Baskin Engineering at UC Santa Cruz

📣 The STEM Culture Festival is this FRIDAY, May 15! 🎉 Join the @ucsc STEM community as we celebrate the many backgrounds, cultures, and identities that intersect with our work as scientists, engineers, educators, and members of the UC Santa Cruz community. Come by 1-4 p.m. in the Baskin Engineering Courtyard for: 💃 Performances by Cuban Dance Master Susana Arenas and her troupe of Orisha dancers (@arenas_dance_company ) 💙 Traditional baile folklórico by @losmejicas , followed by an open dance lesson with @slugnboots 💡 Games and culturally-themed activities 🗣️ Remarks from Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Equity Dr. Ebonee Williams 🌮 FREE tacos 👀 Gift card raffles every hour …and more! All are welcome – see you there! The event is a collaboration between Baskin Engineering, @ucscscience , @ucscgenomicsinstitute , @ucsc.women , @cantuqueercenter , @elcentro_ucsc , and @ucscaapirc . 📸 Image descriptions: 1- Colorful graphic with the text “STEM Culture Festival May 15 | 1–4 PM” and the white Baskin Engineering logo. 2- A dancer in a flowing blue and white dress performs in the BE Courtyard, lifting the skirt in a sweeping motion. 3- A student from UCSC SHPE speaks to students in the BE Courtyard with flags flying overhead. 4- Three students smile together in the BE Courtyard.

Just another day in the redwoods ✨💚 📸 Image description: Engineering 2 building at UC Santa Cruz surrounded by redwood trees.

Have you heard!? An @nvidia hackathon is coming to UC Santa Cruz! We bumped into Preet Karia @preet_karia37 , a Baskin Engineering undergraduate who is helping bring an NVIDIA hackathon to campus May 15-16. After winning the 2026 NVIDIA Agents for Impact Hackathon, he's now channeling that momentum into hosting another one right here in the redwoods—sponsored by Baskin Engineering and @asususa ! 🌲 Students will have the chance to solve real-world challenges using cutting-edge technology—all within 24 hours. ✨ We’re excited to bring together student builders from UC Santa Cruz and local universities. Link in @baskinengineering bio to learn more. Applications are due May 13! 🎥 Video description: Videographer taps Baskin Engineering student Preet Karia on the shoulder in the Baskin Engineering Courtyard and asks about his recent win at the NVIDIA Agents for Impact Hackathon. Preet shares details about the upcoming NVIDIA Hackathon at UC Santa Cruz, explains what a hackathon is, and invites students to get involved.

Mark your calendars! 🎉 Join us May 15 for the STEM Culture Festival, a celebration of @ucsc ’s vibrant, innovative, and diverse STEM community. Where: Baskin Engineering Courtyard When: 1-4 p.m. You’ll have a chance to: 💃 Experience performances by @arenas_dance_company and student group @losmejicas (+ take a lesson!) 💡 Explore games, interactive demos, & culturally themed activities 🗣️ Hear from inspiring speakers 🌮 Eat FREE tacos 👀 Enter a raffle for gift cards awarded every hour …and more! All are welcome – we hope to see you there! The event is a collaboration between Baskin Engineering, @ucscscience , @ucscgenomicsinstitute , @ucsc.women , @cantuqueercenter , @elcentro_ucsc , and @ucscaapirc . 📸 Image descriptions: 1- Students dancing in the Baskin Engineering courtyard. 2- @santacruzdragonboat students hold a poster while enjoying boba drinks. 3- Cuban dance master Susana Arenas dancing with a student (right); Students dancing in a circle (left). 4- Three Baskin Engineering Student Ambassadors smiling at the camera. 5- A group of students gathered in a circle with their hands raised. 6- Two students tabling (left); students lining up in front of a table (right).

Midterm szn = busy days at S&E Library 📚 📸 Image descriptions: 1- Students walking to and from classes. 2- Two students sitting at a table outside of S&E Library.

We 💙 BE Climate Week! Our climate tech and sustainability showcase featured innovative research and student org projects focused on sustainability. 🌱 It’s inspiring to see #BaskinEngineering students using engineering for social good! 🎥 Video description: Students present projects and research in the BE Courtyard, including @formula_slug ’s electric race car, an augmented reality mobile app for climate resilience, @ucscblueprint ’s upcoming project with Environteers, and @ucscslugworks filament recycling and reuse.

What an amazing #DNAday at @ucsc 😍 Thank you to everyone who participated in making the day special.

To celebrate BE Climate Week, we asked students: What climate solution would you engineer? 🌎 🎥 Video description: Four students speak on camera in the Baskin Engineering courtyard, with a “Climate Week” sign in the background. They share ideas ranging from reducing fossil fuel use and agricultural water consumption to advancing renewable energy and using drones for environmental monitoring.

“Our campus is shaped by its extraordinary redwood landscape, abundant wildlife, and a deep commitment to sustainability,” Chancellor Cynthia Larive Sustainability is core to the Banana Slug identity. We strive to make our campus more and more sustainable every single day. Not only do we have statistics and awards to demonstrate our commitment to the environment, but UC Santa Cruz recently pledged to join the statewide Clean California Campaign and become a Clean California Community. Researchers and students from @ucscscience and @baskinengineering are also driving climate action forward—advancing our understanding of a changing planet and developing green technologies to support a more sustainable future. #EarthDay 📸 Image descriptions: 1 - A dirt walking path surrounded by redwood trees at UCSC. Text reads: "UC Santa Cruz is the highest-ranked public university on Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges list." 2- McHenry Library and the surrounding redwoods and flowering bushes. Text reads: "UC Santa Cruz ranked as one of two UCs on a list of Top 10 Zero Waste Campuses." 3- Deer partially covered by forest plants, staring directly into the camera. Text reads: "UC Santa Cruz ranked no. 6 greenest college in the country.*" 4- A deer grazing on plants in a forest. Text reads: "By 2045, UC Santa Cruz plans to reduce fossil fuel emissions by 90%."

What climate solution would you engineer? 💡 As part of Baskin Engineering Climate Week, we asked UC Santa Cruz students what they would design to help address climate challenges. From plastic-degrading bacteria to wildfire drones and reducing e-waste—there are countless ways engineering can build a more sustainable and resilient future. The next big idea might already be taking shape right here at UC Santa Cruz! 🌱 🎥 Video description: Five students speak to the camera in the Baskin Engineering courtyard, with a “Climate Week” sign displayed behind them. They share ideas including plastic-degrading bacteria, drones for wildfire response and coastal erosion, reducing e-waste, and improving equitable food distribution.

Join us for #BaskinEngineering Climate Week! 🎉 Tuesday 4/21 @ 10 am: FREE cookies & swag pop-up (first come, first served!) 💡 Thursday 4/23 @ 2-5 pm: Climate tech & sustainability showcase (feat. BE clubs!) 🌱 Thursday 4/23 @ 5-6:15 pm: Careers in climate tech & sustainability panel 🤝 Thursday 4/23 @ 6-7:30 pm: Networking session exploring power engineering (meet industry experts!) 🧬 Friday 4/24 @ 11 am-1 pm: @ucscgenomicsinstitute DNA Day celebration! Come be the change at BE Climate Week! 🔗 Link in bio for event details. 📸 Image descriptions: 1- Graphic with text "celebrating Baskin Engineering innovation" appears at the top in small white letters. In the center, "Climate Week" is written in large blue letters on a blue background, featuring a landscape of trees and mountains. 2- A student presents a poster featuring a climate resilience game. 3- Professor Javier Gonzalez-Rocha holds a drone in a field. 4- BE Courtyard filled with students on DNA Day.

A new ranking shows University of California, Santa Cruz students are among the top coders in the country! 🎉 The campus made its debut on CodeSignal's 2026 University Report, a data-driven ranking of universities based on the demonstrated programming and software engineering skills of their graduates. Built on tens of thousands of verified, proctored coding assessments, the ranking places UC Santa Cruz among the top 50 universities nationwide—and in the top 30 among public universities—for producing graduates with the skills today's top employers are hiring for. “Our graduates are entering the workforce with the ability to translate strong technical skills into real-world contexts,” said Jim Whitehead, Associate Dean for the Undergraduate Experience at @baskinengineering . “As AI transforms the software engineering landscape, proven career readiness is more crucial than ever.” Link in bio to learn more. 📸 Image description: Three smiling students working on laptops outdoors. Text reads, “UC Santa Cruz students ranked among top coders in the United States. (Student experience) ucsc.edu”