LOOKOUT PM: A UCSC astronomer, Cabrillo horticulturist, and Weekender’s second edition

By Max Chun

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

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Hello, all.

Hope you’re doing well on this gloomy Thursday evening.

Friday’s right around the corner, so I hope you’ve got some fun stuff planned for the weekend. The weather will likely be less than ideal for outdoor activities, so you may have to hold off on the beach for a little while longer.

Alright, let’s get on with it ...

UCSC astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz is a star teacher and mentor

Higher Ed: Earlier this year, the White House honored UC Santa Cruz professor of astronomy Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz with a Presidential Award for his ground-breaking mentorship program that helps propel students — particularly women and marginalized groups — forward. With this momentum, the astronomer now aims to expand such impacts, founding a new campus center for STEM leadership.
Hillary Ojeda has the story.

➤ How UCSC scientists bridged the gap in the human genome

‘We’re really growing students’: Cabrillo horticulturist Heather Blume is in full bloom this season

Spring fever: Cabrillo College horticulture center coordinator Heather Blume might be a well-known face at the Aptos Farmers Market, but her drive to create and maintain a space for horticulture students to hone their skills is what makes her stand out. See the full Q&A here.

➤ Longtime Cabrillo festival leader Marin Alsop returns for a Santa Cruz homecoming

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Weekender: A flourish of festivals, another helping of Joze and bearish on trivia

A scene from the movie "Foodie for the People"

The entertainment scoop: Our very own Wallace Baine is back with the second edition of his weekly newsletter, where he highlights the hottest events and entertainment news in the county. See it all here.

➤ Awestruck at the Quarry: Writers, scientists will gather under the stars at UCSC to ponder the cosmos

California votes say state is moving in the wrong direction, feel financial squeeze

Drone photos of the Herald Examiner Building at 11th and Broadway, downtown. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Rising prices: California voters say gas prices are a serious problem as doubts about transit persist, according to a UC Berkeley survey co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. More from the L.A. Times here.

California lawmaker scraps plan to require COVID-19 vaccinations for school children

State Sen. Richard Pan prepares to announce a bill that adds COVID vaccines to California's list of required shots for K-12

COVID today: Without the bill, the state will continue with a less strict COVID-19 vaccine mandate authorized last year, one that allows parents to opt their children out based on personal beliefs. More from the L.A. Times here.

➤ No more mask mandate: UC Santa Cruz students greet coming change warily