifier that predicts which initializations are likely to succeed under this iterative intervention strategy. \nApplications such as engineered spatial patterns\, bioelectronic interventions\, and closed loop neural experiments each depend on three tasks. The first is deriving a forward model\, potentially black box or explicit in equations. The second task is computing the input that drives the biological system to a target\, while the third is recovering hidden inputs from what observations are actually available. More broadly\, this dissertation advances control of living systems that are only partially observed and partially understood. \nEvent Host: Nicholas Rondoni\, PhD Candidate\, Applied Mathematics \nAdvisor: Marcella Gomez  \nZoom: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/97002422471?pwd=BarPJkyaLcJ6OUA1a2Za74GyrAb274.1 \nPasscode: 970 0242 2471
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/rondoni-n-am-inverse-problems-and-control-of-nonlinear-systems-with-applications-in-biology/
LOCATION:Engineering 2\, Engineering 2 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Ph.D. Presentations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261103T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261103T124500
DTSTAMP:20261008T164817Z
CREATED:20260930T235927Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261008T164817Z
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SUMMARY:Campus to Career: Job Talk with Director of Programs Faith Delgado
DESCRIPTION:Are you curious about careers in education? Join us for a job talk with Faith Delgado\, an alum who completed both a BA in Modern Literature and a Master’s in Education at UC Santa Cruz. Faith will share her professional story\, from starting her career as a teacher\, to working in her current position at an accessibility-oriented education nonprofit\, to how her time at UCSC informs what she does now. You’ll learn how to apply your skills and passion to work in the education field\, including in jobs outside of the classroom. \nHosted by UCSC Career Success and the Humanities Division \nRegister here \nLearn more about Faith: \nFaith Delgado is a Director of Programs for The Shadow Project\, a non-profit dedicated to making schools more accessible and engaging for children with learning differences. She graduated from UCSC with a BA in Literature in 2013. She also received her teaching credential and MA in Education from UCSC in 2014. Faith has spent part of her career as a classroom teacher in grades K-3\, and now works in the non-profit sector\, providing resources and training for schools\, teachers\, and families to support neurodivergent students. While attending UCSC\, she was a part of John R. Lewis College\, taking the themes of social justice into her work in making education a more equitable place for all learners. \n  \nYou Belong Here: The programs and services described here are open to all\, consistent with state and federal law\, as well as the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiative—whether a student service\, faculty program\, or community event—is designed to be accessible\, inclusive\, and respectful of all identities. \nTo learn more\, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/campus-to-career-job-talk-with-director-of-programs-faith-delgado/
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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LOCATION:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/campus-to-career-job-talk-with-director-of-programs-faith-delgado/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261103T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261103T160000
DTSTAMP:20260929T204049Z
CREATED:20260929T204049Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T204049Z
UID:10017614-1793718000-1793721600@live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io
SUMMARY:Optional Practical Training (OPT) Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Optional Practical Training (OPT) workshops are MANDATORY for all F-1 students who will apply for OPT\, and you MUST have attended the OPT workshop within 9 months of applying for OPT. You must attend the full workshop to receive credit. Be sure to arrive on time and stay until the end\, or you will not receive credit and will need to attend another workshop. \nZoom Link \nTo learn more about OPT\, visit the ISSP Optional Practical Training webpage.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/optional-practical-training-opt-workshop-3/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261104T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261104T143000
DTSTAMP:20261014T184559Z
CREATED:20261014T184559Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T184559Z
UID:10017805-1793799000-1793802600@live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io
SUMMARY:Skate for Change: Norma Ibarra's Photography and Indigenous Skateboarding as Decolonial Praxis: A Brown Bag with Miguel Fernandez
DESCRIPTION:Norma Ibarra\, born in Hermosillo\, Sonora\, Mexico\, photographs underrepresented and marginalized skateboarders such as female-identifying skaters across Mexico for her photobook Para Ti (2021)\, and self-fashioned Indigenous skaters for the Museum of Vancouver 2021-22 exhibition\, Skate for Change. This presentation focuses on the latter\, articulating how Ibarra’s collaboration with her participants circulate the decolonial potential of Indigenous skateboarding. Grinding down handrails\, launching over benches\, skateboarding is a cultural practice that actively challenges the settler-colonial regimes of property and ‘proper’ use of space\, inspiring new ways of imagining the infrastructure that corrals us. Ibarra’s photography plays a crucial role in these possibilities\, yet is complicated by photography’s settler-colonial legacy of subjugation\, especially towards Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. This presentation explores these tensions and complications\, revealing possibilities towards a decolonial praxis. \n  \nMiguel Fernandez is a Ph.D. Student in the History of Art/Visual Culture Department at UC-Santa Cruz and a Lionel Cantú Memorial Awardee (2025).
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/skate-for-change/
LOCATION:Huerta Center Conference Room (Casa Latina)\, 641 Merrill Rd\, Santa Cruz\,\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261105T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261105T183000
DTSTAMP:20261015T152053Z
CREATED:20261015T152053Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T152053Z
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SUMMARY:Protect Your Soil in Heavy Rain: Actionable Strategies for Wet Weather
DESCRIPTION:With El Niño expected to bring significant rainfall this season\, safeguarding your garden’s foundation is more critical than ever. Join the UC Master Gardeners and the UCSC Center for Agroecology for a timely\, practical workshop dedicated to protecting and preserving your garden soil during severe wet weather. \nIn this fast-paced\, FREE online session\, three experienced Master Gardeners will deliver actionable strategies to help you manage your landscape. We will quickly cover key topics to maximize our time\, leaving plenty of room for your specific questions. \nCore Topics Covered \n\nImproving Drainage: Practical methods to prevent waterlogging and keep roots healthy.\nDirecting Water Flow: How to safely channel excess runoff away from vulnerable areas.\nProtecting the Soil Surface: Effective techniques to shield your topsoil from heavy impact.\nPreventing Erosion: Strategic solutions to stop runoff from washing your valuable soil away.\n\nRSVP
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/protect-your-soil-in-heavy-rain-actionable-strategies-for-wet-weather/
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Workshop
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LOCATION:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/protect-your-soil-in-heavy-rain-actionable-strategies-for-wet-weather/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261106T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261106T170000
DTSTAMP:20260623T205606Z
CREATED:20260623T205606Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T205606Z
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SUMMARY:23rd Annual Graduate Research Symposium
DESCRIPTION:This event celebrates and highlights the work of UCSC graduate students in all academic divisions. Any enrolled graduate student is welcome to present either a poster\, talk\, or mixed media presentation. The event is free and open to the public.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/23rd-annual-graduate-research-symposium/
LOCATION:Physical Sciences Building\, Physical Sciences Building\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261107T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261107T120000
DTSTAMP:20260910T181642Z
CREATED:20251211T171734Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260910T181642Z
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SUMMARY:First Saturday Tour at the Arboretum
DESCRIPTION:First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your knowledge of the Arboretum’s plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year\, the interests of the tour guide\, and the people who join in. For example\, you might learn about the birds and mammals that make this land their home or about the amazing physical adaptations that plants have evolved to better deal with our extreme weather and climate conditions. Tours are free with paid admission. Admission is always free for current UCSC Students and Arboretum members.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/first-saturday-tour-at-the-arboretum/2026-11-07/
LOCATION:Arboretum\, 122 Arboretum Road\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261109T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261109T160000
DTSTAMP:20260922T163605Z
CREATED:20260922T163323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T163605Z
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SUMMARY:Imagining Revolution in the Non-Aligned World with Dr. Jessica Stites Mor
DESCRIPTION:As a part of the Sovereignty & Solidarity Fall Speaker Series\, the Huerta Center is thrilled to host Dr. Jessica Stites Mor from The University of British Columbia. This talk will explore how Cuban photojournalism of the 1960s-1970s functioned as an infrastructure of tricontinental solidarity shaping anti-imperial vocabularies and forging new global networks of struggle. Stites Mor examines how the Cuban Revolution influenced vocabularies\, mobilization strategies and aesthetic practices to advance decolonisation in the heart of the Cold War.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/imagining-revolution-in-the-non-aligned-world/
LOCATION:Charles E. Merrill Lounge\, Rutherford House\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261109T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261109T170000
DTSTAMP:20261007T210443Z
CREATED:20261007T210443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T210443Z
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SUMMARY:AM Seminar: Enhanced Resolution Imaging in Strongly Scattering Media
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Chrysoula Tsogka\, Professor\, Applied Mathematics\, UC Merced \nDescription: In a strongly scattering medium\, waves undergo multiple scattering that is usually seen as an obstacle to imaging. Time-reversal experiments show the opposite: waves re-emitted into the medium refocus on their source more sharply than in a homogeneous medium\, because scattering makes the array appear larger than it is. This effect\, known as super-resolution\, is not available to conventional imaging. Since the medium through which the waves travelled is unknown\, conventional methods back-propagate the data in an approximation of the true background. In this talk I will show how super-resolution can be achieved in imaging when abundant array data are available. The key idea is to learn the Green’s functions of the unknown random medium directly from the data using sparse dictionary learning. The Green’s functions are recovered as unordered columns of the sensing matrix. To associate each column with its location in the imaging window\, we build a graph from cross-correlations of the recovered columns and apply multidimensional scaling to the resulting proxy distances. The learned Green’s functions are then used to form images by back-propagation or by $\ell_2$ and $\ell_1$ methods\, with resolution beyond the homogeneous medium limit. I will also discuss recent extensions: a new dictionary learning algorithm that starts from a random initialization\, imaging on unstructured grids\, and imaging through changing random media. Joint work with M. Moscoso\, A. Novikov\, G. Papanicolaou\, A. Christie\, M. Leibovich and J. Zheng. \nAbout the speaker: Chrysoula Tsogka is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of California\, Merced\, where she also serves as Chair of the Applied Mathematics Graduate Group. She received her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University Paris IX Dauphine and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. Before joining UC Merced in 2019\, she was a tenured CNRS researcher at LMA in Marseille\, an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago\, and a Professor at the University of Crete. Her research focuses on numerical methods for direct and inverse wave propagation problems and on imaging in complex media. Her recent work includes quantitative synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging for the detection and classification of buried landmines\, and data-driven methods\, such as dictionary learning\, for super-resolution imaging in strongly scattering media. She serves on the editorial boards of Inverse Problems\, the Journal of Computational Physics and the Journal of Mathematical Imaging and Vision.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/am-seminar-enhanced-resolution-imaging-in-strongly-scattering-media/
LOCATION:Jack Baskin Engineering\, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Seminars
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GEO:37.000369;-122.0632371
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261112T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261112T140000
DTSTAMP:20261016T153134Z
CREATED:20261016T152420Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261016T153134Z
UID:10017825-1794488400-1794492000@live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io
SUMMARY:QB3 Webinar: Ed Green\, UC Santa Cruz. "DNA Forensics in the Genomics Age"
DESCRIPTION:DNA-based forensics is largely centered around PCR-based amplification of a few dozen STR markers. While this assay is powerful\, it does not work for samples with small amounts of fragmented DNA like rootless hair shafts. My lab and company have pioneered high-throughput sequencing technologies that enable new approaches in DNA bases forensics. These include forensic genetic genealogy from difficult samples and non-PCR based tests for identity. These technologies have provided investigative leads and probative evidence in some of the highest priority cold cases in the United States. \nRegister for livestream here \n 
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/qb3-webinar-ed-green-uc-santa-cruz-dna-forensics-in-the-genomics-age/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ed-green-ucsc-redwoods-3x2-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261113T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261113T193000
DTSTAMP:20260904T221409Z
CREATED:20260904T221409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T221409Z
UID:10016387-1794592800-1794598200@live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io
SUMMARY:James Spooner in conversation with Johnny Damm on AFROPUNK\, anger\, and other things
DESCRIPTION:The Institute of the Arts and Sciences invites you to a conversation with filmmaker and graphic novelist James Spooner about his latest graphic novel\, moderated by cartoonist Johnny Damm. It Starts with Anger: A Punk Beginning. An AFROPUNK Ending tells the origin story of the multi-million-dollar AFROPUNK festival—beginning not with big stages or brand sponsorship\, but with one mixed-race teenager’s search for belonging in the nineties New York City punk scene. \nThe conversation will be followed by a book signing by Spooner. Local author and punk historian John Malkin will also be signing his new book\, Punk Spirit! – An Oral History of Punk Rock\, Spirituality\, and Liberation\, and Johnny Damm will have his latest comic\, I’m a Cop: Real Life Horror Comics No. 3 available.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/james-spooner-in-conversation-with-johnny-damm-on-afropunk-anger-and-other-things/
LOCATION:Institute of the Arts and Sciences\, 100 Panetta Ave\, Santa Cruz\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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GEO:36.9557939;-122.0505546
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T120000
DTSTAMP:20260929T204047Z
CREATED:20260929T204047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T204047Z
UID:10017615-1794826800-1794830400@live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io
SUMMARY:Optional Practical Training (OPT) Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Optional Practical Training (OPT) workshops are MANDATORY for all F-1 students who will apply for OPT\, and you MUST have attended the OPT workshop within 9 months of applying for OPT. You must attend the full workshop to receive credit. Be sure to arrive on time and stay until the end\, or you will not receive credit and will need to attend another workshop. \nZoom Link \nTo learn more about OPT\, visit the ISSP Optional Practical Training webpage.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/optional-practical-training-opt-workshop-2/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T170000
DTSTAMP:20260922T180840Z
CREATED:20260917T185033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T180840Z
UID:10017082-1794843000-1794848400@live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io
SUMMARY:Fall Slow Seminar: The Range of the River by Iftekhar Iqbal
DESCRIPTION:UCSC’s Center for Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions (SEACoast)  and the  Center for South Asian Studies  invite you to join us for a Slow Seminar to discuss Iftekhar Iqbal’s   The Range of the River: Asia’s Great River Systems and the Making of a Transregional World  on  Monday\, November 16\, 2026 from 3:30-5:00pm PST in Room 210\, Humanities 1. \nSpanning nearly four million square kilometers across eastern South Asia\, mainland Southeast Asia\, and southern China\, the Tibetan river system connects some of Asia’s major waterways\, including the Brahmaputra\, Mekong\, and Yangtze. In The Range of the River\, Iqbal traces the intertwined histories of these rivers and the human and other-than-human forces that have shaped them. The book considers rivers not only as sites of imperial power\, territorial contestation\, and economic activity\, but also as dynamic forces and shared commons that have facilitated movement\, exchange\, commerce\, and cultural encounters across political and geographic boundaries. \nProfessor Anna Tsing (UCSC Anthropology) will facilitate our Slow Seminar to focus on three river systems explored in Iqbal’s book: the Brahmaputra\, Mekong\, and Yangtze. Three scholars including Sanjay Barbora (UCSC Sociology)\, David Biggs (UCR History)\, and Ben Read (UCSC Politics) will offer brief reflections on one river each\, providing distinct disciplinary and regional perspectives before the discussion opens to a broader collective conversation. Our seminar conversation will focus on Chapters 1\, 4\, 6\, and 7 of the book. \nPlease register for the Slow Seminar by filling out this Google Form. Registered guests will receive a PDF copy of selected chapters of The Range of the River via email. \nThis is a Hybrid event. Participants may join in-person at UCSC or by Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out to registered participants at least 1 hour before the event. \nRegistration will close at midnight on November 15\, 2026. \nNew to Slow Seminars?  Check out SEACoast’s definition here.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/fall-slow-seminar-the-range-of-the-river-by-iftkhar-iqbal/
LOCATION:Humanities 1 Building\, 257 Cowell-Stevenson Road\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Seminars
ORGANIZER;CN="Center for Southeast Asian Social Interactions":MAILTO:seacoast@ucsc.edu
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T170000
DTSTAMP:20261015T164013Z
CREATED:20261015T164013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T164013Z
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SUMMARY:Statistics Seminar: Evolutionary Analysis of Biobank-Scale Data to Study Population History\, Mutation Rates\, Natural Selection\, and the Genetics of Complex Traits
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Joshua Schraiber\, Research Scientist\, University of Southern California and Cornell University \nDescription: The advent of biobank data has presented an unprecedented opportunity to understand the evolutionary history of the human species. By collecting genotype data from hundreds of thousands of individuals\, we can look closely at recent evolutionary history\, including recent demography\, mutation rates\, and the action of strong natural selection. Moreover\, biobank data with phenotypes enables probing into the details of the genetic architecture of complex traits. However\, the large sample sizes and low frequency alleles found in such datasets often result in violations of common modeling assumptions in population and statistical genetics. To address this gap\, and gain the most possible information out of this data\, I will present biobank-scale evolutionary models. I will first show that ultra-rare mutations often violate the assumption that every mutation only occurred once in the history of the sample. By developing a model that explicitly accounts for recurrent mutation\, we are able to use ultra-rare mutations to learn fine-scale details about recent demography history and mutation rates. We then extended this model to account for natural selection\, and developed a Bayesian approach to share information between genes and learn the distribution of fitness effects at the level of individual genes. Finally\, I will show how rare variants violate the standard assumptions of models of complex trait architecture and demonstrate a modeling approach that can account for effect sizes among rare variants. This will show that the distribution of effect sizes among common variants in the human genome is approximately scale-free. Together\, these findings enhance our understanding of human biology and evolution in the biobank era. \nAbout the speaker: Joshua Schraiber is a Research Scientist working with Doc Edge at USC and Matt Pennell at Cornell University. His background is in evolutionary modeling and statistical methods development. Prior to his current role\, he was a Research Scientist at AncestryDNA and Illumina before returning to academia. \nThis seminar is hosted by Professor Yunyi Shen.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/statistics-seminar-evolutionary-analysis-of-biobank-scale-data-to-study-population-history-mutation-rates-natural-selection-and-the-genetics-of-complex-traits/
LOCATION:Jack Baskin Engineering\, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Seminars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261116T170000
DTSTAMP:20261015T165727Z
CREATED:20261015T165630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T165727Z
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SUMMARY:AM Seminar: Heat Transport and Scalar Dissipation in Turbulent Flows: A Constructive Approach
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Anuj Kumar\, Assistant Professor\, UC Davis \nDescription: Turbulent flows can transport heat and momentum much more efficiently than pure molecular diffusion alone. What flow structures enable this efficient transport and how can they sustain dissipation when diffusivity or viscosity is small? These questions are fundamental to understanding turbulence and have important applications in engineering. In this talk\, I will discuss a constructive approach to these questions through explicitly designed incompressible flows. We will first consider heat transport between walls held at different temperatures. Under a constraint on the power supply\, I will present a three dimensional branching construction that achieves the optimal heat transport scaling. By examining these designs carefully\, we will identify the physical mechanisms responsible for efficient heat transfer and discuss potential applications\, including the pressing problems of cooling in AI data centers. We will then turn to scalar turbulence. I will introduce a universal incompressible flow built from a carefully organized hierarchy of shear flows and explain how these constructions approach the sharp Obukhov–Corrsin regularity threshold for scalar dissipation. These constructions also exhibit eddy-diffusivity effect: advection mimics diffusion of order one even in the transport equation\, where molecular diffusion is entirely absent. Together\, these examples illustrate how the process of constructing flows that achieve sharp scaling laws can also reveal the mechanisms underlying enhanced transport and dissipation\, which are two key features of turbulence. \nAbout the speaker: Anuj Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California Davis. His research lies at the intersection of fluid dynamics\, partial differential equations (PDEs) and applied mathematics\, combining computational\, mathematical analysis and theoretical approaches. Prior to joining UC Davis\, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California Berkeley. He earned my Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2023. \nThis seminar is hosted by Professor Pascale Garaud.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/am-seminar-heat-transport-and-scalar-dissipation-in-turbulent-flows-a-constructive-approach/
LOCATION:Jack Baskin Engineering\, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Seminars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261117T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261117T130000
DTSTAMP:20261014T182032Z
CREATED:20261014T182032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T182032Z
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SUMMARY:Displacements of Cubanidad: Drag\, Pageantry\, and Diasporic Representation -A Huerta Center Brown Bag presentation with Jennifer Gottlieb
DESCRIPTION:In this talk\, Jennifer interrogates how Cuban identity is performed\, disciplined\, and made legible within globalized media systems that simultaneously celebrate diversity and constrain it through drag and beauty pageantry. Rather than treating Cubanidad as a stable or unified identity\, Cubanidad is discussed as a mobile and contested formation shaped by histories of economic crisis\, migration\, racial inequality\, and gendered labor. Overall\, Jennifer examines how Cuban identity circulates\, fractures\, and is reconstituted through contemporary transnational performance cultures. \n  \nJennifer Gottlieb is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Latin American and Latino Studies Department at UC-Santa Cruz and a Huerta Center Graduate Student Research Awardee (2025-26).
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/displacements-of-cubanidad/
LOCATION:Huerta Center Conference Room (Casa Latina)\, 641 Merrill Rd\, Santa Cruz\,\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261120T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261120T200000
DTSTAMP:20260928T233517Z
CREATED:20260928T233517Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260928T233517Z
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SUMMARY:Vigil in honor of Trans Day of Remembrance and Resistance
DESCRIPTION:Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil 2026: Remember Me As… \nAn evening exploring memory\, legacy\, and our shared LGBTQ+ lineage to honor trans\, 2 Spirit\, non-binary\, and gender expansive lives lost in the last year. Featuring community-made fabric art installations\, an intergenerational lineup of performances\, and more to explore our community’s strength and cement our commitment to fight for trans lives.   This event is open to all students\, faculty\, staff\, and members of the wider Santa Cruz Community. It is a collaboration between the Cantu Queer Center and The Diversity Center with support from the London Nelson Community Center and Fabrica Santa Cruz. \nDate: Friday\, November 20\, 2026\nTime: 5:30 – 8:00 pm\nLocation: London Nelson Community Center\nAges: All \nRSVP Here \n  \nIn addition to the vigil\, there will be Trans Memorial Quilt Panel Craft Meet-Ups to create a Trans Memorial Quilt honoring the lives of Trans people that will be displayed at the vigil. \nDates:  Friday\, October 2 at the Fabrica and Thursday\, October 22\, 2026 at the Cantu Queer Center\nTime: 6:00 – 9:00 pm\nAges: All\nRSVP Here \n  \n  \nYou Belong Here: The programs and services described here are open to all\, consistent with state and federal law\, as well as the University of California’s nondiscrimination policies. Every initiative—whether a student service\, faculty program\, or community event—is designed to be accessible\, inclusive\, and respectful of all identities. \nTo learn more\, please visit UC Nondiscrimination Statement or Nondiscrimination Policy for UC Publications. 
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/vigil-in-honor-of-trans-day-of-remembrance-and-resistance/
LOCATION:London Nelson Community Center\, 301 Center St.\, Santa Cruz\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261122T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270822T160000
DTSTAMP:20260910T220505Z
CREATED:20260910T220505Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260910T220505Z
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SUMMARY:Santa Cruz Pickwick Club presents: Christie Mysteries
DESCRIPTION:Over the coming year\, Dickens Universe readers and Pickwick Club members will meet for discussions focused on these novels and their lasting influence on the mystery genre. This year’s reading series brings together four landmark works of crime fiction: The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens (Penguin Classics\, 2002)\, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (William Morrow\, 2021)\, The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (William Morrow\, 2025)\, and The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (William Morrow\, 2011). Join Dickens enthusiasts and Pickwick Club members on Zoom for a series of discussions about these beloved books. \nRegister via Zoom \nReading Schedule:  \n\nSept 27: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd\nOct 25: The Pale Horse\nNov 22: The Murder at the Vicarage\nDec 27: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nJan 24: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nFeb 28: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nMar 28: The Mystery of Edwin Drood\nApr 25: TBD\nMay 23: TBD\nJun 27: TBD\n\nRecommended Edition: We recommend the Penguin Classics edition of the novels for its appendices and notes\, but other versions are fine. First-time readers should avoid the Introduction if they don’t want spoilers. Download the novels to read at Gutenburg.org or listen at LibriVox.org. \nThe Santa Cruz Pickwick (Book) Club\, a branch of the Dickens Fellowship\, is a community of local bookworms\, students\, and teachers who meet monthly to discuss a nineteenth-century novel. The Santa Cruz Public Libraries provide support for the reading group.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/santa-cruz-pickwick-club-presents-christie-mysteries/2026-11-22/
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261123T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261123T090000
DTSTAMP:20261013T161927Z
CREATED:20261013T161821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261013T161927Z
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SUMMARY:Bondar\, G. (AM) - Geometric and Graph Structured Optimal Transport for Learning and Control
DESCRIPTION:We motivate\, formulate\, and solve several structured optimal transportation (OT) problems for learning and control. The field of OT had its inception in 1781\, when Gaspard Monge sought the optimal map to transport mass from a given initial distribution to a desired terminal distribution. Both OT and its entropy-regularized variant\, the Schrödinger bridge problem (SBP)\, have catalyzed significant developments across mathematics. More recently\, theoretical and algorithmic developments in OT and SBP have found myriad applications in stochastic optimal control and generative AI. \nThe connecting theme across the problems studied in this dissertation is the presence of structure which can be exploited in their solution — for our work\, this structure arises from geometry underlying a solution space or from a graph capturing a correlation structure between distributional data. Our original contributions begin with automated verification and discovery of OT regularity\, followed by stochastic learning and control for resource allocation and scheduling in multi-core real-time systems\, where the problem has a natural graph structure. We also formulate and solve the problem of finding an optimal graph structure in a distribution-valued dataset where none is present. \nWhile graph-structured OT is a natural fit for data-driven stochastic learning problems\, the knowledge of system dynamics can impose geometric structure to the problem. In this dissertation\, we establish the equivalence between the stochastic optimal control and path space formulations of SBP over a compact connected Lie group. Additionally\, we develop\, analyze\, and validate a novel numerical solution scheme for the SBP with control-affine dynamics. Finally\, we investigate the application of Gromov-Wasserstein (GW) OT — a variant of the problem allowing for transport between incomparable spaces — for spatial proteomics. We show throughout our work how careful considerations of the underlying geometry and graph-structures can enable bespoke solutions for practical learning and control problems through optimal transport. \nEvent Host: Georgiy Bondar\, Ph.D. Candidate\, Applied Mathematics  \nAdvisor: Abhishek Halder \nZoom: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/96361886043?pwd=U73TbafhzI7kgS7MYAFko3YEPVIxTb.1 \nPasscode: 564490
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/bondar-g-am-geometric-and-graph-structured-optimal-transport-for-learning-and-control/
LOCATION:Engineering 2\, Engineering 2 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Ph.D. Presentations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261123T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261123T170000
DTSTAMP:20261007T203353Z
CREATED:20261007T203353Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T203353Z
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SUMMARY:Statistics Seminar: Randomization Posteriors and Generalized Bayesian Inference
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Edric Tam\, Warren Alpert Fellow in AI and Computational Biology\, Department of Biomedical Data Science\, Stanford University \nDescription: A longstanding question in Bayesian analysis concerns the role of randomization. We introduce randomization posteriors\, a class of generalized Bayesian updates obtained by averaging over an auxiliary randomization law. A particularly relevant instance assigns random weights to the log-likelihood contributions of individual observations\, thereby averaging inference over random perturbations of the dataset. The resulting posterior updates are governed by a fundamental design choice: the stage at which the randomization is averaged out. Averaging at the log-likelihood level recovers the power posterior for a broad class of weight distributions\, while averaging at the posterior level\, under suitable choices of weights\, recovers the bagged posterior. Averaging at the likelihood level yields a new family of generalized Bayesian updates\, which we term contamination posteriors. These are indexed by the cumulant transform of the randomization law and require a reference density for well-posedness. For Bernoulli weights\, they recover classical Huber-type contamination models\, while Beta and other weight distributions produce new generalized posteriors. We characterize the theoretical properties of randomization posteriors and illustrate their empirical robustness through simulations and experiments. We also discuss connections with bootstrap methods\, coarsened posteriors\, and other generalized Bayesian updating procedures. \nAbout the speaker: Edric (Ed) Tam is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Biomedical Data Science in Stanford University. His research lies at the intersection of Bayesian statistics\, artificial intelligence\, and biomedical applications. His postdoctoral work has been supported by a Warren Alpert Fellowship and a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellowship. He earned his PhD in Statistical Science from Duke University\, where he worked with David Dunson\, and holds degrees in computer science and biomedical engineering from the University of Chicago\, Yale University\, and Johns Hopkins University. He has also held research and engineering roles at Google\, Meta\, Amazon\, and Apple AIML. \nThis seminar is hosted by Professor Yunyi Shen.
URL:https://live-events-ucsc.pantheonsite.io/event/statistics-seminar-randomization-posteriors-and-generalized-bayesian-inference/
LOCATION:Jack Baskin Engineering\, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street\, Santa Cruz\, CA\, 95064
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Presentations,Seminars
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