To access the Dissertation Writer’s Room, you must go through Graduate Services, which is located in 208 Doe. Because this study area and library are reserved for graduate student, faculty, and staff use, you’ll need to show your Berkeley ID when you enter. The hours for the newly minted Dissertation Writer’s Room are Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 9 pm; Friday, 9 am to 5 pm; and Sunday, 1 pm to 9 pm. Happy writing!

First, the Grad Assembly (GA) is looking to hire two graduate students for the 2010-2011 school year to serve as the project coordinators for the Women of Color Initiative (WOCI) project and the Graduate Minority Outreach, Recruitment, and Retention (GMORR) project. WOCI focuses its programming on creating a safe and open space for women of color on campus through brown bag speakers and the Empowering Women of Color Conference, and also collaborates with the Graduate Women’s Project. GMORR focuses on bridging the gap between undergraduate and graduate students in order to promote higher education, career planning, and mentoring. For complete job descriptions and stipend amounts email projects@ga.berkeley.edu or theberkeleygraduate@ga.berkeley.edu. But act fast, since applications are due Wednesday, May 12 at noon.

Second, celebrate the successful completion of another semester with an ice cream social. Three of the GA projects will be serving free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sundaes Wednesday, May 12, from 3:00-4:30 on the patio at Anthony Hall. It’s first come, first served, so come close to 3 to ensure you get your sugar fix.

And finally, the Career Center is giving a presentation on how to find and think about postdocs strategically. This talk, which is appropriate for graduate students in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and engineering, will be held Thursday, May 13, from 5:00-6:15 in 100 Wheeler.

• Most elementary educational programs commit less than 1hr/week to science.
• 40% of science teachers say they feel unprepared to teach science.
• Most science teachers receive little or no professional development.

The list went on, but some of the main problems were obvious: science education was taking a back seat to subjects required for testing, there were few resources available to science teachers, and there were few opportunities for students to explore science after school.

Fortunately, there are simple steps that senior scientists and graduate students can take in their spare time to help address many of these problems. By volunteering in after school programs like the ones at LHS, we can excite students about science. We can co-teach lessons, like in the Science and Health Education Partnership program at UCSF, or simply provide support to science teachers who are uncertain about a subject area. We can mentor high school students as summer researchers, such as in the Summer High-School Apprenticeship Research Program. For more ideas, check out the Science, Technology & Engineering Policy Group‘s website. In short, there are many great ways to get involved with educational outreach as a graduate student or even as a full-time scientist or engineer. And if the fun of mentoring and the skills gained by teaching kids aren’t enough to convince you, then consider that the NSF is beginning to reward investigators and scientist for their outreach efforts and even requiring outreach efforts on some grants.

Last spring a group of friends at Boalt Hall decided to form WOCC to combat the isolation and alienation they felt as women of color in the law school. Their first effort—to be an active presence during admit week—was a huge success. This fall, thanks in large part to WOCC’s work, Boalt welcomed the largest number of incoming women of color students in its history.

WOCC’s numbers have grown to include 60-80 active members, and the scope of its activities has kept pace. In addition to organizing a series of community building events, the organization has embarked upon a more focused spring campaign to educate people about the underrepresentation of women of color on the law school faculty. While women of color constitute 25% of Boalt’s student body, they comprise just 5% of its tenure-track faculty.

To draw attention to women of color in the legal profession, and particularly those in academia, WOCC has organized a series of amazing events for Women’s (Her)story month. For the kick-off event on March 1, they invited women and women of color faculty and alumna to share their stories about breaking barriers at Boalt. Speakers included an alumna who wrote Silence at Boalt Hall, a book about the history and impact of Proposition 209, and two female professors who filed a sexual discrimination grievance against the University after their initial tenure applications were denied. For many participants, this panel was a clear reminder that the challenges facing women in the legal profession, and especially women of color, are not a thing of the past, but an ongoing issue.

The final women’s history month event, which will be held this Wednesday, March 31, is a lunchtime paper talk, followed by a small tea. In the law school, the Faculty Appointment Committee (FAC) makes all hiring decisions and often chooses to interview a very small number of people of color, hiring even fewer. To draw attention to the talented people of color in the applicant pool, WOCC has invited two distinguished women of color professors from USC and UNLV to present their scholarship. (Even before this event, WOCC had already made its mark on this year’s hires. In part because of WOCC’s input to the FAC and its outreach to candidates, the FAC extended offers to four people of color. Three have already accepted, thereby bringing the total junior faculty of color to five and doubling the number of junior women of color.)

It’s not too late to participate in WOCC’s Women’s (Her)story Month campaign. Attend “The Difference Women of Color Make” Wednesday, March 31 in 240 Boalt Hall from 12:45-1:45 pm. This paper talk will be followed by tea with the visiting scholars from 3:30-5:00 in 10 Boalt Hall. If you’re interested in staying informed about WOCC’s activities in the future, please email boaltwocc@gmail.com.

Monday, October 5: Whether you’re working on academic job applications this fall or planning for the application process in the future, teaching materials will likely be part of the package. The Teaching Resource Center is here to help! They are offering a workshop on developing a teaching portfolio today from 12:00 to 1:30 pm in 370 Dwinelle.

Tuesday, October 6: Check out the Graduate Student Lecture Series in 652 Barrows Hall from 3:00 to 4:30 pm, where Environmental Science, Policy & Management graduate student, Dan Fahey, will present his research on the role that natural resources play in conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dan has been doing research in the Congo since 2005; he traveled there most recently during May and June of this year.

Wednesday, October 7: The Graduate Division is offering a workshop on writing academic grant proposals this Wednesday from 12:00 to 1:30 pm in 370 Dwinelle Hall.

For Earthquake Preparedness Month, there will be an earthquake preparedness drill at noon on Wednesday. Take this opportunity to figure where you would drop and cover to protect yourself during an earthquake and then practice with the rest of the campus community.

Thursday, October 8. Take a lunchtime break to enjoy the music of the UC Jazz Ensemble in Lower Sproul Plaza at 12 pm.

Cal alumnus Major General Don T. Riley is giving a special lecture entitled “The Art and Science of Managing a Public Engineering Organization” at Sibley Auditorium from 5:30 to 7:00 pm.

Saturday, October 10. As part of an ongoing lecture series on the Anthropology of Food, the Hearst Museum of Anthropology is presenting Global Brewing Traditions 2500 B.C. – present from 12:00 to 6:00 pm. This events includes a workshop, symposium, beer tasting, and guided tour of the “99 Bottles of Beer” exhibit.

Sunday, October 11. Graduate Women’s Study Hall from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm in Anthony Hall. There will be desks, tables, and wireless internet as well as coffee and tea. In addition breakfast and lunch will be served (with vegan options available).