In December, I spent a week in Germany visiting a number of institutions, of the University, Max Planck, Fraunhofer, and Helmholtz variety. The visit was organized by the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, or German Academic Exchange Service).
That trip brought home again for me the value of spending some time abroad — or at least away from campus — at another institution engaged in research. Where should you go? Well, ask your advisor about other collaborators you might visit, for a week, a month, a semester, or a summer. Check out the exchange programs we have already in place with other institutions. Look into fellowships that fund opportunities for study abroad.
Anyway, in case you need some motivation, I have compiled my own ...
Top ten reasons to spend some time away from campus while doing your Ph.D.
10. Your rent there will likely be cheaper.
9. You might develop more self-reliance and self-confidence.
8. Maybe you really, really miss snow.
7. You want to learn another language and culture
(more deeply than you can at I-House).
6. The lab you’ll visit might have useful gizmos you cannot otherwise access.
5. The archive you'll visit might have unique original source materials.
4. The dig you'll join might uncover something really new (old) or scary.
3. You might develop contacts for a job after you graduate.
2. You might be able to get out of a research rut with new inspiration.
And finally, the number one reason you might really like to consider spending time away from campus while you are doing your PhD:
1. What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.
(Which may mean you won't want to apply for a job in Las Vegas.)
Just kidding, of course! But only about Number One.
Really, time away can be worthwhile. It's absolutely not recommended, of course, if you are struggling to keep your nose above water. Now go out there and make the very best of this semester. It won’t come around again.
Best,
Andrew J. Szeri
Dean of the Graduate Division
Mandatory Orientation
- For first-time GSIs, Readers, or Tutors
Graduate Financial Aid
- Spring loan disbursements: some tips
Graduate Fellowships
- A wide menu of possibilities to help fund your graduate education
Calendar
- Upcoming events and workshops
Academic Services / GSI Teaching and Resource Center
- Ready for that big transition? This Summer Institute can help.
University Health Services
- Workshop for students with dependents in need of health insurance
University Library
- Getting to know the Library, spring 2008
Pacific Film Archive
- January at the PFA
In the News
- One of CNN’s “Heroes”: a grad alumna without borders
- California Hall of Fame honors Earl Warren
- Greater Good Center’s research is part of a cover story
- Former IMF head, a grad alum, joins the private sector
Texture
- A further whale footnote, and all those turkeys at Cal Berkeley
If you are a first-time Academic Student Employee (Graduate Student Instructor, Reader, or Tutor) for spring 2008, you must attend an orientation pursuant to Article 26 of the agreement between the University of California and the United Auto Workers. The orientation will consist of a thirty-minute presentation by Labor Relations and a thirty-minute presentation by the UAW. You may choose one of the following orientation sessions organized by Labor Relations:
Thursday, January 17, 2008
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
150 University Hall
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
150 University Hall
Friday, February 1, 2008
8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
150 University Hall
New ASEs will be identified by payroll records and attendance will be recorded at orientation sessions. If an appointee does not attend one of the mandatory sessions, he or she must attend an orientation session the following semester or be ineligible for future appointments.
If you have set up Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) authorization with the Billing and Payment Services office (BPS), your spring semester loan refund should be in your bank account by January 17 or 18, if you are enrolled in a least six units for the spring semester and are not blocked or overawarded. By federal regulation, BPS cannot release spring funds any earlier than this.
Any registered student with a cash flow problem can get a $625 short-term loan from the Emergency Loan office in 220 Sproul Hall. These loans are interest-free if repaid within two months (although there is a flat $12 processing fee.) The Emergency Loan Office is open from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday when school is in session. The first day for spring 2008 emergency loans is Tuesday, January 15. More details on the emergency loan program are available online.
Remember that you need to report to the Financial Aid Office any new awards such as spring fee remissions, fellowships, or department awards which have not already been reported and included in the calculation of your loan eligibility. You may be billed if your loan has to be reduced because of an award reported after spring disbursement. You can email the Financial Aid Office if you have questions.
TopListed chronologically by deadline date.
Graduate Division summary of fellowships and awards for 2007-2008
Resources provided by the Graduate Services: Fellowships office
If the Ph.D. you’re pursuing is in an area of interest to stewardship science — such as high-energy physics, low-energy nuclear science, or the properties of materials under extreme conditions — you might benefit from the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship. More information is available online and from Steve Saldivar in the Graduate Services: Fellowships office by phone (642-0672) or email (stevesaldivar@berkeley.edu). Applications and supporting material must be received by January 9, 2008.
The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund awards fellowships for graduate study in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional fields like law, medicine, engineering, and architecture. The university may nominate three eligible candidates; each nominee must hold U.S. citizenship, be currently enrolled in a Berkeley graduate program, demonstrate financial need, and have an outstanding undergraduate academic record. The fellowship pays fees and a living stipend ($18,000 for 2008-09) for up to three years. Application instructions are available in 318 Sproul Hall (Graduate Services: Fellowships) as well as online. Berkeley's internal application deadline is January 9, 2008.
The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) is accepting applications for its 2008 teaching fellowships for men and women who have recently earned at least a bachelor’s degree in science or mathematics and now want to teach high school mathematics, physics, physical science, earth science, or chemistry. The fellowship provides both financial and professional support for up to five years, including tuition assistance and a stipend while fellows participate in a recognized teacher credential program. In addition, KSTF is recruiting for its new Biological Science Teaching Fellowships, which will begin in June 2008. Details about eligibility, applications, and selection criteria can be found on the KSTF website.
C. Harry Knowles, the co-founder and board president of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation, was academically trained in physics and became a leader in a number of science-based businesses. At Bell Labs, he worked on diodes and was responsible for the 107 megahertz transmitter transistor for America’s first satellite, Project Vanguard. At Motorola Semiconductors, he invented and developed the 2N2222 “Star Transistor,” which is still an active design over four decades later. He started and led Metrologic Instruments, and recently retired from its presidency and board chairmanship. In 1999, he was inducted into New Jersey’s Inventor Hall of Fame. He is the inventor or co-inventor on more than 280 patents, with another hundred pending. Janet H. Knowles is co-founder and treasurer of the KSTF and has served as vice president of administration and treasurer of Metrologic Instruments for many years. She and Harry have meshed careers, marriage, and philanthropy for more than three decades.Recent graduates and graduate students have the opportunity to intern in Germany through RISE Professional. Program participants are matched with a German company, where they gain insight into the professional applications of science and engineering, obtain practical skills, and experience a new culture. RISE Professional features a scholarship to cover living expenses, a lump-sum payment for travel costs, and a three-day meeting in Bonn. Please note that the internship database for RISE Professional is now available. Applications for RISE Professional will be accepted until January 15, 2008. The list of summer 2008 internship opportunities is available online or you can request further information by email (rise-pro@daad).
This fellowship is for exceptional first or second year graduate students (as well as undergraduate seniors) planning full-time study toward a Ph.D. in the physical, engineering, computer, mathematical, or life sciences with emphasis in high performance computing. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens; departments must certify that fellows will not be required to perform services (e.g., GSI, grading, etc.) during the tenure of their fellowships.
The DOE CSGF program pays all tuition and required fees for up to four years of study at any U.S. university, provides a $32,400 yearly stipend, matches university funds (up to $2,500) to purchase a computer workstation for the fellow's exclusive use, and provides a yearly academic allowance of $1,000 to the fellow for professional development. Further details about the program are available at the program website and from the Program Coordinator, Ms. Rachel Huisman, by email. Apply online. The application and supporting materials must be received by January 16, 2008.
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship funds students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents to gain competence in modern foreign languages. Awarded to students in the humanities, social sciences, and professional fields, these fellowships are available for the study of languages in eight world areas (Africa, East Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Eurpose). The U.S. Department of Education’s FLAS Program provides grants to a select number of higher education institutions so they may offer these fellowships each year. Applications are available online. Monday, January 28, 2008, is the deadline for both the FLAS Fellowship and the Summer FLAS Fellowship. For more information, contact Gina Farales of the Graduate Services: Fellowships office by phone (642-7739) or by email.
Applications are now being accepted for the Willis W. and Ethel M. Clark Foundation Investment in Community Graduate Fellowship for 2008-2009. Up to $10,000 per academic year is awarded to students currently enrolled full time in a graduate program who have demonstrated a commitment to community service. Applicants must be directly connected to the Monterey Peninsula and intend to return to or remain connected through work and/or residence and community service. The Clark Foundation was incorporated in 1953 and has provided community service for more than half a century. Its founders were pioneers in the field of educational testing and research who started the California Test Bureau (now known as CTB/McGraw-Hill) in 1926. The fellowship may be renewed annually, but subsequent awards may be smaller than the initial award. Applications are due January 31, 2008. More information is available online.
Willis and Ethel Clark, pioneers in educational testing.The Schweitzer Fellowship was founded in 1940 to support Dr. Schweitzer’s medical work in Africa. In 1991, the organization launched its U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs, through which graduate students in health professions and related fields carry out direct service projects in underserved communities in this country. This is the program’s second year in California. As many as 16 fellows will be accepted in the Bay Area. Applicants must be enrolled in a degree program through March 2009. Apply online, where additional information is available (click on “U.S. Programs” for information and “Bay Area” for application). The application deadline is February 1, 2008. Information sessions will be held during October and November. For more information, contact Dale Ogar, director of the Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows Program, by email at daleogar@schweitzerfellowship.org or phone 510-642-2857. Note that eligible fields include not only all “health professions” (medicine, nursing, public health, dentistry, social work, allied health professions, etc.) but also any other health-related field, including law, business, music, and the arts.
By the age of 29, Albert Schweitzer was the author of three books, a scholar in music, religion, and philosophy, an organist, a world authority on Bach, principal of a theological seminary, and a university professor with two doctorates. The next year, he decided to become a doctor and devote the rest of his life to direct service, helping Africans in desperate need of medical attention. He and his wife Hélène opened a hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, where he worked until his death in 1965 at the age of 90. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.
The mission of this fellowship is to advance the status of women. Its endowment fund offers fellowships for women enrolled in a graduate school within the boundary of Founder Region (as UC Berkeley is) and who are in the last year of their doctoral program. These grants-in-aid assist women in the completion of their doctoral degrees. Competition is open to any outstanding graduate woman who is a citizen of a nation with membership in Soroptimist International and who is working toward a doctoral degree, preferably in the last year of study but permissibly during the last two years. Fellowship application forms are available online. Applications must be postmarked not later than February 1, 2008.
“Founder Region” is so named because the Alameda County Soroptimist Club, the nucleus of what grew to be Soroptimist International, met and was chartered in Oakland in 1921. There are now 65 clubs in this original region alone, and more all over the world (3,000 in 125 countries and territories). The “founding president” of that first club (and therefore of the entire Soroptimist organization) was Violet Richardson Ward, who enrolled at Cal in 1911, graduated with a degree in physical culture (later called physical education), earned a master’s here in 1916, taught at Berkeley and other local colleges briefly, then was hired by the Berkeley School District and taught there for 41 years. The 80 members who chartered that new club in 1921 and elected Ward also chose the group’s name, Soroptimist being a coined word from the Latin soro (women) and optima (best), and they also came up with the motto that’s still in use: “Best for women.”
The National Research Council of the National Academies has announced its Postdoctoral and Senior Research Associate Programs for 2008, encompassing a wide variety of participating laboratories, locations, and areas of research. Detailed information, including instructions on how to submit online applications, can be found online. You can also make contact by email (rap@nas.edu). Search the site to identify laboratories and advisers that match your research interests and abilities. Application reviews take place four times during the year, but not all labs participate in all four reviews. Application deadlines for the reviews are February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1, 2008.
The goal of the Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program is to support highly talented graduate students whose studies are directed toward improving environmental quality and who demonstrate leadership in their field. The fellowship provides a one-year cash award of $15,000 for graduate study as well as networking and leadership support to awardees. The Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation specifically seeks active, enthusiastic individuals who have the ability, determination, and integrity to become environmental leaders in the 21st century.
Applicants for a Switzer Environmental Fellowship must:
More information and applications are available online. The application deadline is February 1, 2008.
A component of the nationwide Geriatric Social Work Initiative, the Hartford program provides substantial financial support with professional development enhancements, prepares you for a tenure-track faculty position at a major university, and offers the opportunity to become a leader in an elite network of scholars.
Features include:
Detailed program information is available online. Applications are accepted twice a year, in separate cycles. The deadline for cycle one is February 1, 2008.
Members of Phi Beta Kappa who are enrolled as doctoral students at UC Berkeley for 2007-2008 may apply for this fellowship, which is administered by PBK’s Alpha of California Chapter, Berkeley’s local group. Additional grants will be awarded by PBK’s Northern California Association through the same application process. Further information and the application form may be found online. Applications and all supporting materials are due in the PBK office (M14 Wheeler Hall, lower mezzanine, in the College Writing Programs suite of offices) by February 20, 2008, no later than 3 p.m.
The Burton J. Moyer Memorial Fellowship was established in the 1980s by the Northern California Chapter of the Health Physics Society to honor Moyer, who died in 1973, and to encourage his ideals in the study of the safe use of radiation for the benefit of all people. The first person to receive this highly regarded national fellowship, in 1985, was a UC Berkeley graduate student. Students who are interested in health physics must submit their application no later than March 1, 2008. The application is available online (PDF), as is further information about the fellowship.
Burton J. Moyer came to Berkeley in 1942 to work in high-energy physics with Ernest Orlando Lawrence. In addition to his pioneering and productive research, at Lawrence’s request he established a professional health physics group at what is now the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In doing so, he took on the technically difficult work of reducing radiation intensities at the Bevatron for the safety of his colleagues. The shields he designed reduced intensity by a factor of 100, and became an influential model in the design of many accelerator shields. Moyer’s innovative approach to this new aspect of his field led him to be characterized as “the father of accelerator health physics.” He was also a professor and mentor, directing the thesis research of 62 students, and chaired the physics department during Berkeley’s tumultuous 1960s.
The Golden Gate at sunset from Berkeley, January 2008 (photo © Dick Corten)
Graduate Division Calendar
Campus Events Calendar
Denotes Graduate Division sponsored event
THROUGH FEBRUARY 28
Exhibit: Missionaries, Merchants, and Movable Type — Collectors and Collections of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library
Every day, Brown Gallery of the Doe (Main) Library
Berkeley’s East Asian collection began in 1896 with John Fryer’s personal library of 2,000 volumes and has grown to be a vital working resource of Chineses, Japanese, and Korean materials for the use of faculty and students. Gifts and purchases have enriched the collection in ways not always anticipated, reflecting the interests and idiosyncracies of their original owners.
More about the new East Asian Library facility, which will open next semester:
JANUARY 15 (Tuesday)
Spring semester begins
JANUARY 17 (Thursday), JANUARY 23 (Wednesday), and FEBRUARY 1 (Friday)
Mandatory meeting for first-time Academic Student Employees
See announcement above for times and place.
JANUARY 21 (Monday)
Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
JANUARY 22 (Monday)
Instruction begins
JANUARY 24 (Thursday)
Workshop on UC MEXUS Funding Opportunities
Noon to 1 p.m., Room 177, Stanley Hall
The University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) fellowship and grant program directors will provide information about funding opportunites through their programs. UC MEXUS, headquartered at UC Riverside, holds grant and fellowship competitions each year for UC faculty, researchers, and students, for projects focused on bi-national and Latino research and collaborative academic programs and exchanges in all disciplines. Plenty of time for individual questions will be allowed. More information is available from grant program director Andrea Kaus, by email or phone (951) 827-3586.
FEBRUARY 18 (Monday)
Holiday: Presidents’ Day
MARCH 4 (Tuesday)
St. Paddy’s Day music, drinks, and fun
6 to 9 p.m., Pauley Ballroom, Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union
$5 with UC Berkeley ID. Must be 21 or over. Sponsored by the Graduate Social Club and the Graduate Assembly. Other GSC/GA upcoming events: Graduate Assembly Open House, Thursday, April 10, 6 to 9 p.m.; SF Bay Cruise, Friday, May 2, 7 to 9 p.m. More details will be announced.
This sixth annual Summer Institute for Preparing Future Faculty is designed to enable graduate students to excel in all aspects of academic life as they pursue an advanced degree at Berkeley and make the transition from graduate school to academic careers. If you're nearing the end of your graduate program and beginning to prepare for the academic job market, you're encouraged to apply. Approximately 40 students will be selected to be Institute Fellows for the program, which takes place May 28 through July 2, 2008. The application deadline is March 3, 2008. The program announcement, application guidelines, and forms are available online.
If you have questions, contact the GSI Teaching and Resource Center by email or phone (510) 642-4456.
Quote from a former Institute Fellow:
“Overall, the course was everything it promised. I feel like after so many years in graduate school, this is the first time I’ve gotten a comprehensive, systematic presentation/picture of what the field is really like…”
More quotes can be found online (PDF)
(Photos: Peg Skorpinski)
The Student Health Insurance Office at UC Berkeley has announced a new round of workshops for students with dependents in need of health insurance. Because there are a variety of coverage options available for the spouses, partners, and children of students, it can be challenging to determine which plan or program is best for your family. Kathy Gage, Insurance Advisor for Dependents, will explain how to choose and enroll in a plan that meets your family's needs.
All workshops will be held in the Education Center on the first floor of the Tang Center, located at 2222 Bancroft Way.
The first two workshops will provide a general overview of individual health insurance for adults and children and will cover both public programs and private plans. Students may choose one of the following dates:
New workshop: During the summer workshop series we received requests for a workshop devoted to coverage for pregnant women and children. This workshop has been scheduled. The date is:
The format will include a panel discussion by insurance and public program representatives who will provide in-depth information on benefits, eligibility requirements, the enrollment process and premiums, and deductibles and co-insurance costs.
Each workshop will include a question-and-answer period after the presentations.
RSVP to ship@uhs.berkeley.edu. Contact the Student Health Insurance Office (SHIO) at 642-5700 if you have questions about this event.
TopThe University Library has scheduled a variety of instructional activities for the start of the 2008 spring semester.
Tours. For those of you who are interested in tours of the campus libraries, information (libraries, dates & times) is available online via the library tour schedule.
Library Workshops. These are drop-in classes that cover the essentials of using the library’s collections to do research. The classes are available to all members of the UC Berkeley community, including the public. Information on the classes and information covered in the sessions can be found online.
IM Reference. The Government Documents unit of the Library (Doe Library) will start its GovInfo Chat Reference on February 5. Hours of service will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m. If you need assistance with research involving government publications (local, state, federal and international), use this service, which is staffed by the government documents specialists. Information and the links to the service are available online. The Government Documents unit also supports a very popular email reference service called Ask a Librarian About Government Information that is heavily used by researchers on campus, across the UC system and beyond. Take advantage.
TopThe Pacific Film Archive Theater is located at 2575 Bancroft Way. For more information, phone 510-642-5249 or visit the PFA online.
Series — “The Medieval Remake”
Series — “Cool World: Jazz and the Movies”
Series — “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: Recent Experimental Documentaries”
Series — “Jean-Pierre Léaud: The New Wave and After”
Series — “African Film Festival”
Florence Cassassuce M.A. ’04 on CNN
She didn’t make it into the final list of six “Everyday Superheroes,” but Florence Cassassuce, who earned a civil and environmental engineering master’s degree here in 2004, was featured as one of the 18 semifinalists out of 7,000 viewer-nominated “CNN Heroes” candidates on that network in early December. Why? The too-short answer is, for inventing a bucket. Yes, it holds water, but what it does with the water is what makes a difference, potentially for millions of people.
While a grad student, she became active in the Berkeley chapter of Engineers Without Borders and conducted a water-quality study in Baja California. What she and her colleagues found was disheartening. Most of the people they surveyed in 30 rural communities relied on wells for their water, and nearly 90 percent of the wells in Baja are contaminated all or part of the year. Cassassuce’s direct response was to devise s simple, portable, inexpensive water-filtering system that, using ultraviolet light, in four minutes can filter several days’ worth of water for a family. She’s now leading a government-and-industry partnership in distributing the bucket devices in pilot-project areas and educating the populace on their use. Success there, which will include lowering the rates water-borne of communicable diseases, will allow greater roll-outs in wider areas.
Above left: The first UV Bucket prototype, in Baja, ready to deliver clean water.
Above right: Schematic drawing of the UV Bucket
Earl Warren, 14th Chief Justice of
the United States (1953 to 1969)
The late Earl Warren was a Cal alumnus twice over (B.A. ’12, J.D. ‘14). He was district attorney of Alameda County, attorney general of California, governor of California for three terms, a Republican vice-presidential candidate, and, as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, one of America’s most influential and most controversial jurists (Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, the Warren Commission).
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the current governor of Warren’s home state, inducted him into California’s newish Hall of Fame at the end of 2007. The Hall of Fame was established in 2006 to honor “people who embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history.” The other inductees for 2007 were Ansel Adams, Milton Berle, Steve Jobs, Willie Mays, Robert Mondavi, Rita Moreno, Jackie Robinson, Jonas Salk, John Steinbeck, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and Tiger Woods. Exhibits featuring details of their lives and contributions are on display at the California Museum in Sacramento.
As governor, Warren presided, with UC President Robert Gordon Sproul, over an unprecedented expansion of the University of California system. Among many other UC tributes to the alumnus, Warren Hall at Berkeley was named in his honor, and the largest of UC San Diego’s six undergraduate colleges is named Earl Warren College. (Warren Hall, long Berkeley’s major center for public health education, is at the end of its useful life. Built 54 years ago, it is outmoded as a scientific facility and has been rated seismically poor. Its demolition is now underway. Replacing it on a site nearby will be the Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, a sod-roofed eco-friendly “green building” that will house teaching, research, and faculty experts in stem cell biology, neuroscience, cancer biology, and infectious disease.
Berkeley’s Warren Hall in 2007 (photo: Peg Skorpinski)
A tip of the hat, entitled “Farewell, Warren Hall,” appears in Public Health magazine, on the School of Public Health’s website (PDF). Meanwhile, history buffs may enjoy this gallery of more than a hundred images of the school and its people, from the dedication in 1955 to the present.
The last Sunday of 2007 brought the Chronicle Magazine into thousands of households in the Bay Area, with a feature entitled “Cultivating Happiness” flagged on the cover. In large part, it highlights the research and insights of Christine Carter M.A. ’03, Ph.D. ‘ 07, and related work in her field.
UC’s Christine Carter and her daughters Fiona and Molly, being happy
Rodrigo de Rato
Rodrigo de Rato M.B.A. ‘74, who from 2004 until October of last year had served as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, will begin a new job in February as senior managing director of the investment banking unit of Lazard Ltd, one of the world’s most prominent financial advisory and asset management firms. He’ll be based in London and Madrid. A veteran of Spanish politics, de Rato served as the economic minister of Spain under President Jose Maria Aznar and was a member of the Spanish parliament from 1982 to 2004.
Top
Integrative bio grad student Nick Pyenson’s jaw-opening research finding about Fin Whale water intake during feeding “gulps” traveled fairly far and wide in the media. In the New York Times, science writer Carl Zimmer expanded on the researcher’s penchant for comparative weights and measures (Pyenson says a 60-foot whale gulps down about 18,000 gallons of water, the same volume as a school bus; he characterized an earlier find, the fossil of a small whale,as belonging to a creature ‘no longer than a VW bug.”) Zimmer’s lead paid tribute to the gigantic size of the Fin Whales and their close relatives, the Humpbacks, and especially the Blue Whales, which “reach 160 tons, the same mass as about 2,000 grown men or five million grown mice.” (Coincidentally 160 is the number of tons of sponge cakes and such sold by the largest bakery in Moldova during the Easter holidays in 2005. If that’s any easier to visualize.)
As evening arrived on Christmas Day, in the middle of the holiday break, when the campus was mostly deserted, an alumnus (undergrad, decades ago) was driving family members north along Gayley Road. Past the Haas School, past the rugby field, then suddenly what they saw between the Greek Theatre and Bowles Hall made no sense: what appeared to be very large birds had taken over part of a parking lot. They stopped and stared. No mistake. Wild turkeys, big as life, and no bourbon was involved. They watched the congregation, which seemed more agitated about the nuances of the avian hierarchy than any threat posed by the curious humans. There was plenty of time to count: the consensus total was 22 birds. This was 19 more than the humans had seen in a combined 136 years of living in Berkeley. (One of them had seen three turkeys one time, a few years back, a few blocks north.)
After perhaps 15 minutes, both species went on with their planned activities, in different directions.
The headline above? That was the subject line on a few e-mails to selected campus-frequenters and local residents, to see if such fauna encounters were commonplace or rare. Thus incited, the messages were opened and replies poured in like refrigerated Karo™.
Preliminary findings:
Except for one researcher’s chance viewing of a few of these creatures along Oxford Street, the western boundary of campus, the birds seem to favor the eastern limits of UCB and points east, on over the hills. Some residents of suburban Contra Costa County communities like Moraga find them as common as Starbucks; a few have to shoo them out of driveways to take the kids to school. In Berkeley, you might think wild turkeys are rare as hens’ teeth — unless you live above the Piedmont-Gayley-La Loma line (a designation which makes no difference to turkeys, but three names for one street do not constitute a navigational aid). Kindly uphill residents tell neighbors nope, that bump you heard on the roof last night wasn’t a marauding raccoon, just another turkey.
Biologist Alan Krakauer, who got his Ph.D. here in 2005 and is now a postdoc at UC Davis, did his doctoral research on wild turkeys at UC’s Hastings Reserve down in the Carmel Valley. He said the campus/city turkey population here hasn’t been formally studied, but it wouldn’t surprise him if the locals are finding human scraps (near group housing, for instance) to be handy supplements to what they normally find while foraging in wilder territory. “These birds have large home ranges,” he says, “and are almost certainly spending some time in more natural areas” like Tilden Park, where they can take advantage of “acorns, grass, and other foods that are more typical for them.” However, wild turkeys are quite flexible, diet-wise, one reason they’re now doing so well in so many settings, despite being nearly exterminated in much of the country during the late 19th century.
Have you seen any of these cranberry-free creatures around here? Just for the heck of it, drop us a line saying when, where, how many, and what they were up to. There’s no prize, but together we might add to the sum of human knowledge. About turkeys.
In the gloaming: just a few of Berkeley’s total gobblers, parking without permits
(blurry low-light photo by Dick Corten)
eGrad is produced by Graduate Communications & Events, distributed by email, and archived online. Graduate students, alumni, faculty, and staff are invited to send timely news and announcements of interest to or utility of graduate students and the graduate community. Please submit items to Dick Cortén, editor, at gradpub@berkeley.edu.
