Resources

Curriculum FAQs

For any curriculum questions not addressed below, please contact the Next Gen. SAM program director. 

Academic resources provided by UCSC

UCSC provides a variety of resources to help student with their academic progress. 

The Learning Support Services provide students with additional tutoring. Several programs exist:  

• Programs offered in conjunction with a particular class (MSI, Small Group Tutoring)
• Drop-in Math advising
• Drop-in or individual writing tutoring

The Disability Resource Center provides a variety of accommodations and services to currently enrolled UCSC students with disabilities to support them in making the most of their educational experience.

Professional internship opportunities

Future employers will strongly value any professional experience acquired through internships, either in academia or in the industry. Next Gen. SAMs are encouraged to seek out such internships during the summer between their senior and M.S. year, and/or by pursuing the thesis track of the M.S. program. 

Note that many of the deadlines for application to the following internship opportunities are early in the year (sometimes as early as Fall for the following Summer). Be ready to apply! 

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics keeps a repository of many internship opportunities for undergraduates and graduates. Click on the various topics to see what each opportunity has to offer. 

The National Science Foundation promotes Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at many different sites within the U.S. Explore a list of applied mathematics internships here, or more generally this page for any kind of REU (e.g. physics, astronomy, engineering, computing, etc.)

The Department of Energy National Laboratories offers a wide variety of internships for students at all levels.

NASA is a major provider of internships at all levels and in many different subject areas.

Research opportunities at UCSC

Pascale Garaud is looking for 1-2 seniors or MS students to work with her on astrophysical fluid dynamics projects. Funding is available. Experience in scientific computing (e.g. AM 147, 129) and fluid dynamics (AM 107 or 217) necessary. 

Dongwook Lee is looking for students to work with him on computational mathematics and specifically computational fluid dynamics.

Marcella Gomez is looking for students to work with her on mathematical biology and in particular machine learning and data-driven models for complex biological systems. 

Please contact professors for detail! 

General support

If you are facing serious problems dealing with material needs such as: 

• Food insecurity 
• Housing crisis
• Financial insecurity

Slug support is there to help. You can either self-refer to the program, or ask Next Gen. SAM staff to do it for you. The Slug Support team will develop an action plan focused on helping you get back on track through provision of support and resources. The earlier you deal with the crisis, the better the outcome. 

The Redwood Free Market also provides free produce from the UCSC farm for students who cannot afford it, as well as pantry staples and dry goods.

The MESA Engineering Program has a book and calculator lending program, as well as snacks, and is available to any student in the Next Gen. SAM program.

You should also always feel free to contact the Next Gen. SAM director, and/or the Next Gen. SAM counselor. 

Dealing with violence and harassment

Through its principles of community, UCSC strives to provide an environment where people can learn and work while being safe and healthy, free from violence and harassment. 

If you have been subjected to any kind of violence or harassment, several campus resources are at your disposition to seek the help you need to report it, prevent it from recurring, and heal. 

Sexual harassment and sexual violence

The UCSC Sexual Violence Prevention and Response website provides a comprehensive summary of the various options you have in order to report a problem and seek help, either immediately or later. 

Things to know:

• Faculty, staff and graduate students, as well as some undergraduate students, are legally required to report to the Title IX office any information they receive regarding sexual violence or assault perpetrated against another member of the UCSC community or affiliate.
• If you require confidential advice or help, please contact the CARE office. CARE Advocates can provide a variety of support with reporting, accommodations, case management, and healing.
• If you wish to report sexual harassment or sexual violence, you can either file a complaint with the Title IX office, or report a crime with the UC Police Department.  

Hate/bias-motivated crimes and incidents

Hate or bias-motivated crimes and incidents, and hate speech, that target people or groups based on such characteristics as race, color, socioeconomic class, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity, are not tolerated on campus. 

If you believe you have witnessed, or that you have been a target of, a hate-or-bias motivated incident on campus or while participating in a University-sponsored activity, you may bring the incident to the attention of the Hate/Biais Response Team using this online reporting form. 

Identity-based resources

UCSC is the home of many groups and centers that provide support to students, staff and faculty: 

The UCSC Women’s Center affirms the dignity and diversity of all women. The center upholds and challenges feminist traditions by creating a community space for all women and their allies to achieve individual and social change.

The Lionel Cantú Queer Resource Center is the nexus of support and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community at UCSC.

STARS provides culturally responsive support to transfer, re-entry, veteran students, as well as students who do not have traditional family support due to experiences in the foster care system, with homelessness, abuse, parents who have been incarcerated, or other factors impacting their family life.

The First Generation Initiative aims to raise the visibility of first-generation students at UCSC, to foster a positive campus climate that welcomes first-generation students and to build long-term relationships of support, understanding, and learning between students, faculty, and staff.

El Centro serves as a hub of organized activity and resources that support student transition, retention, graduation and academic advancement.

The mission of the African American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) is to provide support for the students in the African, Black, and Caribbean communities at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The American Indian Resource Center is dedicated to supporting the needs of American Indian students and increasing Native visibility on campus by advocating student centered programs, cultural events, and tools for academic success and well being.

The Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center (AA/PIRC) co-creates engagement with students who identify as part of the Asian American, Pacific Islander, & Southwest Asian & North African (AA/PI/SWANA) diaspora at UC Santa Cruz; exploring the complexities of their holistic experiences, and individual and collective identities.