New Student Events and Orientations

Mathematics Graduate Student Orientation

Tuesday, September 22, 2026 

9:30 AM - 1:30 PM

The purpose of Mathematics Graduate Student Orientation is to share information essential to the graduate program, connect new and continuing students, faculty, and staff, and provide students access to essential tools for success and access. 

Agenda: 

1. Until 10:00 AM Coffee, tea, and breakfast provided in the Tea Room (McHenry 4161)

2. 9:30 - 10:00 AM Introductions (McHenry 4130)

3. 10:00 - 10:45 AM Program Information Presentation

4. Until 11:30 AM Department/building tour w/ current grads

5. 11:30 PM - 12:30 PM Lunch

6. 12:30 - 1:00 PM Programming presentations

7. 1:00 - 1:30 PM UAW 4811 presentation

8. 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Grad Advisor drop-in hours to collect keys and ask questions 

9/18/2026 - Preparing for Inclusive Teaching 2026

Friday, September 18, 2026

9:00 AM—4:30 PM

Location: Active Learning Classroom (Rm. 206) - Science & Engineering Library

Preparing for Inclusive Teaching is the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC)’s one-day professional development program for early-career graduate students in Physical & Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, and the School of Engineering. This intensive program supports your preparation for being a Teaching Assistant (TA) at UCSC, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. During this program, grads will participate in interactive workshops designed to help you feel prepared to lead welcoming, equitable learning experiences in gateway STEM and Social Science courses. 

Participants in Preparing for Inclusive Teaching enjoy:

• meeting and forming community with fellow early-career graduate students in related fields;

• connecting with faculty and advanced graduate students in related fields during a catered lunch and discipline-specific breakout sessions;

• learning more about teaching in their fields at UCSC, getting to know their future students, and developing strategies for creating effective and inclusive TA-led sections;

• accessing community and support from staff at the Teaching & Learning Center and Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiatives; and

• obtaining a professional development certificate issued by the TLC indicating successful completion of this one-day intensive.

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the interest form by August 24, 2026. We will reach out in late August to confirm your participation.

If you’d like more information, please visit our Preparing for Inclusive Teaching program page or contact tlc@ucsc.edu.

TBD - MATH Summit 2026

Date TBD

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Mathematics faculty Nandini Bhattacharya and Pedro Morales-Almazan have been leading one of the main activities of the HSI GANAS Career Pathways grant on our campus. This activity is intended to increase course grades and reduce equity disparities in the Math 11 calculus series with applications in the life sciences. They have worked with other department faculty and graduate students researchers in developing course curricula which enables the understanding of conceptual calculus that is contextualized in life sciences. 

All first year students are individually selected to participate due to your possible future role as a teaching assistant in our department. There have been significant developments in several math courses, so this will be an opportunity to convene with all those involved in teaching and supporting these courses. For your time, the grant is able to compensate you with a $200 Amazon gift card for your participation. 

The summit is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23rd from 9am-4pm. It will take place at the Active Learning Classroom in the Science & Engineering Library with continental breakfast and lunch provided. You will be receiving a Google calendar invitation. So that we can plan accordingly, we ask that you please RSVP via the calendar invite no later than September 8th.

If you have questions about the details of the summit, feel free to reach out to Nandini (nandini@ucsc.edu), Pedro (pmorale5@ucsc.edu) or Lydia (zendejas@ucsc.edu)

International Student Orientation

September 23, 2026

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Programming specific to international students occurs the morning of Graduate Student Orientation, hosted by Global Engagement. This session is mandatory for all new F-1 and J-1 graduate students. Information about International Student Orientation can be found on the ISSP orientation website. 

9/24/26 - Instruction Begins

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Instruction Begins, first day of classes.