On Wednesday, October 9, the College of Letters & Science Administrative Advisory Committee (AAC) hosted its inaugural L&S Brown Bag Lunch and Learn. One of several new initiatives by the recently revamped AAC, the Lunch and Learn provides L&S staff members an opportunity to connect with their colleagues and learn more about the intellectual work of the College. Featured speakers L&S Executive Dean Jennifer Johnson-Hanks and Molecular and Cell Biology and Physics Professor Hernan Gustavo Garcia were led in conversation by moderator Aileen Liu, Director of Curricular Engagement Initiatives, on the topic “What is Understanding?”
Johnson-Hanks, a professor of demography and sociology, described how cultural demography considers how “our values, our beliefs, our symbols that make meaning for us… inform our actions and how those actions aggregate.” Using this social science framework, she seeks to understand questions around child-bearing and marriage.
Garcia, meanwhile, described his tools for seeking understanding as a physicist and biologist in terms of theory and lab experimentation, describing for example, how “under the microscope… we can see how individual genes get turned on and off in single cells of a full, living, multicellular organism.”
Johnson-Hanks and Garcia carried a thoughtful discussion, in which they investigated each other's approaches to seeking understanding, and answered a series of questions from staff members in the audience, covering topics such as the implications of AI for their work and management of emergent properties.
AAC Deans' Office Representative and L&S Undergraduate Studies Division Assistant Dean of Finance & Administration Rebecca Sablo extended her appreciation to the speakers for their participation in the Lunch and Learn and said, “Such opportunities to bridge scholarly boundaries and exchange ideas are a cornerstone of the College. The strong staff attendance demonstrates our collective desire for more college-wide engagement across our staff, faculty and student populations.”
The AAC plans to continue the Brown Bag Lunch and Learn series at least once a semester, in addition to their other staff-focused initiatives, including recognition initiatives like the L&S Staff Achievement Awards and the L&S High Five program and professional development initiatives like the L&S Staff Professional Development Program. More information about L&S staff recognition and support programs are available online, and staff who are interested in organizing future lunches or nominating speakers may contact the AAC via email at lsaac@berkeley.edu
