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Steven
Chu, Ph.D. 1976, is the current U.S. Secretary of Energy. Chu previously was director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he galvanized the Berkeley research community around the quest for scientific solutions to the twin problems of global warming and the need for carbon-neutral renewable sources of energy. He has called these problems "the greatest challenge facing science" and has rallied many of the world's top scientists to address it. It was at Bell Laboratories where Chu performed the research that led to his shared
1997 Nobel Prize in physics, developing methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light. More Berkeley Nobel laureates>
The Stockton, Cal.-born daughter of Chinese immigrants, Maxine
Hong Kingston '62 was one of the first Asian-American
writers in the United States to achieve wide recognition and acclaim
for her work. Her most famous book, "The Woman Warrior" (1976),
for which she won a National Book award, remains widely taught in universities
around the world. In 1997 President Bill Clinton awarded Hong Kingston
a National Humanities Medal for bringing the Asian-American experience "to
life for millions of readers and [inspiring] a new generation of writers
to make their own unique voices and experiences heard." More
arts and letters alumni>
Carl
Franklin didn't have far to
travel when he enrolled at UC Berkeley; the A-list movie director
grew up just a few miles north, in Richmond. A history major
bitten by the theater bug, he moved to
New York to act right after graduating in 1971. Shakespeare
in the Park turned into cookie-cutter roles on TV shows like
the A-Team and MacGyver, which drove Franklin to begin writing
and directing his own films. After a rocky start, he had his
first hit with 1991's "One
False Move," an
independent thriller that he
wrote and directed. After the film's
unexpected success, Franklin went on to direct "Devil
in a Blue Dress," "One
True Thing," "High
Crimes," and "Out of Time." More
entertainment alumni>
Swimmer Natalie Coughlin has won 11 Olympic medals. In 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, Coughlin added six medals to the five she had won in Athens in 2004. In 1998 here at Cal, she became the first person to ever qualify for Nationals in every event, every distance and every stroke. The Bay Area native was the NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and on two days in March 2002, produced the fastest swims ever in the 100y freestyle, 100y and 200y backstroke and 100y butterfly.
More sports alumni> 
Maria
Echaveste,
J.D. '80, was deputy chief of staff for the Clinton Administration
from April 1998 until Dec. 2001, making her the highest-ranking
Latino ever to have served in the White House. The oldest
of seven children of farm workers, she was an accomplished
bankruptcy litigator before joining Clinton’s 1992
Presidential campaign, later heading the Department of
Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
Today she works with Nueva Vista, a public policy and Latino
advocacy group, and is a member of the Executive Committee
of the Democratic National Convention. More
government/law alumni>
Wizardly
Steve Wozniak '86,
fondly known as "Woz," took
quite a while to complete his degree in electrical engineering
and computer science (EECS). That's because in
1972 he took some time out to help birth the personal computer
revolution. He designed Apple Computer's first line of products,
the Apple I and II, with Steve Jobs, and helped produce the
Macintosh; in 1987 he returned to Berkeley to finish his B.S.
Now a well-known Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist, Wozniak
was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1985 and inducted
into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2000. More
technology alumni>
PowerBar founder Brian
Maxwell came to Cal in 1971 on a track scholarship,
coached the Golden Bears in distance running, and singlehandedly
launched the energy-snack craze. In 1977, he was ranked the No.
3 marathon runner in the world and in 1980, was part of the Olympic
team that boycotted the games in Moscow. PowerBar started in his
kitchen in 1987, when Brian and his wife, Jennifer, began to cook
up prototypes out of frustration with the junk food his athletes
favored. Before his death this year, Maxwell was a generous supporter
of his alma mater, helping renovate Haas Pavilion and underwriting
new turf for Kleeberger Field, now known as the Maxwell Family
Field. More
business alumni>
Clark
Kerr, Ph.D. '39, is widely revered as
one of the most important figures in public education of
the 20th century. Kerr served
as UC Berkeley's first chancellor, from 1952 to 1958, when
he was became president of the University of California
system, serving until 1967. It was an era of tremendous
growth, planning and student unrest. By the time he departed,
the nine-campus UC system was in place, and enrollment had
doubled to 87,000 students, and the state had implemented
his Master
Plan for Higher Education, which assured access to public
higher education for all California students and defined
the roles of the state's educational institutions — and
landed Kerr on the cover of Time magazine.
More
education alumni>
Alice
Waters
opened her Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse in 1971, just four
years after she graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in
French Cultural Studies. California cuisine would never be
the same. More than anyone else, Waters is responsible for
the idea that the food we eat should be grown locally using
sustainable, organic methods. The recipient of numerous culinary
awards, Chez Panisse is still the favorite destination of visiting
celebrities like Bill Clinton as well as Berkeley students
with something to celebrate
… and deep pockets. More
alumni>
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