The calls alerting the winners went out at 3 a.m.; and texts started flying among our editorial team shortly thereafter: two UC Santa Barbara professors, Michel Devoret and John Martinis, have won the Nobel Prize in Physics for work they did together. Their reactions — and the science behind their breakthrough — are the focus of our cover story. Another highlight is a photo essay capturing Chancellor Dennis Assanis’ first few months on campus.

Also featured in this edition: a look back at artist and professor Kip Fulbeck’s “The Hapa Project,” exploring multiracial identity in America; a portrait of marine scientist Ben Halpern and why his new findings are critical to ocean health; physicist Ania Jayich’s reflections on her past as a tennis phenom, and how she brought that same grit and focus from the court to the lab.

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