All events

Julia Miele Rodas, “Autism and Narrative Invention in Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.”

Lecture | October 4 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | 330 Wheeler Hall

Featured Speaker:  Julia Miele Rodas, Professor, English Department, Bronx Community College / CUNY co-chair, University Seminar in Disability, Culture, and Society at Columbia University

Sponsor:  Department of English

Abstract: Is the novel a form of autistic innovation? Presenting work from the recently published Autistic Disturbances (UMichP, 2018), Julia Miele Rodas will explore autistic dimensions of Robinson Crusoe. Interweaving conversation and formal reading, this talk will first consider how the novel’s themes of human isolation and imprisonment play into autism stereotypes. Ultimately, however, the...   More >

Essig Brunch Seminar: Entomology - insects, arachnids, and other arthopods

Seminar | October 4 – December 13, 2019 every Friday with exceptions | 10-11 a.m. | Valley Life Sciences Building, 1101 (UCMP "fishbowl")

Speaker/Performer:  See website for current speaker and topic

Sponsor:  Essig Museum of Entomology

Weekly seminar series focused on insect ecology, evolution, behavior, and other research topics.

Sunflower: Brushpainting with Karen LeGault

Workshop | October 4 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. |  UC Botanical Garden

Sponsor:  Botanical Garden

Join artist, Karen LeGault, for a brush painting workshop celebrating seasonal plants in the Garden. Each month will focus on a different subject: grape vines, sunflowers, persimmon, and the pine tree.

Registration required:$75, $65 members

Registration info:   Register online

UCHRI Funding Workshop for Graduate Students

Workshop | October 4 | 11-11:45 a.m. | Stephens Hall, Geballe Room, 220 Stephens Hall

Sponsor:  Townsend Center for the Humanities

Shana Melnysyn, research grants manager at the University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI), will host a workshop for graduate students interested in learning about UCHRI's grant opportunities and tips for successful proposals. UCHRI funding opportunities for graduate students include dissertation support grants and multicampus graduate student working groups.

BIDS Forum: Information and Uncertainty in Data Science

Meeting | October 4 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | 190B Doe Library

Sponsor:  Berkeley Institute for Data Science

Full details about this meeting will be posted here: https://bids.berkeley.edu/events.

Certificate Program in Clinical Research Conduct and Management Online Information Session

Information Session | October 4 | 12-1 p.m. |  Online

Location:   , Berkeley, CA

Sponsor:  UC Berkeley Extension

Learn how this professional certificate can help you launch or advance your career in clinical research by enhancing your knowledge of clinical trials. For more information about the program, visit extension.berkeley.edu/cert/clinical.html.

Registration required

Registration info:   Register online

Higher Education Researchers Workgroup

Meeting | October 4 | 12-1:30 p.m. | Evans Hall, CSHE Conference Room, 768

Sponsor:  Center for Studies in Higher Education

The goal of this new group is to bring together qualitative and quantitative higher education researchers working on issues at Berkeley, the...   More >

RSVP recommended

RSVP info:   RSVP by emailing Anne Maclachlan at maclach@berkeley.edu

UCHRI Funding Workshop for UC Faculty

Workshop | October 4 | 12-1:30 p.m. | Stephens Hall, Geballe Room, 220 Stephens Hall

Sponsor:  Townsend Center for the Humanities

Shana Melnysyn, research grants manager at the University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI), will host a workshop for faculty members who want to learn more about UCHRI's grant opportunities and tips for successful proposals. The workshop is open to all UC Berkeley ladder-rank faculty members.

Dancing for Fun and Fitness (BEUHS605)

Workshop | October 4 | 12:10-1 p.m. | 251 Hearst Gymnasium

Speaker:  Nadia Qabazard

Sponsor:  Be Well at Work - Wellness

Fit some fun and fitness into your day with these free, beginner dance classes. Zumba will be 9/6, Samba will be 10/4, Hula / Polynesian will be 11/1, and Zumba / Samba will be 12/6. No partner required. Comfortable clothing and athletic shoes recommended.

Registration required

Registration info:   Register online

Narkomania: Drugs, HIV, and Citizenship in Ukraine

Lecture | October 4 | 12:30-2 p.m. | Kroeber Hall, Garron Reading Room (346)

Speaker:  Jennifer J. Carroll, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Elon University

Sponsors:  Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ISEEES), UCB Medical Anthropology Program, Berkeley Center for Social Medicine

In the last few years, Ukraine has born witness to the major geopolitical crises of our decade: revolution; state-sponsored killings; foreign invasion; forceful occupation by a major world power; and ongoing war. Ukraine is also experiencing an enormous opioid epidemic and is home to the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world. Despite all of our differences, Ukraine’s ongoing struggles with...   More >

Solid State Technology and Devices Seminar: New Optimization Strategies in Inverse Electromagnetic Design

Seminar | October 4 | 1-2 p.m. | Cory Hall, The Hogan Room, 521

Speaker:  Jonathan Fan, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University

Sponsor:  Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS)

In this talk, I will discuss new advances in the inverse design of nanophotonic devices. As a model
system, I will focus on the application of these design modalities to high efficiency metasurfaces, though
the concepts are general and broadly apply to passive electromagnetic systems.

Docent-led tour

Tour/Open House | January 3 – December 29, 2019 every Sunday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday with exceptions | 1:30-2:45 p.m. |  UC Botanical Garden

Sponsor:  Botanical Garden

Join us for a free, docent-led tour of the Garden as we explore interesting plants from around the world, learn about the vast diversity in the collection, and see what is currently in bloom. Meet at the Entry Plaza.

Free with Garden admission. Advanced registration not required

OPT Document Check Workshop

Workshop | October 4 | 2-3 p.m. | 182 Dwinelle Hall

Sponsor:  Berkeley International Office(BIO))

Join Berkeley International Office as you prepare to put together your documents for your OPT application. This workshop will cover required documents, how to fill out the forms, and most common mistakes in the application. In addition, there will be a Q&A portion during which you can ask specific questions about your own application.

Please note that this workshop is specifically for OPT...   More >

Engineering 2D Materials With A Twist: Nano Seminar Series

Seminar | October 4 | 2-3 p.m. | 120 Latimer Hall

Speaker/Performer:  Prof. Cory Dean, Columbia University, Physics

Sponsor:  Berkeley Nanosciences and Nanoengineering Institute

Atomically thin crystals such as graphene, boron nitride and the transition metal dichalcogenides continue to attract enormous interest. Encompassing a wide range of properties, including single-particle, topological and correlated phenomena, these 2D materials represent a rich class of materials in which to explore both novel physical phenomena and new technological pursuits.

By integrating...   More >

MENA Salon: Protests in Egypt

Workshop | October 4 | 3-4 p.m. | 340 Stephens Hall

Sponsor:  Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Every Friday the CMES hosts an informal guided discussion of current events in the Middle East and North Africa, open to all.

On Friday, September 20, protests erupted in cities across Egypt. The apparent trigger was a series of online videos posted by Mohamed Ali, a former actor and contractor, now living abroad. Based on his experience as a contractor for the Egyptian military, Ali is...   More >

Composition Colloquium: workshop - Digital Hardware at CNMAT

Colloquium | October 4 | 3 p.m. |  CNMAT (1750 Arch St.)

Sponsor:  Department of Music

workshop: Digital Hardware at CNMAT

Berkeley Mīmāṃsā Reading Workshop: with Alexis Sanderson

Workshop | October 4 | 3-6:30 p.m. | 341 Dwinelle Hall

Faculty Lead:  Alexis Sanderson, Spalding Professor Emeritus of Eastern Religions and Ethics, University of Oxford

Sponsors:  Institute for South Asia Studies, Department of South & Southeast Asian Studies, Catherine and William L. Magistretti Distinguished Professorship in South and Southeast Asian Studies, Center for Buddhist Studies, South Asia Studies Theories and Methods Townsend Working Group, Saṃskṛtaparaṃparā: The Berkeley Sanskrit Studies Fund, Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion

The Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies at UC Berkeley is hosting a two-day Mīmāṃsā Reading Workshop with Professor Alexis Sanderson on October 4 and 5, 2019.

This School’s Social Mission: The Early Days

Seminar | October 4 | 3:10-5 p.m. | 107 South Hall

Speaker:  Michael Buckland

Sponsor:  Information, School of

This School was founded in 1918 on a strong social agenda; Professor Buckland will review the past 101 years of its mission.

Making the World "Chinese"

Colloquium | October 4 | 4-6 p.m. | 180 Doe Library

Speaker:  Xiaofeng Tang, Professor, Research Institute for Historical Geography, Peking University

Panelist/Discussant:  Michael Nylan, Professor, Department of History, UC Berkeley

Sponsor:  Center for Chinese Studies (CCS)

Using mainly materials from the Shang and Zhou eras, this talk will investigate the special characteristics of historical geography in early China. The lecture will discuss such concepts as the Central States (Zhongguo), the traces of Yu, the Nine Provinces, the Five Zones, all of which imply some level of advanced civilization. Then, too, the geographic area we associate with "Chinese...   More >

Exploring the synthesis and reactivity of polyoxovanadate-alkoxides: Novel reductive chemistries with metal-oxide clusters

Seminar | October 4 | 4-5 p.m. | 120 Latimer Hall

Featured Speaker:  Ellen Matson, Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester

Sponsor:  College of Chemistry

The development of alternative fuels from secure and sustainable resources is one of the greatest environmental and economic challenge society faces today. The development of methods for the conversion of inert and abundant, gaseous contaminants into energy-rich fuels and commodity chemicals requires the generation of catalysts that can perform a complex series of multi-electron and multi-proton...   More >

Logic Colloquium: Comparison principles and very large cardinals

Colloquium | October 4 | 4-5 p.m. | 60 Evans Hall

Speaker:  Gabriel Goldberg, UC Berkeley

Sponsor:  Department of Mathematics

In 1947, Gödel proposed a program to solve the Continuum Problem, as well as many other unsolvable problems of set theory, by supplementing the traditional ZFC axioms with large cardinal axioms. Although this program has been remarkably successful, serious limitations have since been discovered: for example, it turns out that large cardinal axioms do not help resolve the Continuum Problem...   More >

Towards Robust Machine Learning for Transportation Systems

Seminar | October 4 | 4 p.m. | 290 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Speaker/Performer:  Justin Dauwels, Nanyeng Technological University

Sponsor:  Institute of Transportation Studies

Nanyeng Technological University's Justin Dauwels will present Towards Robust Machine Learning for Transportation Systems on Oct. 4, 2019 at 4 p.m. in 290 Hearst Memorial Mining Building at the ITS Transportation Seminar.

TDPS Workshop Performance: Romeo and Juliet

Performing Arts - Theater | October 3 – 4, 2019 every day | 6-7:30 p.m. | Doe Library, Memorial Pool | Note change in date and time

Director:  Hailey Buck

Sponsor:  Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

Can love wash away the sins of the past? For this environmental, interactive staging of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Memorial Pool, choose to sit with the Capulets or Montagues and cheer on your side of the feud. You’ve never seen this tale of humor and heartbreak quite this close!

Reservation recommended

Reservation info:  Free & Open to the Public. Make reservations online

The Blood of Passion on the Volcano: (Huoshan Qingxie)

Film - Feature | October 4 | 7 p.m. |  Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Sponsor:  Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

A warlord’s lusty nephew destroys a simple farming family’s pastoral idyll and sends its favorite son into tropical exile in Sun Yu’s delirious combination of Chinese peasant drama and Hollywood-style decadent island exotica. Brokenhearted after his family’s ruin, our hero (Zheng Junli) winds up in a South Seas hellhole seemingly borrowed from some leftover Lon Chaney film set, where saloon...   More >

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra

Performing Arts - Music | October 4 | 8 p.m. |  Hertz Concert Hall

Sponsor:  Department of Music

David Milnes, Music Director

Tickets:$25 General Admission, $20 Senior, Student (non-UCB), UCB Faculty/Staff, $5 UCB students

Ticket info:   Buy tickets online or by calling 510.642.9988, or by emailing tickets@calperformances.org

The Life and Career of Kaneji Domoto

Exhibit - Multimedia | August 19 – December 16, 2019 every day | 210 Wurster Hall

Sponsor:  Environmental Design, College of

This exhibition explores the complex story behind the only American Japanese architect and landscape architect at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian community, in Westchester County, New York in 1944.

Photographs by Ken Light: American Stories

Exhibit - Photography | August 28, 2019 – May 15, 2020 every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday | Stephens Hall, Townsend Center, 220 Stephens

Sponsors:  Townsend Center for the Humanities, Journalism, Graduate School of

In an exhibition of selected works from the past five decades, documentary photographer Ken Light probes social and political issues in America.

Attendance restrictions:  Viewing hours are generally Monday-Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. The exhibit is located in a space also used for events. Please contact the Townsend Center to confirm availability.

The Languages of Berkeley: An Online Exhibition

Exhibit - Multimedia | September 1, 2019 – August 31, 2020 every day |  Free Speech Movement Cafe (Moffitt Library)

Sponsors:  Library, Berkeley Language Center

Celebrates the magnificent diversity of languages that advance research, teaching, and learning at the University of California, Berkeley. It is the point of embarkation for an exciting sequential exhibit that will build on one post per week, showcasing an array of digitized works in the original language chosen by those who work with these languages on a daily basis - librarians, professors,...   More >