UC Berkeley - 2001 News Archives

UC Berkeley >

Current stories

Stories from 2009

Stories from 2008

Stories from 2007

Stories from 2006

Stories from 2005

Stories from 2004

Stories from 2003

Stories from 2002

	NEWS SEARCH

NewsCenter

MEDIA
RELATIONS

  Press Releases

  Image Downloads

  Contacts

Stories from 2001:

Engineers subject three-story structure to major earthquake
A full-scale three-story apartment building sustained only minor damage after engineers put it through a series of powerful shake tests.
(press release, 21 December)

World's smallest laser caught in act of lasing by UC Berkeley chemists
Chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, have taken snapshots of the world's smallest laser in action.
(press release, 20 December)

Researchers explore 1,000 years of Hawaiian history in search of insights into cultural & environmental sustainability
Many of the cultural and natural co-evolutionary processes that happened in Hawaii over the millennium prior to European contact have also happened elsewhere and are taking place today on a global environmental scale. Researchers are exploring this past in an attempt to help us foretell and guide our own futures.
(press release, 19 December)

Seismic test of retrofitted apartment results in only minor damage (with video)
A seismically retrofitted three-story apartment building swung from side to side but survived almost unscathed when Berkeley engineers subjected it to shaking equivalent to that which occurred during the major 1994 Northridge, California earthquake. Video provides several views of the simulated quake.
(press release, 13 December)

UC Berkeley graduate students' Sept. 11 anthology generates worldwide interest among teachers and students
Two Berkeley graduate students in anthropology are generating global interest with "September 11: Contexts and Consequences," a 600-page paperback reader they edited to provide critical thinking and informed debate about the international conflict.
(press release, 5 December)

Lobster sniffing: how lobsters' hairy noses capture smells in the sea
Investigating how lobsters sniff their way around a watery world, researchers are learning how animal antennae capture odor molecules. By understanding which designs of odor-catching antennae work successfully in nature, robot builders are honing in on efficient ways to create odor sensors.
(press release, 30 November)

Professor Michael Rogin, political scientist and influential teacher, dies following short illness
Michael Rogin, political science professor and master teacher here for more than three decades, has died at the age of 64. Rogin was a prolific author and will be remembered for his compassion, his wit, and his "passionate engagement."
(press release, 29 November)

Transgenic DNA discovered in native Mexican corn, according to a new study by UC Berkeley researchers
In a study published in Nature, researchers report that some of Mexico's native varieties of corn, grown in remote regions, have been contaminated by transgenic DNA.
(press release, 29 November)

Expert on head impacts sets out to reform way authorities diagnose shaken baby syndrome
Mechanical engineer Werner Goldsmith has written more than 50 papers on the biomechanics of head and neck injury. Goldsmith says medical examiners are focusing on symptoms with ambiguous causes yet overlooking a telltale sign, neck damage.
(press release, 27 November)

Triangular-flapped aircraft wing significantly reduces wake turbulence
Adding triangular flaps to the design of aircraft wings dramatically cuts the strength of turbulence generated in a plane's wake, according to research at the University of California, Berkeley. Researchers say the new wing designs would quickly render wake turbulence harmless after takeoffs and landings.
(press release, 20 November)

UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science entry garners "Toy of the Year" award
The Lawrence Hall of Science, famed as a museum and for its development of science curricula, has entered the toy market and scored big. A fizzy chemistry kit called Soda Pop Science, has won a "Toy of the Year" award, an honor some have termed the Oscars of the toy industry
(press release, 19 November)

Researchers find 17 states still offer no Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation treatments
More states are providing Medicaid coverage to help smokers quit, but 17 states still do not. Researchers argue that helping smokers quit not only provides health benefits, it can reduce costs associated with tobacco-related diseases. In fact, they maintain that smoking cessation treatments may be the gold standard for cost-effectiveness in medical care.
(press release, 8 November)

New drug policy study reveals legalization is not the only alternative to America's "war on drugs"
A new study based upon 10 years of research concludes that the nation's drug problems cannot be solved by blanket legalization nor by a zero tolerance policy. After exploring America's previous encounters with prohibition and regulation as well as various drug policies being tried in Western Europe and elsewhere, researchers conclude that the best approach falls within a range of options outside of the extremes of blanket legalization and zero tolerance.
(press release, 8 November)

UC Berkeley officials taking action to halt spread of tree-killing pathogen found on campus
Sudden Oak Death has infected three trees on the Berkeley campus, leading campus officials to take aggressive steps to contain its spread and protect the landscape. Officials believe the disease only recently spread to campus and that they have managed to detect it at the outset.
(press release, 31 October)

UC Berkeley expert on insect flight receives prestigious MacArthur "genius" award
His e-mail moniker is "flyman," he is one of the world's experts on the aerodynamics of flying insects, and as of today (Oct. 24), Michael Dickinson is a MacArthur Fellow. Dickinson, 38, professor of integrative biology in UC Berkeley's College of Letters & Science, was among 23 new fellows announced today by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
(press release, 24 October)

Molecular motor powerful enough to pack DNA into viruses at greater than champagne pressures, researchers report
The DNA inside some viruses is packed so tightly that the internal pressure reaches 10 times that in a champagne bottle, according to researchers here and at the University of Minnesota. The molecular motor responsible for this compression can pack DNA to a pressure of about 60 atmospheres. Researchers suspect that this helps the virus spurt its DNA into a cell once it has latched onto the surface.
(press release, 18 October)

New student political publication debuts with first issue focused on aftermath of September 11
Students here have launched the Berkeley Political Review, a quarterly publication written from a students' perspective that looks at issues such as coalition building and international relations, civil liberties and national security, and the troubled economy. The first issue, which is online, focuses on the nation's response to the September 11 attacks.
(press release, 16 October)

Soy protein prevents skin tumors from developing in mice, UC Berkeley researchers find
New research may add yet another boost to the healthy reputation of the humble soybean. A study published Oct. 15 in the journal Cancer Research shows that mice with the soy protein lunasin applied to their skin had significantly lower rates of skin cancer than mice without the lunasin treatment.
(press release, 15 October)

UC police offer tips for safe handling of mail (60K PDF file)
Many people on campus have questions about how mailrooms and offices should handle mail that may contain a written threat of chemical or biological material inside, or mail that may contain some form of powder. UC Police provide guidelines and advice developed jointly by health professionals, the FBI, and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
(15 October)

George Akerlof wins Nobel Prize in Economics
George A. Akerlof, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of a landmark study on the role of asymmetrical information in the market for "lemon" used cars, today (10/10/01) was named a co-winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in economics.
(10 October)

Tickets available for Nobel Centennial celebration in San Francisco
Tickets remain available to a special Friday, October 26 symposium celebrating the California Nobel Prize Centennial. According to the Consulates General of Sweden, which initiated the centennial program, California with 103 Laureates has the largest concentration of Nobelists in the world. Of these, 17 are from UC Berkeley. At the Oct. 26 event, held at San Francisco's Exploratorium, Nobel Laureates - including UC Berkeley's Daniel McFadden and Donald A. Glaser - will discuss the impact of the prize on their lives and the world.

September 11: Updates on the Campus Response
This web site includes links to articles detailing the ongoing campus reaction to the terror of September 11. Articles include coverage of the September 17 memorial service at which more than 12,000 members of the campus community joined to mourn and reflect on events.

Report from ground zero: Engineer studies World Trade Center rubble for insights on how to strengthen future buildings
Structural engineer Abolhassan Astaneh conducted a two-week scientific reconnaissance of the collapsed towers. Learning of plans to immediately recycle the steel rubble, he helped persuade authorities to allow structural engineers to examine the metal to determine its future structural integrity.
(Berkeleyan, 4 October)

New multi-drug resistant strain of E. coli emerges across country
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, UC Berkeley researchers found that a new strain of E. coli bacteria accounted for 38 to 50 percent of the drug-resistant forms of urinary tract infections in women from three distinct regions in the United States.
(press release, 3 October)

Iron-deficient children at risk for higher levels of lead in their blood
Iron deficiency can threaten the mental and physical development of young children. Now, a study by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the state health department adds new evidence that insufficient iron levels may also be putting children at higher risk for increased lead exposure.
(press release, 3 October)

Cal Homecoming and Parents Weekend 2001
Cal Homecoming & Parents Weekend brought 4,000 members of the campus family back to Berkeley on September 28 to 30. Check out the online slide show for an overview of events.

Voting officials should move from punch card ballots to electronic and optical scan systems, UC Berkeley research shows
Among the nation's 100 largest voting jurisdictions, which served 40 million voters in the 2000 election, electronic and optical scan machines outperformed all other machines, producing fewer overcounted or undercounted votes. Researchers found that punch card ballot systems were the worst performers.
(press release, 1 October)

Rolling right through campus: UC police to start safety education program at Berkeley on Monday
In an effort to improve pedestrian safety on the Berkeley campus, the campus Police Department will kick off a new Bicycle Education Safety Training program. Starting Monday, Oct. 1, patrol officers will begin issuing citations to bicyclists, skateboarders, rollerbladers and people on scooters who roll through pedestrian-only areas on campus. The dismount zones - in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays - include Sproul and Dwinelle plazas on the south side of campus.
(press release, 27 September)

Jobs and sales double when trash is recycled instead of disposed, UC Berkeley report finds
The environment isn't the only thing benefiting from recycling. Diverting garbage also gives the California economy a hefty boost, according to a report by a UC Berkeley economist. An analysis of 1999 data reveals that diverting trash in California created twice as much personal income and generated twice as many jobs as dumping it into landfills. The analysis was authored by George Goldman, a cooperative extension economist in the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics at UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources, and by Aya Ogishi, a doctoral student in the same department.
(press release, 27 September)

Chancellor, Mrs. Berdahl honor standout campus-community collaborations
At a time when the importance of community has been highlighted in the starkest terms, Chancellor and Mrs. Berdahl paid tribute to nine programs that bring campus resources to bear on pressing needs of local residents. "Given the events of the past couple of weeks, we appreciate more fully than ever the nature of community," Berdahl said at the University and Community Partnerships recognition celebration.
(Berkeleyan, 27 September)

McCain comes to campus to help honor American hero
A private memorial service for Cal alumnus Mark Bingham turned into a public celebration of the life of a hero when U.S. Sen. John McCain honored Bingham, one of the passengers aboard hijacked United Airlines Flight 93. McCain noted that the hijackers on Flight 93 may well have had the U.S. Capitol as their target. The actions of Bingham and others aboard to bring the flight down over western Pennsylvania may well have saved his life that day, McCain said.
(Berkeleyan, 26 September)

UC Berkeley-led initiative to promote societal benefits of information technology wins $7.5 million grant from NSF
The National Science Foundation has announced a five-year, $7.5 million grant to the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, a new UC Berkeley-led initiative that will sponsor innovative research to solve some of the nation's toughest economic and social challenges. The NSF grant will support work in two of the major application areas that CITRIS is exploring: energy efficiency and disaster preparedness.
(press release, 25 September)

Cal alumni from "The War Classes" to the 1990s to gather for Homecoming and Parents Weekend
Students at the UC Berkeley - most of whom have never faced the prospect of war - will meet UC Berkeley alumni who know the subject well this coming weekend. From Sept. 28-30, alumni from the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War eras will be on campus to celebrate reunions. The events are part of the annual Cal Homecoming & Parents Weekend, which is expected to draw some 4,000 alumni, parents, students and friends.
(press release, 24 September)

Innovative 'town and gown' partnerships receive high honors from UC Berkeley chancellor
Nine of the leading programs that represent partnerships between UC Berkeley and northern California community groups were honored at the second annual University/Community Partners Recognition reception on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at UC Berkeley. Hosted by Chancellor Robert Berdahl and his wife, Peg Berdahl, the event highlights projects in the areas of public health, economic development and revitalization, cultural and educational enrichment, youth literacy services and legal assistance for low-income and disabled individuals.
(press release, 24 September)

Positive emotions, including laughter are important paths out of trauma, according to UC Berkeley psychologist
Could laughter be the best medicine for dealing with trauma? A UC Berkeley social psychologist says it should be high on the list, along with other positive emotions, as a way to get past trauma. While Americans may be confused about feeling positive emotions in this time of national tragedy, Psychology Professor Dacher Kelter urges the use of laughter, awe, amusement, love, compassion, pride and desire to find the path out of trauma.
(press release, 20 September)

Better pay for airport screeners improves job performance, reduces turnover, say UC Berkeley researchers
Increasing wages for airport security workers significantly reduces turnover and improves job performance, according to a preliminary study by a UC Berkeley research team examining innovative programs at San Francisco's airport. The report comes as national attention focuses on how to improve security and safety at airports, as well as on the impacts of low pay, inadequate training and turnover among the nation's 8,000 pre-board baggage screeners.
(press release, 20 September)

Cal Athletes Honor East Coast Victims
In tribute to those East Coast victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Cal athletes will display the American flag on their uniforms this fall. The Golden Bears football team will wear flag decals on their helmets at this Saturday's game against Washington State in Pullman, Wash. In addition, cloth patches of the U.S. flag will arrive on campus early next week and will be worn by other Cal athletic teams in competition.

During ceremonies prior to the Bears' home football game against Washington Sept. 29, UC Berkeley's athletic department also will honor former Cal athletes Mark Bingham (rugby) and Brent Woodall (football), as well as other members of the Cal family who are missing or feared dead as a result of this national tragedy.
(20 September)

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl affirms campus's commitment to First Amendment rights.
Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl has issued a statement on freedom of speech and expression, urging that we respect the right of others to freely speak and publish their points of view, especially during this time of heightened sensitivity and emotion.
(press release, 19 September)

Prof argues that new steps aren't enough to ensure airline security
Airline security will not be assured by technology alone. Nor will eliminating curbside check-in and creating long passenger lines at the ticket counters necessarily help, according to a Professor Karlene Roberts in the Haas School of Business whose associates are looking hard at the industry in the light of last week's tragic hijackings.
(Berkeleyan, 19 September)

The Campus Remembers
Under a gray, somber sky, more than 12,000 gathered on Memorial Glade on the UC Berkeley campus on Monday, Sept. 17, to reflect and remember the dead and missing in the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Some brought flowers, others raised flags and signs of peace -- all sought the solace of a community devoted to reason and tolerance. Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl told the crowd, "Let those of us who hold the candle of learning in our hands, hold firm in the vigil for freedom and reasoned discourse."
(Web feature, 18 September)

Links:
Campus gathers, 12,000 strong, to mourn, reflect
A moment worth remembering
Slideshow

Web site lets public check on loved ones in New York, Washington
A UC Berkeley faculty member and two computer science students have created an Web site to help people check on the safety of loved ones following terrorist attacks on the East Coast. The site allows individuals in the affected cities to post information about their status, and others to search the database through the Internet.
(press release, 12 September)

Berkeley national security expert is eyewitness to World Trade Tower attack
Associate Professor Steve Weber, an expert on national security issues, witnessed from a Manhattan skyscraper the attack on the World Trade Center on Tuesday morning. The political scientist, who last year worked on a blue-ribbon report to Congress on national security in the 21st century, saw the plane crash into the second tower from the 16th floor of Rockefeller Center. The national commission on which he served devoted considerable attention to homeland defense and terrorism. But he said an attack of the dimensions of the September 11 events would not have been seen as a serious scenario. "It's inconceivable; it's never happened anywhere in the world," he said.
(Berkeleyan, 11 September)

Campus comes together in time of tragedy
Throngs of students, faculty and staff came together in Sproul Plaza on Tuesday to process their emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States and work through their emotions. Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl and other campus leaders joined the group on the plaza. He said the campus remains open, but it is not "business as usual" at Berkeley.
(Berkeleyan, 11 September)

Chancellor Berdahl, President Atkinson issue statements in wake of tragedy
Both University of California, Berkeley Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl and University of California President Richard C. Atkinson expressed their shock and sadness at the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., and said that while the University would remain open, counseling and support would be available to students, faculty and staff.
(11 September)

Museum to re-open Sept. 12 with new fall exhibits
The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum, closed since spring for seismic retrofit work, will re-open Sept. 12 with a set of new exhibits. The fall exhibition program includes a display of large-scale sculpture by Martin Puryear and a museum retrospective of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, a Korean-American conceptual artist. Construction on the museum's interior will be finished in time for the opening, but exterior work will continue into the fall.
(Berkeleyan, 10 September)

Conferences mark 50th anniversary of U.S.-Japan peace treaty
Two conferences sponsored in part at least by the campus mark the anniversary of the 1951 peace treaty the United States signed with Japan. One conference, "The United States and Japan: An Enduring Partnership in a Changing World," will look at the relations between the two former enemies, now strong allies. And a counter-conference will address Japanese aggression against neighboring nations during World War II.
(Berkeleyan, 5 September)

Links:
Campus scholars, students join politicos to debate issues of U.S.-Japanese interest
Counter-conference addresses Japanese aggression against neighboring nations

Campus announces merit salary plans for non-represented staff
With a tight state budget, campus administrators approved a plan last week that will provide a merit increase equal to the merit control figure for all non-represented staff who receive a ranking of satisfactory or higher on their performance evaluation. The figure, to be determined in the coming weeks, will not be higher than the 2 percent allocated to UC for salaries and benefits. Represented staff salary increases are subject to the collective bargaining process, and plans for faculty increases are still under development.
(Berkeleyan, 5 September)

Building naming honors Maslachs
The Clark Kerr Campus residence hall known for 20 years simply as Building No. 8 got a new name last week - George and Doris Cuneo Maslach Hall - in honor of the couple's decades of service to UC Berkeley. George Maslach is a former professor, dean, provost and vice chancellor. His wife, Doris, is a strong student housing advocate who was instrumental in helping the campus acquire the Clark Kerr Campus.
(Berkeleyan, 5 September)

Doris Calloway, pioneering nutritional scientist and UC Berkeley professor emerita, dies at 78
Ground-breaking scientist Doris Calloway rose to the top of her career in several arenas during her 27 years at UC Berkeley. She died Friday, Aug. 31. Her "Penthouse" studies, for example, which ran from 1964 to 1981, monitored the diets of volunteers who lived six at a time for up to three months in an apartment in Morgan Hall. She meticulously studied their protein metabolism - analyzing even their sweat, hair and skin loss. Those studies influenced national standards for dietary allowances. Calloway also was the first woman to become a senior administrator at UC Berkeley - in 1981, then-Chancellor Ira Michael Heyman appointed her provost of the professional schools. "She broke the ice, and that wasn't easy," said Heyman, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of law and city planning. " She was one of my most cherished appointments as chancellor."
(press release, 5 September)

Haas school partners with Columbia to start national social venture competition
The Haas School of Business is taking its Social Venture Competition national in a new partnership with Columbia University and the Goldman Sachs Foundation. The competition invites aspiring entrepreneurs to develop plans for businesses that have a clear, quantifiable social return as well as a healthy financial bottom line.
(press release, 5 September)

Tickets available for Nobel Centennial celebration in San Francisco
Beginning Wed., September 5, tickets are available to a special Friday, October 26 symposium celebrating the California Nobel Prize Centennial. According to the Consulates General of Sweden, which initiated the centennial program last year, California has the largest concentration of Nobelists in the world. From Oct. 24-27, celebrations will take place in San Francisco and Los Angeles. At the Oct. 26 event, held at San Francisco's Exploratorium, Nobel Laureates - including economist Daniel McFadden and physicist Donald A. Glaser, both from Berkeley - will discuss the impact of the prize on their lives and the world.
(Berkeleyan, 4 September)

Cancer-detecting microchip - a micromachined cantilever - is sensitive assay for prostate cancer and potentially other diseases, researchers report
A microscopic diving board the size of a human hair may prove to be an ideal detector of proteins or DNA, with potential application in disease diagnosis or drug discovery. The MEMS device, a microcantilever, bends when molecules bind to the surface. A team from UC Berkeley, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and USC report in Nature Biotechnology its successful use in detecting the blood markers doctors look for in prostate cancer. An array of cantilevers could be used to create a "cancer chip" for diagnosing or following the course of many cancers simultaneously. The technique has broader application, however, such as for detecting point mutations in single-stranded DNA.
(press release, 30 August)

Academic Senate chair lays out agenda for academic year
David Dowell, professor of city and regional planning, is steering the Academic Senate's efforts on a variety of fronts this academic year as the group's chair. Among the big items on the agenda: Working with administrators to update the campus's long-range development plan, grappling with such issues as enrollment growth, expanding research initiatives, and tightening space on campus.
(Berkeleyan, 29 August)

The long goodbye: Former executive vice chancellor and provost Carol Christ starts her last year on campus and looks to the future in a new role
Carol Christ, the campus's former executive vice chancellor and a former provost and dean of the College of Letters and Science, looks back on her Berkeley career in her last year on campus, as she preps for her next role as president of Smith College. In a question and answer session with the Berkeleyan, Christ talks about her accomplishments at Berkeley and her thoughts about leading one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges for women.
(Berkeleyan, 29 August)

Have cottage, will travel: With its relocation and facelift complete, Fox Cottage becomes home to the Staff Ombuds office
No one said moving an 8-ton, 70-year-old historical brick landmark would be easy. But seven months after seismic upgrades, a delicate two-block journey and extensive preservation work, Fox Cottage is open for business. The cottage, located on Bowditch Street, is now home to the Staff Ombuds Office.
(Berkeleyan, 29 August)

Former Chancellor Tien, professor of engineering, receives top award from National Academy of Engineering
Former Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien, University Professor and the NEC Distinguished Professor of Engineering, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Founders Award of the National Academy of Engineering. He is being recognized "for his pioneering research in gas thermal radiation, thermal insulation, and microscale heat transfer, as well as for his leadership in education for youth around the world." Tien's research in heat transfer and thermal science contributed to the safety of high-rise buildings during fires, the design of insulating tiles for the space shuttles, and emergency core cooling systems for nuclear reactors. The Founders Award was established in 1965 to recognize an Academy member who has made lifelong contributions to engineering and whose accomplishments have benefited the people of the United States. The award consists of a gold medallion and a certificate.
(Web feature, 29 August)

Moderate spanking earlier in childhood produced no lasting harm among adolescents, says UC Berkeley study.
A UC Berkeley psychologist reported at the Aug. 24 meeting of the American Psychology Association that occasional spanking does not damage a child's social or emotional development. Diana Baumrind, who co-authored the report with Elizabeth Owens, another research psychologist at UC Berkeley's Institute of Human Development, studied the long-term consequences of spanking in more than 100 middle-class, white families. The study was launched in response to anti-spanking advocates who have claimed that physical punishment, by itself, has harmful psychological effects on children. Baumrind and Owens did not focus on families who use spanking frequently and severely.
(press release, 24 August)

UC Berkely, Princeton team find inexpensive way to reduce toll of respiratory illnesses from indoor cooking fires in Third World.
After monitoring illness and pollution levels for three years in a Kenyan village, UC Berkeley and Princeton University researchers have discovered that particulate matter pollution levels inside homes that use traditional open fires - with wood, charcoal, dung or crop residue as fuel - can be ten of times greater than those in western industrialized countries. One-third of the world's population cooks in this fashion, says study coauthor Daniel Kammen, UC Berkeley professor of energy and resources. After introducing households to inexpensive, simple and cleaner-burning stoves, Kammen and his colleague Majid Ezzati found a sharp reduction in the level of indoor pollution, which can cause acute respiratory infections.
(press release, 23 August)

New faces, new classes, new projects at UC Berkeley as fall semester begins.
The fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 27, for most UC Berkeley students, who are arriving on campus in droves this week, Welcome Week. Among the some 31,500 students expected to enroll are 3,955 freshmen, 1,728 transfer students, and 2,590 new graduate students. One of the most important goals of the coming semester, according to Chancellor Berdahl, is fire safety for students, both on and off campus. The Student Safe Housing Task Force he assembled is providing every student with a detailed guide to fire safety and information on ways to secure safe living quarters. Among the interesting characteristics of this year's freshmen and new transfer students is that, for the second year in a row, the proportion of women is record-setting. This fall, 55 percent of freshmen and 55.1 percent of new transfer students are women.
(press release, 23 August)

Justin Christensen, ASUC's second highest ranking officer, set to encourage all students, whether disabled or not.
Justin Christensen hopes to inspire students with his personal story of growing up profoundly hard-of-hearing and arriving at UC Berkeley, a place he considers inspirational. This fall, the 20-year-old junior is the first disabled executive officer of the ASUC in memory. He's also the new co-president of the Disabled Students Union and "one of the most industrious and ambitious student leaders I've worked with," said Karen Kenney, UC Berkeley dean of students. Christensen says his motto is "The ability to listen and understand is far more valuable than the ability to hear."
(press release, 23 August)

Chancellor Berdahl to welcome new undergraduates at series of receptions.
As part of Welcome Week, the chancellor is inviting all new undergraduate students to meet him - as well as faculty and staff members - at a series of receptions that start Thursday, Aug. 23, and run through Tuesday, Sept. 4. The receptions will be held at four residence halls. For more information, visit New-Student Receptions or call Lila Blanco at (510) 643-7003.
(22 August)

Welcome Week Web site helps incoming, returning students best prepare for fall semester
A one-stop shop for back-to-school information is available on the Web for students arriving for the fall semester. Its main focus is Welcome Week - this week - Aug. 19-24. Produced by the Office of New Student Services, the site includes a checklist of things to do before school starts, daily events held during Welcome Week, important dates to remember - including this Thursday's Calapalooza 2001 Activity Fair for Undergraduates - and where to learn about buying a computer, getting a hepatitis B shot, managing stress, joining a sorority, and more.
(21 August)

'Blues' benches for West Oakland
West Oakland's 7th Street corridor was a thriving hub of blues bars, jazz clubs and shops for the city's African-American community in the early 1900s. A group of students working with Walter Hood, chair of Berkeley's Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, have temporarily transformed some of the empty lots that now dot its landscape. Their outdoor art installation - involving 24 individually designed 'blues benches' - pays tribute to the area's legendary blues scene.
(Berkeleyan, 16 August)

Berkeley's new athletic director outlines his goals and philosophy for Cal's athletic programs
The Berkeleyan recently talked with Cal's new athletic director, Steve Gladstone, a crew coach who has led the men's rowing team to numerous national championships. Gladstone talks about how he got his start as a coach (after a foray in the investment industry), his goals for Cal athletics, and his thoughts on the commercialization of college sports.
(Berkeleyan, 16 August)

Related link: Financial Times

Aug. 13 issue of TIME magazine names Carlos Bustamante and Tim White as leaders in science and medicine
As part of its five-part series "America's Best," TIME magazine lists UC Berkeley molecular biologist and "protein wizard" Carlos Bustamante and "man hunter" Tim White, a UC Berkeley integrative biologist, as among 18 leaders in science and medicine. The series is designed to be "the definitive list of people who stand for the best in America today," according TIME's press release. Bustamante, 50, is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in UC Berkeley's College of Letters & Science. Bustamante uses cutting-edge technology to study cells' moving parts in an effort to manipulate the proteins that cause disease. He is involved in the campus's Health Sciences Initiative and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Tim White, also 50, a professor in the College of Letters & Science, co-directs a research project in Ethiopia that has unearthed fossils that reveal key turning points in the story of human evolution. The 18 leaders were highlighted on a "CNN Presents" special on Sunday, Aug. 12, and by Bryant Gumbel of the "CBS Early Show" on Monday, Aug. 13.
(Time Magazine, 13 August)

For more on TIME's 18 picks for "America's Best" in science and medicine, go to these related links:
Protein Wizard
Man Hunter

Impact of global warming on U.S. agriculture larger and more negative than expected, say UC Berkeley resource experts
The impact of global warming on U.S. agriculture appears to be much larger and more negative than has been recognized, according to a new analysis by UC Berkeley agricultural experts. Moreover, the impact is unambiguously negative, and there is little chance that a significant rise in global temperature could benefit U.S. agriculture, the scientists report. They estimate that a five degree temperature rise -projected to occur in the next 30-50 years at current rates of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere - could result in $15 billion to $30 billion in annual damage to American crops.
(press release, 8 August)

Campus accepting nominations for public service and international achievement by alumni
UC Berkeley contributes more volunteers for the Peace Corps than any other university, and the campus has produced leaders from the grassroots to the international level. To highlight the Berkeley tradition of public service, the campus is accepting nominations for the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award and the Peter E. Haas Public Service Award. The Haas International Award is open to UC Berkeley alumni who are natives, residents, and citizens of a nation outside the United States, and who have a distinguished record of service to their country. The Haas Public Service Award recognizes alumni who have made a significant public contribution to the betterment of society in the United States, particularly at the community level. Both honors are among the most prestigious awarded by UC Berkeley. The deadline for nominations is August 20, 2001.
(Web site, 7 August)

UC Berkeley students to be among 100 first-generation undergraduates presenting research as McNair Scholars
Some 100 undergraduate students from across the West - who are the first in their family to go to college and are being groomed to be the Ph.D. candidates of tomorrow - will present their research findings at UC Berkeley August 10-12. Aided by $2,500 research stipends, the McNair Scholars have conducted research on such topics as non-custodial African American fatherhood, Maya perceptions on ancestral remains, power in architecture, college student body image, gangsta rap vernaculars, and middle class Latinos and academic achievement. Part of a federally-funded program at 156 universities in 42 states and Puerto Rico, the UC Berkeley McNair Scholars Program is named after the late Ronald McNair, an astronaut and laser physicist who died in the 1986 Challenger explosion. McNair Scholars funds allow students to study rather than work in the summer and receive guidance from mentors - graduate student instructors and some of Berkeley's top professors.
(press release, 1 August)

Former President Bill Clinton's science and technology advisor, Thomas Kalil, takes up post at UC Berkeley
Thomas Kalil, a science and technology adviser to former President Bill Clinton, has joined the UC Berkeley campus as special assistant to the chancellor. Kalil will help develop new research initiatives and increase UC Berkeley's role in shaping the national agenda. Kalil, who served under Clinton for eight years, eventually becoming deputy assistant to the president for technology and economic policy and deputy director of the National Economic Council, will primarily work with researchers in the California Institute for Bioengineering, Biotechnology and Quantitative Biomedical Research, called QB3, and CITRIS, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society. He will help faculty members develop research and education initiatives that respond to national priorities and that build strong partnerships with government agencies, the private sector and community-based organizations.
(press release, 31 July)

Former Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Carol Christ named president of Smith College
Carol Christ, professor of English and former executive vice chancellor and provost, has been named president of Smith College, one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges for women. Christ served as UC Berkeley's top academic officer from 1994 to 2000 and from 1990 to 1994 as provost of the College of Letters and Science, Berkeley's largest college. She is credited with sharpening Berkeley's intellectual focus and building top-ranked departments in the humanities and sciences. She has been a champion of women's issues and diversity, and played an important role in shaping campus policy in response to Proposition 209, the 1997 California law barring the consideration of race in college admissions. "I am delighted that Carol has been appointed president of Smith College," UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl said. "While it is Berkeley's great loss, and her contributions to this campus will always be greatly valued, Carol's tremendous energy, vision and intellect make her eminently qualified to lead the Smith campus community. I applaud Carol for her accomplishments, and Smith for choosing someone of such fine caliber to guide their campus in this new century." Christ will become Smith's 10th president in June 2002. Until that time, she will remain on the Berkeley faculty, where she is a widely respected scholar of Victorian literature.
(30 July)

Legislative update: Budget provides mixed news for UC campuses
Gov. Gray Davis has approved the state budget, providing $3.2 billion in state funds to UC for the 2001-2002 fiscal year. The budget is mixed news for UC in that it provides an increase of 4.7 percent, yet falls short of UC goals for faculty and staff compensation. The budget provides only a 2 percent increase in funds for compensation. However, the budget is good news for UC Berkeley. Davis and the Legislature provided $20 million in initial state funding for CITRIS, the Center for Technology Research in the Interest of Society, which brings the power of information technology to bear on societal problems. CITRIS monies come from the capital budget, which is separate from the operational budget that is used to pay for operating expenses and salaries. Read related stories about this year's budget.

Gov. Davis approves state budget, providing mixed news for UC
(Berkeleyan, 27 July)

UC Berkeley-led initiative to bring information technology to the service of society survives state budget process; receives $20 million in first year
(press release, 27 July)

Let there be light: Astronomers join in new optical search for E.T.s
They've been listening for more than four decades for a whisper from an intelligent civilization light years away. Now a team of astronomers in the Bay Area is looking for winking stars—blinking pinpoints of light in the night sky that appear to be deliberate signals, possibly sent from an intelligent civilization living nearby. The new optical SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) experiment, characterized by one astronomer as "the new kid on the block" of SETI programs, is a vast improvement over previous telescopic searches.
(Web feature, 27 July)

UC Regents approve Dual Admissions plan, expanding UC access for high-achieving students
The UC Board of Regents approved on July 19 a new way for the state's top students to gain admission to a UC school. Dual Admissions will guarantee a spot for students who graduate between the top 4 and 12.5 percent of their classes, provided they satisfactorily complete their first two years at a community college. The plan takes effect in 2003, with the first students expected to enroll in 2005.
(Berkeleyan, 27 July)

Berkeley economist Michael Katz is appointed to U.S. Justice Department
Economics professor Michael Katz has been appointed deputy assistant attorney general for economic analysis in the U.S. Department of Justice. In his new role, Katz, a leading scholar of antitrust law in the high-tech industry, will supervise economic analysis within the federal government's antitrust division and direct that division's economists. Since 1987, he has served as a professor on the Berkeley campus, and currently holds a joint appointment as a professor of economics and business administration. In addition to his professorship, Katz directs Berkeley's Center for Telecommunications and Digital Convergence. His research interests have drawn him into some of the highest visibility antitrust lawsuits of recent times, most notably the recent lawsuit over the proposed breakup of Microsoft, Inc.
(26 July)

NASA's Wind spacecraft flies through Earth's magnetic tail to capture rare event
Through a combination of good luck and shrewd data analysis, UC Berkeley researchers using NASA's Wind spacecraft have become eye witnesses to a rare event: the mysterious process that allows the solar wind to connect to Earth's magnetic field. Known as reconnection, this process allows the magnetic field of the Sun - as carried in the solar wind - to connect to Earth's magnetic field, allowing energy and matter to flow like solar porridge from one to the other. The new findings, reported in the July 26 issue of Nature, are based on Wind's fortuitous flight right through the reconnection region as the process was occurring in April 1999.
(press release, 25 July)

UC Berkeley students set up clinic for Telegraph Avenue homeless youth
An innovative clinic run by UC Berkeley students is providing assistance to the many homeless youth who congregate along Telegraph Avenue. During the summer, the homeless population nearly doubles as young people ages 11 through their 20s converge from all parts of the country on the famous avenue adjacent to campus. The Berkeley students aim to bring a range of medical and humanitarian services to these homeless youths who usually shun such help. The Youth Clinic is the most recent offshoot of UC Berkeley's Suitcase Clinic, which has served some 11,000 homeless people since it was established near campus 11 years ago by medical students and faculty members from UC Berkeley's School of Public Health.
(press release, 25 July)

Cal swimmers take top honors at World Swimming Championships in Japan
Swimmers from Cal continue to be stellar at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan as Haley Cope, the 2000 Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year who just recently completed her eligibility for the Bears this past spring, won the gold medal in the 50-meter backstroke Tuesday. Cope is the second Cal swimmer to win a gold medal at the World Championships as Anthony Ervin, a 2001 Olympic gold medalist, won the first gold medal for the United States Monday in the 50-meter freestyle.
(Intercollegiate Athletics Web site, 25 July)

Related links:
Haley Cope takes the gold in 50-meter backstroke at World Championships.
(25 July)

Anthony Ervin wins gold in 50-meter freestyle at World Championships
(24 July)

California Alumni Association appoints Randy Parent as its new executive director
Randall Parent, former deputy city attorney for the city and county of San Francisco, is the new executive director of the California Alumni Association, representing graduates of UC Berkeley campus. Parent, 46, succeeds James Burk, who retired from the position after serving since 1994.
(press release, 23 July)

Cal's Anthony Ervin wins gold medal in 50-meter freestyle at World Championships.
Olympic gold medalist and Cal swimmer Anthony Ervin won another gold medal Monday at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Ervin, the 2001 Olympic gold medalist in the 50-meter freestyle swim, won the 50-meter freestyle at the 2001 World Championships in a time of 22.09 over Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands.
(Intercollegiate Athletics press release, 23 July)

Digital Feature: Unearthing man's ancestors - Latest fossil find suggests our long-lost ancestors may have walked upright nearly 6 million years ago
The first humans to emerge may be about 1 million years older than anthropologists had previously thought. Last week's discovery of fossilized teeth, toe, collar, hand and jaw bones - made by an international team of paleoanthropologists, including UC Berkeley graduate student Yohannes Haile-Selassie and UC Berkeley paleoanthropologist Tim White - appears to belong to the oldest human ancestor ever unearthed. View scenes from the field site via video clips and a slide show. Also read the press release detailing the findings and selected news coverage of the research.
(web feature, 18 July)

Related link: Ethiopian find shows human ancestors walked upright nearly 6 million years ago
(press release, 11 July)

Human ancestry takes another step back in time
The lineage leading to humans may be about 1 million years older than anthropologists thought. Time magazine's July 23 cover story takes a look at last week's record-breaking find, a handful of fossil fragments in Ethiopia from early hominids who walked upright about 5.8 million years ago. The discovery by a UC Berkeley graduate student, and new data about Ethiopia's climate 5.5 million years ago, suggests that humans may have come down from the trees to begin walking for more obvious reasons.
(18 July)

Grant to help UC Berkeley deliver evolutionary concepts to teachers, parents via the Web
A $390,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will help UC Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology create a comprehensive Web site on evolution, complete with resources for those who teach evolution and fun activities for students learning evolutionary concepts. The developers want it to be a nationwide resource for teachers and parents who are frustrated by anti-evolutionist arguments, such as claims that evolution is a "theory in crisis" that "scientists are abandoning."
(press release, 18 July)

Eye researchers study ways to predict retinal changes that lead to vision loss
Small, barely detectable, changes in the retina may predict the onset of vision loss in people with diabetes and allow early treatment, if a study beginning this summer at UC Berkeley's School of Optometry is successful. Preliminary tests have found a striking relationship between these small changes and existing eye damage. The school has now launched a $1.6 million research project to study these changes in people with diabetes.
(press release, 18 July)

Uncovering the secrets of a coral reef predator
UC Berkeley biologist Roy Caldwell takes you to the depths of the Atlantic and into Aquarius, the world's only underwater research laboratory, where he and a team of scientists are studying the mysteries of the stomatopod, a distant relative of the shrimp and lobster. Caldwell, along with Berkeley's Mark Erdmann and Helen Fox, will spend the next nine days off the Florida coast studying the enigmatic crustacean, which is a major invertebrate predator living on coral reefs. Visitors to the mission's Web site can view the latest Stomatopod research, see the laboratory and surrounding sea life with underwater Web cams, and e-mail questions to the aquanauts.
(17 July)

$500,000 grant to UC Berkeley will help teachers turn school gardens into science classrooms
As gardens sprout in K-12 school yards around the country, a small group of UC Berkeley educators is intent on making sure they nourish the mind as well as the body. With a $500,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, staff at the UC Botanical Garden will take curricula they've developed around school gardens and re-tool them for teachers to use across the nation.
(press release, 13 July)

Campus uses technology developed in its laboratories to improve utilities efficiency
Small, inexpensive sensors developed at Berkeley to monitor and help control energy consumption are helping the campus save electricity, gas and water automatically in campus buildings. Engineering researchers have teamed up with physical plant engineers to put these breakthrough technologies in place to operate several campus energy systems, with the future potential for doing more. The wireless "smart dust" sensors can measure a building's temperature, effluent discharge, and power supply, and even capture weather data, irrigation needs or monitor Strawberry Creek's pH and salinity levels, according to physical plant technicians.
(Berkeleyan, 12 July)

Research shows individual need for positive self image impedes AIDS efforts
A person's instinctive need to feel good about themselves adversely affects their ability to respond to many AIDS prevention campaigns and their willingness to change their behavior or seek treatment, according to new research by Priya Raghubir, marketing professor at the Haas School of Business, and Geeta Menon, associate professor of marketing at New York University. Their research provides insight into how public health officials and social marketers can design more effective AIDS prevention campaigns.
(press release, 12 July)

UC, technical employees union reach contract agreement
The University of California and the University Professional and Technical Employees union have reached tentative agreement on a two-year contract for technical employees. Union members are expected to vote on the agreement in the next three weeks. The agreement calls for salary increases for 2000-01 to be retroactive to Oct. 1, 2000, and increases for 2001-02 to be effective Oct. 1, 2001.

Debra Harrington, labor relations manager at Berkeley, said payroll officials are working to determine the most efficient way to process the large number of payouts required at Berkeley so that they can process the payments as soon as possible. Information about the payout process will be provided through campus control unit administrators and will be available on the HR Web site -hrweb.berkeley.edu- when the details are finalized.
(Berkeleyan, 11 July)

Ethiopian find shows human ancestors walked upright as early as 5 million years ago
UC Berkeley researchers scouring the dry washes encircling an Ethiopian site where scientists seven years ago found fossils of 4.4 million-year-old human ancestors have unearthed even older fossils that show our ancestors may have walked on two legs as early as 5.2 million years ago. The latest findings are of the earliest hominids known to exist.
(press release, 11 July)

Come back to Cal......Make plans now to attend Homecoming & Parents Weekend on Sept. 28-30
Homecoming & Parents Weekend includes more than 25 lectures by UC Berkeley's renowned faculty; student led tours of campus; a festival for Cal Bears of all ages;, the homecoming rally; and the football game between the Bears and the University of Washington Huskies. If you're an alum, connect with classmates from the World War II Classes, and those from 1948, 1949, and all subsequent years ending in "1" or "6." Parents can attend special receptions, seminars and other events throughout the weekend. Check back with the Homecoming & Parents Weekend Web site frequently for the latest updates. You also can register online via a secured form.
(10 July)

New College of Letters & Science division brings innovations in student advising
Undergrads don't get lost in the crowd in the College of Letters & Science - UC Berkeley's largest college - thanks to a concentrated effort to meet the educational needs of students. From new sophomore seminars to a course for freshmen on the college's intellectual landscape, the college's new Undergraduate Division is focusing on students and their academic success. At the top of the priority list is improved advising, with more student drop-in hours and a secure database of student records that replaces more than 30,000 paper files.
(9 July)

Strange effect of superfluid helium may help physicists more accurately measure rotating objects, like Earth's slow spin
In the quantum world, waves can act like particles and particles like waves, interfering like overlapping ripples in a pond. Now, physicists at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that this same quantum interference occurs between samples of superfluid helium-3, a liquid so cold - a thousandth of a degree above absolute zero - that it flows without resistance. Demonstration of this effect may enable scientists to measure extremely slight increases or decreases in the rotation of objects, including Earth's slow rotation.
(press release 5 July)

Atkinson to discuss UC admissions proposals at national conference today in San Francisco
UC President Richard Atkinson will deliver a speech on "The California Crucible: Demography, Access and Excellence at the University of California" today in San Francisco at the 2001 International Assembly of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. UC is pursuing a series of initiatives to maximize access to the university for high-achieving students. These proposals include a "dual admissions" program offering simultaneous admission to a community college and UC for top students in each California high school, replacement of the SAT I with subject-based achievement tests, and comprehensive review of all student applications for UC admission. The speech is at 3:45 p.m. in the Hilton San Francisco and Towers, Grand Ballroom A, 333 O'Farrell St.
(2 July)

Gladstone named top Pac-10 coach for fourth year
Athletic Director and Men's Head Crew Coach Steve Gladstone was named the Pac-10 Conference Men's Rowing Coach of the Year by Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen on June 28. Gladstone led the California men to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national title this spring for the third consecutive year. California was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Rowing Coaches Poll throughout the year and completed a third-consecutive undefeated season. The Bears also won the Pac-10 Championships for the fourth straight year.
(28 June)

Zoologists discover new salamander species under almost every log
A salamander species discovered in southeastern Mexico highlights the agile inventiveness of evolution as well as the many species waiting to be discovered in out of the way spots and even under our noses. The soil dwelling salamander looks identical to a salamander living in mountain foothills several hundred miles away, but DNA analysis by UC Berkeley zoologists showed them to be distinct species. Experts can't tell them apart, but they apparently evolved from different ancestors and are not one another's closest relatives. The finding demonstrates an evolutionary concept called parallelism, where two organisms independently come up with the same adaptation to a particular environment.
(press release, 28 June)

School of Optometry selects internationally recognized vision scientist Dennis M. Levi to take the helm
An internationally recognized vision specialist from the University of Houston, Dennis M. Levi, will take the helm Aug. 15 as dean of the School of Optometry. Levi, who began his teaching and research career in Houston 30 years ago, achieved prominence for his work in amblyopia, the major cause of permanent vision loss in children.
(press release, 27 June)

School of Public Health's Wellness Letter offers tips on living a healthy life
Learn about myths, hopes and facts associated with breast cancer, and get some healthy recipes from the latest issue of the Wellness Letter, the widely read newsletter from health experts at the School of Public Health.
(25 June)

Study sheds light on value of analysts' stock recommendations, finds that 2000 was a disaster
The stocks that security analysts panned in 2000 trounced those that were most highly touted, according to a new study co-authored by faculty at the Haas School of Business, UC Davis and Stanford University. They found that the most highly recommended stocks returned 31.2 percent less than the market, on average, while the least favorably recommended stocks gained almost 49 percent more than the market.
(press release, 14 June)

Sociologist discovers that American ideas of love contradict each other
Americans want contradictory things in marriage: permanent commitment and free choice. They resolve this paradox by keeping alive two opposite ideas of love, according to new research by a UC Berkeley professor of sociology. One idea is a down-to-earth belief that one must work at keeping love alive through compromise, personal growth or religious faith. The other is a romantic belief in one everlasting "true" love.
(press release, 20 June)

Environmental report is latest step for proposed new science, tech centers
Construction noise and the loss of recreational space were identified as the significant, unavoidable environmental impacts associated with building new health sciences and technology research facilities on campus, according to a draft environmental impact report. The campus proposes to replace two outdated and seismically poor research buildings - Stanley Hall and old Davis Hall - with modern, safe structures in the northeast area of the campus.
(press release, 20 June)

New atomic tunneling technique promises to speed progress in quantum computing
A new scanning tunneling microscope, designed to measure the counter clockwise spin-up or spin-down rotation of a single atom, has given UC Berkeley scientists their first look at the weird electrical interactions of a high temperature superconductor. The technique, reported in the June 21 issue of Nature, has important implications for the burgeoning field of quantum computing.
(press release, 20 June)

HESSI launch delayed until Pegasus rocket investigation is completed
Launch of the UC Berkeley/NASA HESSI (High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager) satellite, already delayed twice due to possible problems with the Pegasus launch vehicle, has been put on hold indefinitely. A new launch date is expected to be announced once an investigation of a recently unsuccessful Pegasus launch has been completed.
(press release, 20 June)

UC Berkeley economists find no shortage of culprits to explain California's high gasoline prices
Californians pay more for a gallon of gas than anyone in the United States, and UC Berkeley economists say they have found out a number of reasons why. While the researchers cite plenty of reasons for California gasoline prices climbing 22 percent, from $1.60 a gallon at the start of the year to almost $2 a gallon by Memorial Day Weekend, they say a large share of blame rests with the high profit margins enjoyed by California refiners.
(press release, 19 June)

Power alert: The latest on the energy crisis' effects on campus
Berkeley is appealing a PG&E ruling that would revoke the central campus's exemption from rolling blackouts, and a decision is expected any time. Information on the status of the appeal, and what to do in the event of a local blackout, will be posted on the Office of Emergency Preparedness Web site as it becomes available.

Berkeley's Lincoln Constance, patriarch of botany, has died at 92
Lincoln Constance, a much respected botanist and administrative leader at Berkeley, died of respiratory failure after a brief illness on Monday, June 11, at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley. He was 92. Constance was a professor emeritus of botany and an expert on plants of the parsley family.
(press release, 15 June)

Digital Feature: Sensors that slash energy bills
Berkeley engineers recently unveiled a network of tiny, wireless sensors that can save electricity by monitoring lighting and room temperatures. A campus installation of the sensors would pay for itself in a year by cutting nearly one million dollars from the campus energy bill, said Engineering Dean Richard Newton at a recent Berkeley CITRIS press conference announcing the invention.
(Berkeleyan digital feature, updated 15 June)

Long-lost half of Huck Finn text recovered in new Berkeley edition
When the long lost first half of the original Huck Finn manuscript was uncovered in a Hollywood attic in 1990, it paved the way for a new edition based entirely on the original manuscript, released this month by Berkeley's Mark Twain Project.
(press release, 12 June)

New Deans:
Deans of Berkeley's Graduate School of Education and Division of Physical Sciences in the College of Letters and Science have been named. P. David Pearson, a leading scholar in reading and reading assessment at Michigan State University, will head education beginning July 1, 2001. Mark A. Richards, a Berkeley professor and former chair of earth and planetary science, will become dean for physical sciences on July 1, 2002.
(press releases, latest 11 June)

Berkeley chemist creates world's smallest laser
The world's smallest laser, a "nanowire nanolaser" one thousand times thinner than a human hair, is the latest invention of Berkeley chemist Peidong Yang. Among the potential applications are chemical analysis on microchips, high-density information storage and transmitting information via laser light.
(press release, 8 June)

"e-Berkeley" initiative aims to transform campus operations
A new Chancellor's initiative is tapping the power of the web to transform how the university operates. The project is expected to affect everything from day-to-day functions at Berkeley to the central missions of teaching and research.
(e-Berkeley web site, 7 June)

Child's play more than it seems, new Berkeley study says
It's outdoor play and not just classroom learning through which young children learn best, according to a Berkeley researcher in early child development. Studies of preschool children in the play yard are being published this month in the book "Outdoor Play: Teaching Strategies with Young Children."
(press release, 6 June)

Books that changed lives: Berkeley's new summer reading list
Compilers of Berkeley's annual, unofficial summer reading list asked members of the campus community what books changed their lives when they began college. The 11 books on this year's diverse list include a book of haiku, "To Kill a Mockingbird," a Dickens tale and Gertrude Stein's autobiography of Alice B. Toklas.
(press release, 5 June)

Delay in HESSI satellite launch
The June 7 launch of the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager satellite—a joint mission between Berkeley and NASA—has been delayed until at least June 12 because of possible problems with a rocket to put the satellite in orbit.
(press release, 5 June)

Berkeley/NASA satellite to launch, will study solar flares
A satellite dedicated solely to the study of solar flares -- designed, built and operated by an international consortium led by Berkeley scientists -- will be launched by NASA on Thursday, June 7.
(press release, 1 June)

Berkeley hosts "new technology" music festival June 1
Berkeley's music department and Cal Performances are collaborating to launch a "new technology" music festival, which will alternate every other year with Berkeley's already established early music festival. The June 1-9 Tempo festival features jazz and experimental works, ragas, electro-acoustic and even contemporary chamber music styles in performances that organizers say blur the lines between improvisation and composed music.
(press release, 30 May)

AIDS in Africa could affect human evolution, Berkeley study finds
Three Berkeley biologists show in the May 31 issue of Nature that AIDS could alter the course of evolution in African populations, delaying the average time between HIV infection and onset of disease. Though this genetic evolution probably won't impact health management in Africa - public health experts pray that drugs or vaccines will soon cut the high mortality and infection rates on the continent - it shows epidemic infectious disease affecting the human genome.
(press release, 30 May)

Graduation over, on to first job: Young alum gives tips
Cal alum Kenneth Wu ('96) gives new Cal graduates a few words of advice about how to succeed on the job.
(CAA Young Alumni Times, Spring 2001)

Berkeley researchers invent tiny sensors to save energy
In a show of new energy-efficient technologies that researchers say are capable of cutting California's annual electricity bill by $5 billion to $7 billion each year, UC Berkeley recently unveiled a network of tiny, wireless sensors that can save electricity by monitoring lighting and room temperatures.
(Berkeleyan story, 25 May)

Test of black-out siren for power outage warnings on campus
A test of the campus emergency public address system for use in an impending power outage took place Friday, May 25, at 12:30 p.m. In the event of a real black-out, campus occupants should prepare for power shutdown within 10-15 minutes of hearing the warning sound. Power outages are expected to last from 1 to 2 hours.
(emergency preparedness site, 25 May)

Berkeley professor is first recipient of new Linus Pauling prize
Bruce Ames, a Berkeley biochemistry and molecular biologist, is the first recipient of the $50,000 Linus Pauling Institute Prize for Health Research. Ames was credited with key work in understanding the fundamental nature of the aging process and how certain micronutrients may become limited with age.
(prize announcement, 24 May)

Consumer backlash changes health insurance picture
Proponents of managed health care are in full-scale retreat from the effort to control medical costs, while financial responsibility and treatment choices are shifting from employers and governmental programs to individual consumers, according to Berkeley health economist James Robinson, who published the results of a two-year study in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.
(press release, 22 May)

Berkeley undergraduate nominated as UC student regent
Dexter Ligot-Gordon, a Berkeley junior majoring in political economy of industrial societies, has been nominated as the 2002-03 student member of the University of California Board of Regents. Put forward by the regents' selection committee, Ligot-Gordon will be considered by the full board at the Sept. 12-13 regents' meeting. If approved, he will participate in all deliberations but not vote until July 2002, when his one-year term as student regent begins.
(UC press release, 22 May)

Berkeley researchers target stream-choking invasive plant
One of the West's most noxious wildland pests, an alien tree called saltcedar that invades riverbanks, pushes out native willows and chokes streams, is about to get the unwanted attention of a very hungry bug. This month a team of biologists from Berkeley and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will release a small beetle that loves to munch saltcedar for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
(press release, 21 May)

Future of California economy explored in new Berkeley report
The state could face sharply escalating unemployment rates, a leveling off or decline in home prices, rising office vacancies and reduced construction over the next few years, warns a Berkeley report by researchers at the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics in the Haas School of Business. The reports points to the vulnerability of California, and particularly of the San Francisco Bay Area, as the U.S. economy slows, and concludes that a two- to three-year adjustment period is likely before the state resumes expansion.
(press release, 17 May)

Berkeleyan news update on Regents' decision to rescind SP-1, 2
The UC Board of Regents on May 16 voted unanimously to rescind SP-1 and SP-2, its six-year-old policies banning consideration of race and sex in admissions, hiring and contracting, and reaffirmed the university's commitment to a diverse student body. The resolution passed in a San Francisco meeting session full of surprises and emotion.
(Berkeleyan story, 17 May)

State budget revisions include $90 million cut for UC
The state has cut about $90 million from Governor Davis' original funding proposal for UC, including significant reductions in funds for salary increases, UC President Richard Atkinson said at the May Regents' meeting. This "will not allow us to give more than 2 percent, including merit increases," said Atkinson. Still included in Davis' budget are state matching funds for the proposed Berkeley-led Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, and money to increase summer school enrollment at Berkeley and other UC campuses.
(Berkeleyan story, 17 May)

Cal hosts Pac-10 Track & Field Championships this weekend
The Golden Bears host the main portion of the Pac-10 Championships at Edwards Stadium this weekend. Field events begin Saturday at 11 a.m. and track events get started at 1 p.m. FOX Sports Net will offer a tape-delayed broadcast.
(sports news site, 17 May)

UC Regents rescind SP-1 and SP-2, affirm commitment to diversity
On May 16, the University of California Board of Regents unanimously adopted a resolution that rescinds SP-1 and SP-2, and reaffirms the university's commitment to a student body representative of California's diverse population.... "This action sends a clear and unequivocal message that people of all backgrounds are welcome at the University of California," said Regent Judith L. Hopkinson, who introduced the resolution.
(UC Office of the President press release, 16 May)

Teachers to get a break on summer class fees
Berkeley hopes to lure K-12 teachers to its Summer Sessions classes through a special program called "100 Scholars." The program will allow that number of teachers from four select San Francisco Bay Area school districts to take summer courses at UC Berkeley at a substantially discounted rate.
(press release, 16 May)

Cal Hall of Fame selects eight athletes and one team
The University of California Athletic Hall of Fame announced the selection of eight former Cal athletes and one crew team yesterday, to be enshrined in the hall in November. Those recognized include Tom Keough, a .400 hitter in baseball; Joe Kintana, the first one-handed shooter in West Coast basketball; Chris Humbert, a three-time Olympic water polo star; and the 1980 Cal women's crew, which captured the Bears' first women's team championship in any sport. Cal's Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 1986 and this year's additions bring to 173 the total number of individual inductees.
(sports news web site, 15 May)

Digital Feature:
Top Berkeley graduate shares tips, reflections
Christine Ng received Berkeley's top student honor May 9 at Commencement Convocation when Chancellor Berdahl presented her with the University Medal, awarded each year to Berkeley's most outstanding graduating senior. Ng has a 3.99 grade point average and a stellar record of student leadership and service. In the video clips in this digital feature, she talks about what it took to become Berkeley's top student and reflects on her experiences.
(media relations, 15 May)

Berkeley graduation ceremonies: Latest updates
Graduation ceremonies continue at Berkeley this week, where former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will speak May 9 at Commencement Convocation. Degrees will be conferred at individual graduation ceremonies through Friday, May 25, by some 50 schools, colleges and departments on campus. Berkeley will award nearly 6,500 bachelor's degrees this school year and 3,500 graduate degrees. Plus, updates on Berkeley commencement events and Commencement Convocation web feature story and slide show.
(press release, 10 May)

Digital Feature:
Berkeley researchers unravel mysteries of the mind
A University of California Science Today video news feature shows how Berkeley researchers use a powerful new brain imaging machine to better understand the human mind. The work is part of Berkeley's Health Sciences Initiative, intended to lead the way toward breakthroughs that will enhance human health and prolong life.
(UC Science Today Video, 10 May)

American Academy of Arts and Sciences elects 11 from Berkeley
Eleven Berkeley faculty members and a University of Michigan professor who will join the UC Berkeley faculty on July 1 are new fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
(press release, 9 May)

Financial problems trigger hospital closures, Berkeley report says
Financial problems were the single most common reason for the closure of 23 California hospitals between 1995 and 2000, according to a report by Berkeley's Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare. The new report, "California's Closed Hospitals, 1995-2000," commissioned by the California attorney general, is the first close look at hospital closures statewide. The study focuses on reasons for the hospital closures, distribution of the closed facilities and the characteristics of the closed hospitals.
(Berkeley site, 9 May)

Berkeley's Hal Varian cited as among top 25 most influential in "e-biz"
BusinessWeek Online says Berkeley professor Hal Varian, Dean of the School of Information Management and Systems, is among the 25 most influential people in electronic business in its feature story this week. BusinessWeek says Varian has risen to prominence based on a simple premise: The past counts. "My slogan is, you don't need new economics to understand a New Economy," Varian told BusinessWeek.
(BusinessWeek Online, 7 May)

Peter Wright Named Men's Tennis Pac-10 Coach of the Year
The Pac-10 has named Berkeley's Peter Wright as Men's Coach of the Year for the 2000-01 season. Wright has led the Bears to a 14-8 overall mark thus far, and this is the second time Wright has been selected for top honors by the Pac-10. Wright, a popular figure on campus, was also named Wilson/ITA Regional Coach of the Year in 1994.
(sports news site, 7 May)

Enjoy Mothers' Day Tea at Botanical Garden this Sunday
For an unusual way to celebrate Mother's Day, enjoy luscious home-made treats, music and a peaceful stroll in the University of California Botanical Garden, located just above the Berkeley campus at 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley. Seatings are Sunday, May 13, at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Price is $10 for garden members, $15 for nonmembers and $5 for children under 12.
(Botanical Garden site, 7 May)

Berkeleyan news survey available online through May 18
The Berkeleyan news staff seeks information, opinions and ideas through its new online survey. Responses will help improve news coverage of the campus. To participate in the survey, submit your responses by May 18.
(Berkeley site, 7 May)

Meningitis vaccine: Who needs it and who doesn't
Mass vaccinations are not necessary for the campus population, campus health officials say, in response to the recent death of a Berkeley child from meningococcal disease and two other � apparently unrelated � cases of meningitis in Livermore and Sacramento. Antibiotic vaccine is needed only for those who have been in close contact with infected individuals, said Dr. Pete Dietrich, medical director of University Health Services.
(press release, 4 May)

Recycle vast urban wastelands, Berkeley professor says
What to do with 400,000 U.S. "wasteland" sites occupied by abandoned warehouses, derelict industrial sites and the like seems a staggering problem, but Berkeley professor Michael Southworth thinks "recycling" may be a promising solution.
(press release, 3 May)

Campus moves to enact diversity measures
A high-level campus task force working to increase gender and ethnic diversity on the faculty has recommended a comprehensive set of measures for implementation in the next fiscal year.
(Berkeleyan story, 2 May)

NASA gives Cal students ride of a lifetime to study bone loss
A team of Cal students experienced zero-gravity flight aboard a NASA research plane this semester, participating in an experiment they designed to understand bone loss on long space flights. The students enjoyed zero-G dives 50,000 feet over central Texas, and will give a presentation on the experience May 5 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Lawrence Hall of Science.
(press release, 2 May)

Latest updates on Berkeley graduation ceremonies
Three weeks of graduation ceremonies are about to begin at Berkeley, where former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will speak next Wednesday (May 9) at Commencement Convocation. Degrees will be conferred at individual graduation ceremonies between Saturday, May 5, and Friday, May 25, by some 50 schools, colleges and departments on campus. Berkeley will award nearly 6,500 bachelor's degrees this school year and 3,500 graduate degrees.
(press release, 2 May)

Berkeley's top graduating senior is announced
Christine Ng, a 21-year-old Southern Californian majoring in civil and environmental engineering, has been selected to receive Berkeley's 2001 University Medal, awarded each year to its top graduating senior. Ng attributes her academic success and 3.992 grade point average to "just being persistent," and to heeding time management advice. Ng is off to MIT in the fall for graduate school, and plans to combine engineering work with studies in business and public policy.
(Berkeleyan story, 2 May)

Symposium honors Clark Kerr on his 90th birthday
Berkeley's May 4-5 symposium, "The Changing World of University Governance," honors Clark Kerr, the former University of California president and Berkeley chancellor who is among the most internationally renowned observers on the role of higher education in society. Kerr, who celebrates his 90th birthday this month and is completing his memoirs, led Berkeley and the entire UC system during the tumultuous late 1950s and 1960s. At the symposium, top education leaders will discuss the future of higher education and the need for leadership.
(press release, 2 May)

Eight from Berkeley elected to National Academy of Sciences
Eight Berkeley faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors for a U.S scientist or engineer. They are Leo Breiman, Stuart J. Freedman, Inez Y. Fung, Alexander N. Glazer, Robion C. Kirby, Mimi A. R. Koehl, John Kuriyan and Patricia C. Zambryski. The eight were recognized for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, and bring the total number of active members at Berkeley to 126.
(press release, May 1)

New building to be named for former chancellor Tien
The campus announced plans to name a new building in honor of former Berkeley chancellor Chang-Lin Tien, the distinguished and beloved leader of the campus from 1990 to 1997. Current Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl announced the honor on April 21 during a celebration of the university's successful completion of a $1.44 billion fund-raising campaign. The Tien building will house resources in East Asian studies, languages and cultures, and will be centrally located across from the main campus library and in front of Memorial Glade.
(press release, 1 May)

Star crew coach named Berkeley's athletic director
Stephen C. Gladstone, known for putting students first as coach of eight national crew championship teams, has been named Berkeley's new athletic director. Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl announced the appointment at an April 30 press conference on the Berkeley campus. "Steve Gladstone is the person who can lead this very good program to the next level, to make it an exemplary championship program in every way," Berdahl said.
(press release, 30 Apr)

Berkeley professor wins coveted economics medal
Matthew Rabin, one of last year's winners of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" fellowship, is the latest Berkeley economist to receive the John Bates Clark Medal from the American Economics Association. The bronze medal is awarded biennially to an American economist under the age of 40 credited with making a significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.
(Press release, 30 APR)

Physicists find more evidence on infancy of universe
Astrophysicists at the University of Minnesota and UC Berkeley have created a more detailed "snapshot" of the infant Universe from data collected in 1998. It indicates that the inflationary model of the universe is essentially correct. The new data disfavor theories known as "defect models," which attribute the modern pattern of stars and galaxies to changes in properties of energy early in the life of the Universe.
(press release, 30 Apr)

New child care study reveals high teacher turnover rate
The child care industry loses well-educated teachers at an alarming rate and often must hire replacement teachers with less training and education, according to a new study by Berkeley researchers and their colleagues at the Center for the Child Care Workforce. Findings from the longitudinal study confirm previous concerns about instability in the child care workforce.
(press release, 29 Apr)

March of Dimes Prize goes to Berkeley's Corey Goodman and co-winner
Neuroscientist Corey S. Goodman, professor of molecular and cell biology and director of Berkeley's Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, has been named co-recipient of this year's March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology. Goodman and co-winner Thomas M. Jessell, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University in New York, will receive the $100,000 cash prize April 30 for their work revealing how brain wiring goes awry in birth defects and adult diseases.
(press release, 27 Apr)

Other Berkeley Health Sciences Initiative news of interest:
1. Researchers have discovered that a potent chemical signal known to guide the wiring of neurons in the developing nervous system also directs migrating muscle fibers to their proper connections.
2. By applying precise, mechanical forces to the ends of individual RNA molecules, researchers have unfolded and refolded the molecules.
(press releases, 27 Apr)

New admits: Top 10 reasons to pick Berkeley plus all else you need
Berkeley's May 1 deadline to accept admission offers is coming up quick. Learn the top 10 reasons students pick Berkeley as the place to spend their undergraduate years, plus access a variety of information for newly admitted students.
(undergraduate admissions site, 25 Apr)

Four Berkeley professors selected as top teachers
Four Berkeley faculty members have been selected to receive the campus's highest honor for teaching, the Distinguished Teaching Award. Since the award first was given in 1959, only 194 of Berkeley's 4,000 faculty members have received it. This year's recipients are Sara Beckman, Carolyn Bertozzi, Seda Chavdarian and Ronald Gronsky.
(press release, updated 23 Apr)

Human rights victims "speak from the grave" with DNA testing
"DNA and Human Rights," the first-ever international conference to examine the role of DNA testing in human rights cases, will convene at Berkeley April 26. The two-day event focuses on the forensic investigation of mass graves and identification of the disappeared, identity restoration to reunite families separated by state violence, and the application of DNA technology in the U.S. criminal justice system.
(press release, updated 23 Apr)

Cal's star defensive end Andre Carter drafted seventh by the 49ers
Andre Carter will remain in the Bay Area thanks to the San Francisco 49ers, who selected the defensive end seventh overall in Saturday's NFL draft. Carter was projected among the top three defensive end prospects even in the 2000 draft, but he elected to return to Cal for his senior season last fall. Carter enjoyed a brilliant final year setting a Cal season record 13.5 sacks and career record 31 sacks.
(Cal sports news, 21 Apr)

Football draft projections: Which Cal players will go and when?
This week's issue of Sports Illustrated magazine finds the draft status of Cal's Andre Carter a puzzling picture for Saturday's NFL draft. Cal sports news reports the star defensive end should go in the first round, and reflects on other potential picks from the Cal lineup.
(press release, 19 Apr)

Final preparations for Cal Day
Ever dreamt of rappelling down a mountainside? How about the face of Wheeler Hall? Cal Day visitors try it out Saturday, April 21. See Cal Day program and the final preparations for Cal Day.
(Berkeleyan story, 18 Apr)

Berkeley professor reveals extraordinary tale in new memoir
Frederic Tubach was the young son of a ranking Nazi officer; Bernat Rosner the twelve-year-old survivor of four concentration camps. Today, they are the best of friends. They tell the unusual tale of their life experiences and their extraordinary friendship in a new memoir, "An Uncommon Friendship, From Opposite Sides of the Holocaust." The book was written by Tubach, a Berkeley professor emeritus of German.
(press release, 16 Apr)

April 21 is Cal Day, Berkeley's open-house festival for all
All are invited to Cal's April 21 open house, a huge festival in which the campus throws open its doors to the public. Come enjoy lectures, tours, athletic events, exhibits, music, drama and much else.
(Cal Day program, 16 Apr;
Cal Day site, 16 Apr;
K-12 resource fair, 16 Apr;
Press release, updated 11 Apr;
Downloadable photos, 11 Apr)

Berkeley animal care program gets enthusiastic thumbs up
Berkeley's animal care and use program has been accredited for another three years by the international organization that maintains the "gold standard" for the humane care of animals used in teaching and research. The campus was commended for its "excellent veterinary care" and "excellent core animal facilities and accommodations for unusual species."
(press release, 13 Apr)

Bring children to work Thursday, April 26
The Berkeley campus will participate in Take Our Children to Work Day Thursday, April 26. Activities include campus tours, story time for younger children and trips to the top of the Campanile. Enjoy complimentary hot dogs, tofu dogs and ice cream at noon on Memorial Glade. Hosts are sought for Willard Middle School students who will shadow employees during the event.
(Berkeleyan story, 11 Apr)

Crazy economics: How can income be up and wages not?
Berkeley sociologist Michael Hout explains the paradox behind why current family income is up for Americans, based on a new analysis of population surveys from the years 1967 to 1999, yet average worker wages have changed hardly at all since 1977. Hout's analysis shows that family income goes up and down with business cycles, but only because worker's hours rise and fall, not because salaries change.
(press release, 12 Apr)

Berkeley reports 14 percent drop in crime, continues trend
Crime on the Berkeley campus declined by more than 14 percent last year, including a drop in both violent and property crimes. Reports of property crimes fell from 1,102 in 1999 to 939 last year, while violent crime reports were down to 22 incidents in 2000, one less than the year before. This follows an 11-year trend of declining violent crime reports, according to the UC Police Department, which released its annual report April 12.
(press release, 12 Apr)

"PROTEST," new free speech exhibit opens April 13
A new Bancroft Library exhibit, "PROTEST: A selection of materials from the Free Speech Movement Archives," opens April 13th. The opening kicks off a two-day symposium on Berkeley's Free Speech Movement, a 1960s period of student activism that has become a prototype for social protest worldwide.
(Bancroft Library site, 12 Apr)

Janet Reno is Berkeley's commencement convocation speaker
At the invitation of Berkeley students, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will be the keynote speaker at the campus's upcoming 2001 Commencement Convocation. The annual event, to be held this year on Wednesday, May 9, is a gathering that honors all graduating seniors. Reno was among the most requested keynote speakers for Commencement Convocation in a survey taken last summer of more than 9,000 UC Berkeley students eligible to be seniors in fall 2001.
(press release, 10 Apr)

April 21 is Cal Day, Berkeley's open-house , open-air festival
Come join the fun for Cal's annual campus-wide open house, during which the entire campus throws open its doors to the public for a day. On Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., everyone is invited to enjoy faculty lectures, campus tours, athletic events, exhibits, demonstrations, music, drama, and dance, at events sponsored by departments across campus.
(Cal Day Site, 10 Apr;
Press release, 28 Mar;
Cal day site, 28 Mar;
K-12 resource fair, 22 Mar)

Top political experts to critique start of Bush presidency
Senior advisors, journalists, and academic experts come to Berkeley April 16 to analyze and give their behind-the-scenes views of the new Bush presidency, including President Bush's response to the standoff with China; the fluctuations of the economy; Congressional handling of the Bush tax cut proposal; campaign finance reform; the final days of the Clinton presidency; and the Florida presidential election recount results.
(press release, 9 Apr)

Four California initiatives hobble minority progress in state
Four propositions passed by the California electorate in the 1990s have succeeded in hobbling the social and economic progress of the state's growing minority population, says Berkeley professor emeritus Jewelle Taylor Gibbs in her new book, "Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions and People of Color." The greatest impact has been on Hispanic and African American populations, she says.
(press release, 9 Apr)

A Pac-10 First:
Cal freshman wins both Newcomer and Swimmer of the Year awards
"Cal's freshman swimming standout Natalie Coughlin notched another accolade to her outstanding 2000-01 season as she was named both the Pacific-10 Conference Newcomer of the Year and Swimmer of the Year. It was the first time in Pac-10 history someone has been named both conference Newcomer of the Year and Swimmer of the Year. Coughlin is also the third consecutive Cal swimmer to earn Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year honors (Marylyn Chiang in 1999, Haley Cope in 2000 and Coughlin in 2001) under head coach Teri McKeever...."
(calbears sports story online, 5 Apr)

Stuff of life could survive comet ride, scientists find
Simulating a high-velocity comet collision with Earth, a research team including Berkeley scientists has shown that organic molecules hitchhiking aboard a comet could have survived a fiery impact and seeded life on this planet. The results give credence to the theory that the raw materials for life came from space and were assembled on Earth into the ancestors of proteins and DNA.
(press release, 5 Apr)

Berkeley protein discovery offers hope for cancer vaccine
Berkeley researchers have found a protein on prostate cancer cells that tips off the immune system to the tumor's presence and brings in an armada of immune cells to destroy it. If the protein, called an antigen, is truly unique to prostate cancer cells, it could lead to diagnostics for prostate cancer and a potential vaccine therapy against the disease, which is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer. This is the first prostate cancer antigen found.
(press release, 3 Apr)

Berkeley admission offer numbers increase for every ethnic group
More than 8,700 high school seniors, representing the top students in the state, have been offered admission to the University of California, Berkeley's fall 2001 freshman class, university officials announced April 3. The number of students admitted increased from 8,343 last year to 8,707 this year, including an increase in offers of admission to prospective high school seniors from every ethnic group.
(press release, 3 Apr)

Berkeley engineers create world's smallest engine of its kind
The smallest rotary internal combustion engine anywhere in the world, recently created in a Berkeley laboratory, could someday replace batteries as an efficient power source for mobile devices such as laptop computers. Not much bigger than a stack of pennies, the "mini engine" ultimately may produce up to 30 watts of energy, sufficient to power many small electronic devices.
(press release, 2 Apr)

California unprepared to care for aging baby boomers
A new UC Berkeley/UCLA report warns that California isn't ready to care for the baby boom generation as it ages over the coming years. California's population of people older than 65 will begin a rapid expansion in 2010, leading to a doubling of the current 3.5 million older adults around the year 2025. By 2030, when all baby boomers will have entered the age 65-plus category, older adults will represent more than one of every six Californians.
(press release, 2 Apr)

Berkeley researchers track ancient migration of deadly disease
When early humans migrated to South America more than 10,000 years ago, they brought with them a deadly hitchhiker - the airborne fungus responsible for causing Valley Fever, Berkeley researchers report. The disease has caused illness and death in hundreds of people throughout the Southwest. Scientists tracked the spread of the fungus using genetic sleuthing.
(press release, 2 Apr)

Digital Feature: Berkeley Health Sciences Initiative research shows what the brain really sees
The eye as a camera has been a powerful metaphor for poets and scientists alike. Recent Berkeley studies show, however, that what the eye sends to the brain are mere outlines and sketchy impressions of the visual world. See what the brain really sees by visiting Berkeley's first digital feature story, which reports on Health Sciences Initiative research published in this week's issue of Nature.
(press release, 28 Mar)

State's affordable housing needs boost, Berkeley report says
A new report by Berkeley researchers finds the rate of poor renters living in overcrowded housing in California far exceeds the national median. Only three states have lower home ownership, according to the report released by the California Policy Research Center, and too little affordable housing leaves state businesses unable to attract workers. Recommendations show how to preserve and expand California's affordable housing supply.
(press release, 27 Mar)

Charter Day: Cal community enjoys 133rd birthday celebration
Berkeley's newest Nobel Laureate, Daniel McFadden, delivered the keynote address (excerpts, full text) at Berkeley's Charter Day festivities, which celebrated the university's 133rd birthday and its Nobel-Prize winning tradition. The March 23 ceremonies were followed by a festive birthday party at noon on Dwinelle Plaza and the Haas Awards Lectures in the Doe Library Morrison Reading Room.
(Berkeleyan story, 27 Mar)

Berkeley launches new Mark Twain Luncheon Club
Berkeley's new Mark Twain Luncheon Club is seeking 100 "HuckFinnomaniacs" and others with a keen interest in the humor, storytelling, social commentary and life of Mark Twain. By contributing $1,500 each, members of this organization, which will lunch together twice each year, will help sustain the Mark Twain Project at Berkeley's Bancroft Library, which maintains the world's largest collection of Samuel Clemens's manuscripts, books, letters and other items.
(press release, 26 Mar)

'Alternative Spring Break' sees Berkeley students helping migrant laborers
As students everywhere head off for relaxation and spring break revelry, two dozen civic-minded Berkeley students will pick asparagus and paint migrants' homes in Stockton. The effort marks Berkeley's first official, independent foray into what's called "alternative spring break," a national movement devoted to blending education and community service during the traditional week off from university classes each spring.
(press release, 22 Mar)

First detection of dark matter reported by Berkeley astronomer, colleagues
An international team of astronomers has reported the first direct observation of galactic dark matter, a substance predicted to exist but eluding discovery for nearly 70 years. The finding may answer a question that has bedeviled astronomers for years: What is the identity of the missing mass that keeps galaxies from flying apart? Ben Oppenheimer, a Berkeley post-doc, is lead author on the March 23 Science paper reporting the discovery.
(press release, 22 Mar)

Long-term care insurance examined by Berkeley researchers
Older people who buy long-term care insurance policies are generally satisfied with their coverage, but significant gaps in the care of frail elderly people remain, according to a new Berkeley study. The study is the first comprehensive examination of consumer protections in long-term care insurance from the perspective of the policyholders themselves.
(press release, 21 Mar)

New insights on water help explain chemistry of life
Water is indispensable to the chemistry of life, and now Berkeley scientists have made a significant step toward understanding why. With the help of a novel mathematical technique, they discovered the source of water's unique ability to ionize weak acids and bases and set the stage for more complex reactions.
(press release, 19 Mar)

PBS airs 'Frontline' show on Berkeley admissions
"Frontline," a PBS news program, aired "Secrets of the SAT," an updated presentation about the SAT and Berkeley's admissions process, on public television at 10 p.m. Tuesday, March 20. About the development and history of SAT use in admissions, the show featured several Berkeley applicants as case studies. This year's segment included previous footage plus new interviews with students featured in the 1999 show.
(Berkeleyan story, 20 Mar)

Surprise test will check Berkeley's ability to use less power
In order to see how much power usage the campus can cut with only an hour's notice, Berkeley will hold an "energy curtailment test" during the week of March 26-30. The day and time of the test will not be announced until one hour prior to the test, which will help the campus prepare for a series of energy reductions it may face throughout the summer. Berkeley has volunteered to participate in a state program to prevent rolling blackouts by deliberately reducing load at times of heavy demand.
(Berkeleyan story, 20 Mar)

Thomas Leonard appointed to head UC Berkeley library system
Thomas Leonard, professor and former associate dean of Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, has been named to oversee Berkeley's library system. Leonard's appointment as the campus's new university librarian was announced Friday, March 16. He has served as the campus's interim university librarian since Gerald Lowell left the position last year.
(press release, 16 Mar)

Berkeley co-sponsors childhood obesity conference in San Diego
In response to the dramatic rise in the number of overweight children during the past few decades, Berkeley and the California Department of Health Services will convene a conference in San Diego March 19-20.
(press release, 15 Mar)

Bears gear up for Friday NCAA opener against Fresno State
The California Golden Bears will meet the Fresno State Bulldogs in their first-round NCAA Tournament game on Friday, March 16, televised live at approximately 7:10 p.m. Pacific Time on CBS. This is the Bears' first appearance in the NCAA men's basketball tournament since 1997. The match-up is the last game of the day from The Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn. If the Bears win, they will play on Sunday, March 18, at approximately 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time.
(web brief, 15 Mar)

Charter Day: Celebrate Cal's 133rd birthday with newest Nobelist
Berkeley's newest Nobel Laureate, Daniel McFadden, will deliver the keynote address at Berkeley's Charter Day festivities, which will celebrate the university's 133rd birthday and its Nobel-Prize winning tradition. The event begins Friday, March 23, at 10 am in Zellerbach Auditorium, followed by a birthday party at noon on Dwinelle Plaza and the Haas Awards Lectures at 2 pm in the Doe Library Morrison Reading Room.
(press release, 14 Mar)

This year's Public Health Heroes named by Berkeley
The virus hunter who discovered Ebola, a teen-violence expert, a doctor who fights for health care access for the poor, and San Francisco's Public Health Department are this year's winners of Berkeley's prestigious Public Health Heroes awards. Given by the Berkeley School of Public Health, the awards recognize outstanding individuals and organizations for their contribution to improving the lives of people both locally and worldwide.
(press release, 13 Mar)

Revealing the secret lives of tree dwellers at Berkeley exhibit
A Berkeley exhibit of large-format color photos, many from the pages of National Geographic, documents the secretive lives of bugs, frogs, spiders and opossums that live in the rain forest treetops. The photos, by award-winning photographer and ecologist Mark W. Moffett, a researcher at Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, will be on display at the bioscience library from March 16 through summer 2001.
(press release, 13 Mar)

Seduction of work to be explored at March 16 Berkeley conference
Harvard economist and author of "The Overworked American" Juliet Schor will give the keynote address for "Seductions, Pressures, Identities and Transformations: Perspectives on Work," a March 16 Berkeley conference featuring research from around the country.
(press release, 12 Mar)

New views of Earth's glowing "aurora" excite astronomers
A satellite imager built by a Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory team has returned the first global view of the Earth's double aurora. The colored light display most people associate with the Northern Lights is produced by electrons crashing into the atmosphere. The pictures show for the first time a complete view including the second, or proton, component of the double aurora.
(press release, 12 Mar)

New engineering technique developed at Berkeley promotes safety
Berkeley researchers have developed a new way to move genes into barley and other cereals using so-called "jumping genes," which in nature are responsible for the mosaic pattern seen in Indian corn. The new technique addresses perceived safety concerns while still allowing plant biologists to boost nutritional content, improve pest resistance and reduce allergenicity in food.
(press release, 8 Mar)

Berkeley researcher finds possible treatment for Sudden Oak Death
Berkeley researcher Matteo Garbelotto has discovered chemical treatments that seem to slow down Sudden Oak Death, a deadly fungal disease that is decimating thousands of oak trees in parts of northern California. Discovered in 1995, Sudden Oak Death is caused by a fungus that infects and rapidly kills tan oaks, coast live oaks and black oaks. Related species caused the 1845 potato famine in Ireland and deaths of cedars in Oregon and eucalyptus in Australia.
(press release, 8 Mar)

San Jose tech expo to feature some of Berkeley's latest inventions
Berkeley technology research will be on display at "ACM1: Beyond Cyberspace," a technology exposition March 10-14 in San Jose. Included will be new tools for web design, deep web data retrieval, and news tracking, as well as the latest in "smart dust," cheap and tiny microelectromechanical sensors.
(press release, 8 Mar)

Berkeley raises $1.44 billion — most ever by a public university
Calling it "an unprecedented success in American higher education," Berkeley Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl unveiled the extraordinary results of a Berkeley fundraising campaign that surpassed its target, garnering $1.44 billion before ending in December. The Campaign for the New Century funds are critical in attracting, strengthening and retaining the best faculty members and students for Berkeley.
(Press release, 8 Mar)

Kenneth Starr to come to campus for law symposium
A public symposium on information technology and its impact on the law and society -- with keynote address by Kenneth Starr, former independent counsel who investigated the Clinton White House -- will take place March 8-9 at the School of Law (Boalt Hall). Panelists include federal judges, journalists, legal scholars and corporate attorneys. They will explore such topics as whether technology is changing societal relations and if the law can protect privacy.
(press release, 7 Mar)

Pay back the victims of World War II?
Scholars, governmental officials and attorneys come to Berkeley March 8-9 to debate claims of illegal takings, stolen art, unpaid insurance policies and other World War II profiteering. "Fifty Years in the Making: World War II Reparation and Restitution Claims" is this year's Stefan Riesenfeld Symposium, a public event at the School of Law (Boalt Hall).
(press release, 7 Mar)

Dawn of writing revealed in poems by ancient high priestess
Many scholars believe the first named author in recorded history was Enheduanna (en-hey'-du-ana), a high priestess from the ancient city of Ur in what is now southern Iraq. Now, a fresh translation of these 4,000-year-old writings appears in "Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart," authored by Jungian therapist Betty DeShong Meador, aided by Berkeley researchers.
(press release, 5 Mar)

Fiber optic cut disrupts network access for hill facilities
An underground fiber optic cable connecting the campus with facilities in the Berkeley hills was severed Tuesday, Feb. 27. The incident disrupted network connections for hundreds of employees at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Hall of Science, the Samuel L. Silver Space Sciences Laboratory and other Strawberry Canyon operations.
(Berkeleyan story, 2 Mar)

Dance of a different sort draws on science for ideas
An experimental dance troupe directed by internationally-renowned choreographer Elizabeth Streb is in residence at the University of California, Berkeley, this week, blending into its art the antics of Evil Knievel, the strength and grace of professional acrobats — and equipment and ideas from UC Berkeley scientists and engineers.
(press release, 28 Feb)

Internet stock prices rise, fall in pattern, Berkeley researchers find
Internet stock prices generally rise before earnings announcements and fall afterwards, regardless of the earnings and revenues reported, according to a new study by three accounting professors at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
(press release, 26 Feb)

Male infertility linked to diet, say Berkeley scientists, co-authors
Low levels of folic acid, a key component for DNA synthesis, are associated with decreased sperm count and decreased sperm density in men, according to a new study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis.
(press release, 26 Feb)

Berkeley submits completed report to Pac-10
Chancellor Berdahl announced he has submitted to the Pacific-10 Conference the results of a campus internal investigation confirming the conference's conclusion that in 1999 a professor granted two student athletes course credit for work they most likely did not perform.
(press release, 26 Feb)

Celebration honors Berkeley Olympians
The campus honored Olympic athletes who have Berkeley connections Monday, Feb. 26, in a public ceremony at noon on Sproul Plaza. Fourteen of the 33 athletes - 11 current UC Berkeley students and 22 former students - who competed in Sydney were scheduled to attend the event, including gold medalists Anthony Ervin and Staciana Stitts (swimming); silver medalists Ervin, Sebastian Bea (crew), Ericka Lorenz and Heather Petri (water polo); and bronze medalist Chris Huffins (decathlon).
(press release, 26 Feb)

Berkeley professor shares prize with Celera Genomics for genome sequencing work
UC Berkeley professor of genetics Gerald M. Rubin and co-authors on a fruit fly genome sequencing paper have been awarded the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize for 2000. The paper was an important milestone on the road to sequencing the entire human genome. Co-authors on the paper included Craig Ventner, head of Celera Genomics Corp., and about 100 others.
(press release, 20 Feb)

New Berkeley research demonstrates way to estimate harm of dioxins
A new method to gauge the potential harm of persistent pollutants like dioxide could provide policy makers with the information they need to regulate these chemicals. The method, called the dose fraction, compares the amount of pollutant taken up by the human population to the amount emitted into the environment from smokestacks and other sources. The higher the dose fraction, the greater the threat to human health, says Thomas McKone, a professor of environmental health science at UC Berkeley.
(press release, 18 Feb)

Fusing math and art with help of soap bubbles, computers
Adding a new dimension to mathematically-inspired art, Carlo Séquin has developed computer programs that generate elegant sculptures based on mathematics found in the curving shapes of soap bubbles. The UC Berkeley computer science professor's foray into art was inspired by the graceful geometrical wood forms of Missouri-based sculptor Brent Collins.
(press release, 16 Feb)

Deep Green spawns Deep Gene and Deep Time
The highly successful Deep Green project to construct a "tree of life" for the green plants has ended, but it has seeded new projects to strengthen the branches and root the tree more firmly in new genetic and fossil data. Among these projects is "Deep Gene," headed by UC Berkeley botanist Brent D. Mishler, and "Deep Time," headed by Doug Soltis of the University of Florida. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has agreed to fund both projects with $500,000 each over the next five years. Includes audio (requires QuickTime)
(press release, 16 Feb)

Efforts aimed at improving fire safety for students renting houses in the East Bay
The first steps in an action plan to improve fire safety for UC Berkeley students living in rental houses were taken last week by Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl and officials from Berkeley and Oakland. "A significant portion of Berkeley students live in private rental housing. We need to work together to find ways to educate our students about fire safety and intensify inspections and monitoring of these rentals," said Berdahl.
(press release, 13 Feb)

Students, faculty experimenting with e-books through new library project
Some best-selling authors may rush into electronic publishing with their latest thrillers, but academic institutions such as UC Berkeley are cautiously investigating the world of e-books. UC Berkeley's library began a modest experiment with electronic books almost a year ago, spending about $50,000 to pick 835 titles mainly from the social sciences and to make them available online to any UC Berkeley student or faculty or staff member with a library card and a personal computer.
(press release, 12 Feb)

Early Greek temple found in Israel opens window on Jewish history
The earliest evidence of a Greek temple in Israel has been discovered by a UC Berkeley archaeologist in excavations of a northern port city that was once King Solomon's harbor on the Mediterranean Sea. The find at Tel Dor, 25 miles south of Haifa, dates to the first or second century B.C.
(press release, 12 Feb)

Eliminating "standby" electricity loss from home appliances could save up to 25 percent on electrical bills
If you need proof that your appliances are sucking energy even when they're sitting unused, just turn out the lights some evening. All those glowing red dots and flashing digital clocks are a clear sign your household appliances are spending your money while you sleep.
(press release, 09 Feb)

Superconducting SQUID microscope makes immunoassays easier, faster and more sensitive
Using an exquisitely sensitive magnetic field detector, a team of physicists, chemists and biochemists at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has created a very sensitive and fast immunoassay. The new technique, which relies on a so-called SQUID microscope, overcomes some of the drawbacks of standard immunoassays while speeding up the process. "This technique could let you do in an hour or in minutes what now takes a day," said John Clarke, professor of physics in the College of Letters & Science and a faculty senior scientist in the Materials Sciences Division at LBNL.
(press release, 08 Feb)

After the break-up, your "first love" never really leaves you
Whether your heart belongs to anyone this Valentine's Day may depend on what happened the first time you fell in love. This new finding, by UC Berkeley graduate student Jennifer Beer, challenges the notion commonly held since Freud that the stability of the parent-child relationship sets the stage for attachment later in life. With romance, said Beer, "Some of the problems you have in the romantic domain may have more to do with your first love than with your parents."
(press release, 07 Feb)

Technological makeover scheduled for UC Berkeley seismic testing facility
The earthquake simulation facility at UC Berkeley's Richmond Field Station is about to get a 21st century makeover, one that will allow researchers around the world to perform quake tests there via the Internet. Robots, wireless sensors and other high-tech tools will be installed later this year thanks to a $4.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced this week.
(press release, 06 Feb)

Finnish Researchers Join with UC Berkeley to Study Technology and the Information Society
Researchers from one of the world's most technologically-advanced countries, Finland, and researchers at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) and UC Berkeley, will launch a collaboration to spark new discoveries in computer science, e-commerce, intellectual property rights and the sociology of the information society. The research agreement will open the doors for Finnish researchers to spend a year or more in the Berkeley research community engaging in studies to propel innovation in the interest of society.
(press release, 01 Feb)