Five UC Berkeley academics among new AAAS fellows
Four University of California, Berkeley, faculty members, plus an educator with the campus's Museum of Paleontology, have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general scientific society in the world.
(18 December)

Japanese Americans receive honorary degrees, 67 years after WWII internment cut short their studies at Berkeley
Forty-two former Berkeley students, now in their eighties and nineties, have finally received the campus degrees they had been working toward nearly seven decades ago, when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps in the midst of World War II. For 78 additional Japanese Americans now deceased or too infirm to attend, family members accepted diplomas in their honor.
(16 December)

Two UC Berkeley researchers among new Fulbright Scholars
This year's Fulbright Scholar Program has sent two UC Berkeley researchers overseas and brought to campus 41 foreign scholars whose research topics range from resilience intervention for Chinese youngsters to American noir fiction.
(30 November)

Erol Kepkep: Keeping Bio 1A labs running smoothly
MCB's Erol Kepkep's job is to maintain efficiency and order in two Bio 1A laboratories -- from managing enrollment to tracking errant crocodiles.
(19 November)

How to solve California's fiscal crisis? First, don't think of an elephant
"The California Democracy Act," recently submitted to the attorney general's office, would take the state back to pre-Prop. 13 days, when the majority ruled -- and the Legislature was able to pass a budget
(12 November)

Linda Finch Hicks, longtime campus staffer, has died
Linda Finch Hicks, administrative manager in the history department, died Sunday, Nov. 1 at Alta Bates Hospital of pancreatic cancer. She was 55.
(04 November)

Landscape designer who built Sproul Plaza leaves a national legacy
Before moving into the national spotlight with his bold urban designs, landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, who died Oct. 25 at age 93, left a profound imprint on the Berkeley campus, from Sproul Plaza's rhythm of light and dark spaces to the graceful shape of Memorial Glade to the pedestrian-friendly entryways to the Greek Theatre.
(30 October)

UC Berkeley amplifies national voice via The Berkeley Blog
UC Berkeley’s best and brightest are often asked to share their insights at the White House, on Wall Street and with the media worldwide. Now, they are furthering that conversation in a new format – The Berkeley Blog.
(26 October)

Stephen Barnett, California Supreme Court expert, dies at 73
Stephen Barnett, UC Berkeley professor emeritus of law and a prominent expert on the California Supreme Court, died of complications resulting from cardiac arrest on Tuesday, Oct. 13. He was 73.
(16 October)

UC Berkeley professor among Popular Science magazine's "Brilliant 10"
A UC Berkeley engineer has been pegged as an up-and-coming scientist to watch by the magazine Popular Science. The publication announced today (Thursday, Oct. 15) that Ting Xu, 35, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, is one of the "Brilliant 10" young researchers profiled in its November issue.
(15 October)

UCPD's Lisa Campbell and Ally Jacobs get their 15 minutes on Oprah
Ally Jacobs and Lisa Campbell, the two UC Berkeley police employees whose vigilance led to the arrest of suspected kidnapper Phillip Garrido in August, will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
(12 October)

Stockholm calling
When Oliver Williamson's phone rang at 3:30 Monday morning, he wasn't entirely surprised to find the Nobel Prize committee on the line. But Berkeley's newly minted economics laureate was variously elated, proud and humbled as he recounted the moment later Monday for well-wishers and the media.
(12 October)

Two young UC Berkeley faculty members receive MacArthur "genius" award
A 35-year-old molecular biologist and a 37-year-old computer scientist from UC Berkeley are among 24 new MacArthur "genius" Fellows announced by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
(21 September)

Mondale: Connecting the dots between U.S. security and foreign development aid
In an event sponsored by the Blum Center for Developing Economies, the 81-year-old Mondale invoked the spirit of the Peace Corps as he argued the case — though "argued" might be too strong a word for the mild-mannered Minnesotan, who goes by the nickname "Fritz" — for U.S. development aid to countries in need.
(18 September)

Two UC Berkeley faculty among 10 recipients of $100,000 Heinz Awards
Two UC Berkeley researchers are being recognized for their environmental achievements with the 15th annual Heinz Awards, announced Sept. 15 by the Heinz Family Foundation. Ashok Gadgil, professor of civil engineering, and Kirk Smith, professor of environmental health sciences, will each receive $100,000 for the strides they have made toward a more sustainable and cleaner environment.
(15 September)

Well Said

(10 September)

Pollan's public-interest prediction
This semester's On the Same Page program, aimed at focusing the attention of incoming L&S undergrads on a single work or creator, is built around Professor of Journalism Michael Pollan's game-changing take on industrial agriculture and America's food systems, The Omnivore's Dilemma.
(10 September)

Fellowship lands recent grad in a real hotspot
Recent grad Sasha Pippenger’s taste for public service was not just satisfied but enhanced by her Gardner-funded experiences working on refugee-relief issues in Pakistan.
(10 September)

The Human Rights Center at 15
Applying a raft of interdisciplinary tools and approaches to the messy reality of the international human-rights movement, the HRC serves as a bridge between academia and the practitioners and activists in the field.
(10 September)

Well Said
Quotes, bon mots, and noteworthy utterances from the campus and beyond
(28 August)

It's my job
Steve Seid began his career writing about film and video, and working for small, independent video-arts organizations and film festivals before coming to the Pacific Film Archive 21 years ago.
(28 August)

Neil Henry steers a new course at the J-School
The new dean of the Graduate School of Journalism aims to uphold ethics amid the chaos of information in American society now.
(27 August)

Brostrom to serve interim role at UCOP leading business operations
Vice Chancellor for Administration Nathan Brostrom will serve as interim executive vice president for business operations in the UC Office of the President through Dec. 31, UC President Mark Yudof and Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced.
(27 August)

Bringing you a better Berkeleyan
With this issue you will see a redesigned Berkeleyan, with a new look and some new editorial formats.
(27 August)

Chancellor Birgeneau speaks out on the budget crisis
By all accounts, the UC system is facing the most serious financial crisis in its history. With the campus gearing up for a fall semester unlike any since his arrival in 2004, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau discusses the challenges ahead
(26 August)

Fourth member of "Old Blue" family to live in the same residence hall room
Perhaps it's time to call Norton Hall's Room 414 at UC Berkeley, "The Eidelson Room." This Sunday (Aug. 23), 18-year-old Aaron Eidelson of Santa Barbara will move into the very same residence hall room that his father Jon and brothers Michael and Joel ate, slept, studied and occasionally partied in during their undergraduate years at UC Berkeley. Room 414 is a double room in Unit 3 that overlooks Durant Street and has a corner view of the landmark Campanile.
(19 August)

Two Berkeley alums are reportedly detained by Iran
Two of the three hikers reportedly detained by the Iranian government last week are former UC Berkeley students who have been working as journalists in the Middle East and Africa. They are Shane Bauer, a 2007 honors graduate in peace and conflict studies, and Sarah Emily Shourd, 30, who graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in English.
(03 August)

Mark Rosenzweig, pioneer in brain plasticity, learning and hearing, has died at 86
Mark R. Rosenzweig, a professor emeritus of psychology at UC Berkeley whose early studies paved the way for today's recognition of the brain's ability to grow and repair itself, died July 20 at his home in Berkeley from kidney failure. He was 86.
(03 August)

Mitchell Celaya chosen as new UC Berkeley chief of police
Effective Aug. 1, the campus's new chief of police will be Mitchell J. Celaya III, a member of the UC Berkeley Police Department since 1982. Today's announcement follows a nationwide search to replace Victoria Harrison, who is retiring as police chief.
(21 July)

History's Carla Hesse is named L&S dean of social sciences
Professor of History Carla Hesse, a prize-winning scholar whose interests center on modern Europe, especially France, takes over Aug. 1 as dean of the social sciences division of the College of Letters and Science. Her appointment was approved July 16 by the UC Board of Regents.
(16 July)

Kenneth Stampp, noted historian of the Civil War and slavery, dies
Kenneth M. Stampp, a University of California, Berkeley, professor emeritus of history and a formidable scholar best known for paving the way to a sharply revised assessment of American slavery, the coming of the American Civil War and Southern Reconstruction, died in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, July 10. He was 96.
(15 July)

Early-career scientist gets White House honor
Dr. Sanjay Kumar, a UC Berkeley bioengineer, is one of 100 researchers to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the White House announced.
(09 July)

Kermit Wiltse, grassroots scholar of social work, has died at 94
Kermit T. Wiltse, a professor emeritus of social welfare at UC Berkeley and a North Dakota farm boy who devoted his life to improving the lot of disadvantaged children, died at his home in Berkeley on June 19 at age 94. The previous day, Jane Wiltse, his wife of 67 years, died at age 92. A celebration of their life together will be held on July 19.
(08 July)

Shinnyo-en Foundation names chancellor a 2009 "Pathfinder to Peace"
University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau is one of three recipients of the Shinnyo-en Foundation's 2009 Pathfinders to Peace Prize issued today (Monday, June 22) by the Shinnyo-en Foundation during ceremonies in San Francisco.
(22 June)

Betty Connors, longtime director of Cal Performances' predecessor, dies at 92
Betty Connors, who for 35 years led the UC Berkeley performing arts organization that ultimately became Cal Performances, died on Thursday, June 11, at her home in Richmond. She was 92.
(15 June)

Life after Berkeley
New retirees from offices all over campus share their feelings about Cal, their reasons for bidding Berkeley adieu, and their plans for the future. From violin-building to travel abroad, they may be stepping down, but most aren't slowing down.
(11 June)

Obituary
Nick West, an events coordinator in the Development and College Relations office of the College of Letters and Science, died of cancer on Monday, May 11, at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley. He was 54.
(11 June)

Obituary
Retired campus librarian Joseph W. Barker, who served both as head of the University Library's acquisition department and as program coordinator for the campus Teaching Library, died unexpectedly on Sunday, April 5, in Berkeley. He was 65 years old.
(11 June)

Three UC Berkeley faculty members chosen for state advisory committee to help devise cap-and-trade program
Three scholars from the University of California, Berkeley, have been appointed to the state's new Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee, a group charged with helping California implement the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32).
(01 June)

Vice Chancellor Nathan Brostrom wins a 2009 Bay Area CFO of the Year award
Nathan Brostrom, vice chancellor for administration, last week was named Bay Area CFO of the Year for a non-public company by the San Francisco Business Times and Larkin Street Youth Services. He was one of six winners honored because they "exemplify the professionalism, integrity, resilience and mastery of key skills that make a great CFO."
(01 June)

Ronald Takaki, pioneer and legend in ethnic studies, dies at age 70
Ronald Takaki, professor emeritus of ethnic studies at the UC Berkeley, and a preeminent scholar of U.S. race relations who taught the University of California's first black history course, died at his home in Berkeley on Tuesday, May 26, at age 70. He had struggled for years with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune condition that attacks the central nervous system. Although Takaki retired from UC Berkeley in 2003, he was frequently seen on campus, delivering guest lectures to standing-room-only audiences or joining marches about social justice, with his shock of silver hair, trim runner's body and professorial spectacles.
(28 May)

Obama calls on Berkeley School of Antitrust
Two University of California, Berkeley, professors who will become the federal government's top antitrust economists and a third chosen as a senior official in the same field are among the latest campus faculty members enlisted to help the Obama administration shape policy for the nation. Their appointments highlight the growing strength of Berkeley School of Antitrust Economics.
(28 May)

Ronald Takaki, pioneering scholar of race relations, dies at 70
Ronald Takaki, a professor emeritus of ethnic studies at UC Berkeley and a prolific scholar of U.S. race relations who taught UC’s first black history course, died at his home in Berkeley on Tuesday, May 26. He was 70
(27 May)

University Medal finalists make discoveries at Berkeley about themselves and the world
This year, five students — Jordan Anaya, Sonia Fleury, Lara Palanjian, Zoe Sima Silverman, and William Vega — were finalists for the University Medal, given to Berkeley's top graduating senior. These five stellar students take time out to answer questions about their time at Cal and their plans for life beyond Berkeley.
(14 May)

Top graduating senior is an intellectual superstar
Emma Shaw Crane spent her teens riding horses and making mischief at her Waldorf school in Santa Rosa, Calif. She filled out her application to UC Berkeley, while recovering from typhoid on a beach in southern Mexico. Growing up among activists and anarchists, Shaw Crane said she never expected to be admitted to a top research university. But like her thick, tawny hair, Shaw Crane's life is full of twists and turns. Today, she has landed a coveted prize as UC Berkeley's top graduating senior, selected to receive the University Medal and address thousands of her peers at Commencement Convocation on May 22. She also will receive a $2,500 scholarship.
(12 May)

Neil Henry named dean of Graduate School of Journalism
Award-winning journalist, author and professor Neil Henry has been chosen as dean of the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, a post he has held on a transitional basis since 2007.
(08 May)

Ausin Hoggatt, professor emeritus at the Haas School, dies at age 79
Austin "Auggie" Hoggatt, professor emeritus at the Haas School of Business, died April 29 at age 79. His research and consulting spanned many fields, including computer simulations, experimental economics, management science, and savings and loans.
(07 May)

It's My Job
Adrian Diaz, Assistant director, State Government Relations
(07 May)

Dishing diversity at the dinner table
All in the family: A mother and her adult daughter both have campus jobs dedicated to increasing diversity at Berkeley.
(07 May)

Chancellor's Public Service Awards honor faculty, staff, and students
Chancellor Birgeneau welcomed awardees and celebrants to the annual presentation of the Chancellor's Public Service Awards, in Sibley Auditorium, on April 23.
(01 May)

Obituary
The campus has lost Police Officer Allen Delano Rollins, whose warmth and humor made him a memorable presence at the front desk of California Hall.
(01 May)

UC president addresses Berkeley Senate
Mark Yudof addressed his good-news/bad-news budget message to faculty at last week's Senate meeting.
(01 May)

Transportation expert Ernest Koenigsberg passes away
Ernest Koenigsberg, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business and an expert in operations research and management science, with a focus on transportation, died on April 20 of heart failure at his home in San Francisco. He was 86.
(30 April)

Emmanuel Saez wins 2009 John Bates Clark Medal
University of California, Berkeley, professor Emmanuel Saez, a leading scholar of tax policy and the distribution of income and wealth, is the latest recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded by the American Economics Association (AEA) to the U.S. economist under 40 making the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.
(29 April)

Jennifer Wolch named ninth dean of College of Environmental Design
Jennifer Wolch, a leading scholar of urban analysis and planning, will take the helm at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design on July 1, 2009. Wolch will become the college's ninth dean and Berkeley's fourth current woman dean.
(29 April)

Bravo, maestro, bravo!
Longtime Cal Performances director Robert Cole, who will step down this August, announces the arts organization's 2009-10 season. The arts impresario also reflects on some of his favorite events during his 23 years at Cal Performances' helm.
(23 April)

Obituary
Ernest W. Adams, an emeritus professor of philosophy, died on March 29, shortly after being diagnosed with an advanced case of liver cancer. He was 83.
(23 April)

Plugging away at the riddle of consciousness
Over the course of his 50 years on campus, John Searle — among Berkeley's most distinguished and engaged public intellectuals — has explored the philosophy of language, to worldwide renown. He's also gotten in some skiing.
(23 April)

Professors ace teaching test
Five University of California, Berkeley, professors have been chosen by their department colleagues and students to receive a 2009 Distinguished Teaching Award, the campus's most prestigious honor for superlative instruction.
(22 April)

A truly distinguished lot
Five faculty members will be honored April 22 at this year's Distinguished Teaching Awards ceremony. Learn about them from our "Do-ers" profiles…
(16 April)

Meg Conkey receives Chancellor's Award
Honored for her commitment to increasing diversity not only on the campus but within her own academic field, Conkey will receive $30,000 to further her work.
(16 April)

Breyer: Faith in reason, or faith in force?
According to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who spoke at Berkeley last week, the rule of law is a "subtle thing" that relies on citizens to follow it, and on governments to enforce it.
(16 April)

Obituary
Diane Ainsworth, a former Berkeleyan staff writer, died March 29 at her home in Altadena, Calif., of an apparent heart attack or aneurysm, according to her father, Donald Ainsworth. She was 56.
(09 April)

"Pursuit of Happyness" hero to address 2009 graduates
Chris Gardner, the self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist whose homelessness-to-riches story inspired the 2006 autobiography and feature film, "The Pursuit of Happyness," will deliver the keynote address this spring at the UC Berkeley's Commencement Convocation, an annual event honoring all graduating seniors. Gardner's commitment to speak at the Greek Theatre on Friday, May 22, is a triumph for the Senior Class Council of the Californians, the student group that plans Commencement Convocation.
(08 April)

Optometry's 20/20 fundraising vision
Much of the more than $700,000 raised for graduate fellowships in optometry has come from the school's current and emeritus faculty.
(02 April)

It's My Job
Sandra Wasson, General Manager, KALX
(02 April)

Public finance scholar George F. Break dead at 88
George F. Break, an emeritus professor of economics at UC Berkeley, and an authority on public finance, died of heart failure at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley on March 13. He was 88.
(30 March)

Campus police chief will step down in July
Victoria Harrison will step down as chief of police at UC Berkeley in July, concluding a 36-year law-enforcement career that began as a student CSO at UC Santa Barbara. Over her 19 years as UCPD chief, Harrison successfully saw the campus through wide-ranging adversity.
(26 March)

Oakland police Sgt. Daniel Sakai killed in line of duty was a '96 Cal grad
Oakland police Sgt. Daniel Sakai, who was killed March 21 along with three fellow officers, was a '96 Cal grad and husband of a UC Berkeley police officer.
(23 March)

Political scientist Henry Brady new Goldman School dean
Political scientist Henry E. Brady, a leading scholar of public opinion, political movements, politics and public policy in the United States, Canada, Russia, Estonia and other countries, has been appointed dean of the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
(20 March)

Judith Butler wins Mellon Award
Judith Butler, a UC Berkeley professor of comparative literature and rhetoric, is a winner of the 2008 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Award.
(19 March)

Professor Emeritus Tor Brekke, renowned tunneling expert, dies at 75
Tor L. Brekke, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of geological engineering and a world-renowned scholar in tunneling, died on Friday, March 6, at his home in Berkeley. He was 75.
(19 March)

A poet views the oak-grove standoff
Professor English Robert Hass, in his Faculty Research Lecture last week, said his subject would be “thinking about nature.” His thesis? That “we don’t do it very well.”
(19 March)

Leona Shapiro, leading nutritionist and child obesity expert, dies at 89
Leona R. Shapiro, a leading public health nutritionist who played major roles in pioneering research on child obesity, has died at the age of 89.
(12 March)

Staffer a winner in campus essay contest
Linda Finch Hicks’ essay about an aspect of her childhood in Tokyo was submitted on the theme of “Rock, paper, scissors” in this year’s Fabilli-Hoffer Essay Contest . . . the only such campus competition open to staff and faculty.
(11 March)

Honors for two Berkeley physicists
Paul Richards and Nobel laureate George Smoot have been honored for their contributions to astrophysics research and teaching.
(04 March)

A painful journey through the past
Tracing her family's Holocaust story, a historian learns that facts can count for as much as the big picture
(26 February)

Berkeley Law dean charged with 'fixing the educational pipeline'
Berkeley Law dean Chris Edley — who taught Barack Obama at Harvard and worked in Bill Clinton's White House — mixes Beltway savvy and legal acumen in his role as special adviser to UC President Mark Yudof.
(26 February)

Economist James L. Pierce, authority on banking and monetary policy, dies
James L. Pierce, a professor emeritus of economics at UC Berkeley and an authority on banking and monetary policy, died of lung disease in Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, Calif., on Feb. 15. He was 71.
(25 February)

Paul Richards, George Smoot honored for astrophysics research and teaching
Two UC Berkeley physicists – Paul Richards and Nobel Laureate George Smoot – have been honored for their contributions to astrophysics research and teaching.
(23 February)

John Whinnery, University Professor Emeritus and distinguished innovator in electromagnetism, dies at 92
John Roy Whinnery, former UC Berkeley dean of engineering, University Professor Emeritus, and a distinguished innovator in the field of electromagnetism, died Feb. 1 at his home in Walnut Creek, Calif. He was 92.
(13 February)

The march to war, from Bonaparte to Bush
This year's Jefferson Lecturer, Stanford's David Kennedy, talked about how today's all-volunteer U.S. military not only makes it easier for a president to go to war, but jeopardizes crucial aspects of American democracy.
(12 February)

Laurels
Blue ribbons, gold stars, and honorary mentions . . .
(12 February)

It's My Job
A regular feature showcasing staff members whose work is essential to the smooth functioning of the campus.
(05 February)

Bringing it all back home
It took a quarter century for Wilda White to land the social-justice job of her dreams: helping to train the next generation of public-interest lawyers.
(05 February)

KQED-TV to air doc on late revolutionary biologist Allan Wilson
Local station KQED-TV will air a documentary on the late Allan Wilson, a UC Berkeley biochemist who revolutionized the study of evolution, on Sunday, Feb. 8, at noon. Wilson, who died in 1991 from leukemia, showed that comparing protein and gene sequences of species can provide unexpected new information on evolutionary relationships.
(04 February)

Center for Japanese Studies makes Clint Eastwood's day
Actor/director accepts first annual 'New Vision' award
(28 January)

At Haas Pavilion, a standing 'O' — as in 'Obama'
When Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson took his team onto the court against the Bears last week, he received a spontaneous ovation from the usually partisan crowd. Just good manners, or something a bit more stirring?
(28 January)

Physicist Sumner Davis has died at 84
Physicist Sumner P. Davis, a beloved teacher, classical optical spectroscopist and avid glider pilot, died Dec. 31, 2008, in El Cerrito after a brief illness. He was 84.
(23 January)

Somorjai named a Miller Senior Fellow
Veteran chemistry professor Gabor Somorjai is the second luminary selected for this prestigious fellowship.
(21 January)

Academic Senate honors Princeton's Shapiro
The Clark Kerr Medal will be bestowed on thinker, writer, and higher-ed leader Harold Shapiro.
(21 January)

Mathematician John Stallings died last year at 73
John Robert Stallings Jr., a professor emeritus of mathematics at UC Berkeley who made seminal contributions to geometric group theory and topology, died Nov. 24, 2008, from prostate cancer at his home in Berkeley. He was 73.
(12 January)

Educator Bill Sonnenschein dies in Madagascar
William "Bill" Sonnenschein, a senior lecturer on leadership and communication at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, passed away suddenly on December 29 in Madagascar. He was 59.
(07 January)