BE Undergraduate Newsletter
New Announcements
New Course this Spring! BME118/ 218: Mathematics of the MindNational Engineers Week is February 19–25th
Join us for Diverse Voices, featuring Shellye Archambeau
Student Opportunity in Computer Science and Ophthalmology
Deans' and Chancellor's Awards Applications are NOW OPEN!
Eco-Entrepreneurship in Costa Rica Program- Info Session on 2/15
Announcements
Engineers for Exploration (E4E) Summer Research Program at UC San Diego - Application is Now Open!Baskin Day Volunteer Outreach
Successful Slug Workshops - Bite-Sized Steps to Success
New Course this Spring! BME118/ 218: Mathematics of the Mind
National Engineers Week is February 19–25th
Join us for Diverse Voices, featuring Shellye Archambeau
Study Natural Language Processing at UCSC!
[Columbia University] M.A. Statistics Virtual Information Sessions are Coming Up!
LEED Green Associate (GA) Training - Webinar and Online self-Paced Options
Recruiting 4th Year Latinx Students
Genomics Institute Winter Quarter Events
MESA Day Volunteer Outreach
CNC Machines Manufacturing Scholarship
Spring Opportunities in the Tech4Good Lab
Securing Open Source Software Hackathon
UCLA B.I.G. Summer Program - Deadline to Apply is 2/14/23
Last Chance to Submit Your Paper - Intelligent Systems Conference (IntelliSys) 2023
Upcoming CSE Seminars
Maxar Technologies Presents: Careers in Aerospace
Student Opportunity in Computer Science and Ophthalmology
Deans' and Chancellor's Awards Applications are NOW OPEN!
Eco-Entrepreneurship in Costa Rica Program- Info Session on 2/15
Announcements
Engineers for Exploration (E4E) Summer Research Program at UC San Diego - Application is Now Open!
UC San Diego’s Engineers for Exploration Summer Research Program is an NSF REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) Site centered around multidisciplinary and collaborative student research with the broad goals of protecting the environment, uncovering mysteries related to cultural heritage, and providing experiential learning experiences. Our program is a full-time paid research experience from June 26th to September 1st in which students will work in multidisciplinary research teams to aid scientists from the San Diego Zoo, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and UC San Diego in tackling problems in fields such as ecology, physical oceanography, and archeology.
During this program, students will create and apply technologies in novel ways to aid scientists in their work, and may have opportunities to accompany these technologies on field deployments around the world. Through these projects, students can expect to learn about embedded systems and software, machine learning, electronics integration, mechanical design, system building, as well as project management and team leadership. For more information, please visit our website at https://e4e.ucsd.edu.
Applications are currently being accepted at https://e4e.ucsd.edu/apply through February 15. Applications will continue to be accepted through March 30 if positions are not yet filled.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact Nathan Hui at nthui@eng.ucsd.edu.
Baskin Day Volunteer Outreach
Are you a student passionate about the engineering and science going on at BSOE? We're looking for volunteers to help make Baskin Day held on February 24th a success.
Baskin Day's goal is to celebrate Jack Baskin School of Engineering, its students, faculty, and its achievements over the years. We're proud of the great work & education being delivered at Baskin School of Engineering. We will be holding various fun & educational events for everyone to come enjoy. Baskin Day will host research panels, a recruiting fair, student organizations from campus, board games & a jeopardy game show for the attendees.
As a volunteer you will help run the event and showcasing our school as a great place for studying engineering.
To sign up to volunteer & learn more, visit this link: https://forms.gle/6snyJBxvgdpFfYDc6
Successful Slug Workshops - Bite-Sized Steps to Success
Learning Support Services offers 30-minute workshops to all UCSC students giving them the tools to be successful at UCSC. The topics in the workshop are science-backed best practices for effective, durable learning! What you're taught at the workshops, really works!
New Course this Spring! BME118/ 218: Mathematics of the Mind
Join David Haussler for a new course this Spring - Mathematics of the Mind!
National Engineers Week is February 19–25th
Join the Baskin School of Engineering during the week of February 19, 2023, to celebrate National Engineers Week, an annual campaign that highlights the positive contributions engineers make to society and encourages more students to pursue engineering education and research. Throughout the week, we'll be hosting a variety of engaging events. Visit go.ucsc.edu/EWeek to view the lineup.
Join us for Diverse Voices, featuring Shellye Archambeau
Join us on February 21st at 5:00pm for our Diverse Voices speaker, Shellye Archambeau
Please register HERE
Study Natural Language Processing at UCSC!
The UCSC Natural Language Processing (NLP) M.S. Program is unique. Taught intensively over 15-18 months and building on your background in computer science, our specialized program design combines theoretical learning with hands-on practice to ensure you have the right skill set to prepare you for a professional career in the fast-growing NLP field.
We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2023 admission consideration. Want to learn more about studying NLP at UCSC and get support with the application process? Join one of our upcoming information sessions starting on November 15th, 2022.
You can also meet with a current student or one of our faculty members to explore how the NLP Program at UCSC can help you advance your NLP expertise and achieve your professional goals.
[Columbia University] M.A. Statistics Virtual Information Sessions are Coming Up!
The event will feature an overview of the curriculum, admission requirements, student support and community, as well as our generous scholarship packages. During the virtual info session, students also have the opportunity to connect with the M.A. Statistics Program Director and student support team.
Click on one of the dates below to register:
- December 16, 2022 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
- January 20, 2023 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
- February 10, 2023 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
- March 10, 2023 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
LEED Green Associate (GA) Training - Webinar and Online self-Paced Options
Make your resume stand out with the premier sustainability designation called the LEED Green Associate! LEED is simply a sustainability scorecard for green buildings. As buildings can become LEED Certified, people can become LEED accredited! The best way to break into the sustainability space is to attain the LEED Green Associate. It also shows employers and clients you have certified knowledge in the field. Since the LEED GA exam doesn’t have a stellar pass rate, the value of the extra letters behind your name will carry even more weight.
Our engaging webinars have helped over 10K students and professionals learn the material cold AND clear the exam with a very high passing rate. The LEED Professional Designation has helped past participants attain internships and jobs and now is a great time to add this credential.
LEED Green Associate (GA) Training - Webinar and Online self-paced options:
I will be offering live webinars that can be streamed on any of the following dates:
The above options (1-7) are all identical.
Register for a live webinar or start today with our on-demand recorded workshop completed anytime at your own pace here - https://leadinggreen.com/
This course is instructed by a USGBC Faculty member and is the most effective way to pass. The USGBC charges a $100 (reduced for students) fee for the actual exam which can now be taken online from home. Save money by reserving your spot today and make a positive difference in your career!
Cost: $200 - Students can use the coupon code ‘green’ for $50 off (Discounted course price $150)
Save your seat by registering here for our live or self-paced options - https://leadinggreen.com/
Please contact the instructor Lorne directly with any questions at info@leadinggreen.com
Recruiting 4th Year Latinx Students
My name is Valerie Garcia and I am a 4th year sociology student conducting a senior thesis titled, "Whose HSI?: A Look into the Latinx Experience at UCSC." My research project investigates how UCSC's Hispanic Serving Institute Initiative can better connect, serve, and embrace their Latinx students. My research will consist of one-on-one interviews with 4th year+ Latinx students across divisions.
Genomics Institute Winter Quarter Events
The Genomics Institute is hosting a series of workshops and presentations for the winter quarter:
- Pathways to Careers in Genomics w Tshaka - Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. in BioMed 300
- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome - Feb.10 at 1 p.m in E2- 475
- Evaluating Offers and Campus Visit - Feb.13 at 5 p.m in E2- 475
- IDP workshop - Feb. 22 at 5 p.m in E2- 399
- Plan B Workshop - Mar. 6 at 5 p.m in E2- 475
- SAVE THE DATE: DNA DAY! - April 21
MESA Day Volunteer Outreach
I am writing to ask for your help in making our annual event, MESA Day (March 4th), a success. MESA Day is a special event that spotlights 6th-12th graders who participate in challenging math, science, engineering, and technology competitions at the UCSC Baskin School of Engineering.
On MESA Day, students have the opportunity to meet STEM career professionals, take part in college presentations, and showcase projects they have designed and built. This is a fantastic opportunity for these students to learn more about the possibilities available to them in the STEM field, especially for those students who may not have as many resources.
As a volunteer, you will play a crucial role in helping these students succeed. Your time and effort will go a long way in helping these students to see the potential that lies within them.
To sign up to volunteer, please visit this link: https://docs.google.com/
Thank you for considering this opportunity to give back to our community and help these students achieve their full potential.
CNC Machines Manufacturing Scholarship
Scholarship Name: CNC Machines Manufacturing Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Description: This award is available for students pursuing a certification, certificate, associates, or bachelors in manufacturing or a related area of study
Closes: Sept, 29th 2022
Winner Announced: Oct 30th, 2023
Application Link: https://cncmachines.com/
Spring Opportunities in the Tech4Good Lab
The Tech4Good Lab has several positions open next quarter for undergraduate students from all majors. We are looking for people who are extremely responsible, love learning, and have a strong drive to apply technology for social good. For next quarter, we have positions doing the following types of work:
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User research: interviewing and analyzing interviews to understand user needs and context,
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UI/UX design: designing and iterating on web interfaces in Figma,
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Web development: coding an app using an Angular/NgRx/Firebase stack,
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AI & economics: modeling economic systems using multiagent reinforcement learning,
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NLP and ML: topic modeling and ML to clusters text responses or predict annotations,
You would be contributing to a variety of projects in the lab related to designing systems to better support the future of education, work, and community engagement. Some of the platforms we are working on include:
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An app aimed at scaling apprenticeship learning, which supports people in learning through micro-roles while supporting non-profits as they learn,
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An app aimed at microlearning through small groups to create learning environments supporting curiosity, creativity, and relationships,
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An app containing short activities for team/group community building, and also creating "small group networks" that can facilitate interesting collective goals,
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An app aimed at supporting chat-based career mentorship between industry professionals and groups of students,
Joining requires a commitment of 10-15 hours/week for the quarter for 2-5 credits of independent study. If you are interested, fill out the Tech4Good Lab Interest Form. Teams will mostly be determined based on applications submitted by the end of Week 7 on 2/24, but you should feel free to continue submitting afterwards if you missed the deadline (and if full, we’ll consider you for the following quarter).
P.S. Follow our Facebook or Instagram to hear about future student opportunities in Tech4Good!
Securing Open Source Software Hackathon
UCLA B.I.G. Summer Program - Deadline to Apply is 2/14/23
Last Chance to Submit Your Paper - Intelligent Systems Conference (IntelliSys) 2023
We cordially invite you to submit your papers/posters for the Intelligent Systems Conference (IntelliSys) 2023, taking place from September 7-8 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands at the Van der Valk Hotel Amsterdam - Amstel.
IntelliSys 2023 will focus on areas of intelligent systems and artificial intelligence and how it applies to the real world. IntelliSys provides a leading international forum that brings together researchers and practitioners from diverse fields with the purpose of exploring the fundamental roles, interactions as well as practical impacts of Artificial Intelligence.
Important Dates:
Submission Deadline: 15 February 2023
Acceptance Notification: 01 March 2023
Camera Ready Submission: 15 March 2023
Conference Dates: 7-8 September 2023
The conference website has more information, including the topics and submission guidelines.
IntelliSys 2023 proceedings will be published in the Springer series "Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems" and submitted for consideration to Web of Science, SCOPUS, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH and SCImago.
We hope you'll also enourage your colleagues, research group members and fellow scientists to contribute and participate in this conference.
Upcoming CSE Seminars
Maxar Technologies Presents: Careers in Aerospace
Student Opportunity in Computer Science and Ophthalmology
My name is Gurpal Virdi, and I am an ophthalmology resident from Palo Alto.
I have been working on several projects that involve computer science and ophthalmology, specifically on projects involving web design and iOS programming (SwiftUI).
These projects aim to create real-world applications that can be used in the field of ophthalmology, and I am looking for students who have an interest and skill set in these areas. I wanted to reach out to see if any of your CS students may be interested in research/internship with me on these projects. This could be a great opportunity for them to gain hands-on experience in the application of computer science to the medical field.
Please let me know if you have any students who might be interested in this opportunity.
Thanks,
Gurpal Virdi, MD
Founder @ EyeLabs AI
PGY-1 Ophthalmology Resident | University of Missouri
Deans' and Chancellor's Awards Applications are NOW OPEN!
The Deans and Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz wish to recognize excellence in research and creativity among undergraduate students as evidenced through projects and theses performed in the normal pattern of academic activity at UCSC. Click here to see a listing of current and previous winning projects.
The online application for the 2023 Deans' and Chancellor's Undergraduate Awards is NOW OPEN!
Please read the application guidelines below and contact a faculty mentor to confirm they are willing to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
All 2023 applications must be completed and submitted online by Sunday, April 2, 2023. All graduating Dean's and Chancellor's winners will be recognized by having their names listed in the commencement program during UC Santa Cruz's graduation ceremonies.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DEANS' UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
Dean's Awards are granted to fifty of the most excellent undergraduate research theses or projects (ten from each academic division) completed at UCSC during the academic year. Each Dean's award project will receive $100 for outstanding achievement in their division. Winners of the Dean's awards will be announced by the end of April 2023.
CHANCELLOR'S UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
Fifteen Chancellor’s Awards are granted to the most outstanding top three theses or projects from each division's Deans' Awardees. Each Chancellor's Award project will recieve an additional $500. Winners of the Chancellor's awards will be announced by the beginning of May 2023.
STECK AWARD
The Steck Award will recognize the most outstanding research project chosen from the fifteen Chancellor’s Awardees. This student (or team) will receive (or share) an award of $2,000 and the winner's mentor will receive an award of $1,000. In addition, the winning research project will be bound and copies given to the student(s), the research supervisor, the UC Santa Cruz Library, and the Steck Family whose generous contributions have made this award possible.
The Steck Award winner will be posted on the winners page of this site by the end of Student Achievement Week - early June 2023.
Winners of the Deans', Chancellor's and Steck awards will be honored during Undergraduate Student Achievement Week. The names of the 2022 winners are posted here and they were acknowledged at the 2022 UCSC College Commencement ceremonies.
Read here about the 2021 Steck Award winner, Olivia Ross, whose project involved studying the possibility of detecting primordial black holes using pulsars. "Ross has never chosen the easier path. If anything, she always picks the steepest and most slippery slope" - Dan White (from UCSC NewsCenter).
APPLICATION GUIDELINES/POLICIES
- All research project submissions must include at least one letter of recommendation by a faculty mentor/sponsor. Once the student submits their application, a separate email to the listed letter writer will be sent automatically containing the link for them to upload the letter of recommendation.
- All undergraduate students applicants must contact their mentor/sponsor before submitting their application in order to confirm that a letter of support will be possible.
- All applications must include a Description/Abstract of their research project.
- All applications must include either an attachment of a completed thesis or completed project or performance (by URL). Research projects must be finished when the application is submitted. Projects that are still in progress, or are planned to be completed after the application deadline, should be submitted in the following application cycle. Submitted applications that are incomplete, or do not have a project attachment or link, or are projects that are not yet completed, will be rejected.
- The applicant should choose the one faculty mentor/sponsor of their project who is most familiar with the project and who will be able to provide the strongest letter of recommendation. Only one letter of recommendation is required. Mentors should be UCSC faculty/lecturers/post-docs/researchers etc that have a CruzID.
- For group projects, only one student in the group (usually the lead in the project) completes an application. They then must list the other students as project students. Each project member must approve of the application that is submitted.
- When the faculty mentor/sponsor submits their letter of recommendation, they must also approve the submitted project. As soon as the student submits their application a separate email to the designated letter writer will be generated automatically containing the link to upload the letter of recommendation as a pdf. The deadline for letters and approvals is a few days after the student application deadline. It is strongly recommended that the letter writer complete their recommendation as soon as possible after being contacted by the student.
- Foreign language projects must be accompanied by appropriate translation.
- Technical papers must include an abstract in non-technical language.
- Projects completed in spring 2022 (and therefore not submitted in last year’s competition) are eligible for the 2023 awards competition, even if the student has already graduated.
- Previous award winners are only eligible to submit projects in the current application cycle if those projects are significantly different in scope or topic from the previously awarded project.
Apply Here
Application requires use of your CruzID Gold password
Eco-Entrepreneurship in Costa Rica Program- Info Session on 2/15


Events
Evaluating Offers and Campus Visits
Event Date and Time: 02/13/2023 5:00 pmEvent Location: E2 - 475
Deciding which grad school to commit to can be a very
stressful decision! In this panel, students will have a chance
to hear from current grads and faculty who will share their
experiences and provide a set of criteria to help you evaluate
your offers, navigate campus visits, and nail your interviews.
IDP Workshop
Event Date and Time: 02/22/2023 5:00 pmEvent Location: E2 - 399
Join this workshop to receive help developing your IP (individual development plan).The IP creates a roadmap and fosters communication with mentors in a variety of areas to ensure that you are receiving comprehensive feedback about your progress to date and future expectations. This workshop will help you develop your steps to success in academics and in your desired profession.
Plan B Workshop
Event Date and Time: 03/06/2023 5:00 pmEvent Location: E2 - 475
Didn't get an offer from your top choice in grad programs? Or maybe you are just thinking of taking a gap year? In this workshop we'll go over options for next steps in your professional journey.
Jobs
Software Research Opportunity
Focused ultrasound or "curing with sounds” is a revolutionary non-invasive medical therapy. It sends harmless sound waves to treat 160 medical conditions, such as cancer treatment with no surgery or chemotherapy, and brain conditions without opening the skull. We, at Yektasonics, are developing a novel hardware-software co-designed Phased Array to be used in Focused Ultrasound medical devices. We also commercialize our technology in non-medical applications. We recently shipped our single channel Power Module to a major ultrasound company in USA.
Our technology is an order of magnitude lower cost, and it has some performance breakthroughs. Yektasonics has received numerous awards/recognitions, such as NSF award for I-Corps 2023, being a finalist of American Heart Association in Bay Area in 2022, an award from the UC Santa Cruz Chancellor at Launchpad 2022, a finalist of UC Big Ideas Competitions in 2021, and being a company in residence at UC Berkeley Citris Foundry in 2020.
We have an interesting and challenging Software Research position, where a strong candidate will contribute to our existing software and develop new modules, such as Yektasonics Operating System, our whole software package, our embedded computing interface, our feedback processing codes, and more. The work will be done mostly in C/C++. The work is hosted at UC Santa Cruz BSOE. The candidate should enroll for research credits, and the hours will be paid in future from our profits.
If you are interested, please email your resume as well as your transcript to Navid Gougol at gougol@yektasonics.com. Navid is the CEO/Founder of Yektasonics. You can check out the company website for more information at www.yektasonics.com.
Business Development Staff
Focused ultrasound (FUS) or "curing with sounds” is a revolutionary non-invasive medical therapy. It sends harmless sound waves to treat over 160 medical conditions, where this number has increased 4 times in the past 4 years. FUS is used in cancer treatment with no surgery or chemotherapy, and brain conditions without opening the skull, to name a few. We, at Yektasonics, have innovation in ultrasound to be used in FUS medical devices as well as other non-medical applications.
In ultrasound, they use sophisticated electronic systems to drive transducers (the element that generates acoustic waves). These drivers are single channel Power Modules or multi-channel Phased Arrays, which are our technology at Yektasonics. The problem is these Power Modules and Phased Arrays are very expensive and they have performance limitations.
We have solutions that are an order of magnitude lower cost, with some performance breakthroughs. We successfully shipped and sold our first batch of our Power Modules last year to a major ultrasound company, and they have reordered a new batch. We are wrapping up our Phased Array to be launched this year, and we are going to miniaturize our technology for some portable ultrasound applications, such as ultrasonic Deep Brain Stimulator (uDBS). uDBS will replace the current severely invasive Deep Brain Stimulator (DBS), used in neurologic conditions such as Parkinson and Epilepsy.
Yektasonics has received numerous awards/recognitions, such as a National Science Foundation award for I-Corps 2023, being a finalist of American Heart Association in Bay Area in 2022, an award from the UC Santa Cruz Chancellor at Launchpad 2022, a finalist of UC Berkeley Big Ideas Competitions in 2021, and being a company in residence at UC Berkeley Citris Foundry in 2020. The current R&D is sponsored by the University of California, with exclusive IP ownership by Yektasonics.
We are seeking a passionate and talented Business Development Staff for our upcoming NSF I-Corps program to develop our business model based on Lean Launchpad methodology. We want to find the market opportunities for our Power Module, our Phased Array, and our future portable ultrasound device in both medical and non-medical sectors. The staff can also be part of other business activities later on, such as scaling the company, raising capital, marketing, and more.
If you are interested, please email your resume as well as your transcript to Navid Gougol at ngougol@ucsc.edu, who is the CEO/Founder of Yektasonics and a doctorate student at UCSC. You can check out the company website for more information at www.yektasonics.com.
2023 Summer Student Intern Program
2023 Summer Student Intern Program
- Deadline to apply: Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as this announcement on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.
- Starting Salary: $33.2750 per hour
- Link to apply: 2023 Summer Student Intern Program
- Handshake Job #7380049 (scheduled to open at 4:00 PM on 1.9.2023.