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Letters and Science

Jigna Desai and Sameer Pandya
Photo Credit
Jeff Liang
Jigna Desai, left, and Sameer Pandya, right, will co-lead a new South Asian American studies center

UCSB secures gift to launch a South Asian American studies center

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illustration of light-activated molecule
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Courtesy Image

Yang group develops new mechanism for metal carbene radical cross coupling
Geometric image of multicolored lines extending from a gray, rectangular structure
Photo Credit
Brian Long
Co-PI Andrew Jayich will use the new technology to create ion traps like the one shown here, in which colors indicate independent electrodes to control trapped ions.

Galan Moody leads successful effort to secure $1.3 million for advanced 3D printing
Gold sashes marked with a university seal on a navy tablecloth
Photo Credit
Jeff Liang

University names winners of top student awards for Class of 2026
A woman tends to casava while carrying a baby on her back.
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Annie Spratt via Unsplash
Rain forecasts and drought warnings can save lives in regions like Sierra Leone, where subsistence farming is still a major part of society.

New rainfall dataset enhances global monitoring of extreme weather
alex fabros sitting outside
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Alex S. Fabros Jr., May 2026

Alex Fabros, 80, makes history at UCSB
A field of potatoes framed by wildflowers in the foreground and forest in the background.
Photo Credit
Grigorev_Vladimir via iStock
Agriculture and timber production need not come at the expense of carbon storage and biodiversity.

Better land use and management could improve biodiversity, climate and economic development
A forest smothered in vines.
Photo Credit
Jonathan Hammond via iStock
Kudzu got a foothold in North America in 1876 and has since gotten a stranglehold on the forests of the Southeast.

Vast botanical data help solve Darwin’s puzzle of why some exotic plants become pests
a young lady with a yellow bandana sits at a table, smiling at the camera
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image

Schmidt Family Foundation renews multi-year funding of UCSB’s Environmental Solutions Fellows Program
scene from ucsb student theatrical production of animal farm
Photo Credit
Jeff Liang
Scene from UCSB Department of Theater and Dance production of "Animal Farm," February 2026

UCSB student-produced plays collect theater awards
book cover in wood block stile image of fields and a comb
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Courtesy

From Amazon pastures to suburban lawns and groomed bodies: Anthropologist’s new book explores the meanings of plants and hair
nighttime photo of cars in the foreground, wildfire in the background

Six roads to safety: New study finds a critical threshold for wildfire survival
Whitecaps stir up on the ocean surface under dark clouds
Photo Credit
Oporkka via iStock
Climate dynamics can be quite nuanced, with far off winds influencing tropical oceans.

Distant winds can drive massive tropical warming deep below the ocean surface
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