COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE UCLA
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UCLA's Innovative Engine
From smart grids to public policy to immersive art, UCLA is building a new model of innovation — one rooted in collaboration across disciplines and the real world.
LARRY SMITH | ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID PLUNKERT
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A Place Where Nobody Dared to Go
At UCLA, a 1980 camp musical has helped pave the way to integrating AI into the arts.
JESSICA WOLF
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Heat of the Moment
How UCLA scientists are helping better understand and mitigate the dangers of increasing temperatures — and why shade may be more of a secret weapon than we thought.
JOHN HARLOW AND JONATHAN RIGGS
PLUS:
The seven trees that commonly cast shadows on the city’s sidewalks — and define our urban forest.
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This Campus Is Giving You Shade
Ten bucolic spots for enjoying the leafier side of UCLA.
FIONA RUANE ’26
SPECIAL REPORT: UCLA ON THE WATER
Full S.T.E.M. Ahead
Aboard the UCLA Zodiac, undergraduates chase ocean “fronts,” collect marine samples to put under the microscope — and sometimes discover a whole new direction of their own.
MADELINE ADAMO | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN YOUNG
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Marooned No More
UCLA marine archaeologist Justin Dunnavant has spent his career unearthing the stories of escaped slave townships in the Caribbean. Now, his innovative mapping methods are expanding Black cultural history.
JOHN HARLOW | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN YOUNG
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Rowing the Distance
Four years after a record-setting Pacific crossing, two Bruin oarswomen are gearing up for a wild journey across the Atlantic.
BROOKE PORTER KATZ
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Baywatch on Sunset Boulevard
Think you’re fit enough to be a Bruin lifeguard? You’d better be able to swim with the bricks.
FIONA RUANE ’26 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN YOUNG
FEATURES
Keeping Our Connections Strong
One of the first things Julio Frenk did upon becoming chancellor in 2025 was to schedule intimate gatherings where students could not only meet him, but could also express their thoughts, ideas and concerns — and he could learn from what he heard. More than a year later, he’s still listening.
CHRISTIAN CAMOZZI
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Puppet Show
At UCLA, dedicated professors, students and curatorial staff mine the deep cultural resonance of puppets — and the creative genius that has created and brought them to life for millennia.
LUCY BERBEO ’06 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF MINTON
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WATCH:
Inside Student-Run UCLA Radio
The official campus station has been broadcasting Bruin DJs since 1962. Come along on a tour of this Westwood treasure.
VIDEOGRAPHY BY ADAM AMENGUAL
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The Great Bruin Baking Show
How Cuban culture, some political know-how acquired at UCLA, and a lot of sugar and flour are helping Betty Porto M.A. ’83 continue to build her family’s incredible L.A. legacy.
ALEX BHATTACHARJI | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CORAL VON ZUMWALT
BRUINOLOGY
The blue, the gold, and everything in between
The Bruinfluencers
UCLA social media influencers are everywhere, recording their lives and evangelizing their favorite things for millions of followers. Here, the top stars in a crowded digital galaxy.
FIONA RUANE ’26 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM AMENGUAL
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Game Winner
It’s the stuff of fairy tales: From UCLA walk-on to appearing at three World Cups, Cobi Jones became sporting royalty. Now he is once again a part of soccer’s greatest global event, which is back on U.S. soil for the first time in more than 30 years.
DELAN BRUCE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY HANA ASANO
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Father Figures
Five unique Bruin stories reveal what it really means to be a dad.
JONATHAN RIGGS | VIDEOGRAPHY BY ALINNA MARTIN ’20 AND STEVEN RUIZ ’22
BIG PICTURE
Pool Position
UCLA is on a hot streak when it comes to NCAA championships. It all started in the water.
BRIAN DAWSON
HAIL TO THE HILLS
Live! From Ackerman Hall
A newly remastered recording preserves the legacy of a forgotten Bruin rock ’n’ roll band.
HAROLD BRONSON ’72 | INTRODUCTION BY JOHN HARLOW
WE ARE ONE UCLA
The Spirit of Inquiry
Public universities like UCLA encourage the pursuit of discoveries that improve society, save lives and leave an indelible imprint on human history.
CHANCELLOR JULIO FRENK
