We had a fantastic New Tech event on April 1, our first-ever fully virtual, sheltered-in-place meet-up! Thank you to all our sponsors, presenters, and guests, and a big extra thanks for the grad students who shared their work in the Grad Slam! We had over 285 people register for this premier event—and Amanda and Matthew totally crushed it as virtual hosts.

We heard from:

• Bonnie Lipscomb from Santa Cruz Economic Development

• Esther Yoon from Zoom

• Pedro Muller from ZenDesk

• Daniel Emerson of Light & Motion

And the UCSC Grad Slam welcomed:

• Tori Klein: presenting research on zombie insects helping us find a cure for cancer.

• Ricky Garza-Girón: present research on earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

• Elizabeth Goldman: presenting research on what makes children more or less likely to share.

• Katie Heller: presenting research on fluorescent dyes that generate power for greenhouses!

• Abel Mkulama: presenting research on how briquets can prevent deforestation and save lives in Malawi.

• Melissa Cronin: presenting research on saving the incredible and giant manta ray.

• Amanda Carbajal: presenting research on Prion Proteins and the origins of life.