Baskin Day is an annual student-run event open to everyone, where we celebrate the achievements and community of students and faculty within the Jack Baskin School of Engineering. This annual event is a great way to meet new people who share your interests and just an all-around fun time! In addition to showcasing engineering research and student organizations, Baskin Day will also be hosting a recruiting fair and several fun activities, like an engineering-themed Jeopardy! game show.

Come check us out from 12-5 p.m. in the Baskin Engineering Courtyard on October 27th!

Check out all the presentations, workshops, and panels happening at E2-180 throughout the day!

Opening Speaker: Marcella Gomez

 

Opening Speech: 12pm @ E2-180

Marcella M. Gomez is an associate professor at UC Santa Cruz in the department of Applied Mathematics and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Baskin Engineering. She received her PhD from Caltech in 2015 and a B.S. from UC Berkeley in 2009; both degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Her research interests are in broadly in the field of bio-control. She is also a proud Chicana, first-generation Mexican-American from Riverside, CA. 

Faculty Presentation: Introduction to Conversational AI

12:30 – 1:00pm @ E2-180

Presented by Yi Zhang

Yi Zhang is a Professor in School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research interests are personalized search and recommendation, natural language processing and artificial intelligence. She has received various awards, including ACM SIGIR Best Paper Award, National Science Foundation Faculty Career Award, Air Force Young Investigator Award, Google Research Award, Microsoft Research Award, and IBM Research Fellowship. She has served as program chair, area chair and PC member for various top tier conferences. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. from School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Yi Zhang is also a co-founder of Rul.ai, which was on the list of Forbes 50 Most Promising AI Companies. She has been a consultant or technical adviser for several large companies (Alibaba, HP, Toyota, etc.) and startups.

SCAI x Autoslug Joint Workshop: Image Detection

 

1:00pm – 1:30pm @ E2-180

Led by Rahul Nadkarni (SCAI) and Daksh Shah (Autoslug)

Join our machine learning workshop to explore the incredible applications of AI in machine learning, robotics, and accessible technologies. Dive into the power of Google Mediapipe and learn how it’s transforming these fields. We will showcase how we are using Mediapipe to train a gesture recognizer to help with American Sign Language translation.

Slug CP Workshop: Introduction to Competitive Programming

 

1:30pm – 2:00pm @ E2-180

Led by Nhan Nguyen

Slug Competitve Programming Club will be explaining the premise of what competitive programming is and the content it contains. Stop by to see examples that get harder every time!

Faculty Presentation: Explaining Errors in Self Driving Cars

2:00 – 2:30pm @ E2-180

Presented by Leilani Gilpin

Leilani Gilpin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on the design and analysis of methods for autonomous systems to explain themselves. Her work has applications to robust decision-making, system debugging, and accountability. Her current work examines how generative models can be used in iterative XAI stress testing. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from MIT, an M.S. in Computational and Mathematical Engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in Mathematics (with honors), B.S. in Computer Science (with highest honors), and a music minor from UC San Diego. Outside of research, Leilani enjoys swimming, cooking, hiking, and org-mode.

SCEE Workshop: Building Products the Consumer Wants

2:30pm – 3:00pm @ E2-180

Led by Smeet Mehta and Alexander Aghill

At SCEE, we promote product builders to build innovative products for the world. Stop by and learn about how we help builders understand who they’re building products for, how they can sell them, and how to figure out your product’s target market!

Industry Panelist: Alex Wong

 

3:00 – 4:00pm @ E2-180

Alex is a software engineer with experience in embedded systems and firmware/hardware engineering, and currently works on developing the Fuchsia operating system.

 

Industry Panelist: Vidya Venkiteswaran

 

3:00 – 4:00pm @ E2-180

Vidya Venkiteswaran is a Senior Software Engineer trailblazing in the fast and dynamic world of Google for the past three years. She has a decade of expertise in AI/ML, and is currently working on the team that powers one of the biggest Recommender Systems at Google.

Industry Panelist: Michael Riepe

3:00 – 4:00pm @ E2-180

Michael Riepe graduated from Oakes College in 1991 with a B.S. in Computer Engineering.  He received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1998 from the University of Michigan. For the past 26 years he has been working in the semiconductor industry as a software engineer.  Mike is a passionate advocate and volunteer for UCSC.  He was a founding member of the Baskin Engineering Alumni Advisory Council (BAAC) in 2009, serving as Chair for four years.  He also served for eight years as a Board member of the UCSC Alumni Association, including two years as Board President.  His mission as a volunteer is to make sure that all students feel welcomed and valued in higher education, and to ensure that students get good jobs in their chosen field after they graduate.

Industry Panelist: John Ray Thomas

 

3:00 – 4:00pm @ E2-180

John Ray Thomas serves as the Senior Director of Product Management at Oracle, and he is also an alumnus of UCSC. With a rich history in product management, he has garnered valuable experience at numerous tech companies and startups since his graduation. Presently, Thomas is actively engaged in harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques, such as Generative AI, to enhance Oracle Applications.

Industry Panelist: Joe Quadara

 

3:00 – 4:00pm @ E2-180

Joe Quadara is a seasoned professional in the realm of Game Development Consultancy. As the Studio Director of Lunar Lunchbox VR, he spearheads the entire journey of game development, from conceptualization to securing funding. His extensive expertise in this field empowers him to bring innovative gaming experiences to life and ensure their financial backing, making him a pivotal figure in the dynamic world of virtual reality and game development.

Scroll and Hover through the Student Organizations tabling at Baskin Day!

 
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ACM


ACM is a student run organization that strives to create a supportive and inclusive community for people of all backgrounds and skill levels who are passionate about computer science to learn and network.

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ACM-W


We are ACM-W, the Association for Computing Machinery's Council on Women in Computing, a club on campus at UC Santa Cruz that provides a support system and resources for women pursuing computer science.

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Autoslug


Autoslug provides hands-on opportunities for students to get involved in applied computer vision, autonomy, ML, and other fields in a team environment along with providing undergrad collaboration with on-campus research groups.

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Blueprint


UCSC Blueprint is a club where we develop web and mobile apps for nonprofits over the course of a year. Additionally, we also run technical workshops to help teach students technical skills they will utilize in the workforce such as Git, Agile, and basic of Web Development.

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Chemistry Club

The Chemistry Club at UCSC strives to build a community of UCSC students interested in chemistry and related fields. The club promotes networking with professors and local industrial organizations. Opportunities for community outreach are available through teaching programs at local elementary schools in Santa Cruz and neighboring areas.

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Chess Club


Chess Club is a club where students of all skill levels come together to play chess whether that be on casual meetups on campus, or professional tournaments in-person and online.

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CNSA


UCSC Computer Networking Student Association, a dynamic student-led organization at the University of California, Santa Cruz, fuels a passion for computer networking. We serve as a robust platform for enthusiastic learners, facilitating immersive experiences and fostering connections among our community of future network innovators.

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Formula Slug



Formula Slug is a collegiate chapter of FSAE. We design, build, and manufacture fully electric formula style race-cars.

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GDSC


Google Developer Student Club is an organization supported by Google Developers which aims to bridge gaps between theory and practice by teaching industry standard technical skills and hosting the Google Solution Challenge

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GraceHacks

The aim of GraceHacks is to foster a welcoming and supportive hackathon environment for students of diverse and underrepresented genders. We believe that anyone has the power to create something as long as they believe in themselves and feel confident in their ability to learn and improve their technical skills.

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HTCP



Certificate for Engineering students administered by the Humanities Division.

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iGEM 24' Team


iGEM stands for international genetically engineered machine; our team is comprised of undergraduates seeking to address an under-researched and overlooked issue by using synthetic biology principles.

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NeurotechSC


NeurotechSC is a student club chapter of NeurotechX. We focus on project building and education covering the topics of brain-computer interaction, neuroscience, and artficial intelligence. We have four teams which focus on hardware, machine learning, software, and publications, respectively.

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NSBE


The mission of the National Society of Black Engineers is "to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community."

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Rocket Team


Rocket Team is an aerospace engineering club that competes in NASA's annual University Student Launch Competition. This competition challenges our team to build a high powered rocket and launch it to a pre-designated altitude. We are also challenged to successfully execute a payload mission mirroring the challenges that NASA faces with their own payload challenges.

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SCAI



Santa Cruz Artificial Intelligence is UCSC’s leading AI club looking to educate members through engaging instruction, speaker events, and competitions.

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SCEE


SCEE aims to build a diverse community of student innovators and creative problem solvers. We encourage students, through our engaging events and workshops, to have unique insights on social and technical problems our society is facing today. We believe that innovation is the only way forward.

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SHPE


Society of Hispanics Professional Engineers (SHPE) is a nationwide organization that is dedicated to promoting and advancing Hispanic and Latinx individuals in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

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Slugbotics


Slugbotics is a robotics club that encompasses the study, creation, and development of robotic and embedded systems. We have numerous subteams that focus on different fields of robotics from combat robots, underwater ROVs, mechanical arms, drones, and autonomous vehicles.

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Slug Competitive Programming


Slug Competitive Programming aims to improve student's problem solving abilities, which will aid them in solving problems found in popular coding websites such as leetcode, codesignal, hackerrank, etc. Additionally, the problem solving skills students learn will also be apply to prestigious coding competitions such as ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest)

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Slug Gaming



Slug Gaming is an esports and community gaming club at UCSC.

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Slug Security


Slug Security is UCSC's premiere cybersecurity club. We offer a fun and inclusive environment for anyone interested in hacking, cybersecurity, or programming. We welcome students from all backgrounds and proficiency levels to join us. Join us for workshops, talks, and competitions, and explore the exciting world of cybersecurity.

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Slugworks


Slugworks is an open and inclusive, student-focused collaborative experiential learning space located in the basement of the Jack Baskin Engineering Building (Engineering 1). We will be offering weekly student-lead, hands-on workshops that cover a myriad of topics geared to explore the intersection of art, design and technology.

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SWE

The Society of Women Engineers is a not-for-profit educational and service organization that empowers women to succeed in the field of engineering, and to be recognized for their life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders. UCSC SWE is a group for women and non-binary students in engineering and those who support women and non-binary people in engineering. Everyone is welcome!

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Tech4Good



Social Computing Lab/Community-based Tech Solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is your question not on this page? Feel free to reach out to allasun@ucsc.edu or ysenthil@ucsc.edu

 

Q: What’s so great about Baskin Day?

It’s a great opportunity to make new connections within the Baskin community! We have club tabling, a recruiter fair, and opportunities to learn more about engineering topics through student and faculty presentations!

Q: What’s so great about Baskin Day?

It’s a great opportunity to make new connections within the Baskin community! We have club tabling, a recruiter fair, and opportunities to learn more about engineering topics through student and faculty presentations!

Q: Is this open to all types of engineering students?

Yes! This event aims to celebrate the achievements of students and faculty within the Baskin School of Engineering community.

Q: I’m not an engineering student but can I still attend?

Yes, anybody is welcome!

Q: Where is this event located?

Baskin Day is located in the Baskin Courtyard. Please see the map below for more information.

Map of Jack Baskin Engineering

Q: Does it cost anything to get into the event?

No, this event is free for everybody, and no registration is required.

Q: I have class during the event. Am I allowed to reenter if I leave for a bit?

Yes! This is an open access event — you can come and leave at any time.

Q: I want to help out with Baskin Day! Are there any volunteer opportunities?

We have multiple volunteer shifts that are offered throughout the day! Click this link for more information and to sign up.

Q: My club would love to participate in Baskin Day. Where can I sign up?

You can sign up at this link!

Q: I would like to donate to Baskin Day. Where can I donate?

You can donate at this link!