Javier González-Rocha

Glad to tour @ucsantacruz.bsky.social’s AgTech Alliance center to see the latest ag technologies.
 
Focusing on sustainable, ethical & socially responsible technologies is vital to the longevity of our ag industry.

Visiting Durango, México! Food is amazing!

Nightfall in #Zihuatanejo.

Adding to the magic!

Rep. Zoe Lofgren visiting UC Santa Cruz

This week, Rep. Zoe Lofgren visited UC Santa Cruz to meet with students and researchers from UCSC Center for Agroecology to learn about the AgTech Alliance—a collab between #BaskinEngineering and social sciences to develop innovative technologies that support sustainable food production. 🌱

🤝 To fill gaps in the air quality monitoring network in Pajaro Valley, CA, a team led by #BaskinEngineering Professor
@javigr.bsky.social has deployed new sensors in the region—making crucial pollution data more accessible! @ucsantacruz.bsky.social

New air quality sensors enable community decision-making in Pajaro Valley region Newly deployed sensors will fill in significant gaps in the area's air quality monitoring network

🔥 Newly deployed air quality sensors will fill gaps in the air quality monitoring network in Pajaro Valley, home to many agricultural workers—helping empower community decision-making for those most affected by wildfire smoke. Led by #BaskinEngineering Professor @javigr.bsky.social 👏 bit.ly/3IOQpuX

US EPA PM2.5 Air Quality Standards Interactive Map by PurpleAir Watch: With two minute updates, The US EPA PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) is a number used by US government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is...

Just installed 5 new PurpleAir sensors across Pajaro!

Now we’ve got real-time air quality data to help protect our families and farmworkers—especially during wildfire season. 💚

Check it out here: map.purpleair.com/1/mAQI/a10/p...

Grateful to build this with our community.

#Pajaro #PajaroValley

Just visited Zamora de Hidalgo and was lucky enough to catch this stunning view of the cathedral after a summer rain. The light, the stonework, the stillness—it all comes together in one timeless moment. 🌧️⛪✨ #ZamoraDeHidalgo #ArquitecturaMexicana #MéxicoMágico #TravelMoments

Just visited Zamora de Hidalgo and was lucky enough to catch this stunning view of the cathedral after a summer rain. The light, the stonework, the stillness—it all comes together in one timeless moment. 🌧️⛪✨ #ZamoraDeHidalgo #ArquitecturaMexicana #MéxicoMágico #TravelMoments

4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.

Globally, roughly a third more power is being generated from the sun this spring than last. If this exponential rate of growth can continue, we will soon live in a very different world, @billmckibben.bsky.social‬ writes.

Honored to attend the groundbreaking of the #DoloresHuerta Peace & Justice Cultural Center in #Bakersfield today with my wife Ruth, Director of #ValleyVoices.

Honored to stand with community and the #DoloresHuertaFoundation in the fight for Justice and equity.

Big thanks to #jobyaviation for hosting our #BaskinEngineering students! The visit offered an inspiring look at aerospace innovation and the value of hands-on learning. Opportunities like this help shape the next generation of engineers.

#UCSC #UCSantaCruz #AppliedMath

Recap of the annual #BaskinEngineering Undergraduate Project Showcase! 🛠️✨ Students brought bold ideas to life—from wildfire risk systems and muscle-activated prosthetics, to ROVs for kelp restoration, SARS-CoV-2 mutation validation, smart power monitors, and drones for VTOL search and rescue.

YouTube video by Monterey Bay Aquarium 2 Hours of Harbor Seals to Relax/Study To | Lofi Hip Hop | Monterey Bay Aquarium Krill Waves Radio

In our latest Krill Waves Radio, these coastal charmers lounge, swim, and vibe in cozy seal colonies all set to mellow lo-fi beats. Tune in, unwind, or just enjoy the seal serenity: youtu.be/r4fsBII2ZlU

More than 300 Pajaro Valley Unified students honored with civic engagement award “PVUSD students continue to lead with purpose, compassion, and a desire to make meaningful change,” Superintendent Heather Contreras said. “It is a profound honor to recognize mor…

When the Pajaro Valley Unified School District began its California State Seal of Civic Engagement program in 2023, only three students were honored. This year, that number has jumped to more than 300.
www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/05/29/m...

Wonderful! Our future is in good hands!

Wonderful news!

Life on Earth May Have Been Jump-Started by ‘Microlightning’ Charged water droplets generate sparks that can forge organic compounds

Could charged water droplets have generate sparks which forged the first life on earth? Whether in a pond, a lake or a geyser, #BaskinEngineering Professor Emeritus David Deamer says, “these molecules would have accumulated wherever there was wave action or waterfalls.” bit.ly/4bDCZwi

Awesome quilt fair today in Santa Cruz - thank you Pajaro Valley Quilt Association! This quilt was so moving & beautifully made. #quilt #quilters #SantaCruz #Watsonville #california #farm #farmworkers #PVQA

“Hermanita.” A monumental, 5-story, beautiful vertical mosaic showing a side view of a Latina woman facing right, with a turquoise earring and her black hair in a bun. Behind her head is a swirling black and white pattern. She is wearing a colorful geometric triangular patterned wrap. To the right and left of this image are numerous horizontal mosaic panels, of 121 that show the diversity of cultures in Watsonville, past and present. It’s on the outside of a civic center cement parking garage in Watsonville, CA. https://communityartsempowerment.org/culturalheritages/ https://communityartsempowerment.org/juan-fuentes-vote/

“Hermanita.” #Jewel of a mosaic designed by #printmaker Juan Fuentes. 2400 sq.ft.!, next to many panels displaying the diverse cultural heritage of Watsonville, CA. Part of the Watsonville Brillante civic center project. #makersMartch #MosaicMonday #printmaking #artshare #mosaic

13th Watsonville Film Festival expands into other cities WATSONVILLE — Just as it has for the previous 12 years, the Watsonville Film Festival will highlight movies from around the world that celebrate stories from the Latino community. This will b…

This year, the Watsonville Film Festival will have a slate of films screened at CineLux Green Valley, but it will also have screenings in Santa Cruz and Salinas.
www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/03/03/1...

The women’s walkout: Lessons from the 1980s Watsonville cannery strike The Watsonville Film Festival will mark the 40th anniversary of the Watsonville cannery strike with a re-screening of Jon Silver's 1989 documentary on the strike, and Silver's new short film on the…

The women’s walkout: Lessons from the 1980s Watsonville cannery strike buff.ly/VA1fvlE via Wallace Baine, with screenings set for tomorrow as part of the Watsonville Film Festival

AI chatbots perpetuate biases when performing empathy, study finds A new study explores how GPT-4o, the latest model from OpenAI, evaluates and performs empathy compared to humans, and finds major gaps exist.

How human-like are #AI chatbots? 🤔 A team led by #BaskinEngineering Prof Magy Seif El-Nasr found that #ChatGPT over-empathizes but struggles with positive emotions, exaggerating human tendencies. It also shows more empathy when told the person is female—revealing biases in AI empathy. bit.ly/43pRKAB

Happy New Year! 🎊🍾🎈

The Wharf’s Controversy | Good Times Why the city wants to upgrade the wharf, and why one group is fighting to maintain the status quo

If you want to know the name of the NIMBY who has been blocking the repairs to the Santa Cruz wharf since 2016, her name is Gillian Greensite and she deserves the blame for what happened today

www.goodtimes.sc/the-wharfs-c...

YouTube video by U.S. EPA Indoor Air Quality in K-12 Schools: Addressing the Concept of Layered Risk Amidst COVID-19

My USEPA webinar & an excellent follow-up panel discussion on layer risk reduction for schools 4 yrs ago.

Four yrs down & not much progress. To say we swung & missed would be generous. In most cases we never came to the plate. It was never rocket science, folks.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPfH...

BIG DEAL. Congrats to all involved!

The @ucsantacruz.bsky.social campus, with the redwoods forest and the live turkeys (not talking about the faculty here!) has to be one of the most beautiful campuses anywhere.