Looking back on yet another unprecedented year, Berkeley College of Letters and Science has compiled “21 News Highlights of 2021”—a recap of some of the incredible things L&S students, faculty, and alumni accomplished during the year. Here are some stories that highlight the extraordinary work of L&S students and faculty and the generosity of our alumni and friends.
Accolades
President Biden Appoints Saul Perlmutter, Inez Fung to Science Advisory Council
Berkeley Alumna, Varsha Sarveshwar, Appointed a 2022 Rhodes Scholar
UC Berkeley No.1 on Forbes’ List of America’s Top Colleges
Through times of crisis, 2021 University Medal finalists embraced leadership
Two L&S Professors Awarded 2021 Guggenheim Fellowships
Research and Faculty Highlights
Tracking Parkinson’s Disease from its Origins
“Junk DNA” Plays a Critical Role in Mammalian Development
Positive Online Interactions help Teenagers Feel less Lonely in Lockdown
Advancing Black Intellectual Tradition
Next Dean of Arts and Humanities in the College of Letters & Science
Student Spotlights
Investigating Why We Eat What We Eat
Disabled and Empowered: How Mariana Soto Sanchez Found Self-Advocacy at Berkeley
A Theatre Degree to Show her Son she’s Pursuing her Dream
Ph.D. Graduate on Keeping Jazz Alive, the Renaissance of Black Protest Music
First-Year Student Juggles Book Tour & First Semester at College Online
An Alum's Passion for Neuroanatomy & Psychology
Giving
Economics Alum Supports Graduates with $10.5M Estate Gift
A Trio of Gifts, $75 Million, Set to Accelerate Leading Computing and Data Science Position
The Kapors’ Gift to Diversify the Next Generation of Science and Tech Leaders
Campus Funding for Sponsored Research Tops $1 Billion for the First Time