AI has made code creation easy. But Google I/O speaker Adam Bender warns that flooding one node stresses the whole system. Watch his talk — and rethink what "building fast" actually costs.

The UC Santa Cruz Science Division has named three alumni as recipients of its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards, celebrating careers that have reshaped medicine, healthcare policy, and our understanding of the cosmos.

UCSC announces their ambitious undergraduate housing project has been approved by the UC Board of Regents, as a part of their plan to increase student housing by 40% within the next ten years.

Santa Cruz Works New Tech heads to River Row on June 4 for an evening of riverfront networking, local innovation, and fast-moving founder presentations. This month’s lineup features companies working across accessibility, AI-powered building insights, ocean intelligence, sustainable materials, and downtown river activation.

Join Santa Cruz Works on June 12 for breakfast, networking, and a behind-the-scenes look at Future Motion, the Santa Cruz company behind Onewheel. This Company Spotlight runs from 8:00–9:30am at Future Motion HQ, with free tickets for SCW members and $10 general admission.

Santa Cruz will host an invitation-only Flight Test Summit on June 12 at Joby Aviation’s headquarters, bringing together flight test pilots, engineers, innovators, and local supporters. Interested attendees or sponsors can submit the interest form to be considered for an invitation.

PG&E’s free EV Advisory Services program helps eligible small businesses explore the transition to medium- and heavy-duty electric fleets. Through expert guidance on planning, equipment, charging, costs, and infrastructure, the program gives Santa Cruz County businesses a no-cost way to start electrifying without guesswork.

2026 Work Life Survey lucky winners! Thank you again to all of our sponsors.

The most underpriced risk in advanced air mobility isn't technical — it's social. DART's Josh Metz made the case at a national AAM workshop that community trust and workforce readiness determine whether the sector scales.

Santa Cruz Works reached out to our community this year with a simple question: how are we doing, and how can we do better? Nearly 2000 people responded — longtime partners, newer members, newsletter subscribers, and engaged community members who haven't yet formalized their connection with us. Their answers were generous, candid, and full of ideas. Here's what we heard.

Jonathan Lo's Keeping People Interested reframes marketing's core purpose: stop chasing attention and start earning it. His empathy-first framework helps founders move customers from awareness to advocacy — without ever feeling like they're being sold to.

A Santa Cruz Experience you definitely have not had. Experience hospitality in a new Mindset with Steve Fortunato.

Two eVTOL rivals are racing to own urban air mobility. Joby leads with $24M in quarterly revenue; Archer trails at $1.6M. Both burn $400M+ per quarter chasing a market that doesn't yet exist at scale.

Santa Cruz's GO BIKE! downtown e-bike rebate is back. The first cohort put 280 e-bikes on local streets, with 93% of recipients replacing car trips. Up to $800 for income-qualified downtown workers. Limited funds — apply now.

When long-term care costs hit $120K/year, families need coordinated guidance—not just specialists working in separate lanes.

Twenty-two Pajaro Valley High School students are building a fully functional single-engine airplane from scratch — learning rivets, physics, and OSHA certification along the way. Hands-on aerospace education has officially landed in Watsonville.

LaunchPad 2026 brought college and high school founders into the spotlight, with student-built startups winning awards across health tech, AI, social impact, accessibility, civic tools, and more.

Featured on the latest installment of Powered by Climatize , a ribbon-cutting ceremony in West Sacramento recently marked a milestone in grassroots clean energy infrastructure.

If your goal is to bring a new technology to market, the NSF I-Corps Hub Northwest is offering a free, virtual course focused on planetary health — applications are open now through May 29, 2026!

UC Santa Cruz's Department of Physics invites the public to the Stanley Flatté Memorial Lecture, featuring Stanford professor Stephen Shenker. The talk, titled Chaos, Black Holes, and Quantum Mechanics, takes place at the 418 Project's Large Theater, with refreshments beginning at 5:00 PM and the lecture at 6:00 PM. Admission is free and open to all.