Overview
UC Santa Cruz Sits in the Center of a Pacific Coast That is Home to Leading-Edge Science Schools and Research
The Pacific Coast of California is famous for its natural beauty, of course, but it is also well-known as the home of much of what makes California so very special, which is education and research. The state is particularly famous for the Southern California film and TV industry and Northern California's Silicon Valley, both of which are centers of technological and creative leadership, innovation, research, and development. Of course, this is only one of many dimensions to the Pacific Coast that, to be accurate, runs from the southernmost tip of Baja northward past Oregon and Washington states into Canada. Most definitions of "Pacific Coast" as applied to the U.S. end as the upper reaches begin to be defined as "Alaskan" coastline.
For graduate students at UC Santa Cruz, the term Pacific Coast will likely have a working definition of "California coast," and a practical north-to-south range from San Francisco to Los Angeles, which is about 400 miles, or a leisurely one-day drive. Rail, bus, and airplane transportation is always available, at reasonable rates, too. A great deal of California's population in its largest counties (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz in the north, to Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego in the south) lives within 30 miles of the coastline, and the three main highways running the coastline will get the intrepid traveler to most points of interest in the state. Besides the many opportunities for recreation and travel, this means that the laboratories and startup firms of Silicon Valley and the world-renowned centers of education and research of the Southland are all within driving distance.
Opportunities for entertainment, travel, and sports are practically unlimited in the Pacific Coast region. From boating, sailing, swimming, and diving in the ocean or the rivers and streams of the interior, to hiking in Yosemite, skiing in Mammoth or Tahoe, and surfing in Malibu or Huntington Beach, a world of adventure and fun awaits residents and visitors who are out for a day or a week of fun. In fact, one could ski in the morning and be surfing before sundown, that is the amazing diversity available along the Pacific Coast and in California. Santa Cruz sits in the center of the state's coastline, making the entire range of California's offerings easy to sample.
Research Facilities at Baskin School Are Dedicated to a Range of Innovative Inquiries That Produce Practical Results
Santa Cruz's Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department offers masters and doctoral programs in statistics and applied modeling to prepare independent scholars and solid scientists for productive careers in teaching, research, and industry. Statistics and applied modeling uses mathematical formulas, methods, and reasoning for solving real-world problems of both scientific and decision-making kinds. Although applicable across many fields, these methodologies are often used in medicine, engineering, physical sciences, biology, and the social sciences. The Baskin School faculty as a whole, and the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department members in particular, are focused on meeting the technology demands that society now faces in the 21st century.
The faculty research being pursued in the department is already meeting many of those needs, with work that is truly leading edge. In fact, the innovative research conducted by faculty in the Baskin School research facilities led to a record $27 million in gifts, grants, and awards in the 2007-08 fiscal year. The school's annual Research Review Day offers overviews of faculty research efforts, and allows graduate students and others the opportunity for direct contact with both researchers and students in other disciplines.
The research facilities at the school are first-rate, and a campus expansion project in 2004 added some 150,000 additional square feet of new offices, laboratories, and classrooms, primarily for the Baskin School. The "Engineering 2" building, along with its new 212-seat auditorium, was a much-needed addition to the School of Engineering, offering quality spaces for further research programs and staff organizations. Additionally, two prime research institutes -- California Institutes for Science and Innovation: The Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3) and the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) -- have taken up residence.
As far as leading-edge research facilities, the Information Technologies Institute (ITI) within the Baskin School is focused on research in an inter-related group of areas combining faculty in computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering with some from chemistry, physics, and applied mathematics. Research facilities include specially designed computer rooms that complement the existing "Kilocluster," a 1024-processor array already in use. Clearly, the school is dedicated to having the research facilities to do world-class work, and thus offering exciting opportunities for new faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral researchers.
