The Baskin Engineering Dean’s Awards celebrate achievements in engineering research, honoring 10 distinguished undergraduate projects that demonstrate excellence and innovation in a range of fields, including biomedical research, machine learning, agricultural technology, and cybersecurity.
At the 2025 Santa Cruz (SC) Launchpad event, University of California, Santa Cruz students competed in an exciting business pitch competition for $40,000 in cash prizes. Notably, Baskin Engineering students contributed to four of the five winning teams.
Second-year Baskin Engineering student Siddharth Prothia (B.S., Computer Science; Electrical Engineering minor) is on a mission to enhance learning with RoboGrade—an AI-powered tool he developed to streamline grading and support for both students and educators.
The Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz hosted the inaugural Baskin Engineering Climate Week April 21-25, 2025, focused on making connections between climate issues and the impact of sustainability research and teaching. The event brought together students, faculty, staff, alumni, campus partners, and the local community to highlight groundbreaking research and educational initiatives aimed at addressing the climate crisis.
The UC Santa Cruz student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is more than a Baskin Engineering student organization—it’s a hub for students to learn, collaborate, and prepare for future careers.
Baskin Engineering undergraduate Sarone Kelete is a third-year computer science major and deeply involved at UC Santa Cruz. She’s gained community and professional growth through the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) at UCSC. Her passion for technology is reflected by her work with the Tech4Good Lab, where she contributes to impactful web projects focused on social good.
UC Santa Cruz undergraduate students and siblings Guy Haiby (B.S., Computer Game Design) and Roee Haiby (B.S., Computer Science) received an honorable mention in the competitive National Football League (NFL) Big Data Bowl undergraduate category for their project Decoding Audibles: Leveraging Pre-Snap Signals.
Kamran Hussain is a second year electrical engineering student. He is part of the Braingeneers Group, where he leads an innovative project studying the electrical activity of neurons, using AI to predict the activity of neural circuits.
Salma Qadiri is a third year UC Santa Cruz computer science student, minoring in applied mathematics. She gained support and resources at Baskin Engineering through the MESA Engineering Program and found community with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).
Qingyuan Cao is a fourth year robotics engineering student who is passionate about aerospace engineering. After joining the UC Santa Cruz Rocket Team in 2021, Cao has played a crucial role in the club’s success.
Katia Avila Pinedo is in her final year pursuing a bachelors in networks and digital technology at UC Santa Cruz. As a dedicated member of the Baskin Engineering community, Pinedo has actively engaged in initiatives supporting underrepresented students in engineering. She is passionate about education and mentorship, and hopes to continue inspiring students in rural, low-income school districts to pursue pathways in STEM.
The Baskin School of Engineering held their first in-person Fall Orientation on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, hosting 1,300 newly admitted first-year and transfer students.