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Instructor Kim Ciancio and SciTrek students build a marble roller coaster using blue and yellow pool noodles on a classroom table.

The science of trying again

2026-08-13

At UC Santa Barbara’s SciTrek summer program, middle school students turned pool noodles into roller coasters while undergraduate mentors practiced the art of guiding discovery without giving away the answer.

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Headshot of Annie Qu, founding director of the Center for Statistical Foundations of AI.

UC Santa Barbara establishes Center for Statistical Foundations of AI

2026-08-11

UC Santa Barbara’s new Center for Statistical Foundations of AI brings a statistics-led approach to trustworthy AI across health, scientific discovery and other data-intensive fields.

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Side-by-side portraits of UC Santa Barbara chemists Justin Wilson, left, and Yang Yang.

Chemists Justin Wilson and Yang Yang join DOE’s Genesis Mission

2026-08-04

UC Santa Barbara chemistry and biochemistry professors Justin Wilson and Yang Yang will lead key components of a project selected for Phase I support through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission.

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Aerial view of branching green river channels forming self-similar patterns across a muddy landscape.

Mathematician Therese Basa Landry uses fractals to study erosion

2026-08-04

UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow Therese Basa Landry is working with mathematics chair Björn Birnir to develop mathematical models of erosion that could improve understanding of landscape change, landslides and debris flows. Landry is a 2026 UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, with Birnir serving as her mentor. Her official fellowship research topic focuses on erosion, optimal transport and mathematical modeling.

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A twisted juniper tree grows out of a rocky cliff overlooking a calm sea at sunset.

Earth scientist Morgan Raven leads international assessment of marine carbon storage

2026-08-03

An international coalition led by UC Santa Barbara biogeochemist Morgan Raven is evaluating whether plant biomass could be stored safely in deep, oxygen-free marine basins.

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Lab assistant Marissa Beyer, wearing safety glasses, a blue lab coat, and purple gloves, loads a robotic liquid handler.

Chemist Javier Read de Alaniz co-leads $20 million national cloud laboratory

2026-08-03

UC Santa Barbara will lead a new NSF-supported programmable cloud laboratory that will allow researchers to design and run automated polymer and soft-materials experiments from anywhere.

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Wenfei Xu sits outdoors on a bench against a grey concrete wall for a portrait.

Geographer Wenfei Xu documents racial exclusion in federal mortgage programs

2026-08-03

A study co-authored by UC Santa Barbara geographer Wenfei Xu shows that federal mortgage programs disproportionately excluded Black households from 1935 to 1947, contributing to racial wealth inequality that persists today.

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Portrait of Corina Guerra standing in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Glass Shop.

Corina Guerra keeps scientific glasswork moving

2026-07-20

UC Santa Barbara scientific glassblower Corina Guerra combines art and technical expertise to repair and fabricate specialized glassware for research and teaching.

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