Linda Finch Hicks, longtime campus staffer, has died
Linda Finch Hicks, administrative manager in the history department, died Sunday, Nov. 1 at Alta Bates Hospital of pancreatic cancer. She was 55.
(04 November)
Landscape designer who built Sproul Plaza leaves a national legacy
Before moving into the national spotlight with his bold urban designs, landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, who died Oct. 25 at age 93, left a profound imprint on the Berkeley campus, from Sproul Plaza's rhythm of light and dark spaces to the graceful shape of Memorial Glade to the pedestrian-friendly entryways to the Greek Theatre.
(30 October)
UC Berkeley amplifies national voice via The Berkeley Blog
UC Berkeley’s best and brightest are often asked to share their insights at the White House, on Wall Street and with the media worldwide. Now, they are furthering that conversation in a new format – The Berkeley Blog.
(26 October)
Stephen Barnett, California Supreme Court expert, dies at 73
Stephen Barnett, UC Berkeley professor emeritus of law and a prominent expert on the California Supreme Court, died of complications resulting from cardiac arrest on Tuesday, Oct. 13. He was 73.
(16 October)
UC Berkeley professor among Popular Science magazine's "Brilliant 10"
A UC Berkeley engineer has been pegged as an up-and-coming scientist to watch by the magazine Popular Science. The publication announced today (Thursday, Oct. 15) that Ting Xu, 35, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, is one of the "Brilliant 10" young researchers profiled in its November issue.
(15 October)
UCPD's Lisa Campbell and Ally Jacobs get their 15 minutes on Oprah
Ally Jacobs and Lisa Campbell, the two UC Berkeley police employees whose vigilance led to the arrest of suspected kidnapper Phillip Garrido in August, will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
(12 October)
Stockholm calling
When Oliver Williamson's phone rang at 3:30 Monday morning, he wasn't entirely surprised to find the Nobel Prize committee on the line. But Berkeley's newly minted economics laureate was variously elated, proud and humbled as he recounted the moment later Monday for well-wishers and the media.
(12 October)
Two young UC Berkeley faculty members receive MacArthur "genius" award
A 35-year-old molecular biologist and a 37-year-old computer scientist from UC Berkeley are among 24 new MacArthur "genius" Fellows announced by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
(21 September)
Mondale: Connecting the dots between U.S. security and foreign development aid
In an event sponsored by the Blum Center for Developing Economies, the 81-year-old Mondale invoked the spirit of the Peace Corps as he argued the case — though "argued" might be too strong a word for the mild-mannered Minnesotan, who goes by the nickname "Fritz" — for U.S. development aid to countries in need.
(18 September)
Two UC Berkeley faculty among 10 recipients of $100,000 Heinz Awards
Two UC Berkeley researchers are being recognized for their environmental achievements with the 15th annual Heinz Awards, announced Sept. 15 by the Heinz Family Foundation. Ashok Gadgil, professor of civil engineering, and Kirk Smith, professor of environmental health sciences, will each receive $100,000 for the strides they have made toward a more sustainable and cleaner environment.
(15 September)
Well Said
(10 September)
Pollan's public-interest prediction
This semester's On the Same Page program, aimed at focusing the attention of incoming L&S undergrads on a single work or creator, is built around Professor of Journalism Michael Pollan's game-changing take on industrial agriculture and America's food systems, The Omnivore's Dilemma.
(10 September)
Fellowship lands recent grad in a real hotspot
Recent grad Sasha Pippenger’s taste for public service was not just satisfied but enhanced by her Gardner-funded experiences working on refugee-relief issues in Pakistan.
(10 September)
The Human Rights Center at 15
Applying a raft of interdisciplinary tools and approaches to the messy reality of the international human-rights movement, the HRC serves as a bridge between academia and the practitioners and activists in the field.
(10 September)
Well Said
Quotes, bon mots, and noteworthy utterances from the campus and beyond
(28 August)
It's my job
Steve Seid began his career writing about film and video, and working for small, independent video-arts organizations and film festivals before coming to the Pacific Film Archive 21 years ago.
(28 August)
Neil Henry steers a new course at the J-School
The new dean of the Graduate School of Journalism aims to uphold ethics amid the chaos of information in American society now.
(27 August)
Brostrom to serve interim role at UCOP leading business operations
Vice Chancellor for Administration Nathan Brostrom will serve as interim executive vice president for business operations in the UC Office of the President through Dec. 31, UC President Mark Yudof and Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced.
(27 August)
Bringing you a better Berkeleyan
With this issue you will see a redesigned Berkeleyan, with a new look and some new editorial formats.
(27 August)
Chancellor Birgeneau speaks out on the budget crisis
By all accounts, the UC system is facing the most serious financial crisis in its history. With the campus gearing up for a fall semester unlike any since his arrival in 2004, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau discusses the challenges ahead
(26 August)
Fourth member of "Old Blue" family to live in the same residence hall room
Perhaps it's time to call Norton Hall's Room 414 at UC Berkeley, "The Eidelson Room." This Sunday (Aug. 23), 18-year-old Aaron Eidelson of Santa Barbara will move into the very same residence hall room that his father Jon and brothers Michael and Joel ate, slept, studied and occasionally partied in during their undergraduate years at UC Berkeley. Room 414 is a double room in Unit 3 that overlooks Durant Street and has a corner view of the landmark Campanile.
(19 August)
Two Berkeley alums are reportedly detained by Iran
Two of the three hikers reportedly detained by the Iranian government last week are former UC Berkeley students who have been working as journalists in the Middle East and Africa. They are Shane Bauer, a 2007 honors graduate in peace and conflict studies, and Sarah Emily Shourd, 30, who graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in English.
(03 August)
Mark Rosenzweig, pioneer in brain plasticity, learning and hearing, has died at 86
Mark R. Rosenzweig, a professor emeritus of psychology at UC Berkeley whose early studies paved the way for today's recognition of the brain's ability to grow and repair itself, died July 20 at his home in Berkeley from kidney failure. He was 86.
(03 August)
Mitchell Celaya chosen as new UC Berkeley chief of police
Effective Aug. 1, the campus's new chief of police will be Mitchell J. Celaya III, a member of the UC Berkeley Police Department since 1982. Today's announcement follows a nationwide search to replace Victoria Harrison, who is retiring as police chief.
(21 July)
History's Carla Hesse is named L&S dean of social sciences
Professor of History Carla Hesse, a prize-winning scholar whose interests center on modern Europe, especially France, takes over Aug. 1 as dean of the social sciences division of the College of Letters and Science. Her appointment was approved July 16 by the UC Board of Regents.
(16 July)
Kenneth Stampp, noted historian of the Civil War and slavery, dies
Kenneth M. Stampp, a University of California, Berkeley, professor emeritus of history and a formidable scholar best known for paving the way to a sharply revised assessment of American slavery, the coming of the American Civil War and Southern Reconstruction, died in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, July 10. He was 96.
(15 July)
Early-career scientist gets White House honor
Dr. Sanjay Kumar, a UC Berkeley bioengineer, is one of 100 researchers to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the White House announced.
(09 July)
Kermit Wiltse, grassroots scholar of social work, has died at 94
Kermit T. Wiltse, a professor emeritus of social welfare at UC Berkeley and a North Dakota farm boy who devoted his life to improving the lot of disadvantaged children, died at his home in Berkeley on June 19 at age 94. The previous day, Jane Wiltse, his wife of 67 years, died at age 92. A celebration of their life together will be held on July 19.
(08 July)
Shinnyo-en Foundation names chancellor a 2009 "Pathfinder to Peace"
University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau is one of three recipients of the Shinnyo-en Foundation's 2009 Pathfinders to Peace Prize issued today (Monday, June 22) by the Shinnyo-en Foundation during ceremonies in San Francisco.
(22 June)
Betty Connors, longtime director of Cal Performances' predecessor, dies at 92
Betty Connors, who for 35 years led the UC Berkeley performing arts organization that ultimately became Cal Performances, died on Thursday, June 11, at her home in Richmond. She was 92.
(15 June)
Life after Berkeley
New retirees from offices all over campus share their feelings about Cal, their reasons for bidding Berkeley adieu, and their plans for the future. From violin-building to travel abroad, they may be stepping down, but most aren't slowing down.
(11 June)
Obituary
Nick West, an events coordinator in the Development and College Relations office of the College of Letters and Science, died of cancer on Monday, May 11, at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley. He was 54.
(11 June)
Obituary
Retired campus librarian Joseph W. Barker, who served both as head of the University Library's acquisition department and as program coordinator for the campus Teaching Library, died unexpectedly on Sunday, April 5, in Berkeley. He was 65 years old.
(11 June)
Three UC Berkeley faculty members chosen for state advisory committee to help devise cap-and-trade program
Three scholars from the University of California, Berkeley, have been appointed to the state's new Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee, a group charged with helping California implement the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32).
(01 June)
Vice Chancellor Nathan Brostrom wins a 2009 Bay Area CFO of the Year award
Nathan Brostrom, vice chancellor for administration, last week was named Bay Area CFO of the Year for a non-public company by the San Francisco Business Times and Larkin Street Youth Services. He was one of six winners honored because they "exemplify the professionalism, integrity, resilience and mastery of key skills that make a great CFO."
(01 June)
Ronald Takaki, pioneer and legend in ethnic studies, dies at age 70
Ronald Takaki, professor emeritus of ethnic studies at the UC Berkeley, and a preeminent scholar of U.S. race relations who taught the University of California's first black history course, died at his home in Berkeley on Tuesday, May 26, at age 70. He had struggled for years with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune condition that attacks the central nervous system. Although Takaki retired from UC Berkeley in 2003, he was frequently seen on campus, delivering guest lectures to standing-room-only audiences or joining marches about social justice, with his shock of silver hair, trim runner's body and professorial spectacles.
(28 May)
Obama calls on Berkeley School of Antitrust
Two University of California, Berkeley, professors who will become the federal government's top antitrust economists and a third chosen as a senior official in the same field are among the latest campus faculty members enlisted to help the Obama administration shape policy for the nation. Their appointments highlight the growing strength of Berkeley School of Antitrust Economics.
(28 May)
Ronald Takaki, pioneering scholar of race relations, dies at 70
Ronald Takaki, a professor emeritus of ethnic studies at UC Berkeley and a prolific scholar of U.S. race relations who taught UC’s first black history course, died at his home in Berkeley on Tuesday, May 26. He was 70
(27 May)
University Medal finalists make discoveries at Berkeley about themselves and the world
This year, five students — Jordan Anaya, Sonia Fleury, Lara Palanjian, Zoe Sima Silverman, and William Vega — were finalists for the University Medal, given to Berkeley's top graduating senior. These five stellar students take time out to answer questions about their time at Cal and their plans for life beyond Berkeley.
(14 May)
Top graduating senior is an intellectual superstar
Emma Shaw Crane spent her teens riding horses and making mischief at her Waldorf school in Santa Rosa, Calif. She filled out her application to UC Berkeley, while recovering from typhoid on a beach in southern Mexico. Growing up among activists and anarchists, Shaw Crane said she never expected to be admitted to a top research university.But like her thick, tawny hair, Shaw Crane's life is full of twists and turns. Today, she has landed a coveted prize as UC Berkeley's top graduating senior, selected to receive the University Medal and address thousands of her peers at Commencement Convocation on May 22. She also will receive a $2,500 scholarship.
(12 May)
Neil Henry named dean of Graduate School of Journalism
Award-winning journalist, author and professor Neil Henry has been chosen as dean of the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, a post he has held on a transitional basis since 2007.
(08 May)
Ausin Hoggatt, professor emeritus at the Haas School, dies at age 79
Austin "Auggie" Hoggatt, professor emeritus at the Haas School of Business, died April 29 at age 79. His research and consulting spanned many fields, including computer simulations, experimental economics, management science, and savings and loans.
(07 May)
It's My Job
Adrian Diaz, Assistant director, State Government Relations
(07 May)
Dishing diversity at the dinner table
All in the family: A mother and her adult daughter both have campus jobs dedicated to increasing diversity at Berkeley.
(07 May)
Chancellor's Public Service Awards honor faculty, staff, and students
Chancellor Birgeneau welcomed awardees and celebrants to the annual presentation of the Chancellor's Public Service Awards, in Sibley Auditorium, on April 23.
(01 May)
Obituary
The campus has lost Police Officer Allen Delano Rollins, whose warmth and humor made him a memorable presence at the front desk of California Hall.
(01 May)
UC president addresses Berkeley Senate
Mark Yudof addressed his good-news/bad-news budget message to faculty at last week's Senate meeting.
(01 May)
Transportation expert Ernest Koenigsberg passes away
Ernest Koenigsberg, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business and an expert in operations research and management science, with a focus on transportation, died on April 20 of heart failure at his home in San Francisco. He was 86.
(30 April)
Emmanuel Saez wins 2009 John Bates Clark Medal
University of California, Berkeley, professor Emmanuel Saez, a leading scholar of tax policy and the distribution of income and wealth, is the latest recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded by the American Economics Association (AEA) to the U.S. economist under 40 making the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.
(29 April)
Jennifer Wolch named ninth dean of College of Environmental Design
Jennifer Wolch, a leading scholar of urban analysis and planning, will take the helm at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design on July 1, 2009. Wolch will become the college's ninth dean and Berkeley's fourth current woman dean.
(29 April)
Bravo, maestro, bravo!
Longtime Cal Performances director Robert Cole, who will step down this August, announces the arts organization's 2009-10 season.The arts impresario also reflects on some of his favorite events during his 23 years at Cal Performances' helm.
(23 April)
Obituary
Ernest W. Adams, an emeritus professor of philosophy, died on March 29, shortly after being diagnosed with an advanced case of liver cancer. He was 83.
(23 April)
Plugging away at the riddle of consciousness
Over the course of his 50 years on campus, John Searle — among Berkeley's most distinguished and engaged public intellectuals — has explored the philosophy of language, to worldwide renown. He's also gotten in some skiing.
(23 April)
Professors ace teaching test
Five University of California, Berkeley, professors have been chosen by their department colleagues and students to receive a 2009 Distinguished Teaching Award, the campus's most prestigious honor for superlative instruction.
(22 April)
A truly distinguished lot
Five faculty members will be honored April 22 at this year's Distinguished Teaching Awards ceremony. Learn about them from our "Do-ers" profiles…
(16 April)
Meg Conkey receives Chancellor's Award
Honored for her commitment to increasing diversity not only on the campus but within her own academic field, Conkey will receive $30,000 to further her work.
(16 April)
Breyer: Faith in reason, or faith in force?
According to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who spoke at Berkeley last week, the rule of law is a "subtle thing" that relies on citizens to follow it, and on governments to enforce it.
(16 April)
Obituary
Diane Ainsworth, a former Berkeleyan staff writer, died March 29 at her home in Altadena, Calif., of an apparent heart attack or aneurysm, according to her father, Donald Ainsworth. She was 56.
(09 April)
"Pursuit of Happyness" hero to address 2009 graduates
Chris Gardner, the self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist whose homelessness-to-riches story inspired the 2006 autobiography and feature film, "The Pursuit of Happyness," will deliver the keynote address this spring at the UC Berkeley's Commencement Convocation, an annual event honoring all graduating seniors. Gardner's commitment to speak at the Greek Theatre on Friday, May 22, is a triumph for the Senior Class Council of the Californians, the student group that plans Commencement Convocation.
(08 April)
Optometry's 20/20 fundraising vision
Much of the more than $700,000 raised for graduate fellowships in optometry has come from the school's current and emeritus faculty.
(02 April)
It's My Job
Sandra Wasson, General Manager, KALX
(02 April)
Public finance scholar George F. Break dead at 88
George F. Break, an emeritus professor of economics at UC Berkeley, and an authority on public finance, died of heart failure at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley on March 13. He was 88.
(30 March)
Campus police chief will step down in July
Victoria Harrison will step down as chief of police at UC Berkeley in July, concluding a 36-year law-enforcement career that began as a student CSO at UC Santa Barbara. Over her 19 years as UCPD chief, Harrison successfully saw the campus through wide-ranging adversity.
(26 March)
Oakland police Sgt. Daniel Sakai killed in line of duty was a '96 Cal grad
Oakland police Sgt. Daniel Sakai, who was killed March 21 along with three fellow officers, was a '96 Cal grad and husband of a UC Berkeley police officer.
(23 March)
Political scientist Henry Brady new Goldman School dean
Political scientist Henry E. Brady, a leading scholar of public opinion, political movements, politics and public policy in the United States, Canada, Russia, Estonia and other countries, has been appointed dean of the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
(20 March)
Judith Butler wins Mellon Award
Judith Butler, a UC Berkeley professor of comparative literature and rhetoric, is a winner of the 2008 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Award.
(19 March)
Professor Emeritus Tor Brekke, renowned tunneling expert, dies at 75
Tor L. Brekke, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of geological engineering and a world-renowned scholar in tunneling, died on Friday, March 6, at his home in Berkeley. He was 75.
(19 March)
A poet views the oak-grove standoff
Professor English Robert Hass, in his Faculty Research Lecture last week, said his subject would be “thinking about nature.” His thesis? That “we don’t do it very well.”
(19 March)
Leona Shapiro, leading nutritionist and child obesity expert, dies at 89
Leona R. Shapiro, a leading public health nutritionist who played major roles in pioneering research on child obesity, has died at the age of 89.
(12 March)
Staffer a winner in campus essay contest
Linda Finch Hicks’ essay about an aspect of her childhood in Tokyo was submitted on the theme of “Rock, paper, scissors” in this year’s Fabilli-Hoffer Essay Contest . . . the only such campus competition open to staff and faculty.
(11 March)
Honors for two Berkeley physicists
Paul Richards and Nobel laureate George Smoot have been honored for their contributions to astrophysics research and teaching.
(04 March)
A painful journey through the past
Tracing her family's Holocaust story, a historian learns that facts can count for as much as the big picture
(26 February)
Berkeley Law dean charged with 'fixing the educational pipeline'
Berkeley Law dean Chris Edley — who taught Barack Obama at Harvard and worked in Bill Clinton's White House — mixes Beltway savvy and legal acumen in his role as special adviser to UC President Mark Yudof.
(26 February)
Economist James L. Pierce, authority on banking and monetary policy, dies
James L. Pierce, a professor emeritus of economics at UC Berkeley and an authority on banking and monetary policy, died of lung disease in Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, Calif., on Feb. 15. He was 71.
(25 February)
Paul Richards, George Smoot honored for astrophysics research and teaching
Two UC Berkeley physicists – Paul Richards and Nobel Laureate George Smoot – have been honored for their contributions to astrophysics research and teaching.
(23 February)
John Whinnery, University Professor Emeritus and distinguished innovator in electromagnetism, dies at 92
John Roy Whinnery, former UC Berkeley dean of engineering, University Professor Emeritus, and a distinguished innovator in the field of electromagnetism, died Feb. 1 at his home in Walnut Creek, Calif. He was 92.
(13 February)
The march to war, from Bonaparte to Bush
This year's Jefferson Lecturer, Stanford's David Kennedy, talked about how today's all-volunteer U.S. military not only makes it easier for a president to go to war, but jeopardizes crucial aspects of American democracy.
(12 February)
Laurels
Blue ribbons, gold stars, and honorary mentions . . .
(12 February)
It's My Job
A regular feature showcasing staff members whose work is essential to the smooth functioning of the campus.
(05 February)
Bringing it all back home
It took a quarter century for Wilda White to land the social-justice job of her dreams: helping to train the next generation of public-interest lawyers.
(05 February)
KQED-TV to air doc on late revolutionary biologist Allan Wilson
Local station KQED-TV will air a documentary on the late Allan Wilson, a UC Berkeley biochemist who revolutionized the study of evolution, on Sunday, Feb. 8, at noon. Wilson, who died in 1991 from leukemia, showed that comparing protein and gene sequences of species can provide unexpected new information on evolutionary relationships.
(04 February)
Center for Japanese Studies makes Clint Eastwood's day
Actor/director accepts first annual 'New Vision' award
(28 January)
At Haas Pavilion, a standing 'O' — as in 'Obama'
When Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson took his team onto the court against the Bears last week, he received a spontaneous ovation from the usually partisan crowd. Just good manners, or something a bit more stirring?
(28 January)
Physicist Sumner Davis has died at 84
Physicist Sumner P. Davis, a beloved teacher, classical optical spectroscopist and avid glider pilot, died Dec. 31, 2008, in El Cerrito after a brief illness. He was 84.
(23 January)
Somorjai named a Miller Senior Fellow
Veteran chemistry professor Gabor Somorjai is the second luminary selected for this prestigious fellowship.
(21 January)
Academic Senate honors Princeton's Shapiro
The Clark Kerr Medal will be bestowed on thinker, writer, and higher-ed leader Harold Shapiro.
(21 January)
Mathematician John Stallings died last year at 73
John Robert Stallings Jr., a professor emeritus of mathematics at UC Berkeley who made seminal contributions to geometric group theory and topology, died Nov. 24, 2008, from prostate cancer at his home in Berkeley. He was 73.
(12 January)
Educator Bill Sonnenschein dies in Madagascar
William "Bill" Sonnenschein, a senior lecturer on leadership and communication at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, passed away suddenly on December 29 in Madagascar. He was 59.
(07 January)
White House presents three UC Berkeley faculty with prestigious early career awards
The White House has presented three UC Berkeley researchers with the nation's highest award for scientists at the early stages of their careers at a Dec. 19 ceremony. Rachel Segalman, Sanjit Seshia and Joan Walker are among 68 honorees of the 2007 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
(19 December)
In new book, Alvarez switches from dino extinction to Italy's geology
Geologist Walter Alvarez's last book, "T. rex and the Crater of Doom," was about his controversial claim that a comet or asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. His new book, "The Mountains of Saint Francis," is an affectionate look at Italy, its geology and the Italian geologists who pieced together its billion-year-old history.
(18 December)
Eleven faculty members named AAAS Fellows
Eleven UC Berkeley researchers are among 486 new American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellows to be named Dec. 19 in the organization's journal, Science. The honor, bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers, recognizes distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.
(18 December)
Obituary
Jody Ann Bussell, who devoted her 18-year Berkeley career to helping library collections operations run smoothly, succumbed to cancer Nov. 9 at the age of 58, in her El Sobrante home.
(03 December)
Maurice Holt, expert in fluid dynamics, dies at 90
Maurice Holt, UC Berkeley professor emeritus of aeronautical sciences anda renowned scholar of and educator in computational fluid dynamics, diedNov. 7 at the age of 90.
(25 November)
Christina Romer named top U.S. economist
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama announced today (Monday, Nov. 24) his intention to nominate University of California, Berkeley, macroeconomist Christina D. Romer, an authority on monetary policy and business cycles, to chair the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
(24 November)
Chemistry Nobelist to assume ICSU leadership
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Yuan T. Lee has been elected as the future president of the International Council for Science (ICSU).
(20 November)
Laurels
Blue ribbons, gold stars, honorable mentions.
(20 November)
Coaching icon Pete Newell passes away
Pete Newell, one of basketball's most respected and beloved figures who led California to the 1959 NCAA championship, passed away Monday after a long illness. He was 93.
(17 November)
Obituary
John Fuller
(12 November)
Obituary
Janet Williams
(12 November)
Berkeley professors help with presidential transition
UC Berkeley professors Laura Tyson and Robert Reich have been named to President-elect Barack Obama's advisory board for economics, and Chris Edley, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, joins about a dozen people on an advisory board that will work with Obama's formal transition team.
(07 November)
Obituary
Sharon Harvey
(05 November)
Six UC Berkeley faculty members among new Fulbright Scholars
Six UC Berkeley faculty members are headed overseas for teaching and research as part of this year's Fulbright Scholar Program, while another 21 foreign scholars are on campus to continue their research in Berkeley.
(29 October)
Social sciences dean and American history scholar dies at 55
Gjerde, a leading historian on Scandinavian immigration to the Midwest and dean of social sciences at UC Berkeley died of a heart attack on Sunday, Oct. 26, at his home in Albany. He was 55.
(29 October)
‘Moving forward against strong opposing forces’
Choreographer Sue Li Jue, who teaches at Berkeley, produces an evening of dance and live music
(22 October)
It's My Job
Ben Hubbard, Program manager, webcast.berkeley.edu, Educational Technology Services
(22 October)
What Haruki Murakami talks about when he talks about writing
Popular Japanese author is awarded the first Berkeley Japan Prize during campus visit
(15 October)
Robert Tjian to head Howard Hughes Medical Institute
UC Berkeley molecular biologist Robert Tjian has been elected president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, one of the world's largest private funders of biomedical research.
(30 September)
Professor and landscape architect Robert Royston dies
Robert N. Royston, an American landscape architect with deep ties to the University of California, Berkeley, who was known for his designs that focused on space and human use of space in private gardens, zoos, planned communities, urban plazas and children's outdoor play areas, died in his sleep at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. on Friday (Sept. 19). He was 90.
(24 September)
Robert Briggs, director emeritus of UC Berkeley marching band, dies at 81
Robert Orlando Briggs, director emeritus of UC Berkeley's storied Cal Band and soft-spoken mentor to generations of marching band members, died at UC San Francisco Medical Center on Sept. 17 of complications from gall bladder surgery. He was 81.
(19 September)
It's My Job
Karyn Houston keeps the campus’s note-taking service running smoothly.
(17 September)
Paola Timiras, researcher on aging, dies at 85
Paola S. Timiras, a neuroendocrinologist and professor emerita who studied how the body ages and showed by example how to age while remaining vigorous in mind and body, died Sept. 12 of heart problems at the age of 85.
(17 September)
Campus honors those it has lost
(12 September)
Laurels
Blue ribbons, gold stars, honorable mentions
(11 September)
Michael Baxandall, noted art historian, dies at 74
Michael Baxandall, an acclaimed art historian, author and professor emeritus of art history at the University of California, Berkeley, died in London on Aug. 12. He was 74.
(09 September)
Obituary
Alice Reinau Taylor, a campus staff member from 1966 to 1995, died in Berkeley on June 20 at age 71, following a long illness.
(03 September)
A preview of poetry and prose readings
For literature lovers, Lunch Poems and Story Hour deliver the goods
(27 August)
Obituary
Elizabeth (Betsy) Badč Bacon, residence director of International House for 27 years, passed away peacefully in Berkeley on May 30, surrounded by her loving family.
(27 August)
Obituary
Raymond Kent, a professor emeritus of African history whose distinguished career at Berkeley spanned more than two decades, died on Aug. 13 of congestive heart failure at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland. He was 79.
(27 August)
What Biden brings to the party
As the Democrats convene in Denver, Berkeley’s top pundits and political handicappers assess Barack Obama’s choice for veep
(27 August)
A residential scholar is in the house
In last spring’s freshman seminar Geographies of the American Home, Paul Groth asked students just out of the family nest to ponder the nation’s domiciles. Groth, a professor of architecture, geography, and American studies who examines the history of built environments, aims to expand his students’ notions of home and class by exposing them to a variety of domestic dwellings.
(20 August)
A natural talent
Growing up, Rita Gardner could see objects only at close range. The current executive assistant to Vice Chancellor for Administration Nathan Brostrom was extremely nearsighted, a condition that went undetected until she was 12. It’s not surprising, then, that in her photography Gardner tends to focus on the micro.
(20 August)
Darin Jensen
In this new semi-regular feature, the Berkeleyan showcases a staff member whose work is essential to the smooth functioning of the campus (or one of its many departments and units). Do you know someone whose job would interest our readers? Send an e-mail to berkeleyan@berkeley.edu with your suggestions.
(20 August)
Building an energy 'cathedral'
It’s easy to see why Clem Fortman, a postdoc in the lab of synthetic-biology guru (and Berkeley chemical-engineering professor) Jay Keasling, wanted to open the gates of higher education to promising students who might otherwise never get a foot in the door. A self-described “GED guy,” the impressively tattooed Fortman was kicked out of high school at 17, served a stint in the army, and “goofed off for a number of years” before finally enrolling at the University of Minnesota at the age of 28. Having earned his Ph.D. there in 2006, he’s now on the cutting edge of scientific discovery, working to find a way to turn nonfood substances into cheap, green, domestically produced energy.
(20 August)
From the Bronx to Berkeley
Back in the South Bronx, Alexander Lambie and Lorraine Avila are used to being standouts. For one thing, they study at Bronx Academy of Letters, a public high school where writing is the focus and college is the goal. For another, they’re just plain smart. And funny, independent-minded, and articulate. But six weeks at Berkeley this summer, taking university-level philosophy and psychology courses through a new program funded by a philanthropically minded Cal alumnus, taught these about-to-be-seniors an unexpected lesson.
(20 August)
New book distills essential physics for next president
Physicist Richard A. Muller has tranformed his popular course, "Physics for Future Presidents," into a popular book of the same name, providing a tutorial in the physics of nuclear weapons, nuclear power, terrorism and global warming essential for anyone aspiring to the Oval Office.
(13 August)
Neil Bartlett, emeritus professor of chemistry, dies at 75
Neil Bartlett, professor emeritus and a pioneering chemist, died Tuesday, Aug. 5. He was best known for his critical experiment in 1962 demonstrating that xenon, a member of the family of noble gases, could form compounds.
(12 August)
An emphasis on staff diversity
Two entities with an interest in promoting diversity among University of California staff will be conducting public sessions on the topic beginning this week.
(21 July)
Summer shines on a bumper crop of new deans
Seven new deans are taking the reins of leadership in time for the start of the fall semester in August — five of them permanently, and two on an interim basis.
(17 July)
A champion of equity and fairness
For the past 20 years Carmen McKines has served Berkeley in positions requiring an ambassador’s diplomacy, a referee’s fairness, and a psychotherapist’s discretion. She retired last month as ombuds for students and postdoctoral appointees and received the Berkeley Citation, a fitting capstone to her 40-year UC career, at her retirement party on June 26.
(17 July)
For whom wedding bells toll — this time for keeps
Four years after their high-profile nuptials in San Francisco, lesbian and gay staff members are getting hitched again.
(17 July)
Poet Alfred Arteaga, professor of Chicano and ethnic studies, dies at 58
Alfred Arteaga, a UC Berkeley professor of Chicano and ethnic studies, a pioneer in post-colonial and ethnic minority literature studies and an important early Chicano movement poet, has died at age 58.
(11 July)
Clay Felker, legendary editor and founder of UC Berkeley's Felker Magazine Center, dies
Clay Felker, an innovative editor known for his pathbreaking work in American magazines and the namesake of the Felker Magazine Center at the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, died today (Tuesday, July 1) at the age of 82.
(01 July)
Harry Le Grande named vice chancellor for student affairs
After a nationwide search, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau today (Thursday, June 26) named Harry Le Grande to the permanent post of vice chancellor for student affairs. Le Grande, who has worked at UC Berkeley for 27 years, has been serving as the campus's interim vice chancellor for student affairs since January 2007.
(26 June)
For whom wedding bells toll — for keeps
Four years after their high-profile nuptials in San Francisco City Hall, lesbian and gay staff members report on the experience of getting hitched again.
(23 June)
Joseph Frisch professor of mechanical engineering and pioneer in computer-aided design, dies at 87
Joseph Frisch, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of mechanical engineering, who was known as a pioneer in computer-aided design, died June 15 at his home in Berkeley after a prolonged illness. He was 87.
(20 June)
Richard Karp, renowned computer theorist, wins 2008 Kyoto Prize
Richard Karp, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, has been named a laureate of the 2008 Kyoto Prize, Japan's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, in recognition of his lifetime achievements in the field of computer theory.
(20 June)
Beijing or bust
Dozens of top Cal athletes hope to compete in the Summer 2008 Olympics. Some have already qualified for the Beijing Games; others are competing in trials between now and mid July.
(19 June)
International investment banker Frank Yeary joins UC Berkeley as new vice chancellor
Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau has appointed leading international finance banker and UC Berkeley alumnus Frank D. Yeary as a new vice chancellor. Yeary, who resigns as global head of mergers and acquisitions for Citigroup, will report directly to Birgeneau and will advise the chancellor, the executive vice chancellor and provost, and their senior staff on strategic planning and financial issues important to the campus.
(16 June)
Astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel wins million-dollar Shaw Prize
Astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel, a UC Berkeley professor of physics and director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, has been awarded the 2008 Shaw Prize in Astronomy for proving the existence of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The third UC Berkeley scientist to win the astronomy prize, Genzel will receive a cool million dollars.
(10 June)
Stepping down, but staying the course
Caroline Kane is retiring after a quarter-century of biochemical research and full-bore activism on behalf of student diversity.
(04 June)
Charles Henry receives Chancellor’s Award
Charles Henry, professor of African American Studies, has received the Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence for outstanding contributions in research, teaching, and public service that promote diversity and equal opportunity.
(04 June)
Obituary
Don Rogers, who provided significant research support in Cory Hall from 1967-85, died May 19 from complications of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
(04 June)
Students win $180,000 to tackle world's problems
Among the 50 student projects that received a total of $179,000 in the third "Bears Breaking Boundaries" competition this year are proposals to help new mothers in Nigeria and orphans in Nepal, and to encourage bike sharing and energy efficiency in Berkeley.
(03 June)
Geographer David Hooson dies at age 82
David Hooson, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and a scholar of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, national identities and the history of geographic ideas, died on May 16 at the age of 82.
(29 May)
Grad student leaves a 'Jeopardy' record in her wake
Larissa Kelly, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley, lost game #7 of her 'Jeopardy' career on the May 28 show — but not before taking more than $220,000 in winnings, a record for female contestants.
(29 May)
Cal team preps for AIDS/Life Cycle, June 1-7
A 25-member Cal team is gearing up for the 2008 AIDS/LifeCycle, which kicks off Sunday, June 1 in San Francisco. Students and staff on the team will send updates, in an online journal, as they pedal their way to Los Angeles.
(29 May)
Historian Stovall named L&S undergraduate dean
The Undergraduate Division of the College of Letters and Science will have a new dean beginning July 1 with the appointment of Tyler Stovall, a respected history professor who has made modern France, race, labor, and class issues his specialties.
(22 May)
Berkeley Citations awarded to Cummins, SPH’s Spear
Two longtime Berkeley luminaries — a scholar whose work has had a significant impact on public health from California to China, and a senior administrator who has played a pivotal role in crisis management as the top aide to four different chancellors — have been awarded the Berkeley Citation for their “distinguished achievement and notable service to the university” over careers here that together represent nearly three-quarters of a century.
(08 May)
Egyptologist Cathleen Keller dies at age 62
Cathleen "Candy" Keller, an associate professor of Egyptology in the University of California, Berkeley's Department of Near Eastern Studies, died of pancreatic cancer on April 18 at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. She was 62.
(07 May)
Two profesors elected to American Philosophical Society
Professors Francesca Rochberg and Randy Schekman are new members of the American Philosophical Society, the nation's oldest learned society. Three UC Berkeley alumni also are among the society's 38 new members.
(02 May)
John Cummins puts controversy behind him
After 36 years at Berkeley — including two tumultuous decades in a job that often put him in the eye of the hurricane, from political protests to hostage crises and acts of God — the "utility infielder" for four different chancellors calls it a day.
(30 April)
Quok Shee on Angel Island
Of all 200,000 immigrants held in the detention barracks on Angel Island, in San Francisco Bay, none spent longer than 20-year-old Quok Shee, a new arrival from Hong Kong in the days of the Chinese Exclusion Act. In his new book Immigration at the Golden Gate, Institute for Business and Economic Research administrator Robert Barde tells her story as part of a broader look at the West Coast's immigration system then, a narrative that resonates today. Far from being the "Ellis Island of the West," welcoming newcomers from afar, Barde says, Angel Island existed to keep them out.
(30 April)
Laurels
Recent faculty and staff honors and awards.
(30 April)
Three faculty members elected to National Academy of Sciences
Three faculty members of the University of California, Berkeley, are among 72 new members and 18 foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the nation's most prestigious societies of scholars engaged in science and engineering research.
(29 April)
Five faculty elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Five UC Berkeley faculty members are among 212 scholars, scientists, artists, civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders elected April 28 to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, bringing the campus's total membership in AAAS to 227.
(28 April)
Energy expert Alex Farrell has died
Alex Farrell, an associate professor in the Energy and Resources Group who worked closely with state government over the past year to chart a course to reduce California's carbon emissions, died earlier this week at his home in San Francisco. He was 46.
(17 April)
Distinguished Teaching Award 2008 winners
Four professors in the arts and humanities, social sciences and environmental design are recipients of this year's Distinguished Teaching Award at UC Berkeley.
(16 April)
Honoring those who keep the place running
35 campus staffers, many of whom perform essential work far outside the limelight, were singled out as COSA winners in an April 3 ceremony at International House.
(09 April)
Fruit and flowers honor a teacher who ‘knows her stuff’
This year’s student-initiated Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching goes to Ananya Roy.
(09 April)
Shades of gray . . . with a touch of black-and-blue
In her first novel, English lecturer Melanie Abrams takes a literary yet erotic approach to dominant/submissive sex.
(09 April)
Medieval history professor, devoted to students, dead at 79
Gerard Caspary, a UC Berkeley, professor emeritus of medieval history known for his powerful intellect and his exceptional devotion to his students, died at his home in Berkeley this weekend. He was 79.
(09 April)
English Professor Robert Hass wins Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Robert Hass, an award-winning University of California, Berkeley, professor of English and former U.S. poet laureate, has won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his latest book, “Time and Materials.”
(09 April)
Six professors win prestigious Guggenheim fellowships
Six UC Berkeley faculty members, all from the College of Letters & Science, have won prestigious Guggenheim fellowships. They are among 190 artists, scientists and scholars across the nation who were awarded the 2008 fellowships this week.
(08 April)
Robert Hass wins Pulitzer Prize for poetry
Robert Hass, an award-winning UC Berkeley professor of English and former U.S. poet laureate, has won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for poetry for his latest book, "Time and Materials."
(07 April)
Dr. Robert Mishell, professor emeritus of immunology, dies at age 73
Dr. Robert Mishell, a professor emeritus of immunology who discovered the first method of developing antibody-producing cells in vitro, died March 6 at age 73.
(02 April)
It's My Job
In this semi-regular feature, the Berkeleyan showcases a staff member whose work is essential to the smooth functioning of the campus (or one of its many departments and units).
(02 April)
Laurels
Honors, awards, and other faculty and staff achievements of note.
(02 April)
A new honor for indefatigable former faculty
The first Dickson Emeriti Professorship recognizes the ongoing work of Joseph Duggan.
(19 March)
A peer-to-peer-support resource is born
The Disability Staff Resource Network aims to empower employees seeking workplace accommodations.
(12 March)
Laurels
Honors, awards, and other faculty and staff achievements of note.
(12 March)
John H. Freeman, business professor and entrepreneurship pioneer, dies
John H. Freeman, a leader in the field of entrepreneurship and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, died of an apparent heart attack at his home in Lafayette, Calif., on Monday (March 3). He was 63.
(07 March)
Faculty Nightstand
For this edition of Faculty Nightstand, Vicky Kahn, of the department of English and comparative literature, describes a novel by a modern writer whose works are likely to become part of the literary canon: South African novelist J.M. Coetzee, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003.
(27 February)
It's My Job
In this feature, the Berkeleyan showcases a staff member whose work is essential to the smooth functioning of the campus (or one of its many departments and units).
(27 February)
Top UC administrator coming to Berkeley as associate chancellor
Linda Morris Williams, who rose through the ranks to become associate president of the UC system and chief policy adviser to President Robert Dynes, will soon join the Berkeley campus as Associate Chancellor – Government, Community, and Campus Liaison. Williams will take over a number of responsibilities from John Cummins, associate chancellor and chief of staff for the Chancellor’s Immediate Office, who is retiring in June after 36 years on campus.
(20 February)
Music student adds kudos to his CV — a Grammy
As a musician and a scholar, "I'm very much about saying 'we're here,' " says American Indian singer and composer John-Carlos Perea. Over the weekend that message of Native survival got a worldwide stage, when the Paul Winter Consort CD Crestone — featuring contributions from the UC Berkeley doctoral student — won a Grammy for Best New Age Album.
(15 February)
So an EECS prof and an undergrad walk into a computer lab …
Beneath its jokey exterior, Jester 4.0 is serious research, a recommender system that employs complex mathematics to match users with others of similar tastes and preferences. Someday soon, Eigentaste 5.0 — the sophisticated algorithm on which it's based — could even help Chuck Norris find a portfolio of charities to support.
(13 February)
Three faculty elected to National Academy of Engineering
Three UC Berkeley faculty are among 65 new members elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest professional distinctions accorded an American engineer.
(12 February)
It's My Job
In this feature, the Berkeleyan showcases a staff member whose work is essential to the smooth functioning of the campus (or one of its many departments and units).
(06 February)
Laurels
Honors, awards, and other faculty and staff achievements of note.
(06 February)
Jorge Liderman, award-winning composer and music professor, dies at age 50
Jorge Mario Liderman, a distinguished composer and a University of California, Berkeley, music professor, died suddenly Sunday (Feb. 3). He was 50.
(06 February)
For Obama, the act’s the thing
Theater professor Shannon Steen peers into the candidate’s political persona and finds Horatio Alger, Abe Lincoln, and Stanislavski looking back at her.
(30 January)
Albert Bowker, innovative chancellor, dies at age 88
Albert Bowker, a former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, an expert is statistics and an innovative administrator during his decades-long career in higher education across the country, died Sunday in a retirement home in Portola Valley, Calif. He was 88 and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
(22 January)
Antoni K. Oppenheim, world expert on combustion and heat transfer, dies at 92
Antoni Kazimierz Oppenheim, UC Berkeley professor emeritus of mechanical engineering and one of the world's leading experts on combustion and radiation heat transfer, died Saturday, Jan. 12, at the age of 92.
(22 January)
Albert Bowker, innovative UC Berkeley chancellor during 1970s, dies at age 88
Albert H. Bowker, a former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, an expert in statistics and an innovative administrator during his decades-long career in higher education across the country, died Sunday in a retirement home in Portola Valley, Calif. He was 88 and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
(20 January)
New life for the New Deal
Whether we know it or not, Californians are still enjoying the legacy of the Depression era's vast public-works programs, whose workers gave us bridges, parks, hospitals, water systems, art, and more. The Living New Deal Project — an ambitious collaborative effort by geographer Gray Brechin, the campus's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, and citizens throughout the state — aims to make sure we know it.
(16 January)
It's My Job
In this new feature, the Berkeleyan showcases a staff member whose work is essential to the smooth functioning of the campus (or one of its many departments and units).
(16 January)
Obituary
Paul Plouffe, a longtime lecturer for chemical engineering’s undergraduate writing program, has died. He was 68.
(16 January)
