Alumni

Historical confirmation: Berkeley Economics alumna Lisa Cook becomes first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board

May 23, 2022

Economist Lisa Cook smiling at camera in front of a whiteboard, and leaning next to booksOn May 10, 2022, Dr. Lisa DeNell Cook, UC Berkeley alumna, was confirmed to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. She is the first Black woman to serve on the Fed in its 108-year history. As governor, Cook will take part in setting U.S. monetary policy and stabilizing the national financial system...

Learning at the Intersection of Business and the Arts: Jeena Chong, Founder of Cityface, and the Inspiration of the Big Ideas Course “Collaborative Innovation”

The UC Berkeley community spans countless disciplines and provides a unique environment for creation and innovation. “Collaborative Innovation,” one of the College of Letters & Science’s Big Idea Courses, seeks to foster that culture by bringing together the disciplines of business, theater,...

A New Program is Launched in Cognitive Science Thanks to a Generous Gift

March 14, 2022

“People have been discussing the idea of a graduate program in Cognitive Science at Berkeley since at least the early 90s,” says Terry Regier, a Professor of Linguistics and a previous director of the Cognitive Science program. This long-hoped-for goal will finally come true, in the form of a PhD designated emphasis (DE), thanks to support from the Social Science Division, the Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences (ICBS), the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and a generous gift from Metta Murdaya ‘97 (Architecture and Cognitive Science).

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UC Berkeley commencement for class of 2021 speaks on preservation

December 20, 2021

The graduating class of 2021 shared a single emotion: preservation. Being able to survive the most recent years strengthened the class and created a sense of connection and family between its members.

During Saturday’s commencement, the host, campus Associate Dean of Students Alfred Day, recognized the original settlers of the Berkeley area, the Huchiun. He acknowledged everyone benefits from the land in the Berkeley area and that it is the responsibility of the UC Berkeley community to acknowledge these original residents and their current prosperity.

“Consistent with our...

Bathsheba Demuth (Ph.D. '17) Awarded John H. Dunning Prize by AHA

November 1, 2021

Bathsheba Demuth (Ph.D. '17) has been awarded the John H. Dunning Prize by the AHA for her book Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait (W.W. Norton, 2019). Demuth is currently an Assistant Professor of History & Environment and Society at Brown University. The John H. Dunning Prize is awarded for an outstanding monograph on...

When ecology meets art, you get a dating site for trees

November 19, 2021

In 2015, as a Ph.D. student at UC Santa Cruz, Juniper Harrower was planning to go back to Costa Rica, where she’d been working in the cloud forests to study patterns of forest regeneration. But then she learned something — something heart-wrenching — that would change the path of her research.

“Scientists had just found out that Joshua trees were really impacted by climate change and could be gone from the National Park within 100 years,” said Harrower. “When I read that, it was such a gut punch.”

Meet Alum Alan Munoz '20, Honors Fellow (Political Economy)

November 19, 2021
Alan Munoz '20, Political Economy Alan Munoz is a recent UC Berkeley graduate with a BA in Political Economy. As an alumnus of the Fung Fellowship, having been a part of the program for two years, he shares what he’s been doing after graduation and how the fellowship shaped his professional interests in public health and design.

Hello, my name is Alan Munoz, and I am a recent graduate of...

Professor Peter Nelson adds wildland firefighting to his expertise

November 16, 2021

Peter Nelson, a California Native American who joined the faculty in January 2021.For Peter Nelson, stepping foot on the UC Berkeley campus last January as a new faculty member, after 3 1/2 years on the San Diego State University faculty, was a return to his alma mater, where he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology.

Returning to Northern...

Memory of Dr. Sam Dubal '15 Honored Through $1M Anthropology Fellowship

September 7, 2021

Sam Dubal '15The Sam Dubal Fellowship in Critical Cultural and Medical Anthropology honors the legacy of Sam Dubal, M.D., Ph.D. ’15, as an anthropologist, activist, medical doctor, professor, and ardent contributor to many vibrant intellectual communities. Dubal’s family generously established a fellowship following his tragic disappearance during a hike on Mt. Rainier in October 2020. The Dubal family’s gift,...