News

Large ceiling beams at the Transbay Terminal

Transbay Terminal’s cracked beams may be vulnerable

09/27/18 NBC Bay Area — Calling cracks in specially fabricated beams at San Francisco's new Transbay Terminal potentially “catastrophic,” Rune Storesund, executive director of UC Berkeley's Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, said, “You want to be looking at imperfections in the steel.”

Lectures celebrate ‘golden age’ of computer science research

09/25/18 — In celebration of the 50th anniversary of computer science at UC Berkeley, EECS is launching a special series of lectures by winners of the Turing Award,all of whom are current or past Berkeley faculty members or alumni.

The latest course catalog trend? Blockchain 101

09/19/18 Wired — From a course teaching students to think like blockchain entrepreneurs to "collider sprints" at the Sutardja Center's Blockchain Lab, Berkeley is at the forefront of universities incorporating this multidisciplinary technology into the curriculum.

David Patterson: Moore’s Law is over

09/18/18 IEEE Spectrum — David Patterson, Turing laureate and professor emeritus of electrical engineering and computer sciences, says the demise of Moore's Law is a golden opportunity for computer architects and software engineers.

Eight Berkeley engineers honored as Siebel Scholars

09/14/18 — Eight Berkeley engineers - representing bioengineering, computer science and energy science - have been named to the Siebel Scholars Foundation's 2019 class, recognized for their academic achievements and demonstrated leadership.

Cartoon of worker relaxing at desk while computer does work.

AI may not be bad news for workers

09/14/18 The Economist — Countering fears that artificial intelligence will eliminate millions of jobs, a new report co-authored by Berkeley Engineering roboticist Ken Goldberg says AI may instead enhance job satisfaction for ordinary workers by taking over mundane tasks.

Berkeley Engineering Dean Tsu-Jae King Liu talks with NextProf Nexus participants

NextProf career workshop provides pipeline for diverse faculty

09/11/18 — Nearly 70 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from around the country gathered at UC Berkeley for a three-day workshop designed to strengthen and diversify the next generation of academic leaders in engineering. The event, called NextProf Nexus, is hosted by Berkeley Engineering and Michigan Engineering.

Diamond dust boosts magnetic field detection

09/10/18 — Berkeley engineers have created a device that dramatically reduces the energy needed to power magnetic field detectors, which could revolutionize how we measure the magnetic fields that flow through our electronics, our planet and even our bodies.

Berkeley Engineering holds steady in U.S. News ranking

09/10/18 — Berkeley Engineering maintained its No. 3 position in the latest rankings of undergraduate engineering programs from U.S. News and World Report. The University of California dominated the overall rankings of public universities.

Aerial view of cleanup project at Savannah River Site

Algorithm provides early warning system for groundwater contamination

08/30/18 Berkeley Lab — National laboratory researchers led by Berkeley Lab's Haruko Wainwright, a new associate adjunct professor of nuclear engineering at UC Berkeley, have developed a low-cost method for real-time monitoring of groundwater pollutants using commonly available sensors.

Surveying expert James Anderson dies at 92

08/30/18 — Professor James Anderson, civil and environmental engineering faculty member for 25 years and an expert on the theory and practice of surveying, died on Aug. 23; he was 92.

Discarded cup carried to storm drain by runoff water

Engineered sand zaps storm water pollutants

08/30/18 — Berkeley engineers have created a new way to remove contaminants from storm water using mineral-coated sand, potentially addressing the needs of water-stressed communities that are searching for ways to tap the abundant and yet underused source of fresh drinking water.

AI-altered video makes it look like you can dance

08/27/18 Engadget — Experimenting with deep learning systems, a team of Berkeley computer science researchers is using artificial intelligence to make dancers look more skillful. The project uses algorithms to pass dance moves via video from a skilled dancer to a virtual skeleton to an amateur subject.

Fiona Doyle to retire

08/27/18 — Fiona Doyle, vice provost of graduate studies, longtime leader in the College of Engineering and campus, champion of student services and an influential pioneer in mineral engineering, will retire in June 2019 after a remarkable 36-year career at Berkeley. Read more about her many accomplishments

The art of innovation

08/23/18 California magazine — It's been a long, strange trip for George Crow (B.S.'66 EE), from proofreading textbooks for his Berkeley professors in the sixties to developing the original, groundbreaking Apple Macintosh computer (and its many offspring) with Steve Jobs and the Mac team.

Workers installing solar panels on a roof

Green energy is gold for California, U.S.

08/22/18 San Francisco Chronicle — In an op-ed column, energy researcher Dan Kammen writes about why he believes California should - and ultimately will - pass into law the “bold goal” of 100 percent clean, zero-carbon electricity by 2045.

Calling out fake photos on the web

08/21/18 Wired — Fake photos are the bane of internet junkies. SurfSafe, a browser plugin from RoBhat Labs (computer science undergrads Ash Bhat and Rohan Phadte), can warn users that they're viewing a Photoshopped fake in real time - like an antivirus for photos.