STEPS News & Events

STEPS Recent News

October 3, 2007

Marine biologist and ecologist James A. Estes has been appointed interim director of the STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research at UCSC. Dr. Estes, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and an adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and ocean sciences, is based at the Center for Ocean Health at Long Marine Laboratory. He is expected to serve as STEPS director for at least two years, according to Vice Chancellor for Research Bruce Margon.

August 1, 2007

The STEPS Institute 2006-2007 annual report has been published and is available for distribution. This year's report features summaries of interdisciplinary research conducted by faculty, graduate fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students who are currently being funded by the Institute. It also recognizes the generous contributions of private donors, and lists the new STEPS grant recipients and their fields of research. Printable PDF format

April 25, 2007

The STEPS Institute joined the Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community as a sponsor of the 8th Annual CJTC Spring Lecture with a presentation by Mr. Van Jones, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. The topic of his presentation was "Growing Greener, Growing Together: Sustainability, Social Justice, and the Future of the Progressive Movement."

April 19, 2007

At the invitation of the Honorable Fred Keeley, the STEPS Institute participated in hosting the first Climate Solutions Leadership Summit, involving UCSC, the City of Santa Cruz, the County of Santa Cruz, and a core group of action-oriented community leaders. The purpose of this meeting was to identify specific opportunities and implementation strategies that will establish an unprecedented alliance between local governments, business, research institutions and the community at-large.

April 15, 2007

2007 STEPS research fellowships announced: Three STEPS Fellowships are awarded annually to incoming graduate students to UCSC, through the generous sponsorship of an anonymous donor. The recipients of these fellowships for 2007 are Andrew Racz from Lehigh University; Melinda Fowler from Sonoma State University, and Taal Levi from the University of California, Berkeley.

April 15, 2007

2007 STEPS graduate and undergraduate research grants: The STEPS Institute announced the award of research funds for 2007 to twenty-two UCSC graduate and undergraduate students in support of their interdisciplinary research projects in the environmental sciences.

January 30, 2007

In conjunction with the 3rd Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy, the STEPS Institute presented a panel discussion on Women in Science, entitled "Navigating an Academic Career as a Female Scientist." The morning included presentations by marine biologist Jane Lubchenco and UCSC faculty Lisa Sloan (Earth Sciences), Jean Langenheim (Biology), Karen Holl (Environmental Studies), and Raquel Prado (Applied Mathematics and Statistics). The event was co-sponsored with the Graduate Division and Women Evolving Biological Sciences (WEBS).

January 29, 2007

The 3rd Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy was held at UCSC on Monday, January 29, 2007, with guest speaker Dr. Jane Lubchenco, one the world’s leading marine biologists and one of the leading scientists shaping marine policy in the United States. The title of her lecture was: "Seas the Day! Steps Towards Sustainable Use of the Oceans." This lecture 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 formerly as a Member of the State Assembly. More details

The Honorable Fred Keeley and Dr. Jane Lubchenco

January 19, 2007

Fifth annual Central Coast Biodiversity Workshop. Researchers and policy-makers studying the biodiversity of California's central coast gathered for the fifth annual all-day workshop hosted by the STEPS Institute at the Seymour Center. Participants included researchers from a range of disciplines at UCSC, as well as representatives from public agencies and nongovernmental organizations that are involved with research and land management along the central coast.

August 28, 2006

The STEPS Institute 2005-2006 annual report has been published and is available for distribution. PDF Printable Format

August 23, 2006

Carolyn Kurle, STEPS recipient of the MRC Greenwood Award in Biodiversity Conservation, recently won two awards for presentation of her research. She was given the Murray F. Buell Award for Excellence in Ecology for the outstanding oral paper presented by a student at the 2006 Ecological Society of America's 41st Annual Meeting, and the Society for Conservation Biology 2006 Student Award for Outstanding Talk, presented at the SCB's 20th Annual Meeting. We congratulate Carolyn on the continuing high quality and originality of her work, and on its recognition at these major meetings.

July 1, 2006

Three STEPS undergraduate grant research recipients for 2005-2006, Courtney Angelo, Jodi Stewart, and Emily Bruns, have all won the Dean's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Emily Bruns also won the campus's highest honor, the Chancellor's Award. We congratulate these three students for their outstanding research.

June 1, 2006

John N. Thompson, the Director of The STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCSC, has been named President-Elect of The American Society of Naturalists for 2007 and will serve as President during 2008. Founded in 1883, the ASN is one of the oldest professional societies in the biological sciences in North America. Its purpose is to advance and diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as to enhance the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. See "Currents" article

May 20, 2006

MRC Greenwood Biodiversity Award recipient announced for 2006
The "M.R.C. Greenwood Award in Biodiversity Conservation" was established in 2005 through a generous gift from Diane and Donald Cooley, longtime supporters of UCSC. The fellowship award is administered by The STEPS Institute in collaboration with the UCSC Arboretum. Amy Morris, graduate student in the Department of Community Studies, has been awarded the award for 2006, to support her research evaluating the process by which conservation easements are created and recorded.

May 15, 2006

STEPS Fellowship recipients announced for 2006
The STEPS Fellowships are awarded annually to incoming graduate students, through the generous sponsorship of an anonymous donor. The three recipients of these fellowships for 2006 are Elisabeth Bastiaans from the University of Chicago, Nina Nowshiravani from the University of California Davis, and Daniella Schweizer from the University of Maryland.

March 28, 2006

The Honorable Fred Keeley makes planned gift to STEPS
County Treasurer Fred Keeley has made a planned gift of $250,000 to UCSC to support the campus's STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research | "Currents" Article

March 7, 2006

STEPS Graduate Awards announced for 2006
The STEPS Institute announced the award of research funds to fifteen UCSC graduate and undergraduate students in support of their interdisciplinary research projects in the environmental sciences during 2006. Research Awards for 2006

March 2 , 2006

The second Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy was held on Thursday, March 2, 2006 on the UCSC campus. The guest speaker will be Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies and President of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. The title of his lecture was: "One with Nineveh: Politics, Consumption, and the Human Future." More details |"Currents" Article | Poster

November 7, 2005

The application process for the 2006 STEPS Fellowships has been announced.The Institute has three fellowships available annually for outstanding graduate students interested in pursuing interdisciplinary environmental research: the Christine Eckstrom Fellowship, the MRC Greenwood Fellowship, and the Frans Lanting Fellowship. Fellows are nominated by Departments as part of the admission process to UCSC graduate programs. For more information, please see fellowships.

October 24, 2005

The 3rd annual Stanford-UC Santa Cruz Species Interactions Workshop took place Dec. 3rd, 2005 at Stanford University. This workshop serves to link the two campuses together through discussion of current research on the ecology and evolution of species interactions.

October 14, 2005

Fall 2005 Call for Undergraduate Proposals
The STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research invites proposals for research funds to support UCSC undergraduate research projects in the environmental sciences during the calendar year 2006. Submission deadline is December 9, 2005. Proposal details | Printable PDF flyer

October 14, 2005

Fall 2005 Call for Graduate Proposals
The STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research invites proposals for research funds to support UCSC graduate research projects in the environmental sciences for 2006-2007. Submission deadline is December 9, 2005.

September 29, 2005

Fourth Workshop on Central Coast Biodiversity
The Fourth Central Coast Biodiversity/Santa Lucia Gradient Study (SLGS) Workshop took place at UCSC on Friday, January 20, 2006.

September 2, 2005

The 2004-05 STEPS Annual Report has been published and is available for distribution. This year's report features summaries of interdisciplinary research conducted by faculty, graduate fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students who are currently being funded by the Institute.
PDF Format

May 6, 2005

Recipients announced for the MRC Greenwood Award in Biodiversity Conservation
The "M.R.C. Greenwood Award in Biodiversity Conservation" was established this year through a generous gift from Diane and Donald Cooley, longtime supporters of UCSC. The recipients of this new award for 2005 are Carolyn Kurle, graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology, and Sara Bothwell, graduate student in environmental studies. For more information on this award, see Fellowships. | Press Release

April 28, 2005

Recipients announced for the 2005 STEPS Fellowships
The STEPS Fellowships are awarded annually to incoming graduate students, through the generous sponsorship of an anonymous donor. The Fellows for 2005 are Andrea Jani from Arizona State University, Jae Pasari from the University of California at Berkeley, and Autumn-Lynn Harrison from Virginia Tech. For more information on this award, see Fellowships. | Press Release

March 1, 2005

Call for Proposals sent out for the MRC Greenwood Award in Biodiversity Conservation

February, 2005

MRC Greenwood Award in Biodiversity Conservation established by Mrs. Diane and Mr. Don Cooley
The STEPS Institute is pleased to announce the establishment of a new fellowship award established by Mrs. Diane and Mr. Don Cooley, with the aim of funding research for one or two outstanding UCSC graduate students in biodiversity research. It has been named the MRC Greenwood Award in Biodiversity Conservation, in honor of former UCSC Chancellor, MRC Greenwood. For more information on this award, please see Fellowships.

February 4, 2005

Third Workshop on Central Coast Biodiversity
The Third Santa Lucia Gradient Study (SLGS) Workshop was held at UCSC on Friday, February 4, 2005 to bring together researchers and agencies studying the biodiversity of California's central coast.

January 10, 2005

STEPS Undergraduate Awards announced for 2005
The STEPS Institute announced the award of research funds to five UCSC undergraduate students in support of their research projects in the environmental sciences during 2005. Undergraduate Research Awards 2005 | Press Release

December 10, 2004

STEPS Graduate Awards announced for 2005
The STEPS Institute announced the award of research funds to fifteen UCSC graduate students in support of their research projects in the environmental sciences during 2005. Graduate Research Awards 2005 | Press Release

November 20, 2004

STEPS sponsors Second Stanford-UCSC Species Interaction Workshop
The STEPS Institute hosted the Second Annual Stanford-UCSC Species Interaction Workshop on November 20 at UCSC. Graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and faculty addressed such topics as parasite-host, predator-prey, and pollinator-plant interactions using a variety of approaches.

November 2, 2004

Fall 2004 Call for Undergraduate Proposal

October 8, 2004

Fall 2004 Call for Graduate Proposals

October 5, 2004

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit gives the first STEPS "Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy"
Bruce Babbitt, who served for eight years as Secretary of the Interior during the Clinton administration, gave the inaugural Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy with a talk titled "Environmental Policy for a New Century". The Lecture Series hosted by The STEPS Institute is designed to feature speakers of national and international stature on issues of scientific research and public policy.
More details | Article in "Currents" | Poster

September 3, 2004

STEPS Fellowships to honor MRC Greenwood, Frans Lanting, and Christine Eckstrom
The STEPS Institute has announced the awarding of three graduate fellowships as part of its mission to facilitate interdisciplinary environmental research.
More details | Article in "Currents"

June 8, 2004

STEPS Environmental Leadership Forum
The second annual STEPS Environmental Leadership Forum focused on coastal fisheries research and policy. Speakers included Dennis Kelso, Associate Director of the STEPS Institute, Marc Mangel, Director of the Center for Stock Assessment Research (CSTAR), and Susan Sogard, Ecology Branch Chief of the Santa Cruz Laboratory for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

May 27-28, 2004

STEPS/PrecipNet Graduate Student Workshop
The First Annual PrecipNet / STEPS Climate Change Science and Policy Workshop was held at UCSC May 27-28, 2004. This workshop provided an opportunity for graduate students from PrecipNet research groups around the country to meet one another and to further investigate the overlapping physical, ecological, political, and societal realms of their climate change research. More details on PrecipNet | Summary of workshop

April 7, 2004

STEPS Institute Grant Awards Announced for Graduate and Undergraduate Environmental Research
The STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research has announced its Spring 2004 grant awards for UCSC graduate and undergraduate research projects in the environmental sciences.

February 9, 2004

New STEPS Faculty Collaborations Funded
The STEPS Institute announced the funding of five new interdisciplinary research collaborations among UCSC faculty:

Santa Lucia Gradient Study (SLGS): Linking Biological and Jurisdictional Complexity
Movement of Top Predators: Combining Sensor Technology and Biology
Regional Climate Change and Precipitation: Linking Models to Management
Nutrient Flow in Coastal Rivers: Managing the Pajaro River
Sacramento River Restoration: Linking Science and Society
More details

February 6, 2004

STEPS Institute Holds Second Workshop on Central Coast Biodiversity
Researchers studying the biodiversity of California's Central Coast gathered at UCSC on February 6, 2004 for an all-day workshop hosted by the STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research. More Details: (PDF) | (HTML)

January 15, 2004

STEPS Announces New Initiatives
The STEPS Institute has focused its major research themes into two new initiatives: the genes-to-ecoregions initiative and the regional climate change and water initiative. The Institute is currently facilitating teams of researchers within UCSC and in regional partnerships to address research in these areas of regional and national concern, with an emphasis on the Pacific coast of North America. More details

November 22, 2003:

STEPS Graduate Fellowships Announced for the coming 2004-2005 year.

August 15, 2003:

STEPS Seed Grants available for UCSC Faculty

August 1, 2003:

STEPS Institute 2002-2003 Annual Report ( PDF) | HTML

January 31, 2003:

STEPS Biodiversity Workshop Focuses on Santa Lucia Mountains

November 8, 2002:

UC Santa Cruz Workshop on Climate Change and Water Resources brings together Scientists and Water Agencies

April 5, 2002

Major Gift from Gordon Ringold and Tanya Zarucki will support new STEPS institute at UC Santa Cruz