UC Advocacy Network

06/13/2026

Open your fridge, and you're looking at federally funded research. The Cuties your kids snack on, bred at UC Riverside. Year-round strawberries and the tomato behind your ketchup, from UC Davis. California grows a third of America's produce —the result of decades of University of California research backed by federal dollars. Now, that funding is facing cuts.

Without California farming, American shopping carts would be a lot emptier — and pricier. But all that abundance is no accident: It’s the result of federal support for science and brilliant research going back to UC's earliest days.

06/11/2026

The 2025–26 UCAN Student Ambassador program has officially wrapped! To mark the end of the year, our ambassadors had the opportunity to speak with University of California President James B. Milliken about the impact of student advocacy and how each of them can help shape a better future.

06/10/2026

"Patients are people. We're not a line item." That's what Kimberly Peters, in treatment for stage 4 uterine cancer, said about the federal funding behind her clinical trial. That same funding is the reason a lab discovery became today's lifesaving stroke treatment. It built the shake table that makes buildings safer in earthquakes. It powers WIFIRE, which gives firefighters real-time maps as wildfires move.

At UC San Diego, roughly $900 million in federal research awards each year powers behind breakthroughs like these. As Congress weighs cuts to federal science funding, this is what's on the line. Read the stories, then speak up. https://today.ucsd.edu/story/telling-the-story-of-why-research-matter

What happens when federally funded research suddenly becomes part of the national conversation? The campuswide Behind Every Breakthrough campaign set out to explain what was really at stake — from cancer care and earthquake safety to the future of scientific discovery.

06/09/2026

🔭This week marks 150 years of discovery at Lick Observatory! Many people have found their love of science at this iconic facility, and I’m so proud of the research and education programs that Lick Observatory has supported all these years.

06/08/2026

Grassroots advocacy works. Here’s the proof. Last year, UCAN advocates reached more than 70% of Congress and helped stop drastic cuts to science. Now, those cuts are back on the table as Congress sets next year’s budget. It only takes a minute to join the University of California and tell Congress to protect science. https://bit.ly/4g5QBVd 👉

06/05/2026

Did you know the Allied invasion of Normandy D-Day was originally planned for June 5, 1944, not June 6? If it had gone forward as planned, nasty weather might have changed the outcome of WWII. Luckily, UC research played a pivotal role in delaying the invasion 24 hours to when the forecast predicted smaller waves, critical for a beach landing.

Read more about this amazing story: https://bit.ly/4fXENV2

UC San Diego
Scripps Institution of Oceanography

06/04/2026

With its world-class universities, research hospitals and biotech industry, and Senate Bill 895 making its way to Sacramento, the state has a duty to go all in on Parkinson’s research.

06/03/2026

Federal science funding is under threat. Research powering new medicines, national security and economic growth is at risk. Tell Congress to protect American science. https://ucal.us/fundscience

06/01/2026

California lawmakers are working on one of the biggest investments in affordable housing in decades – don’t let UC students be left out. Tell to include the University of California system in the Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026. https://bit.ly/42Y9Ybc