W.M. Keck Center for Adaptive Optical Microscopy

This interdisciplinary center's objectives are to develop enabling adaptive optical technologies and critical procedures to overcome longstanding barriers and vastly improve in vivo deep tissue biological imaging. The approach is inspired by the highly successful use of adaptive optics in the W. M. Keck Telescopes, which allows astronomers to see much more clearly and deeply into space. This center was made possible through the generous support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering (CBSE)

The Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering (CBSE) promotes and supports genomic and stem cell research, technology innovation, and education. An umbrella organization of the Jack Baskin School of Engineering and the Division of Physical & Biological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the center supports a vast array of biological and engineering research that is fueling biomedical advances and the biotechnology explosion. CBSE started in 2000, when UCSC scientists helped the Human Genome Project reach a stunning milestone by providing the computational solution that produced the first assembly of the human genome, the map of our genetic make-up - work that evolved into the widely used UCSC Genome Browser. Much of the research combines cutting-edge computational approaches with laboratory experimentation. In addition, through collaboration with affiliates in sociology, the center supports the exploration of the ethical, legal, and social implications of genome research.

Center for Games and Playable Media

At UC Santa Cruz, researchers and students have been developing the future of games since 2006, when the Jack Baskin School of Engineering started the first undergraduate game major in the University of California system. A leader in game research, UC Santa Cruz also hosts two graduate programs with an emphasis on games - the Digital Arts and New Media MFA and a PhD in Computer Science with a games focus. The Center for Games and Playable Media was formally established in 2010, building on work done since the founding of the game degree. The center houses the school's five games-related research labs including the Expressive intelligence Studio - one of the largest technical game research groups in the world.

UCSC Genome Sequencing Center

UCSC Genome Sequencing Center intends to provide state-of-the-art genomic technology to all research groups who wish to use it. The center currently houses Illumina's HiSeq 2000, Roche's 454 titanium-sequencing instrument, Life Technology's SOLiD4 sequencer and NanoString’s nCounter instrument. The research of the center focuses on generating both high-quality data for the scientific community and improving next generation platform technology.

Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)

CITRIS was created to "shorten the pipeline" between world-class laboratory research and the creation of start-ups, larger companies, and whole industries. CITRIS Santa Cruz facilitates partnerships and collaborations among more than 58 faculty members and dozens of students from numerous departments with industrial researchers from over 60 corporations. Together, the groups are thinking about information technology in ways it's never been thought of before.

Center for Maximizing Abilities Through Technology, Education and Research (MATTER)

The MATTER Center (Maximizing Abilities Through Technology, Education and Research) is formed by an eclectic combination of faculty members in Engineering, Psychology, Nursing, and Rehabilitation from UC Santa Cruz, UC San Francisco, and UC Davis. The Center covers a broad spectrum of research areas, under the common denominator of technologies to help persons with special needs in their activities of daily living.

W. M. Keck Center For Nanoscale Optofluidics

The W.M. Keck Center for Nanoscale Optofluidics brings together an interdisciplinary mix of six research groups from five departments at UC Santa Cruz to focus on the development of optofluidic devices and their application to single particle studies in molecular biology and biomedical diagnostics. Optofluidics is the combination of both integrated optical and fluidic components in the same miniaturized system, and the functionalities of optofluidic systems can be improved and expanded by addition of nanoscale features. The W.M. Keck Nanofabrication facility provides unique capabilities for creating this new type of integrated devices, including a state-of-the-art dual electron/ion beam microscope for nanoscale characterization and fabrication. Members of the UCSC community may contact the center for more information regarding use of the facilities, including staff assistance and user training on the dual beam microscope.

Center for Research in Intelligent Storage (CRIS)

The Center for Research in Intelligent Storage (CRIS) is a partnership between universities and industry, featuring high-quality, industrially relevant fundamental research, strong industrial support of collaboration in research and education, and direct transfer of university developed ideas, research results, and technology to U.S. industry to improve its competitive posture in world markets. Through innovative education of talented graduate and undergraduate students, CRIS is providing the next generation of scientists and engineers with a broad, industrially oriented perspective on engineering research and practice.

The Center for Stock Assessment Research (CSTAR)

CSTAR is a collaboration between the Fisheries Ecology Division, NOAA Fisheries (FED), Santa Cruz and UCSC to provide training in for undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral colleagues in the quantitative population biology needed to improve the sustainability of fisheries. CSTAR members work closely with FED staff, and participate in stock assessments, cruises, data workshops, and other management-oriented activities. Members of CSTAR have gone on to positions at NOAA Fisheries across the country, to academia, and to other kinds of non-academic positions including the Malaria Atlas and high-tech companies. A CSTAR alumna founded FishWise which trains point of sale individuals about sustainability of fisheries and includes Safewy and Target as customers.

Storage Systems Research Center (SSRC)

Research at the Storage Systems Research Center (SSRC) focuses on many aspects of file and storage systems. We have active projects in archival storage, large-scale distributed storage systems (SSRC researchers designed the Ceph file system), file systems for next-generation storage devices, and scalable metadata management and indexing. Our projects often have particular focus in cross-cutting issues such as security and reliability in file and storage systems. SSRC research projects involve graduate students and faculty, and often include collaboration with local industry; opportunities for undergraduate research are also available.

Center for Sustainable Energy and Power Systems (CenSEPS)

The Center for Sustainable Energy and Power Systems (CenSEPS) is poised to become a major hub for innovation in emerging clean energy technologies and tackling the challenges of energy sustainability. The Center explores the societal implications of new renewable energy technologies as well as prepares a new generation of 21st century engineers and scientists to address the problem of more efficient energy use with minimal carbon footprint. We promote and integrate the use of renewable energy technology to create sustainable communities and renewable energy districts. The Center partners with other energy research institutes, both within the United States and abroad so as to develop an international approach to solve the critical problems delaying the deployment of renewable energy resources.