College news

New Blum Center headquarters opens on north side

11/04/10 — With campus and national dignitaries on hand and a sunny Homecoming Friday as a backdrop, the doors of Richard C. Blum Hall officially opened on Friday, October 8. It was a big occasion to celebrate what one project architect called a "little jewel box" of a building, small in scale but grand in its historic origins and its lofty goals. The program it will house also bears the name of Richard C. Blum, Haas alumnus, UC Regent and global philanthropist who championed the center to mobilize Berkeley students and faculty against global poverty.

Singapore launches new CREATE research center with UC Berkeley

10/20/10 Nan Yang Technological University — The National Research Foundation announced today the addition of two new research centers to the CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise) program. UC Berkeley's program will conduct research on "Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics." Professor S. Shankar Sastry, dean of engineering at UC Berkeley, said, "The M3 (Measuring, Modelling and Mitigation) agenda for energy consumption of new and existing buildings represents an exciting fusion of some of the most novel emerging technologies."

Educating transformational leaders

10/05/10 — Homecoming has a special significance for us this year, as we kick off the weekend on Friday, October 8, with the grand opening of Blum Hall. This dedication represents not only the expansion and renovation of the historic Naval Architecture Building. It is also the culmination of a five-year construction effort that has transformed the north side of campus and provided a new home for the Richard C. Blum Center for Developing Economies.

Teachers at the top of their game

10/05/10 — Berkeley faculty know their material. Yet to teach it so that students not only understand but find inspiration and wonder in it, takes special talent and dedication. In April, civil and environmental engineering professor Juan Pestana-Nascimento and associate professor Dan Klein of electrical engineering and computer sciences joined two other faculty members elsewhere on campus in receiving the Berkeley 2010 Distinguished Teaching Award. In the award's 51-year history, only 236 faculty have received it, among the thousands who have taught Berkeley courses.

Inspiring the next generation

09/08/10 — As the fall semester 2010 kicks off, the campus is buzzing not only with students but also with capital improvements at the heart of the Berkeley Engineering quadrant. These projects represent the continuation of our strategic plan to transform the educational experience for our 2,800-plus undergraduates.

Safety in numbers

08/09/10 — One engineer is good. A team of engineers is better. And a team of Berkeley engineers . . . well, you can't get better than that. This is my mantra as I welcome Dean Sastry back, wrap up my six months as acting dean and prepare for my next assignment. It was a privilege to apply at the college's highest level the skills I have acquired in my 27 years here. Everything I brought to the experience-especially my team-building and problem-solving skills-I learned as an engineer, an engineering educator and an engineering administrator.

Economy pushes grads to stay in school

07/15/10 The Wall Street Journal — Some of Silicon Valley's best and brightest have decided not to immediately venture out into the work force. Instead, they are opting for graduate school. That applies to many of the latest engineering graduates from Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and other local schools. According to several of this year's Berkeley electrical-engineering and computer-science grads and officials at Stanford, more engineering students of the class of 2010 opted to continue on with graduate degrees than in past years.

Engineering across the generations

06/03/10 — On May 16, we sent more than 1,200 newly minted engineers into the world to invent stronger bridges, faster computers, greener energy, safer medicines and a host of other societal solutions. Our commencement ceremony in the Greek Theatre made me especially proud of our Berkeley engineers. They offer a rare blend of deep technical expertise and broad mastery of the human skills necessary to make a genuine impact.

UC Berkeley open house draws thousands

04/18/10 San Francisco Chronicle — The UC Berkeley campus was flooded Saturday with thousands of students and their families attending Cal Day, the university's annual open house. It seemed like just about every campus department held some kind of event - robot car races at one of the engineering buildings, sing-alongs in the music department, live insect analysis in front of the biology building. Visitors were greeted by an enthusiastic, and highly diverse, crew of volunteers.

Sastry receives Chang-Lin Tien Education Leadership Award

03/17/10 Asian Pacific Fund — On Tuesday, March 16, the Asian Pacific Fund presented S. Shankar Sastry, UC Berkeley Dean of Engineering, with the Chang-Lin Tien Education Leadership Award. The award recognizes the leadership qualities and scholarly accomplishments of Asian Americans working in higher education. "I very much celebrate and draw on my Asian heritage in my work," said Sastry in accepting the award. "This foundation provides me with an appreciation for patience, civility and respect for the contributions of my elders."

Innovation as an engine for peace

03/03/10 — Be it the economy, climate change or health care reform, what are we not worried about these days? There are so many weighty priorities on our minds and, in fact, the College of Engineering is working to address many of these. But I hope this issue of Innovations helps you step back to see an even bigger picture.

U.S. Green Building Council approves sustainability studies courses offered by UC Berkeley Extension

02/04/10 PR Newswire — UC Berkeley Extension today announced its new designation as a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider. USGBC sets the standards for the green building industry in the United States and abroad through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System certification program. UC Berkeley Extension is the first continuing education program at the University of California, and one of the few public continuing education programs in the country, to offer USGBC-approved course credits.

Asian Pacific Fund awards engineering dean S. Shankar Sastry

01/08/10 San Francisco Business Times — The San Francisco-based Asian Pacific Fund on Friday named two recipients of the fourth annual Chang-Lin Tien Education Leadership Awards, which recognize the accomplishments and leadership of Asian Americans working in higher education. S. Shankar Sastry, dean of the College of Engineering, UC Berkeley, and Meredith Jung-En Woo, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, each will receive an unrestricted grant of $10,000.

Top 10 cleantech universities in the U.S. for 2010

01/07/10 Berkeley Lab — UC Berkeley ranks second in a survey of U.S. academic institutions best suited to take advantage of cleantech trends by fostering a pipeline of collaboration of businesses, universities, state initiatives, investors and research dollars.