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Beyond Rube Goldberg’s machines

12/10/13 New York Times — Rube Goldberg's reservoir of elaborate contraptions that mutated simple tasks into madcap feats of ingenuity made him rich and famous. But the Berkeley-trained engineer (B.S. 1904 MSE) was also an all-around cartoon man and artist - the Thomas Edison of the newspaper comics pages - as the new book ‘The Art of Rube Goldberg' makes clear.

Cal football to be played on Kabam Field

12/09/13 San Francisco Chronicle — Kabam, a San Francisco-based mobile-gaming company, has secured naming rights for the playing field at Memorial Stadium. Three of Kabam's founders, including Michael Li, B.S. '01 EECS, are Berkeley graduates, as are 10 percent of the company's 700 employees worldwide.

David Culler to receive the Okawa Prize, 2013

12/05/13 CITRIS — EECS Department Chair and Director of the CITRIS Energy Initiative David Culler has been selected as a recipient of the 2013 Okawa Prize, which is awarded annually by the Okawa Foundation for Information and Telecommunications.

Educating a maker: The Berkeley perspective

11/27/13 Forbes — Students are busy in the CITRIS Invention Lab, on the bottom floor of Sutardja Dai Hall. The lab, which is co-directed by Bjoern Hartmann and Eric Paulos, both EECS professors, houses new rapid prototyping equipment, such as 3D printers and laser cutters. Hartmann teaches an interactive device design class, while Paulos teaches a class called Critical Making. Both classes emphasize design thinking and hands-on learning.

Kevin Healy named AAAS Fellow

11/26/13 — Kevin Healy, professor of bioengineering, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed upon the association's members by their peers. Healy was cited for his distinguished contributions to the fields of bioengineering and biomaterials science, particularly for the understanding and development of bioinspired materials.

Design education shifts to the fast lane

11/22/13 — Given the rising tide of emerging technologies and global challenges in energy, health and elsewhere, we are re-inventing engineering education here at Berkeley. Our students are graduating not only with technical depth, but also with practice in hands-on problem solving, team leadership and entrepreneurship. As Berkeley students, they bring an extra dimension to their learning-a passion for the greater good. The latest chapter in this educational transformation commenced in June, with the creation of our Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation.

Flying to the edge of darkness

11/22/13 — Adam Wright (B.S'05 ME) is building submarines that fly through water. He started his career at Hawkes Ocean Technologies as an unpaid intern before his freshman year of college. Early this year, he was named the company's president and CEO.

Applying the right pressure

11/22/13 — The leading cause of maternal mortality is entirely preventable. Worldwide, as many as 140,000 women die every year from postpartum hemorrhage, primarily in developing countries. But a life-saving medical device once used to stabilize injured soldiers during the Vietnam War may be poised to cut those numbers dramatically, thanks in part to the work of four Berkeley Engineering undergraduates.

Work out to charge up

11/22/13 — In early November, a retrofitted elliptical machine was installed in the university's Recreational Sports Facility. The specially outfitted machine charges users' cell phones while they work out. Watch a video of the Human-powered Gym in action.

Solar car team works into the night months before next race

11/21/13 Daily Californian — The CalSol team has been hard at work - including nights and football weekends - getting Zephyr, their latest solar-powered car, ready for the July 2014 American Solar Challenge race from Texas to Minnesota.

George Leitmann receives French Legion of Honor

11/19/13 — George Leitmann, professor of the Graduate School and professor emeritus of Engineering Science, has been awarded Knight of the Legion of Honor, France's highest tribute recognizing military and civil service on behalf of the French nation.

College of Engineering opens innovation center in Shanghai

11/15/13 — A new center now open in Shanghai will strengthen the College of Engineering's research and educational partnerships with academic and industry colleagues in China. The Shanghai Zhangjiang Berkeley Engineering Innovation Center, or Z-BEI, was formally launched in a Nov. 15 ceremony presided over by officials from UC Berkeley, Zhangjiang High-Tech Park and the Shanghai-area government.

Helping dissenters evade foreign eavesdropping

11/05/13 San Francisco Chronicle — Yahel Ben-David, a computer science doctoral student, has been working with other Berkeley Engineering researchers to create an Android application that will allow activists and citizens to communicate anonymously even when oppressive governments try to shut down communications channels.
Jean-Paul Tennant with kids and baby elephants

Off the beaten track

11/01/13 — Meet Jean-Paul Tennant, CFO of the international adventure travel company GeoEx.