William “Bill” Wing Yen Chu used to enjoy poker and golf until those hobbies were overtaken by a new passion: philanthropy. Hearts to Humanity Eternal is the radical experiment that formed out of Chu’s efforts to rethink what a grantmaking organization can be.
Michael Botchan is the dean of biological sciences at UC Berkeley and a professor of biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology. On June 30, Botchan will step down as dean and start a new life as faculty emeritus in the Graduate Division and senior advisor at the Innovative Genomics Institute. The prospect of a calmer role appears to delight him.
“Being dean is a 24/7 job,” said Botchan. “I'm looking forward to...
Berkeley Social Sciences launched a new program recently to better equip students for successful careers by giving them real-world experiences. The Social Sciences Career Readiness Internship Program (SSCRIP) prepares students for a variety of professions by offering skills workshops, personalized coaching, internship placement assistance, and stipends for unpaid and low-paid internships.
In October, Audrey Liddle joined dozens of students in Durant Hall’s bookshelf-lined atrium to listen to a group of accomplished alums share lessons from their careers. Liddle, a first-year student in astrophysics, was still processing all the opportunities available to her at UC Berkeley and beyond. Her future’s open-ended horizon could feel overwhelming at times.
“I grew up assuming that adults somehow had an ‘aha’...
Brad Morgan and Julie Shin Morgan found their people at UC Berkeley. Julie’s best friend for life, Stella Sebastiani. Brad’s mentor, Paul Bartlett, and his first labmate, Yumi Nakagawa. And, at a party filled with chemistry students and church youth counselors, they fell for one another — “a small town Midwestern boy and a big city girl from LA,” as Brad said.
Moving to Berkeley had been a culture clash for both...
For Irfan Siddiqi, becoming chair of the Department of Physics is about giving back. Since his arrival at UC Berkeley in 2006, Siddiqi has enjoyed the opportunity to teach, write a quantum textbook, and work with stellar graduate students in his lab. Now, he is helping the department plan how to build the “labs of the future” to advance education and research with modern tools.
The group climbed the observatory's stairs and took in the sight they had traveled so far to see: the multistory frame that will soon house the largest digital camera ever constructed. For Steven Kahn, the trip to Chile was both a homecoming and a validation of years of meticulous planning.
This past semester, members of the UC Berkeley community were treated to another thought-provoking series of talks that showcased the work of professors whose research provides the foundation of knowledge for many real-world applications.
With the world’s population expected to surpass 10 billion people by the middle of the century, nutritional concerns have become much more pressing. The Koskella Lab searches for sustainable treatments for various diseases and pests that impact farmers’ crops. To do so, Koskella and her researchers are looking closely at bacteria.
