University of California in Santa Cruz is now ranked 79th in the "Best Colleges" list. US News and World Report ranked it 79th out of 124 "top schools" in the nation. To be ranked, the university must offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral degrees; many that strongly emphasize research. UCSC recently had its social scientists honored for teaching and research.
The recipients of the Division of Social Sciences 2007 Distinguished Teaching Awards are: Alan Richards, professor of environmental studies; Jack Vevea, associate professor of psychology; and Andrea Steiner, lecturer in community studies. These faculty received $2,500 total to be split equally among them. Psychology professor Bruce Bridgeman is the first receiver of the Martin M. Chemers Award for Outstanding Research in the Division of Social Sciences. This award recognizes a senior faculty member who has made a major impact on his or her discipline through publications and research. Professor Bridgeman studies vision and perception and was awarded $2,500.
In yet a different category altogether, Associate Professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UCSC, Francis Nimmo, was awarded the 2007 Harold C. Urey Prize in Planetary Science. The Urey prize encourages and acknowledges outstanding achievements in planetary sciences by scientists age 37 or younger. Nimmo was praised for "strongly influencing current thinking about our solar system from Mercury to Neptune." Nimmo is a member of the NASA Enceladus Science Definition Team and the Committee on Lunar and Planetary Exploration of the National Academy of Sciences. Before winning this award, Nimmo also won the American Geophysical Union's Macelwane Medal, another honor bestowed on young scientists who demonstrate great talent and productivity. For more information about Nimmo, please click here.
Not to be outdone, undergraduates from UCSC won awards at a statewide research symposium earlier in the year. Milana PeBenito was recognized for her presentation on tumor suppressor genes in mouse mammary glands. Deborah Ortiz was acknowledged for her work on interactions of semiconductor quantum dots with biomolecules. They both received the Special Merit in Research Awards at the 2007 Statewide Undergraduate Research Symposium of the California Alliance for Minority Participation in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (CAMP).
University of California Santa Cruz is certainly a jewel on the crown which is the city of Santa Cruz. This is a growing area that has valuable real estate, and incredible ocean views. There are housing developments in progress to help with the growing pains of a developing community. To see property values, and read more about Santa Cruz, please see my website.

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