Impact and recognition
Research impact: Creating new knowledge. Making real change.
When you enroll at UC Santa Cruz, the world becomes your lab.
You get to take classroom learning and put it into practice in real-world settings, using all the tools of inquiry to find solutions, create new knowledge, and make real change.
UC Santa Cruz faculty are known for high-impact research, leading to sequencing a complete human genome; combating censorship and helping to end oppression through art; and growing organic strawberries, just to name a few.
There are opportunities for students to participate in research in every academic division across campus—arts, humanities, engineering, physical and biological sciences, and social sciences.
You might collect data on elephant seals; do community surveys on housing; investigate human rights abuses; work on VR game development for children with special needs; and much more. At UCSC, your curiosity is encouraged to evolve in any direction you can imagine.
In addition, you’ll gain self-confidence and develop professional skills like time management, problem solving, and learning to work independently.
Ask questions. Here, you’ll learn how to go about finding answers—and, in the process, the journey may take you to places you never expected.
Check out these videos featuring students and faculty in various fields, showing some of the research projects undergraduates can join.
Welcome! Let’s explore the many great research opportunities on campus.
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