Blog

Senator Simitian

What UC Berkeley is worth to California

In the course of a March discussion in the State Capitol about the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, which is exploring the development and use of safe chemicals as well as ways to impact public policy, State Senator Joe Simitian had some specific things to say about UC Berkeley’s immense value to California’s economy.

Cal Day is April 16

Since it’s an open house, Cal Day is a chance to see parts of the campus you haven’t wandered into before, many with guides, demonstrations, exhibits, and more. Got kids? There are activities for all ages.

Travel warning: Japan

Please be advised that the University of California Education Abroad Programs (UCEAP) in Japan have been suspended and travel assistance providers are assisting students with arrangements to return to the U.S. Please also be aware that the U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning last night.
student waving Cal flag

Rankings: Berkeley’s not only super, it’s the greenest

UC Berkeley is a member of a totally informal yet stratospherically exclusive club, an elite “supergroup” of six universities worldwide that are regarded head and shoulders above the rest of the throng. (The others are Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Stanford, and Oxford.)
Image of a tiger behind gate

Most life on Earth to perish — again?

Is Earth heading into a sixth mass extinction? A team of UC Berkeley professors and graduate students think it may well be. But it may be possible to stop short of the tipping point.
a person smiling

How’s your emotional intelligence?

Can you tell, from what’s written on someone’s face, whether they’re showing anger or fear? If they’re sad or embarrassed? Happy? Lusty?  Disdainful? It can be tricky, and misreads can cost you in real-world interactions with strangers, friends, coworkers, and lovers.
newt-at-botanical-garden

Newts are cavorting in the Botanical Garden

It's what they do in spring: two species of western newt --- the California and rough-skin varieties --- flock to the UC Botanical Garden's scenic Japanese Pool (where they probably were born) to swim, socialize, have amphibious sex, and watch the people who pause to observe them.
Andrew Szeri began serving as Dean of the Graduate Division on July 1st, 2007.

A look behind the curtain at the GRE

The Graduate Record Examinations General Test has been a milestone for many of us in the graduate community. A revised test will debut this coming August. How will it look to your college-bound younger siblings?

A quick guide to fellowships

A distillation of facts and advice from the Graduate Fellowships Office staff, tips that might save you time as you embark on your quest for funding.
Ken Thompson

Impatience helped produce Unix — and, eventually, some big honors

It only took 40-some years, but Unix pioneers Ken Thompson (a Berkeley alum) and Dennis Ritchie have waited --- and continued to breathe --- long enough to receive a major international honor for their creation. They were announced in January as 2011 recipients of the Japan Prize.
Berkeley at Night

Cal’s night safety program gets an upgrade

This spring, the campus has relaunched BearWALK, the night safety service, “reinvigorated with interactive and automated technology.”  The enhancements are automated dispatch and a “live map” with shuttle tracking by GPS.

Empowering Women of Color for 26 years

Clearly not a flash in the pan, the Empowering Women of Color Conference will hold its 26th iteration on Saturday, February 19, in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union. Keynote speakers are Angela Davis, Ericka Huggins, and Dylcia Pagán. Includes workshops, panels, plus vendors, food, performances, and music a-plenty. Admission: free to UC Berkeley students with IDs.
BIO Workshop

A new workshop series for international students

All members of the Berkeley community are welcome to attend a new series of workshops presented by the Berkeley International Office this spring. It’s called The International Student Experience at Berkeley: Pathways to Personal and Academic Success. Workshop titles include "Popular Culture: Why is Everything Super-sized?", "History of Berkeley", "Do You Speak American?", and more.

A new summer institute on energy in Livermore

Sandia’s Summer Institute: Technology and Policy Tools for Energy in an Uncertain World is a new cross-discipline week-long research program for top graduate students from the nation’s premier universities. Twenty select graduate students will collaborate in small teams, working side-by-side with leading scientists from Sandia. Participants will develop new career skills by solving challenging problems in a fast-paced, collegial work environment.