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Society + Culture

a section of cave with Native American art
Photo Credit
Doc Searles/ CC BY-SA 2.0
The rock art of the Chumash people, the original inhabitants of what are now Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and Kern counties

Professor Emerita Lynn Gamble receives lifetime achievement award as a California archaeologist

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illustration of a person walking a tightrope between two heads, one thinking dark thoughts, the other thinking good thoughts
Photo Credit
iStock

Culture plays key role in people comfortable with contradiction and change
color photograph of Jia-Ching Chen
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Jia-Ching Chen, May 2026

Global studies professor wins Fulbright to study energy geopolitics in Taiwan
A red light mounted to a stop sign sits adjacent a green signpost noting 29 miles to Corcoran
Photo Credit
Chris Bovbjerg
The inaugural cohort of students in the UCSB LIFTED bachelor's degree program at California State Prison–Corcoran will begin in fall 2027, with a second group to be admitted for fall 2028.

UCSB launches bachelor’s degree for incarcerated individuals at Corcoran State Prison
Walter Echo-Hawk, Nakia Zavalla, Edward Halealoha Ayau and Timothy McKeown
Photo Credit
Greg Johnson
From left to right, “Repatriation Futures” team members Walter Echo-Hawk, Nakia Zavalla, Edward Halealoha Ayau and Timothy McKeown at the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center.

Capps Center receives grant for work on Indigenous repatriation
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Professor Shane Jimerson wins national award for leadership in school psychology
collage of torn pages and political debris
Photo Credit
Photo illustration by Matt Perko

How information disorder shapes global politics
white man with beard at sunset at beach with sunlight peering from behind his shoulder
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Daniel Masterson, UC Santa Barbara

Political scientist Daniel Masterson named UCSB’s 7th Pahl Scholar
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Professional honors for two UC Santa Barbara geographers
grapes, asian pear, apple, persimmon, sweet potato and chestnuts

How farming perennial crops can help us in times of climate change, food insecurity and social division
An anemometer against clouds and sky.
Photo Credit
Pixfly via iStock
3D printed instrumentation means that national meteorological services in Africa can take full ownership of their networks, building, repairing and sustaining them independently.

3D-printed weather station initiative enhances local monitoring in Southern Africa
black and white photo with many people marching in one direction taken from up above
Photo Credit
iStock / EyeEm Mobile GmbH
How people judge collective action, such as this peaceful march, depends on their allegiances, values and beliefs, according to research at UCSB

Social science research on collective action wins National Science Foundation grant
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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