Cal Day Crowds -
Estimated at 30,000 - to Return April 15th
By Tamara Keith,
Public Affairs
Posted April 12, 2000
An estimated 30,000 visitors from the Bay Area and across California are expected to come to campus Saturday, April 15 for Cal Day 2000, a free open house featuring tours, activities and lectures.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the campus will open the doors to its labs, lecture halls and museums, giving visitors an inside look at the nation's top public university. Throughout the day there will be a variety of free musical and dance performances, sporting events and scientific demonstrations.
Visitors will learn how scientists could use their backyard to study earthquakes at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. They can also follow professor Roland Burgmann on a guided tour that traces the Hayward Fault through campus.
Campus linguists will show visitors how pictures of their voices can be made and tell people about the history of their favorite word at the phonology lab in Dwinelle Hall. And, those weary from exploring, can relax with a free massage provided by the massage therapy experts at the Recreational Sports Facility.
For those interested in literature, libraries will have plenty to offer. The only movie footage ever shot of Mark Twain will be on display along with many of the famous author's manuscripts. During hourly tours, visitors will get a chance to look at these artifacts and talk to the editors of the university's Mark Twain Project, the world's foremost collection of the author's work.
Authors Maxine Hong Kingston, Richard Rodriguez and Al Young will discuss "California Literature in the 21st Century" at 2:30 p.m. in Wheeler Auditorium. The panel discussion will be moderated by KQED radio host Michael Krasney.
Cal Day has long been one of the East Bay's most popular family events. For prospective students, it provides an opportunity to learn more about Berkeley. Information on admissions, financial aid and campus housing will be available throughout the day.
Here are some highlights of the day's free events:
• Tours - Student guides will lead campus walking tours every half hour. In addition, visitors can learn about the university while riding around the campus in motorized cable cars. There will also be a variety of specialized tours ranging from a guide to campus trees to a behind-the-scenes tour of the campus's sewer system.
• Sports - From 9:30 to 11 a.m., Cal's football team will show off its newest recruits during a scrimmage in Memorial Stadium. And, at 2 p.m., watch the women's intercollegiate lacrosse team as they take on UC Davis in Memorial Stadium.
• Children's events - Young people can experience the thrill of finding fossils at the Museum of Paleontology or listen to storytellers at the 9th annual Celebration of Children's Literature in Tolman Hall.
• Prominent lectures - Political commentator and professor Bruce Cain will talk about "Politics in the Not So Golden State," and visitors can learn about "The Physics of Bicycles" from physics professor Joel Fajans. Among dozens of faculty lectures examining everything from interracial marriage to manipulating molecules, integrative biology professor Timothy White will present a lecture on "Human Origins and Evolution: A View From Africa."
As a special treat, admission is free to all campus museums, including the Lawrence Hall of Science, the Botanical Garden and the Berkeley Art Museum. Parking in most campus lots is free as well. A detailed schedule of events is available on the Cal Day Web site at (www.berkeley.edu/calday). For information, contact Visitor Services at 642-5215.
April 12-18, 2000
(Volume 28, Number 28)
Copyright 2000, The Regents of the University of
California.
Produced and maintained by the Office
of Public Affairs
at UC
Berkeley.
Comments? E-mail berkeleyan@pa.urel.berkeley.edu.