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Climate Solutions

Aerial view of ocean at West Cliff Dr, looking inland with UCSC in the distance

Baskin Engineering researchers are leading major projects to address climate crisis issues, including green computing, conservation genomics, more efficient greenhouses, smart power, climate-wise agricultural technology, wildfire management and more. These initiatives leverage engineering expertise and partnerships to provide meaningful contributions that are improving our resilience to climate change. Innovative technical solutions are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, helping communities adapt, and providing a deeper understanding of the impacts of climate change.

New air quality sensors enable community decision-making in Pajaro Valley region

A new initiative led by Baskin Engineering researchers aims to empower community decision-making for those most affected by pollutants like wildfire smoke.

In partnership with climate justice organization Regeneración, the team is exploring novel methods to make air quality data accessible to affected communities in Pajaro Valley, and combine sensor information with data from drones to better model and predict pollution levels.

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Drone flies above a filed at UCSC controlled by a group of students with a professor

Student in the Bending the Curve course


CMPM 20: Psychosocial and Planetary Resilience in the Age of the Climate Crisis

ECE 80G: Creating and Financing a Sustainable Startup in the Global Economy

ECE 80H: Bending the Curve Solutions to Climate Change

ECE 80S: Sustainable Engineering and Practice

ECE 177: Power Electronics

ECE 222A: Special Topics in Agricultural Technology

ECE 275: Energy Markets, Modeling, and Pricing

ECE 180J: ***PE-E Advanced Renewable Energy Sources, Storage, & Smart Grids

ECE 280Z: Seminar on Smart Grids & Data Analytics

STAT 7: Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences


Aerial view of Gray swan extreme weather events that cause local devestation, like Hurricane Lee in 2023, pictured. Photo by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Harnessing AI for extreme weather prediction

AI weather models can accurately predict everyday weather but often fail to forecast rare, unprecedented events like Category 5 hurricanes. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz are developing new methods to improve the accuracy of AI models for extreme scenarios.

Light bulb graphic

Researchers run high-performing large language model on the energy needed to power a lightbulb

UC Santa Cruz researchers show that it is possible to eliminate the most computationally expensive element of running large language models, called matrix multiplication, while maintaining performance.

Aerial view of wildfire

Games promote preparedness and build community resilience to wildfire

When a wildfire strikes, evacuation decisions must be made in minutes—which can impact safety, property loss, and even emergency response. Baskin Engineering researchers are are using game design to help people think about stressful topics and initiative individual preparedness.

Wind turbines on digital screen

Multidisciplinary team will develop advanced rhizosphere carbon imaging for climate change research

Researchers are focused on exploring the ongoing debate surrounding the rhizosphere’s contribution to the global carbon cycle.

Sea urchins underwater

New data-driven model helps prevent ecosystem collapse

A new model developed by UC Santa Cruz and NOAA researchers can forecast what happens to ecosystems after they cross tipping points, helping scientists plan interventions before irreversible damage occurs.

Ms. Blue skeleton at the Seymour Center

Innovative techniques aim for climate-safe restoration of Ms. Blue

After decades of exposure to the elements, the iconic blue whale skeleton Ms. Blue had cracks in her bones that needed repairs, which would normally be expensive and involve materials harmful to the environment. A team of researchers developed a climate safe bone-repair putty made of materials from the ocean.

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For media inquiries contact: Emily Cerf, Engineering Writer and Media Relations Specialist: ecerf@ucsc.edu

Using technology and games to build climate resilient communities

Linda Hirsch, a computational media postdoctoral fellow, developed an interactive game to increase flood preparedness in the local Santa Cruz community—demoing the game at the UC Santa Cruz Seymour Marine Discovery Center.

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Tractor in agricultural field

AgTech

Innovations in agricultural technology that contribute to addressing climate impacts and supporting sustainability are examples of Baskin School of Engineering’s priority of developing technology for societal benefit and UC Santa Cruz’s long history of thoughtful leadership in agroecology and sustainable food systems.

Green digital topographical map

Green computing

Smart innovations, like spiking neural networks that emulate the brain and biological systems to process information more efficiently, are addressing the environmental impact of the energy demands of AI-related neural networks and large language models.

Wind turbines with solar panels

Power systems and energy engineering

Advancements in power systems and energy engineering are improving efficiency, integrating renewable sources, and enhancing grid resilience. These innovations support climate solutions by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping build energy systems that are cleaner, smarter, and more resilient.

Aerial of UCSC solar panels

Smart power

Baskin Engineering researchers are developing innovative strategies to optimize energy efficiency and sustainability in power systems by integrating artificial intelligence and data analytics technologies, as well as new materials and hardware solutions.

Coastal Climate Resilience at UCSC

Cliff meets the ocean with a sunset in the background

Strengthening coastal resilience, UCSC is collaborating with local partners, developing future leaders, and innovating solutions to address the impacts of climate change.

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