Newsletter for 04/05/2021

New Announcements

Announcements

NeuroTechSC Spring Onboarding Meeting is 11AM on April 3!

Interested in neuroscience, AI, or Brain-Computer Interfaces? Join NeuroTechSC at our upcoming onboarding meeting to learn how to get involved with club activities. Our current pursuits include:

• non-invasive synthetic telepathy project that won 1st in the US
• weekly podcast with researchers and entrepreneurs in neurotech
• weekly research paper readings on computational neuroscience and BCI

As a member, you could be working on the project’s hardware or ML, interviewing guests on the podcast, or engaging with novel research in this space. We’re growing rapidly as a club and looking to spread our love for neurotechnology, so please stop by our workshop on April 3rd at 11AM if you’re interested! The zoom link will be provided on Slack that you can join via this form.

Check out the informational flyer here!

Declare your BSOE Major 

Dear BSOE students,

If you are required to declare your major this quarter go here to start the process! If you are in your 6th quarter at UCSC (end of your 2nd year), you need to start the major declaration process in Spring, even if you still have major qualification courses still in progress.

Please note that the final day to start the process in the School of Engineering is Friday, April 16 at 4:00pm!  

Although the campus declaration of major deadline for Spring is Fri. April 30, the declaration of major process in the BSOE requires several steps including verification of your major qualification requirements which is why you must start the process earlier than the campus deadline.

AKΨ Spring Rush 2021

Alpha Kappa Psi - Chi Gamma Chapter invites you to our virtual rush for this Spring 2021. We can’t wait to meet all of you! 

Alpha Kappa Psi is recognized as the premier developer of principled business leaders. Founded in 1904, it is the oldest and largest co-ed business fraternity in the nation that is open to all majors! Alpha Kappa Psi aims to enhance the educational experience of future pioneers. 

The Chi Gamma Chapter is a diverse network of brothers providing UCSC students the opportunity to strengthen their professional skills and develop a lifelong bond of brotherhood.

If you are interested in joining, let us know by signing the interest form on this link!

linktr.ee/ucscakpsi

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Connect with us to stay updated on our upcoming events! 👥

Website: www.ucscakpsi.com

Instagram: @ucscakpsi

Email: ucsc.akpsi@gmail.com

Facebook: UCSC Alpha Kappa Psi

Register to Participate in Baskin Day 2021

Call for Participation: Spring 2021 Tech4Good Lab Web Development Skill Building Groups

The Tech4Good Lab is seeking students to participate in our 4-week skill building groups to learn web development this quarter. These groups are great if you are looking for a casual way to learn some HTML, CSS, and Typescript. No prior experience is required and we encourage all students to join. 

The groups will run for 4 weeks. During those 4 weeks you will be placed in a group with 4-5 students to work together as you learn web development. You will be required to attend two 1.5 hour meetings, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:45am-1:15pm, where you will be put into a breakout room to work with your group. During those meetings you will be using Causeway, a platform we've been developing to learn web development while working on real-world projects. In Causeway, individuals progress their learning through small roles where you contribute to a larger project, rather than simply topical textbook problems.

Groups will meet on the following dates, 11:45am-1:15pm PDT: 

• Week 1: 4/6, 4/8
• Week 2: 4/13, 4/15
• Week 3: 4/20, 4/22
• Week 4: 4/27, 4/29

Additionally, we will be having a kickoff meeting that all participants are required to attend the first week of the quarter on Thursday 4/1 11:45am-1:15pm. 

If you can commit to attending all meetings, including the kickoff meeting, and want to participate please sign up here by Wednesday 3/31 at 5pm: https://forms.gle/dG5m5qCDF2RRT7n38. Please note that if you completed all 4 weeks of the groups in Winter 2021 quarter, you will not be able to participate this quarter. However, if you dropped before the end of the 4 weeks last quarter, you are welcome to sign up again. 

Since the platform is relatively new, the skill building groups are also part of a study to understand and improve the learning experience with Causeway. Therefore, by participating in the skill building groups you are agreeing to being part of the study as well. There is more information about the study in the sign up link. 

If you have any questions, please email Veronica Rivera at veariver@ucsc.edu. Otherwise, looking forward to working with you soon! 

Deadline Extended: Sign up to Participate in Tech4Good Web Development Skill Building Groups by 4/7

The Tech4Good Lab is seeking students interested in learning web development to participate in our skill building groups this quarter. Deadline to sign up has been extended to this Wednesday 4/7 at 5pm. If you are interested in participating, you can sign up and read more about the groups at this link: https://forms.gle/xbPdBBqAY4H2We8K7. In order you participate you must be able to attend all meeting times 11:45am-1:15pm on 4/8, 4/13, 4/15, 4/20, 4/22, 4/27, 4/29, 5/4, and 5/6. If you have any questions, please email Veronica at veariver@ucsc.edu. Thanks! 

Events

Diverse Voices: Mothusi Pahl

Mothusi Pahl: "Spring Board: A UCSC Founder's Path on Driving Change in Heavy Industry"

Mothusi Pahl is the Chief Commercial Officer at B3Bar Holdings

He has created start up companies and been influential in his field. Come learn about Mothusi and network with Baskin Alum and Industry Leader.

REGISTER

UCSC Baskin Day

We are so excited to invite you to UCSC’s Baskin Day 2021, a FREE virtual 3 day conference organized by engineering students at UC Santa Cruz to showcase our school of engineering to the community. This event is open to people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate the UCSC’s Baskin School of Engineering, its students, faculty, and its achievements over the years. This annual event will be held online from April 9th-April 11th. There will be various exciting events for everyone to enjoy, ranging from workshops, speakers, and panels to alumni networking opportunities. We hope alumni, current students, families, prospective students, and engineering enthusiasts can join us for the weekend. Please check out our website and Eventbrite for more information and to secure your spot at this exciting event.

Website: https://sites.google.com/ucsc.edu/baskinday/home?authuser=0

Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baskin-day-event-free-registration-and-box-order-form-tickets-137237564249?fbclid=IwAR1obv0hYAoiH-W7SORhjMfDw8YYRsjtfBowygyhgJY-GO5bpyqWhNUzYEE

Reparations for Black Americans: The Road to Racial Equality in California and Beyond

Join us on April 15, 4pm Pacific Time (7pm Eastern) for a conversation with some of the country’s leading experts on, and advocates for reparations, to discuss these questions and more.

– How does the movement for reparations fit into efforts to close the racial wealth gap and promote racial equality?
– Why study and discuss reparations in California?
– What are the connections between the California task force and national debates about reparations? 
– What might reparations for Black Americans at a federal level look like in the 21st century? 

Speakers and More information

The Uses and Abuses of Data in Higher Education

How is the use of institutional data-gathering reshaping higher education? From surveillance software to student success dashboards, from COVID tracking to instructor productivity metrics, “data-informed decision making” is pervading all levels of academic life. Who decides which data we collect, who will have access to those data, and how the data will be used? Should institutional data literacy be part of the training of all academics? This conference takes a broad look at the explosive growth of data in higher education in the past decade and how we, as members of the university community, can be better informed about how our data is being used, and to what ends.

Register Here

Diverse Voices Speaker Series: Season Three

Diverse Voices, a Baskin School of Engineering professional speaker series spotlighting industry leaders and Baskin Engineering alumni, returns in April 2021 for its third season. The Diverse Voices series aims to promote diversity in engineering and tech and inspire more individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue STEM education and careers.

The 2021 lineup is as follows:

All talks start at 5 p.m. (PDT) and will be held over Zoom. To learn more about this year’s speakers  and to register for each event, visit the Diverse Voices 2021 websiteThis event series is sponsored by Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering’s Inclusive Excellence  Hub, and SK hynix.

Google DSC: Solution Challenge Demo Night

The 2021 Google Solution Challenge has ended and 3 groups from UCSC submitted projects for this year's competition! If you'd like to see what they created, learn more about the process of app building, or find out how to participate in next year's solution challenge, stop by! This is a great opportunity to learn more about the competition and show support for your fellow slugs!

Zoom Link: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/91388462547?pwd=cjJqWUxlRCtMYnF0Y1FFUzROWG96dz09

Meeting ID: 913 8846 2547

Passcode: 085698

RSVP Form: tinyurl.com/demonightdsc

Jobs

AM 10 Homework Grader

AM10: Mathematical Methods for Engineers I, taught by Abram Rodgers, is looking for a homework grader. We are looking for an undergraduate with a strong understanding of linear algebra who is able to grade 5 different homework assignments throughout the quarter.

Apply at https://rta.soe.ucsc.edu/ to our Reader opening. You will also be considered if you have taken an equivalent credit course, such as taking this class at a Community College.

Summer Undergrad Research Opportunity

A new UCSC postdoctoral researcher seeks an undergraduate research intern to work with him on his NSF-funded work on earthquake simulation. See below for full description. Please contact Valere Lambert directly at vlambert@caltech.edu if you are interested (The project will be based at UCSC when Dr. Lambert relocates here in June). 

Optimization of numerical methods for earthquake sequence simulations including off-fault viscoelastic deformation

Deformation along faults is observed to be highly localized within Earth’s upper crust, though less is known about the deeper structure of fault shear zones, which is expected to become more distributed within the warmer, ductile regions of the lower crust and upper mantle. Understanding the rheology of  the crust and upper mantle, as well as the interplay between localized fault slip and distributed viscoelastic deformation, has substantial importance for the loading of stress on faults, the depth-extent and recurrence of earthquake ruptures, and the overall state of stress within the lithosphere. However, explicitly incorporating inelastic off-fault deformation into long-term (100s-1000s of years) numerical simulations of earthquake sequences and fault dynamics remains challenging. A modeling framework has been developed to allow for the efficient coupling of fault slip and off-fault viscoelastic deformation in simulations of sequences of earthquake and aseismic deformation, based on the integral method (Lambert and Barbot, 2016). Despite the enhanced efficiency of the integral method with regards to standard volume-based numerical methods, the feasibility of large-scale 3D earthquake studies is significantly limited by the computational expense of the simulations.

This project will focus on examining optimization strategies for the existing numerical methodology, such as through the use of hierarchical matrices. Additional extensions of the modeling capabilities to more complex fault geometries in 3D simulations may also be explored. The project is well-suited for a student interested in computational mechanics, earthquake physics and high performance computing. Motivated students may also have the potential to expand upon this work with a longer-term project in earthquake physics, including coupling the methodology with fully dynamic earthquake rupture simulations and exploring the interplay between fault slip and viscoelastic deformation over long-term simulations of sequences of earthquakes and aseismic deformation.

Required skills: Experience coding and comfort with Matlab and/or Python, familiarity with linear algebra and differential equations, and the motivation to learn. Experience can be shown through previous coursework and/or past projects.

Suggested skills: Experience with numerical methods, code optimization, programming in Fortran 90 or C++, and parallelization with MPI are all pluses, though the motivation to learn is more important.

Reference:

Lambert, V., and S. Barbot (2016), Contribution of viscoelastic flow in earthquake cycles within the lithosphere-asthenosphere system. Geophys. Res. Lett. 43, 10, 142-10, 154. doi:10.1002/2016GL070345.