2024 Research Initiatives by Graduates at UC Santa Cruz
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CALDERON, Elsa –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: Environmental Justice and the Risks Faced by Black Farm Ownership in the Mississippi
Figure Caption: A farmer and his wife survey the land that has been in his family for generations in the Mississippi Delta.
CASTRO, Vidi –
Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Project Title: Developing Climate-Resilient Crops: A Multi-Trait Analysis of the Dry-Farmed Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
Figure Caption: The physiology of dry-farmed crops. Panel A shows a cross-section of a tomato stem, panel B depicts the vein network of a tomato leaf, and panel C features students measuring stomatal conductance in the field. Photos by A. Baer and A. Roche.
CHESNEY, Charlie –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: Cactus-Electricity Demonstration Plot
Figure Caption: pH and voltage sensors installed in a prickly pear cactus stem at the UCSC Farm. Photo by C. Chesney.
CHIANG, Bo Huey –
Department: Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology
Project Title: Metabolic Interactions Among Human Gut Bacteroides Co-Adhering to Dietary Plant Fiber Particles
Figure Caption: Confocal microscopy image of the human gut isolate Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI3164 strain selectively adhering to the dietary plant polysaccharide galactan (from lupin) over arabinoxylan.
COWAL, Sanya –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: Ant-Mediated Biocontrol for Hawaiian Coffee
Figure Caption: Monocrop (left) and mixed agroforestry (right) research sites for an ant-coffee berry borer predation experiment in Kona, Hawai’i. Photo by S. Cowal.
DECOITE, Meg –
Department: Coastal Science and Policy
Project Title: Marine Debris Assessment of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: Protecting Seafood Stocks.
Figure Caption: Fishers retrieving lost spiny lobster gear off Santa Cruz Island, returning to their fishing vessel offshore via kayak. Photo by M. DeCoite.
GANDHI, Piyush –
Department: Economics
Project Title: Extinguishing the Blaze: Reducing Crop Residue Burning in India
Figure Caption: A sensitization training session with farmers aimed at reducing crop residue burning in Punjab, India. Photo by P. Gandhi
JAYANTI, Hannah –
Department: Film and Digital Media
Project Title: Topography
Figure Caption: Utilizing a stereo microphone and an ambisonic microphone, I recorded various locales and field recordings to capture an ethnobotanical trail and medicinal plant identification guide in the Badlands of South Western South Dakota. Photo by H. Jayanti.
KLAWITTER, Danielle –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture for Nutrient Source and Soilborne Pathogen Suppression in Strawberries
Figure Caption: Romaine lettuce plants subjected to different treatments: with or without a pathogens introduction and receiving either standard fertilizer or a combination of fertilizer and fish effluent. Photo by M. Barrett.
LAI, Edith –
Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Project Title: Hyperparasites in Plant Disease Control
Figure Caption: Blackberry leaves infected with powdery mildew in Henry Cowell State Park. Photo by E. Lai.
LIN, Jack and VAFADARI, Firouz (joint project)
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Project Title: Greener Greenhouses
Figure Caption: A greenhouse wireless sensor powered by solar panels utilized to capture light from overhead agricultural LED grow lights, serving both power and visible light communication channels for sensor parameter adjustments. Photo by J. Lin.
LIPTON, Suzanne –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: How Does Management Influence Dung Beetles and Their Impact on Nutrient Cycling in California’s Central Coast?
Figure Caption: Cows and their dung collected for trapping dung beetles in the grazed grasslands of California’s Central Coast. Photo by S. Lipton.
LUO, Siyu –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: Enhancing California Farms and Water Resources: Growing Solar on Fallowed Land as a Drought Resilience Strategy
Figure Caption: Solar facilities under construction on formerly fallowed land in Fresno County that once served as a peach farm. Photo by S. Luo.
MADDEN, John –
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Project Title: Power Measurement Hardware to Investigate Microbial Fuel Cells as Real-Time Soil Carbon Sensors
Figure Caption:
MASTERS, Morgan –
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Project Title: Creating 3D Semantic Land Use Models with Agricultural Robotics
Figure Caption: UAV-borne optics and survey-grade GPS collaborate to generate custom, AI-ready training data for the unique challenges faced in agricultural production systems, enhancing the farmer’s toolkit for quickly identifying emerging issues.
SULLIVAN, Summer –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: Leafy Greens and Digital Dreams: California Agriculture, Racial Capitalist Landscapes, and the Future of Farm Work
Figure Caption: This artwork stands prominently amidst the Salinas Valley lettuce fields, known as the “salad bowl of the world,” intended to honor the farmworkers whose skilled yet undervalued labor has transformed the valley into an agricultural powerhouse. Photo by S. Sullivan.
VAVURIS, Tashina –
Department: Environmental Studies
Project Title: Connecting Leaders4EARTH with Agroecology and NEXTGEN Fellows
Figure Caption: High school students from the Salinas Valley engaged in a field visit at UCSC Farm, exploring sustainable agriculture and learning about insect sampling techniques. Photo by T. Vavuris.
VEGA, Giovanni –
Department: Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology
Project Title: Examining the Biology of Diet-Induced Antibodies Targeting Plant Glycans
Figure Caption:
ZHENG, Connie –
Department: HAVC/Visual Studies
Project Title: All The Food We Can and Cannot Find: A Visual Culture of Foraging 2001-2022
Figure Caption: The contents of the HK FARMer’s Almanac (2015), a collection of zines focused on farming, agroecology, and urban foraging in Hong Kong. Asia Art Archive. August 2024. Photo by C. Zheng