Cal Culture

Storming Sather Gate: Two Student Groups Demand Visibility

Recent demonstrations at Sather Gate by LGBTQIA+ students and students of color were covered with gleeful alacrity by the national press—largely because white students were seemingly prevented by the demonstrators from entering the campus. Right-leaning (and alt right) outlets denounced the actions with particular fervor, claiming they were neo-segregationist in intent and distressingly uncivil in tone. Some commentators lamented that the acronym for people who are other than heterosexual is becoming absurdly long, leading to confusion and muddled communication. Read more about Storming Sather Gate: Two Student Groups Demand Visibility »

Posted on November 1, 2016 - 11:55am

Alumni Study: Africans Abroad Still Committed to the Homeland

Even those of us who don’t reflexively shriek “Go Bears” every four or five minutes know that UC Berkeley is one of the finest universities on the planet. The proof is in the sheepskin; if a Cal degree isn’t always a fast track to an executive suite or academic renown, it at least constitutes a reliable on-ramp.

But is that the case just for American students? What about the developing world? Berkeley bona fides can be of inestimable value in Silicon Valley, but is the same true for Mombasa? Read more about Alumni Study: Africans Abroad Still Committed to the Homeland »

Posted on October 31, 2016 - 11:49am

UC Berkeley Votes: On-Campus Interviews about the 2016 Election

The national reputation of the University of California, Berkeley is, shall we say, a bit liberal. And there’s been a lot of talk this election season about the Millennial vote, as though Millenials were a monolithic group sharing a single Bernie-inspired thought, or maybe just an Instagram image that would carry them to the polls, if they bothered to vote at all. Not content to believe rumor, California talked to people around campus about the election, the candidates, and whether or not they’ll vote.

Read more about UC Berkeley Votes: On-Campus Interviews about the 2016 Election »

Posted on October 27, 2016 - 7:07am

Urban Ore: Berkeley’s Eternal Garage Sale

Enter any grocery store franchise and prepare to be worked. It’s almost Halloween so you’ll see pumpkins, candy, straw, and speckled corn garnishing produce bins overflowing with honeycombed stacks of shiny, plump fruit. You’ll smell flowers, fresh bread, and deli meats. If you came at the right time you might hear a faint thunderstorm in the produce section and see soft mist falling on dewy greens.

“Have you tried Advanced Listerine?” A voice might chirp from the ceiling. Read more about Urban Ore: Berkeley’s Eternal Garage Sale »

Posted on October 25, 2016 - 11:24am

Union Yet? Worker Protections Elude Graduate Student Researchers

Nearly 15,000 graduate teaching assistants, student instructors, and readers in the UC system are full-fledged members of the labor movement. But UC graduate student researchers (GSRs) are the only student employees who are not protected by the UC Student Workers Union contract, and are not eligible to negotiate for better working conditions. Read more about Union Yet? Worker Protections Elude Graduate Student Researchers »

Posted on October 14, 2016 - 7:44am

A Little Dotty: Berkeley Startup Has a New Way to Make Your House Smart

When giant tech companies like Intel or Samsung need to make a circuit board, they simply pop one out of their multi-billion dollar fabs or pony up a few million for a new machine. But when you’re just a tiny, underfunded startup putting together a prototype that you need to bake, you’ve got to look for something simpler and cheaper—a lot cheaper. Read more about A Little Dotty: Berkeley Startup Has a New Way to Make Your House Smart »

Posted on October 12, 2016 - 1:16pm

Making Believe: Actor Robert Sicular’s Devotion to Berkeley, the Bard, and The Bay

Born and raised in Berkeley, Robert Sicular feels sorry for people who didn’t grow up here. He even loved his time in high school, which he remembers as full of opportunities–not just in academics, but in sports and music and the arts. When he went there, Berkeley High School’s commitment to drama was clear—there was a theater technician and costumer along with the two drama teachers—all full-time.   Read more about Making Believe: Actor Robert Sicular's Devotion to Berkeley, the Bard, and The Bay »

Posted on October 6, 2016 - 3:23pm

In Memoriam: UC Berkeley Loses Two Students Studying Abroad

Two UC Berkeley students were killed in terrorist attacks within a span of two weeks this past July. Sophomore Tarishi Jain and 20 others were killed by armed men storming a café in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nicolas Leslie, a junior, went missing and was eventually found dead after a truck driver murdered at least 84 people on the streets of Nice, France. Three other Berkeley students were injured in the attack.

Although Nicolas and Tarishi had different lives and career paths ahead of them, they had one thing in common: untapped potential. Read more about In Memoriam: UC Berkeley Loses Two Students Studying Abroad »

From the Fall 2016 The Greatest Show On Earth issue of California.

Message in a Bottle: Nearly Four Decades After Launch the Voyager Record Still Inspires

This Friday night the Greek Theatre will host a one-night-only performance of music and storytelling exploring the “sounds, ideas, and culture of California and the West today.” Called “The Golden State Record,” the evening’s program—a joint presentation by the folks at Pop-Up Magazine, California Sunday Magazine (not to be confused with this magazine), and festival producer NoisePop—is a nod to the NASA Voyager Golden Records, which are carried by the twin space probes, Voyagers 1 and 2. Read more about Message in a Bottle: Nearly Four Decades After Launch the Voyager Record Still Inspires »

Posted on September 28, 2016 - 10:48am

Out of the Gate: Serendipity or Something Else?

 I met Patricia Kearney ‘77 on the first day of Architecture school at UC Berkeley. We sat next to each other in our introductory design studio. One day, after a couple of months, I was waiting for the elevator in Wurster Hall when the doors opened and Patti emerged. I had never seen her so dressed up, and there she was in a white sundress with heels and makeup and flowing blonde hair and red lips and a lovely smile. My eyes captured this angelic vision and sent it straight to my heart. That was the moment I knew she was the one for me. Read more about Out of the Gate: Serendipity or Something Else? »

From the Fall 2016 The Greatest Show On Earth issue of California.

Well in Control: Berkeley Startup Helps People Find Out What They’re Drinking

Two factors that contributed to the poisoning of tens of thousands of Washington, D.C., residents through their drinking water in the early 2000s—lead pipes and a disinfectant called chloramine—continue to coexist in countless water systems nationwide, including in the Bay Area. But not to worry, says UC Berkeley water expert and engineering professor David Sedlak; they’re safe when properly managed, which happens in the vast majority of public water systems. Read more about Well in Control: Berkeley Startup Helps People Find Out What They’re Drinking »

From the Fall 2016 The Greatest Show On Earth issue of California.

Step Right Up: Why Exactly Did I Vote for Bernie?

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the seductive nature of the 2016 American presidential campaign season. I like the drama, the mudslinging, the tabloid-style coverage, the gaffes, the slip-ups, and the never-ending political commentary from pundits. It’s oddly entertaining, no?

Although, let’s be honest: None of the empty party rhetoric and nastiness can prepare us or the candidates for the realities of elected office. We learned this lesson during Obama’s eight-year struggle to address serious issues while faced with a do-nothing Congress. Read more about Step Right Up: Why Exactly Did I Vote for Bernie? »

From the Fall 2016 The Greatest Show On Earth issue of California.

Breathing Easier: A New Device Could Help Detect Asthma Attacks Before They Start

To a very real degree, Charvi Shetty’s future was molded by her college roommate. Or rather, her roommate’s health.

“She had asthma,” says Shetty, who graduated from UC Berkeley with a bioengineering degree in 2012 and took a master’s in biomedical imaging from UCSF in 2013. “She had to use an inhaler six times a day. She told me that her childhood memories were of going to the ER, not Disneyland or the beach, and she was never allowed to play outside because of her allergies. Asthma controlled her life.” Read more about Breathing Easier: A New Device Could Help Detect Asthma Attacks Before They Start »

From the Fall 2016 The Greatest Show On Earth issue of California.

Step Right Up: Shaking Up Facebook

Like every other voter preparing for the upcoming election, I often cruise Facebook to gauge the mood of my fellow citizens. Not that I’m a fan of the site. To me, Facebook has always seemed like an inversion of the old “banality of evil” trope: It is the evil of banality, a fount of never-ending Likes and emoticons and pictures of highly caloric restaurant meals and garish sunsets and Frisbee-catching dogs. It is an online Leave It to Beaver updated to the digital age, a place where we can all cozily catch up and be comfortable and make soft, murmuring sounds to each other. Read more about Step Right Up: Shaking Up Facebook »

From the Fall 2016 The Greatest Show On Earth issue of California.

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