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Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

A wave crashes upon campus point with Santa Cruz Island in the distance.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Ocean policy issues are front and center on UC Santa Barbara’s coastal campus.

Science policy education should start on campus

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NSF director at the Engineering Sciences Building
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan speaking at the Engineering Sciences Building

Innovation anywhere, opportunities everywhere
Rows of bikes are seen in the foreground, with palm trees and a modern building in the back
Photo Credit
Elena Zhukova

From impact to academics to outcomes, UC Santa Barbara ranks among the nation’s top universities
Palms blow in a storm.
Photo Credit
ChiehCheng via iStock
The El Niño Southern Oscillation influences weather patterns across the world.

El Niño and La Niña multi-year events could become more common
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Professor Kyle Meng will serve as a senior economist in Washington
A scalloped hammerhead prowls a reef in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador.
Photo Credit
Lopazanski et al.
The Galapagos Marine Reserve is one of many marine protected areas around the globe that safeguards biodiversity, cultural heritage and marine resources.

Theory meets practice: Marine protected areas overwhelmingly manage with climate change in mind
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NCEAS's Alexandra Phillips has been awarded the first Legislative Branch Fellowship in Climate Science by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Burning hillside at Sedgwick Preserve
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
A flame torched hillside at Sedgwick Reserve is the site of a prescribed burn.

Taming Fire: Controlled burns can be a boon to our landscape
school of bluefin tuna

New research finds that more than 90% of global aquaculture faces substantial risk from environmental change
two students in blue commencement garb
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

‘Stewards of our fragile and precious environment,’ Bren students lauded at Commencement
A fishing boat deploys its nets accompanied by a flock of gulls.
Photo Credit
Split Second Stock
Fishermen and regulatory agencies will need to adapt when marine heatwaves impact the ranges and population levels of targeted species.

Lessons from ‘The Blob’ will help us manage fisheries during future marine heatwaves
A whitebark pine growing on the rock overlooking Big Pine Creek in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.
Photo Credit
Joan Dudney
Whitebark pines growing in cold, high elevation regions grew more during droughts, which lengthened their growing season.

How a drought affects trees depends on what’s been holding them back
A pumpjack nestled between trees and luxury homes.
Photo Credit
iStock
California currently has no setback restrictions, so oil production can occur in the middle of neighborhoods like Signal Hill, in Los Angeles.

Keeping California’s oil in the ground will improve health but affect jobs
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