UCSC Science & Justice Training Program

The Science & Justice Training Program at UCSC is a unique graduate-level research and education program that trains science and engineering students alongside social science and humanities students to identify and respond to moments where research requires attentiveness to questions of policy, ethics, and justice.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, this innovative program takes advantage of the campus’ commitment to social justice and the collaborative spirit among scientists, engineers, social scientists, artists, and humanities scholars fostered by the Science & Justice Working Group (SJWG).

This program is designed to place science and engineering graduate students at an advantage in securing positions in cutting-edge fields, which increasingly require the ability to think through the ethical and social questions implicit in research. Conjointly, the program trains scholars in humanities, social science, and art to work collaboratively with natural scientists and engineers, a skill set required by anyone who seeks to interpret social and cultural life in an age increasingly mediated by technoscience.

Program specifics

Students in the program receive mentoring from faculty advisors, and they participate in a spring quarter introductory seminar in science and justice, a fall quarter research methods seminar, and ongoing programming and events through the SJWG. Through these training activities, students will

• produce a research prospectus
• conduct research appropriate for journal publications and incorporation into dissertation projects
• present in-process research to SJWG for feedback
• organize and participate in a science and justice symposium
• write articles appropriate for public science journalism

Fellowship opportunity

The training program also offers competitive graduate fellowships that provide two quarters of support at a GSR level.

• Learn more about the Ethics & Justice in Science fellowship program
• Read about a sample research project