Homecoming & Parents Weekend 2002 By Genevieve Shiffrar October 8, 2002

Homecoming & Parents Weekend 2002 at UC Berkeley will be filled with fun events for everyone. Starting Friday, October 18th and running through Sunday afternoon October 20th, Homecoming & Parents Weekend will be capped by the Cal Bears football game against the UCLA Bruins in Memorial Stadium on Saturday (4:00 p.m. kick-off time). However, you don't need to be a football fan to enjoy Homecoming and Parents Weekend: Faculty Seminars, Guided Tours, Open Houses, and the Cal CubFest for Kids are just some of the activities for everyone.

The College of Letters & Science welcomes L&S alumni, students, parents and friends to the L&S Picnic with the Profs, part of the Bear Affair Brunch on Saturday, starting at 9:45 a.m. The Picnic is a great opportunity for anyone to enjoy a casual brunch and chat with distinguished faculty and deans. The location in the Reserved Seating Section of Homecoming Headquarters just west of the Campanile will be an excellent venue from which to enjoy live entertainment and view Chancellor Berdahl giving his Keynote Address at 10:00 a.m. Registration required.*

An alumna listens to a faculty seminar, 2001. Photo: Peg Skorpinski

The Faculty Seminars are some of the most inspirational and informative events of the weekend. Registering* for the seminars allows participants to learn about fascinating issues from renowned experts in a variety of fields.

The most important event for L&S parents is a special faculty seminar given by Dean Kwong-loi Shun of the L&S Undergraduate Division: Academic Nuts and Bolts of the College of Letters & Science: A Primer for Cal Parents. In this seminar, Dean Shun introduces parents and other interested participants to the College of Letters & Science and the rich academic opportunities open to students at every stage of their liberal arts education. This seminar will take place Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in 1 Le Conte -- Please note that this is a room change from the printed program.

In addition, there are eight other Letters & Science Faculty Seminars on a range of issues in the liberal arts:

• Bruce Cain, Robson Professor of Political Science, will discuss Politics of the Not-So Golden State. Professor Cain will look at topical subjects in California and U.S. politics including the upcoming gubernatorial race, the budget crisis, and the growing difficulty with the state's infrastructure. 110 South Hall, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friday.

• Marian Diamond, Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, will present What's New about Brains and Enrichment. A surge of new information about the impact of an enriched environment on your brain has appeared in the 1990s and 2000s. Professor Diamond will bring you up to date on the latest studies on psychological stress, emotional stability, memory, neurogenesis, and the effects of nerve growth factor. This seminar is sponsored by the Class of '52. Lipman Room, 8th Floor of Barrows Hall, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Friday.

• Alan Dundes, Professor of Anthropology and Folklore, will explore Folklore in the Bible and Qur'an. Professor Dundes will discuss the importance of oral tradition in the development of the Old and New Testaments and the Qur'an. All of these sacred texts were transmitted orally for many years prior to being set down in written form. An understanding of the nature of folklore (oral tradition) is critical for better understanding the foundational cornerstones of three of the world's major religions. 145 Dwinelle Hall, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Saturday.

• Robert Full, Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, will discuss Bipedal Bugs, Galloping Ghosts, and Gripping Geckos: Bio-Inspiration for Computer Animation, Adhesives, Artificial Muscles, and Robots. How do animals move the way they do, and what can we learn from them? Hear how Cal undergrads are making groundbreaking discoveries. Lipman Room, 8th floor of Barrows Hall, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Friday.

• Lucia Jacobs, Associate Professor of Psychology, will present Women, Men and the Evolution of Spatial Navigation. Professor Jacobs will discuss how women and men differ in their approach to spatial navigation and how this is related to fundamental differences in how they solve spatial reasoning problems. This seminar, and a reception following the seminar, are sponsored by Prytanean Alumnae, Inc. 370 Dwinelle Hall, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Friday.

• Kathleen Moran, Assistant Director of the American Studies Program, will discuss Kitchens, Color, Identity: How to Teach Americans to Spend Money. The study of food (as agriculture, economy, ritual, social communication, nutritional politics, global business, art, gender practice, ethnic traditions, cookbooks, etc.) is a flourishing interdisciplinary enterprise. In this talk, Moran will discuss kitchen design and the birth of the consumer ethic in 20th-century America. Lipman Room, 8th floor of Barrows Hall, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friday.

• Bernard Sadoulet, Professor of Physics, will describe The Dark Side of the Universe. Recent cosmological observations indicate that the universe is made mostly of something other than ordinary matter: a clumping "dark matter," yet to be identified and a mysterious repelling "dark energy." Is this the ultimate Copernican revolution or a sign that we do not understand gravity? 370 Dwinelle Hall, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Friday.

Whether you participate in the Class Procession to Memorial Stadium, tour the backstage of Zellerbach Hall, explore the Botanical Garden, or learn something new in a Faculty Seminar, Homecoming and Parents Weekend 2002 on October 18 - 20 is sure to be fun and memorable.

* Most events, including the Picnic with the Profs and the Faculty Seminars, require registration. Call (888) UNIV-CAL or see the Berkeley Homecoming & Parents Weekend website for registration options as well as the complete schedule of events.