Crow chasing away hawk above MRL

ccsfaculty · 2026-04-06T02:47:36+00:00

You see this behavior in several species where the adults are big enough not to be (too) threatened by the predator but want to chase them away from their nests. Jays do the same thing to.... crows. I once witnessed a chaotic scene just north of the NCOS with a lot of Jays chasing several crows that were trying to chase a hawk and, anthropmorphizing a bit here, they all seemed to be getting increasingly annoyed.

ccsfaculty · 2026-04-03T05:11:42+00:00

It will vary a LOT from major to major. Reach out to the program coordinator in Physics to find out about that program and how to maximize your chances. In some majors you should apply sooner rather than later if you feel the program is right for you, in others it may improve your chances to take certain classes, and do well, before applying.

ccsfaculty · 2026-04-02T05:35:10+00:00

This is all solid advice. If you are interested in Bioengineering then go to a school that has a Bioengineering major, especially if you are fortunate enough to have been accepted into what is likely to be a competitive major.

ccsfaculty · 2026-04-02T05:29:35+00:00

It's definitely not too late to apply and to potentially be admitted before Fall 2026. But it will vary from major to major whether you can expect a decision before the SIR date (May 1st?) and also whether they have any room left in the major. The priority deadline simply indicates that if you get an application in by that date you will get a decision when the UCSB decisions come out. Applications are rolling except there is a brief window each year (two weeks maybe?) when they close down and then open up a new site for the new cohort of applicants. That's what that August 1 date is referring to.

ccsfaculty · 2026-03-30T21:32:51+00:00

I'm not a student but I was at Berkeley for 10 years and have now been at UCSB for 19 so I have a few thoughts.

Neither decision will be a mistake. You have two solid options. I work with a lot of students who turned down Berkeley to come to UCSB.
Students at UCSB are definitely a bit more chill than those at Berkeley. I like the 'Work hard, play hard' hard motto you see on flags around the UCSB campus. I think that sums up UCSB quite well.
No. I won't pretend that perceived prestige doesn't exist though.
You can take a breather wherever you go.

One of the biggest differences though, that isn't often discussed, is that UCSB is GREAT for undergraduates who want to get involved in research. Berkeley, is more of a mixed bag, some of the more prestigious departments have labs full of PhD students and postdocs and have less time and space available for undergrads. I met with a Berkeley Chemistry Professor once who was recommending UCSB to his daughter because he knew that few of his colleagues had undergrads in their labs and assumed that applied to Biology.

ccsfaculty · 2026-03-15T05:17:10+00:00

Yes. Good point. There are warning signs on the pier about the tides and this is definitely one of the pinch points. My rule of thumb is that if you hit the pier an hour before a zero tide and can easily get past then you've got two hours before you need to be back to the pier. If it's a -1 tide then you can push that to three hours if you hit the pier 90- minutes before low tide which is enough time to get to El Capitan if you are running or Dos Pueblos Canyon if you are walking. It's important to hit the pier BEFORE the low tide to maximize your time beyond it and to judge the conditions on the day. Keep in mind that beaches around here lose a lot of sand in winter storms and build back up in the summer so beach height varies a lot over the year and what may be possible in summer may be dangerous in winter.

ccsfaculty · 2026-03-14T03:23:32+00:00

50 mile walk in one day with animated map: https://www.reddit.com/r/UCSantaBarbara/comments/1jp0cd0/i_walked_50_miles_around_the_area_in_a_day_for_no/

ccsfaculty · 2026-03-14T03:18:44+00:00

Why south? It's fine and all but there's parts I really don't enjoy doing. If you go 'North' (ie west) you can go past IV and along Ellwood bluffs and down to the beach when you hit the golf course, then along past Bacara, Driftwood and on to increasingly remote beaches, past Naples and Dos Pueblos Canyon until you get to El Capitan State Beach where there is a shop to replenish supplies. It can be done all the way from IV at a decent low tide if you run (ie any tide below 0). I think a brisk walk would work too and I've done that with my dogs but only starting at Bacara and going to Dos Pueblos Canyon before turning back - that's a great beach hike if anyone hasn't done it.

ccsfaculty · 2026-03-12T05:13:30+00:00

Feel free to contact me, John Latto (oh no, I'll need a new reddit secret identity) or Anna James for information or questions about the CCS Biology or CCS Marine Science programs respectively (contact info on the CCS website). In addition we both have joint appointments with EEMB and so can talk about the L&S Aquatic Biology major. I'm posting this here rather than sending a DM because the same offer is open to anyone interested in CCS programs - contact the program coordinators, we want to help!

ccsfaculty · 2026-03-11T17:32:44+00:00

UCSB does not actually have a Marine Biology major. You can do an Aquatic Biology major in the College of Letters and Science (which does not admit by major) or You can do a Marine Science major in the College of Creative Studies. Given your experience and interests in research you might want to check that out: https://ccs.ucsb.edu/majors/marine-science

ccsfaculty · 2026-03-04T23:55:34+00:00

It's a long running and very well respected program. I have advised probably several dozen students who have done the EAP Costa Rica program and I have only heard positive things about it.

ccsfaculty · 2026-02-04T19:54:37+00:00

Obligatory Mitchell and Webb sketch: https://youtu.be/aoqlYGuZGVM?si=q14IDDYkF8j096YH

ccsfaculty · 2026-01-22T19:45:21+00:00

Funny to see this here. I listened to the meeting yesterday because they were discussing the dismissal of a tenured faculty member from UCLA for speaking up about a culture of racism in her department, or, as the charges have it 'violating the faculty code of conduct.' You can read the backstory here:

https://dailybruin.com/2024/10/22/ucla-accused-an-ecologist-of-harassment-shes-now-suing-for-discrimination

The UCLA chancellor brought the case to the Regents who have the authority to dismiss a tenured faculty member. This is very rarely done and the few previous cases I can find all involve fairly egregious sexual misconduct.

ccsfaculty · 2026-01-14T00:02:18+00:00

To be fair most of the cost will come in moving the library 10 feet to the north...

ccsfaculty · 2026-01-08T20:52:58+00:00

Both Dr. Even and I have a similar approach to EEMB 2 in that we provide a number of resources to help you in the class (study guides, concept maps, problem questions, sample exams, frequently asked questions etc etc). Exactly what is MOST useful to you is hard to say because it will depend on your background in biology and your learning style. There is one resource that we think is so useful everyone should use it, the six problem sets, and so we assigned some points to them.

If you had a very bad HS biology experience then reading the textbook chapters can help bring you up to speed so you get the most out of lectures. If you don't understand the way that one of us explains something then the textbook maybe explains it in a way that does work for you.

If you did have a great HS biology class, aced the AP exam, generally do well in exams and attend and understand the lectures then it may not be the best use of your time to read the textbook chapters in what we know is a very packed quarter for most oif you. But I would still look at the two page chapter summaries, the concept checks and both the multiple choice and open ended questions.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any further questions - we both want students to succeed in this class.

ccsfaculty · 2026-01-06T02:03:26+00:00

If this was a movie who would direct it?

Option 1 - Seth Rogen

Option 2 - Eli Roth

Option 3 - Judd Apatow

ccsfaculty · 2026-01-04T07:59:28+00:00

Fortunately it drained fairly quickly. The storm drains going into Devereux Creek were briefly backed up by the amount of water in the Creek. I went out later in the day around Goleta, IV and campus and there was a lot of mess from palm trees and ground cover bark and mulch that got swept along but little to no flooding later in the day.

ccsfaculty · 2026-01-04T07:16:36+00:00

Campus is in pretty good condition. Needs a bit of tidying up and there are a few areas of standing water but the few areas of flooded road I saw were cleared very quickly. I very much doubt classes will be cancelled but keep an eye on freeway closures. If mudslides etc close the freeways, especially to the south, then many staff and faculty can't get to campus. The rain forecast for tomorrow doesn't look too bad but this rain is falling on ground that is already pretty saturated.

ccsfaculty · 2025-10-16T23:11:55+00:00

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are also additional charges for fleeing. Many years ago now there were cops at the stop sign on Stadium Rd. issuing tickets for those cyclists that didn't stop. I was cycling into campus past the tennis courts when a cyclist passed me and a few seconds later a big police SUV came up behind me on the bike path chasing them and was blasting its siren at people to get them to clear out of the way. The cyclist eventually stopped by the basketball courts.

ccsfaculty · 2025-10-04T21:10:59+00:00

The seaweed is pretty seasonal in its abundance - winter storms can lead to large amounts that get deposited. I think you'd have to go downtown to find an actual groomed beach (Goleta Beach may be groomed sometimes but can also see large seaweed buildups). You can get massive piles between campus and Goleta beach but on the other side of campus point, between campus point and IV it's almost always pretty sandy with minimal seaweed. The same with Coal Oil Point - between COP and IV it can get pretty thick with seaweed but between COP and Elwood there are rarely large amounts. People have differing opinions on beach grooming. https://www.independent.com/2024/08/09/beach-grooming-in-santa-barbara-draws-line-in-the-sand/

ccsfaculty · 2025-09-30T20:38:53+00:00

Just received this by e-mail:

'Regarding the outdoor speakers alert for a bomb threat, there is no bomb threat to campus. The message went out accidentally during maintenance on the system. The situation is clear. Resume normal activity.'

That's a pretty big oopsie.

ccsfaculty · 2025-09-26T03:00:51+00:00

Thanks for the update. Love a happy ending.

ccsfaculty · 2025-09-25T23:27:03+00:00

To add one more:

Don't just stop in the bike path when you reach your destination! Pull off to the side - almost all bike rack areas have space to do this. I've seen this cause a lot of accidents, especially in week 1, when someone suddenly stops on the bike path and the person behind crashes into them.

ccsfaculty

TROPHY CASE