An interdisciplinary research institute of the University of California Santa Cruz

STEPS LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS

Fred Keeley Lecture in Environmental Policy

Former UCSC Chancellor MRC Greenwood was instrumental in establishing this named lecture. Each year’s lecture will be given by a leader in environmental policy. The series is named in honor of Fred Keeley, who for many years has contributed to shaping environmental policy in California, both as a civic leader and as a Member of the State Assembly.

The first Keeley Lecture took place at UCSC October 4, 2004, with Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit, who served for eight years as Secretary of the Interior during the Clinton administration. His presentation was titled "Environmental Policy for a New Century" and inaugurated this new lecture series hosted by The STEPS Institute, designed to feature speakers of national and international stature on issues of scientific research and public policy. More details | Article in "UCSC Currents"

The second Keeley Lecture for the academic year 2005-2006 took place at UCSC March 2, 2006, given by Stanford biologist, Paul R. Ehrlich, Bing professor of population studies and president of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. Dr. Ehrlich has been a household name since the publication of his 1968 bestseller, The Population Bomb, which alerted the public to the problems of overpopulation.His talk, titled "One with Nineveh: Politics, Consumption, and the Human Future," covered issues from most recent book, One with Nineveh. Coauthored with his wife Anne Ehrlich, the book takes a fresh look at the global problems of overpopulation, overconsumption, and political and economic inequity.
More details | Article in "UCSC Currents"

Santa Lucia Gradient Study (SLGS)

For the past three years, The STEPS Institute has organized and hosted an annual workshop of researchers studying the biodiversity of California’s Central Coast. Participants include researchers from a range of disciplines at UCSC, as well as representatives from federal and state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and land owners. The workshop takes place every spring, and the upcoming workshop, January 20, 2006 will mark the fourth annual gathering of the collaboration.
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Species Interaction Workshop

Researchers at UCSC and Stanford University began an annual workshop in 2003 on the ecology and evolution of species interactions. These yearly workshops will bring together researchers using a wide range of approaches to thestudy of interactions between parasites and hosts, predators and prey, competitors, pollinators and plants, and more complex networks of interacting species. The first workshop was held at Stanford University, and The STEPS Institute organized the second workshop at UCSC in November of 2004. The third workshop was held at Stanford on December 3, 2005, and the fourth consecutive workshop will be held December 2, 2006 at UCSC.

PrecipNet

The First PrecipNet/STEPS Climate Change Science and Policy Workshop was held at UCSC in May, 2004. This workshop provided an opportunity for members of PrecipNet research groups from seven states to discuss the overlapping physical, ecological, political, and societal realms of their climate change research.
More details | Summary of workshop

Climate Change Models and California Supply and Demand

UCSC researchers from multiple disciplines met in 2004 with members of Metropolitan Water District in Southern California as a follow-up to an earlier STEPS workshop on regional climate change and water management in California. New collaborations are continuing to develop from these efforts.
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