Academic
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Lichen Dye Workshop
Workshop | January 21 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | UC Botanical Garden
This class and workshop will provide an overview and history of lichen dyes followed by information on the methodologies of creating lichen dye baths. We will heat up some dyes and add fiber samples (provided). While the dye lichens are doing their work, Shelly will lead class participants on a walk in the surrounding area to look for lichens in the Garden. We will learn some common lichen... More >
$85 / $75 Garden Members
Sold out.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Integration of guided experiential skill application into attention regulation training yields generalized improvements in cognitive functioning
Seminar | January 22 | 12-1:30 p.m. | 489 Minor Hall
Sahar Yousef, Silver Lab
Neuroscience Institute, Helen Wills
Improvement of cognitive function is of great value to many aspects of society. However, identifying robust procedures for training cognitive processes in a generalizable way remains elusive. Here we present a novel attention regulation training paradigm that incorporates skill application in multiple learning environments. We hypothesized that our training procedure would enhance... More >
Combinatorics Seminar: Combinatorics of the Selberg integral
Seminar | January 22 | 12-1 p.m. | 939 Evans Hall
Jang Soo Kim, Sungkyunkwan University
In 1944, Selberg evaluated a multivariate integral, which generalizes Euler's beta integral. In 1980, Askey conjectured a $q$-integral version of the the Selberg integral, which was proved independently by Habsieger and Kadell in 1988. In this talk, we focus on the combinatorial aspects of the Selberg integral. First, we review the following fact observed by Igor Pak: evaluating the Selberg... More >
Econ 235, Financial Economics: Job Market Seminar
Seminar | January 22 | 12:30-2 p.m. | C125 Haas School of Business
Anastassia Fedyk, Harvard
Joint with Haas Finance Seminar
Data Driven: Truckers and the New Workplace Surveillance
Colloquium | January 22 | 2-3:30 p.m. | 820 Barrows Hall
Karen Levy, Assistant Professor of Information Science, Associated Faculty at Cornell Law School, Cornell University
This talk examines how electronic monitoring systems in the U.S. trucking industry are used to compel truckers' compliance with legal and organizational rules. New regulations will require truckers' time to be monitored by digital systems, hard-wired into the trucks themselves, which remove much of the flexibility on which truckers have historically relied.

Probabilistic Operator Algebra Seminar: Boolean probability basics
Seminar | January 22 | 2-4 p.m. | 736 Evans Hall
Jorge Garza Vargas, UC Berkeley
With the introduction of free independence by D.V. Voiculescu, it became clear that in the framework of non-commutative probability there are other notions of independence different than that of (classical) independence. In 1997, R. Speicher defined a notion of universal product for which he showed that there are three types of independence. In the category of unital algebras the tensor and free... More >
Differential Geometry Seminar: A polyhedron comparison theorem for 3-manifolds with positive scalar curvature
Seminar | January 22 | 2:10-3 p.m. | 939 Evans Hall
Chao Li, Stanford
We establish a comparison theorem for polyhedra in 3-manifolds with nonnegative scalar curvature, answering affirmatively a dihedral rigidity conjecture by Gromov. For a large collection of polyhedra with interior non-negative scalar curvature and mean convex faces, we prove that the dihedral angles along its edges cannot be everywhere less or equal than those of the corresponding Euclidean... More >
Shuttle Catalysis a Conceptual Blueprint for Reversible Functional Group Transfer
Seminar | January 22 | 3-4 p.m. | 775 Tan Hall
Prof. Bill Morandi, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung
Catalytic reversible reactions, such as alkene metathesis and transfer hydrogenation, have had an auspicious impact on the molecular sciences. This presentation will describe our efforts to develop related shuttle catalysis reactions for the functionalization and defunctionalization of organic compounds.1-5 These reactions avoid the use of toxic reagents (e.g. HCN, CO) through the reversible... More >
Arithmetic Geometry and Number Theory RTG Seminar: The Brauer group of some algebraic stacks
Seminar | January 22 | 3:10-5 p.m. | 748 Evans Hall | Note change in date
Minseon Shin, UC Berkeley
We will discuss recent developments in the computation of Brauer groups of some algebraic stacks, namely the moduli stack of elliptic curves $\mathscr M_{1,1}$ and torsion $\mathbb G_m$-gerbes.
Seminar Format: The seminar consists of two 50-minute talks, a pre-talk (3:10-4:00) and an advanced talk (4:10-5:00), with a 10-minute break (4:00-4:10) between them. The advanced talk is a regular formal... More >
Understanding rare events in models of statistical mechanics
Seminar | January 22 | 4-5 p.m. | 1011 Evans Hall
Shirshendu Ganguly, UC Berkeley
Statistical mechanics models are ubiquitous at the interface of probability theory, information
theory, and inference problems in high dimensions. In this talk, we will focus on
sparse networks, and polymer models on lattices. The study of rare behavior (large deviations)
is intimately related to the understanding of such models. In particular, we will
consider the rare events that a sparse... More >
Panel Discussion Honoring San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee
Panel Discussion | January 22 | 4-5:30 p.m. | Boalt Hall, School of Law, Room 105
Erin Dineen, Berkeley Law
The Bay Area and the Berkeley Law community lost one of its shining lights when Mayor Ed Lee passed away. Mayor Lee was a graduate of Berkeley Law (Class of 1978). His career was dedicated to public service and he made an enormous difference in so many peoples lives and in the Bay Area.
On Monday January 22nd, we will be holding a panel discussion about Ed Lees contributions and legacy. We... More >
Seminar 208, Microeconomic Theory: No Meeting
Seminar | January 22 | 4-5:30 p.m. | 639 Evans Hall
Understanding rare events in models of statistical mechanics
Seminar | January 22 | 4:10-5 p.m. | 1011 Evans Hall
Shirshendu Ganguly, UC Berkeley
Statistical mechanics models are ubiquitous at the interface of probability theory, information
theory, and inference problems in high dimensions. In this talk, we will focus on
sparse networks, and polymer models on lattices. The study of rare behavior (large deviations)
is intimately related to the understanding of such models. In particular, we will
consider the rare events that a sparse... More >
Thematic Seminar: Numerical Methods: Machine Learning at Facebook
Seminar | January 22 | 4:10-5 p.m. | 939 Evans Hall
Mark Tygert, Facebook
Machine intelligence for processing big data sets is big business. A mathematician's point of view has led to (1) effective large-scale principal component analysis and singular value decomposition, and (2) theoretical foundations for convolutional networks (convolutional networks underpin the recent revolution in artificial intelligence).
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
EHS 201 Biosafety in Laboratories
Course | January 23 | 9:30-11:30 a.m. | 177 Stanley Hall
Office of Environment, Health & Safety
This training is required for anyone who is listed on a Biological Use Authorization (BUA) application form that is reviewed by the Committee for Laboratory and Environmental Biosafety (CLEB). A BUA is required for anyone working with recombinant DNA molecules, human clinical specimens or agents that may infect humans, plants or animals. This safety training will discuss the biosafety risk... More >
Iron(III)-Catalyzed Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis and Oxygen Atom Transfer
Seminar | January 23 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | 120 Latimer Hall
Corinna Schindler, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan
The metathesis reaction between two unsaturated organic substrates is one of organic chemistrys most powerful carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. The catalytic olefin-olefin metathesis reaction has led to profound developments in the synthesis of molecules relevant to the petroleum, materials and pharmaceutical industries. These reactions are characterized by their use of discrete
metal... More >

BSAC Technology Seminar - Single Crystal Diamond as a Material for Micro- and Nanosystems
Seminar | January 23 | 12-1 p.m. | 540 Cory Hall
Prof. Niels Quack, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center
The extraordinary properties of single crystal diamond provide great promise for nanosystems. Our group has developed methods to sculpture nanostructures into high purity monocrystalline diamond substrates grown by CVD. We combine reactive ion etching and multi-directional focused ion beam milling for the fabrication of freestanding optical disc resonators at the microscale.
RSVP online by January 22.

Development Lunch: "An egg for an egg and a bean for a bean? How production diversity determines dietary diversity of smallholder farmers in rural India" and "How do gendered perceptions of tasks affect labor market outcomes?"
Seminar | January 23 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | 648 Evans Hall
Till Ludwig; Suanna Oh
Women on Africa's constitutional and supreme courts: When, where, and why?
Colloquium | January 23 | 12:30-2 p.m. | 223 Moses Hall
Alice Kang, Associate Professor, Political Science and Ethnic Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
This is a meeting of the weekly colloquium for the Center for African Studies.

Alice Kang
3-Manifold Seminar: Knottedness and Thurston norm in NP
Seminar | January 23 | 12:40-2 p.m. | 891 Evans Hall
Ian Agol, UC Berkeley
We'll discuss a proof that knot recognition is in NP, using a certificate that encodes a sutured manifold hierarchy.
Seminar 218, Psychology and Economics: "The Biases of Others: Projection Equilibrium in an Agency Setting"
Seminar | January 23 | 2-3:30 p.m. | 648 Evans Hall
Stephanie Wang, University of Pittsburgh
How to Write a Research Proposal Workshop
Workshop | January 23 | 2-3:30 p.m. | 9 Durant Hall
Leah Carroll
Office of Undergraduate Research
If you need to write a grant proposal, this workshop is for you! You'll get a headstart on defining your research question, developing a lit review and project plan, presenting your qualifications, and creating a realistic budget.
The workshop is open to all UC Berkeley students (undergraduate, graduate, and visiting scholars) regardless of academic discipline. It will be especially useful for... More >
ISF 110 - Free Speech in the Public Sphere: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Course | January 16 – May 3, 2018 every Tuesday & Thursday | 2-3:30 p.m. | 102 Wurster Hall
Division of Undergraduate Education
In this spring 2018 class, we shall take up the nature of public speech from Socrates' public dissent to social media messaging today. The course reading will combine classic philosophical statements about the value of free, subversive and offensive speech; histories of the emergence of public spheres; and sociologies of technologically-mediated speech today.
RNA/Protein Liquids: Lighting up intracellular phase space
Seminar | January 23 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | 100 Genetics & Plant Biology Building
Clifford Brangwynne, Princeton University
Design Field Notes: Sara Cinnamon
Seminar | January 23 | 4-5 p.m. | 220 Jacobs Hall
Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation
LUNAR technical lead Sara Cinnamon will speak at Jacobs Hall, sharing perspectives from her time in grad school at MIT to running her own startup in consumer healthcare to joining a world-class design firm.

Organization, Hydration, Ion Speciation, and Inherent Electric Fields at Water Surfaces
Seminar | January 23 | 4-5 p.m. | 120 Latimer Hall
Heather Allen, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University
We investigate ions and lipids at aqueous surfaces to better understand their complexation and speciation to then inform on atmospheric aerosol, cloud, and marine surface processes. The underlying driving forces for surface activity of bare aqueous surfaces with salts such as iron, magnesium, calcium and sodium chlorides are one class that is explored with aqueous surface selective experimental... More >

Thematic Seminar: Applied Mathematics: Nonlinear Fluid-Structure Interaction with Fiber-Reinforced Soft Composites: A Unified Mathematical Framework for Mathematical Analysis and Computation
Seminar | January 23 | 4:10-5 p.m. | 740 Evans Hall
Suncica Canic, University of Houston
Fiber-reinforced structures arise in many engineering and biological applications. Examples include space inflatable habitats, vascular stents supporting compliant vascular walls, and aortic valve leaflets. In all these examples a metallic mesh, or a collection of fibers, is used to support an elastic structure, and the resulting composite structure has novel mechanical characteristics preferred... More >
Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry: The Fellowship of the Ring: Organizational Meeting
Seminar | January 23 | 5-6 p.m. | 939 Evans Hall
Ritvik Ramkumar, UC Berkeley
The two topics for the student portion this semester are Intersection Theory and Linkage. A detailed outline of the topics for the first half of the seminar can be found at "math.berkeley.edu/~ritvik/Eisenbud-Seminar-Outline.pdf". In the meeting we will describe the main goals of this seminar and sign-up speakers for respective topics.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Understanding Secondary Organic Aerosol Thermodynamics, Mixing State and Phase with Models, Mimics, and Microfluidics
Seminar | January 24 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | 575 McCone Hall
Cari Dutcher, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Atmospheric aerosols are one of the major contributing factors to our climate, yet are a leading source of uncertainty in climate modeling. This uncertainty arises from the intricate nature of aerosol particles: these particles are complex microenvironments, which can contain multiple interfaces due to internal liquid liquid phase partitioning and the external vapor liquid surface. Aerosol... More >

MVZ LUNCH SEMINAR: Mohamed Noor "Recombination rate influences adaptation and speciation: Studies in the Drosophila pseudoobscura species group"
Seminar | January 24 | 12-1 p.m. | Valley Life Sciences Building, 3101 Grinnell-Miller Library
Mohamed Noor
MVZ Lunch is a graduate level seminar series (IB264) based on current and recent vertebrate research. Professors, graduate students, staff, and visiting researchers present on current and past research projects. The seminar meets every Wednesday from 12- 1pm in the Grinnell-Miller Library. Enter through the MVZ's Main Office, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, and please let the receptionist... More >
Econ 235, Financial Economics: Job Market Seminar
Seminar | January 24 | 12-1:30 p.m. | C330 Haas School of Business
Yueran Ma, Harvard
Joint with Haas Finance Seminar and Real Estate Seminar
Plant and Microbial Biology Plant Seminar: "Regulation of vitamin 6 homeostasis "
Seminar | January 24 | 12-1 p.m. | 101 Barker Hall
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
My lab is interested in utilizing a combination of cell, molecular, biochemical and genetic approaches to understand how cells communicate during plant growth and development.
Revealing the Dynamic Roles of Splicing and Translation in Gene Regulation
Seminar | January 24 | 12-1 p.m. | 106 Stanley Hall
Liana Lareau, University of California, Berkeley
A single genome produces the huge diversity of cells and tissues needed to make a human by regulating gene expression to turn on and off the right genes at the right times. The final, post-transcriptional steps of gene expression RNA processing and translation are essential to the proper outcome. My goal is to understand what the cell achieves by adding extra layers of regulation at these... More >
Drivers of infectious disease dynamics: Quantifying the impact of demography and climate: Ayesha Mahmud PhD
Colloquium | January 24 | 12-1 p.m. | 2232 Piedmont, Seminar Room
Ayesha Mahmud PhD, Rockefeller Foundation Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University
Population Science, Department of Demography
A lunch time talk and discussion session, featuring visiting and local scholars presenting their research on a wide range of topics of interest to demography.
Towards artificial general intelligence: Brain-inspired CAPTCHA breaking and Atari playing
Seminar | January 24 | 12-1 p.m. | 560 Evans Hall
Miguel Lázaro-Gredilla, Vicarious, Inc.
Neuroscience Institute, Helen Wills
Abstract: Compositionality, generalization, and learning from a few examples are among the hallmarks of human intelligence. In this talk I will describe how Vicarious combines these ideas to create approaches to CAPTCHA breaking and Atari game playing that improve on the state of the art. Both of these tasks have indeed been tackled before, using respectively Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs)... More >
Habits: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (BEUHS052)
Workshop | January 24 | 12:10-1:30 p.m. | Tang Center, University Health Services, Section Club
Beth Greivel, LMFT, Employee Assistance, Be well at Work - Employee Assistance
Be Well at Work - Employee Assistance
Habits form the structure of our lives. Habits matter because 40% of what we do every day is governed by them. What we eat, how much we move our bodies, how much we sleep, how we treat the people in our lives are all determined largely by habits. Healthy habits help us to be healthy and happy. Unhealthy habits keep us from living the lives we want.
In this workshop we will explore how habits... More >
Gender and Race Gatekeeping
Colloquium | January 24 | 12:10-1:15 p.m. | 5101 Tolman Hall
Michelle "Mikki" Hebl, Professor, Rice University
Institute of Personality and Social Research
In this talk, Mikki will discuss the role of gatekeepers in preventing indviduals, often women and members of underrepresented groups, from attaining their potential. Mikki will review some of her programmatic research on subtle discrimination and will then provide some of her most recent studies and data on gender and race gatekeeping.

Pronunciation Tips Workshop
Workshop | January 24 | 1-2 p.m. | International House, Auditorium
Berkeley International Office(BIO))
Take advantage of this opportunity to learn practical tools for improving your American-English pronunciation. This workshop will be taught by a professional ESL instructor from the English Studies Institute. Please register here: https://tinyurl.com/yakfjz8d
Topology Seminar (Introductory Talk): An introduction to fibered 3-manifolds and the Thurston norm
Seminar | January 24 | 2-3 p.m. | 740 Evans Hall
Michael Landry, Yale University
We will introduce Thurston's norm on the second homology of a 3-manifold, and some associated constructions including branched surfaces and Agol’s veering triangulation.
Optically probing the neural basis of perception
Seminar | January 24 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | 100 Genetics & Plant Biology Building
Hillel Adesnik, University of California, Berkeley, Molecular and Cell Biology
ERG Colloquium: Diego Ponce De Leon Barido: Demand-side, User-centered, Sustainable Decarbonization in Resource Constrained Environments
Colloquium | January 24 | 4-5:30 p.m. | 126 Barrows Hall
Diego Ponce De Leon Barido, Recent ERG PhD Graduate, Energy and Resources Group
DESCRIPTION:
Future growth in urbanization will mainly occur in cities of the rising south. UN Habitat reports that in the past decade, the urban population in emerging economies grew on average 1.2 million people per week. By 2050, it is expected that seven out of ten people will be living in cities. Accompanying urbanization, information and communication technologies have also seen... More >
Applied Math Seminar: Using spacetime tents to solve hyperbolic systems
Seminar | January 24 | 4-5 p.m. | 736 Evans Hall
Jay Gopalakrishnan, Portland State University
(Note the special location) A spacetime simulation region can be subdivided into tent-shaped subregions. Tents appear to be natural for solving hyperbolic equations. Indeed, one can ensure causality by constraining the height of the tent pole. More precisely, the domain of dependence of all points within the tent can be guaranteed to be contained within the tent, by constraining the tent pole... More >
Topology Seminar (Main Talk): Taut branched surfaces which span fibered faces
Seminar | January 24 | 4-5 p.m. | 3 Evans Hall
Michael Landry, Yale University
Let \(M\) be a closed hyperbolic 3-manifold with a fibered face \(\sigma\) of the unit ball of the Thurston norm on \(H_2(M)\). If \(M\) satisfies a certain condition related to Agol’s veering triangulation, we can construct a taut branched surface in \(M\) spanning \(\sigma\). This partially answers a 1986 question of Oertel, and extends an earlier partial answer due to Mosher.
EECS Colloquium: Meta Learning and Self Play
Colloquium | January 24 | 4-5 p.m. | Soda Hall, 306 (HP Auditorium)
Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS)
In the first part, I will talk about meta learning, which is the problem of training a system that quickly learns to solve a wide variety of tasks. I will present several meta learning algorithms that can quickly solve simulated robotics tasks, and show how a simple meta learning approach can address the sim2real problem in robotics.
The second part will be on self play. Self play systems come... More >

Ice-nine and the Origins of Frank-Kasper and Quasicrystal Phases in Diblock Copolymer Melts
Colloquium | January 24 | 4-6 p.m. | 180 Tan Hall
Frank Bates, University of Minnesota
Department of Chemical Engineering
Block polymers have captured the interest of scientists and engineers for more than half a century. In general, the phase behavior of diblock copolymers, the simplest category of such self-assembling macromolecules, has been accepted as thoroughly understood. Recent experiments with low molecular weight diblock copolymers have revealed remarkable phase complexity in the limit of asymmetric... More >

Thematic Seminar: Partial Differential Equations: On the Strong Cosmic Censorship Conjecture in General Relativity
Seminar | January 24 | 4:10-5 p.m. | 740 Evans Hall
Sung-Jin Oh, Korea Institute for Advanced Study
An intriguing feature of the explicit charged (Reissner-Nordstrom) or spinning (Kerr) black hole spacetimes is the existence of a regular Cauchy horizon, beyond which the Einstein equation loses its predictive power. The strong cosmic censorship conjecture of Penrose is a bold claim that, nevertheless, such a pathological behavior is nongeneric.
In this lecture, I will give a short introduction... More >
The Business of Disaster: Colonial and Neoliberal Governance in Post-Maria Puerto Rico
Panel Discussion | January 24 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | 221 Kroeber Hall
Vincanne Adams, Professor, Joint UCSF/UC Berkeley Program in Medical Anthropology; Cathy Kennedy, Registered Nurse and Vice President, National Nurses United; Javier Arbona, Professor, American Studies and Design, UC Davis
Berkeley Center for Social Medicine, California Nurses Association/National Nurses United
The ongoing catastrophe following Hurricane Marias landfall on Puerto Rico in September reminds us that disasters are never merely natural. The enduring colonial relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico and the market-driven nature of governmental relief efforts are both critical to understanding the current crisis.

Workshop: Introduction to Deep Learning
Workshop | January 24 | 8-10 p.m. | 306 Soda Hall
Are you interested in learning what's the machinery behind the Deep Learning hype? Come to the ML@B Deep Learning Workshop! We will teach you how neural networks work and how to use them through hands on demos. The workshop is structured so that you have enough knowledge to get the most out of our future workshops. You can find the full list at ml.berkeley.edu/workshops. Although not strict... More >
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Paris/Berkeley/Bonn/Zürich Analysis Seminar: Lower bounds on eigenfunctions on hyperbolic surfaces
Seminar | January 25 | 9:10-10 a.m. | 238 Sutardja Dai Hall
Semyon Dyatlov, UC Berkeley and MIT
I show that on a compact hyperbolic surface, the mass of an $L^2$-normalized eigenfunction of the Laplacian on any nonempty open set is bounded below by a positive constant depending on the set, but not on the eigenvalue. This statement, more precisely its stronger semiclassical version, has many applications including control for the Schrödinger equation and the full support property for... More >
Fundamentals of Pruning
Workshop | January 25 | 9:30-11:30 a.m. | UC Botanical Garden
Join our Landscape Horticulturist, Mathew McMillan for a workshop on the basics of pruning. Bring all of your pruning questions and learn from Mathews expertise.
$25 / $20 Members
SOLD OUT.
Curators Talk: Lawrence Rinder and Julia White on To the Letter
Panel Discussion | January 25 | 12 p.m. | Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Join Director and Chief Curator Lawrence Rinder and Senior Curator for Asian Art Julia White for an in-depth look at their exhibition about art that incorporates writing and letterforms as motif or key theme.
Tiny functions for codecs, compilation, and (maybe) soon everything
Colloquium | January 25 | 12-1 p.m. | 430 Soda Hall
Keith Winstein, Stanford
Networks, applications, and media codecs frequently treat one another as strangers. By expressing large systems as compositions of small, pure functions, we've found it's possible to achieve tighter couplings between these components, improving performance without giving up modularity or the ability to debug. I'll discuss our experience with systems that demonstrate this basic idea: ExCamera... More >
Keys Track 1a- Principles of Supervision: Setting the Context
Course | January 25 | 12:30-4:30 p.m. | 24 University Hall
Paul Carroll
OPTIONS
This course will help participants understand the role of the supervisor, and its relationship to the organization. We will focus on what a supervisor needs to know and do, how to use influence when you dont have control, and the resources available to help you be more effective. We will also look at how to motivate and retain engaged employees. This workshop addresses the following... More >

Seminar 217, Risk Management: PageRank on directed complex networks
Seminar | January 25 | 12:30-2 p.m. | 1011 Evans Hall
Speaker: Mariana Olvera-Cravioto, UC Berkeley
Center for Risk Management Research
The talk will center around a set of recent results on the analysis of Googles PageRank algorithm on directed complex networks. In particular, it will focus on the so-called power-law hypothesis, which states that the distribution of the ranks produced by PageRank on a scale-free graph (whose in-degree distribution follows a power-law) also follows a power-law with the same tail-index as the... More >
ISF 110 - Free Speech in the Public Sphere: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Course | January 16 – May 3, 2018 every Tuesday & Thursday | 2-3:30 p.m. | 102 Wurster Hall
Division of Undergraduate Education
In this spring 2018 class, we shall take up the nature of public speech from Socrates' public dissent to social media messaging today. The course reading will combine classic philosophical statements about the value of free, subversive and offensive speech; histories of the emergence of public spheres; and sociologies of technologically-mediated speech today.
Biology Students: Meet Your Library!
Workshop | January 25 | 3-4 p.m. | Valley Life Sciences Building, 2101 Bioscience & Natural Resources Library
Susan Koskinen, Biosciences & Natural Resources Library; Elliott Smith, Biosciences & Natural Resources Library; Becky Miller, Biosciences & Natural Resources Library
Drop-in for an orientation to web resources and a tour of the Bioscience & Natural Resources Library.
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Seminar
Seminar | January 25 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | 100 Genetics & Plant Biology Building | Note change in date
Polina Lishko, University of California, Berkeley
Friday, January 26, 2018
SERC Membership Applications Due
Deadline | January 26 | 102 Sproul Hall
Student Environmental Resource Center
SERC Membership was piloted in Fall 2016, with the goal of providing individual students the opportunity to help build a collaborative, inclusive student community around sustainability. We aim to preserve institutional memory around environmental projects, build a more cohesive community, and get new students plugged in to existing events. Members will receive various membership benefits,... More >
Artificial photosynthesis by light absorption, charge separation, and photoredox catalysis
Seminar | January 26 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | Hildebrand Hall, Library Room 100F
Prof. Han Sen Soo, Nanyang Technological University
Uncovering Perceptual Priors Using Automated Serial Reproduction Chains: Psychology 229A
Colloquium | January 26 | 11:10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | 5101 Tolman Hall
Thomas Langlois, UC Berkeley
Econ 235, Financial Economics: Job Market Seminar
Seminar | January 26 | 12-1:30 p.m. | C210 Haas School of Business
Emil Verner, Princeton
Joint with Haas Finance Seminar and Real Estate Seminar
Biology Students: Meet Your Library!
Workshop | January 26 | 12-1 p.m. | Valley Life Sciences Building, 2101 Bioscience & Natural Resources Library
Susan Koskinen, Biosciences & Natural Resources Library; Elliott Smith, Biosciences & Natural Resources Library; Becky Miller, Biosciences & Natural Resources Library
Drop-in for an orientation to web resources and a tour of the Bioscience & Natural Resources Library.
Author Talk With Richard Reeves
Colloquium | January 26 | 1-3 p.m. | Sutardja Dai Hall, Banatao Auditorium
Richard Reeves, Brookings Institute
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society
We know about the ultra-rich. The billionnaire class. But author
Richard Reeves writes its the upper middle class that matters most.
The top twenty percent of earners are getting better and better at
passing wealth on to their children. Through zoning laws, career
networking, college admissions, and more, they hoard the American
dream for themselves - at the expense of everyone else.... More >
Getting Started in Undergraduate Research and Finding a Mentor Workshop
Workshop | January 26 | 1-2 p.m. | 9 Durant Hall
Leah Carroll, Haas Scholars Program Manager/Advisor, Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarships
Office of Undergraduate Research
Getting Started in Undergraduate Research
If you are thinking about getting involved in undergraduate research, this workshop is a great place to start! You will get a broad overview of the research opportunities available to undergraduates on campus, and suggestions on how to find them.
We will also let you know about upcoming deadlines and eligibility requirements for some of... More >
History Graduate Association Research Symposium
Conference/Symposium | January 26 | 1-5 p.m. | 3335 Dwinelle Hall
Sara Friedman; John Handel; Pawel Koscielny; Christopher Lawson; Helen Miney; Derek K. O'Leary; Lois Rosson; Mustafa Yildiz
Department of History, History Graduate Association (HGA)
At this inaugural symposium, history graduate students will deliver 15-20 minute presentations on aspects of their current research, spanning several geographical and chronological fields. A brief Q&A session will follow each presentation.

2D Semiconductor Electronics: Advances, Challenges and Opportunities: Nano Seminar Series
Seminar | January 26 | 2-3 p.m. | 60 Evans Hall
Prof. Ali Javey, UC Berkeley / LBNL, EECS
Berkeley Nanosciences and Nanoengineering Institute
Two-dimensional (2-D) semiconductors exhibit excellent device characteristics, as well as novel optical, electrical, and optoelectronic characteristics. In this talk, I will present my laboratory's recent advancements in defect passivation, contact engineering, surface charge transfer doping, ultrashort transistors, and heterostructure devices of layered chalcogenides.
We have developed a... More >

Student Probability/PDE Seminar: Large Deviation Principle for Stochastic Growth Models
Seminar | January 26 | 2:10-3:30 p.m. | 891 Evans Hall
Fraydoun Rezakhanlou, UC Berkeley
Composition Colloquium: Raphael Cendo
Colloquium | January 26 | 3 p.m. | 250 Morrison Hall
After studying piano and composition at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, Raphael Cendo studied composition at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (2000-2003), from which he graduated in composition, analysis and orchestration. He then joined the composing and computer music class of IRCAM (2003-2006). During his training, he was taught by Allain Gaussin, Brian Ferneyhough, Fausto... More >
MENA Salon: Rebuilding in Syria
Workshop | January 26 | 3-4 p.m. | 340 Stephens Hall
Center for Middle Eastern Studies
With the Syrian conflict entering its seventh year, Syrians and international actors are beginning to embark upon the immense task of rebuilding portions of the country. Will states opposing the Assad regime partake in rebuilding civilian infrastructure? Will funding for reconstruction be conditioned on political reform? What role will multilateral organizations play in this process?
STEM Summer Research Opportunities Workshop for Underrepresented Students (Hosted by UROC: Underrepresented Researchers of Color)
Workshop | January 26 | 3-4 p.m. | 14 Durant Hall
Ifechukwu Okeke, UROC
Office of Undergraduate Research
This workshop will be an overview of STEM summer research programs, aims and benefits of participating in a summer research program, and how to apply to them. We will also discuss how to craft a personal statement, a research statement of purpose and request for letters of recommendation, using successful application sample materials.
Snacks will be provided.
Documenting the 99%
Seminar | January 26 | 3:10-5 p.m. | 107 South Hall
Wayne de Fremery, Sogang University, Korea
Wayne de Fremery develops new technologies for investigating Korean literature and documentary traditions

Nitrogen Binding and Fixation using Iron-Sulfur Complexes
Seminar | January 26 | 4-5 p.m. | 120 Latimer Hall
Patrick Holland, Department of Chemistry, Yale University
The enzyme nitrogenase reduces atmospheric N2 using an unusual iron-sulfur cluster, the FeMoco, which has an unprecedented carbide-centered structure. In an effort to understand the fundamental behavior of iron sites like these that are coordinated by sulfur and carbon, we have synthesized coordination compounds with these biologically relevant donors and studied their structures, spectroscopy,... More >

Hoda Bidkhori - Analyzing Process Flexibility Using Robust Optimization: UC Berkeley IEOR
Seminar | January 26 | 4 p.m. | 4193 Etcheverry Hall
Hoda Bidkhori, UC Berkeley IEOR
Industrial Engineering & Operations Research
Abstract: Process flexibility has been widely applied in many industries as a competitive strategy to improve responsiveness to demand uncertainty. The first part of the talk addresses the problem of managing process flexibility in a fairly general manufacturing system. In our model, each plant might have a different cost for adding flexibility or extra capacity. We model this problem as an... More >
Applied Math Seminar: Energy driven pattern formation in thin fluid layers: The good, the bad and the beautiful
Seminar | January 26 | 4-5 p.m. | 748 Evans Hall
Andrew Bernoff, Harvey Mudd College
(Note special date and location) A wide variety of physical and biological systems can be described as continuum limits of interacting particles. Many of these problems are gradient flows and their dynamics are governed by a monotonically decreasing interaction energy that is often non-local in nature. We show how to exploit these energies numerically, analytically, and asymptotically to... More >
Music Studies Colloquium Inna Naroditskaya (Northwestern U): Is Argentine Tango Russian, and how Jewish is Russian Tango?
Colloquium | January 26 | 4:30 p.m. | 128 Morrison Hall
Inna Naroditskaya is a specialist in Azerbaijanian and Eastern music cultures, Russian music, gender studies, and diasporas. She has published articles and reviews in Ethnomusicology and Asian Music as well as essays and articles in Azerbaijanian and Russian publications. She has authored two books: Song from the Land of Fire: Azerbaijanian Mugam in the Soviet and Post-Soviet Periods (Routledge,... More >
Climate Activism, Reproductive Justice, and Anticipation: Navigating the Intersections: Dr. Jade Sasser
Seminar | January 26 | 6-7:30 p.m. | 132 Mulford Hall
Dr. Jade Sasser, UC Riverside
Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Mgmt. (ESPM)
Dr. Jade Sasser, Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies, UC Riverside will deliver keynote lecture, "Climate Activism, Reproductive Justice, and Anticipation: Navigating the Intersections"
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Saturday Seminar Series 2017-18: Converging and Emerging towards Equity
Workshop | January 27 | 8:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. | Longfellow Middle School
1500 Derby St., Berkeley, CA 94703
Dr. Zaretta Hammond
Bay Area Science Project, Bay Area Math Project, Bay Area Writing Project
In this talk, Ms. Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain will link the neuroscience of learning, social-emotional
development and culturally responsive practices to help us understand how we can use responsive mindsets and moves to help traditionally marginalized students reclaim their confidence as learners in order to accelerate their own achievement.
RSVP online or by calling 510-642-7154 by September 15.
Saturday Seminar Series 2017/2018: Helping Students Become the Leaders of Their Own Learning
Workshop | January 27 | 8:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. | Longfellow Middle School
1500 Derby Street, Berkeley, CA 94703
Zaretta Hammond
In this talk, Ms. Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain will link the neuroscience of learning, social-emotional development and culturally responsive practices to help us understand how we can use responsive mindsets and moves to help traditionally marginalized students reclaim their confidence as learners in order to accelerate their own achievement.
Richard Vinograd and Philip Kafalas on Chen Hongshou
Panel Discussion | January 27 | 1 p.m. | Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
In conjunction with Repentant Monk: Illusion and Disillusion in the Art of Chen Hongshou, two scholars present lectures that expand our understanding of the painter's work, life, and times.
In his lecture Chen Hongshou: Elusive Identities: Artists and Subjects, Richard Vinograd explores attribution problems involving Chen, his collaborators, and his followersas well as intriguing questions of... More >