iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

🌠 For the first time, astronomers observe the birth of a magnetar — a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star — and confirmed that it’s the power source behind some of the brightest exploding stars in the cosmos. Read more: bit.ly/4lL1k8A

a spinning disk of material with blue-white jets emerging from the center

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

🌟 L&S SURF Fellow Nico spent last summer diving into the world of high-energy density physics! “Working on novel methodology like this was scary but an opportunity I would have never had to expand my horizons,” shared Nico. Learn about the L&S SURF program at UC Berkeley: bit.ly/3Psd0AQ

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

UC Berkeley student Yasmine Baker credits the Berkeley Accelerator & Startup Incubator in Cognitive Science (BASICS) program for helping her become an entrepreneur. Baker founded Ethnic Imprint, a clothing brand with Morocco-inspired garments. Read more here: bit.ly/4rBCSrh

A group of women wearing jewel-toned caftans and flowing headscarves

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

🌟 UC Berkeley African American Studies Professor Leigh Raiford has been named 2026 Gordon Parks Genevieve Young Fellow, receiving $25,000 to "support the research, development and publication of a new project" related to famed photographer Gordon Parks! 📸 ➡️ bit.ly/4sp95Dy

Person sits next to a windowsill with hands on lap. They are wearing a jacket with chevron stripes of brown, black and cream, with a black turtleneck underneath and khaki pants. They have eyeglasses and large hoop earrings.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

💉Two UC Berkeley English alums bring HBO‘s “The Pitt” to life! Production designer Nina Ruscio & casting director Cathy Sandrich Gelfond share what makes the award-winning show feel so real, and how their English degrees set them up for success. ➡️ bit.ly/4utv8ua

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

The Shining Lights Program at UC Berkeley tackles gender equity in #STEM 🌟 Currently focused on grad students and postdocs, the program teaches community-building, effective communication skills and how to represent lab work at conferences and within departments. ➡️ bit.ly/4lghCpP

A woman leans forward at a round classroom table. Photo by AJ Gubser.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

#FacultyFriday: Meet Richard Allen, Berkeley Seismology Lab director and professor of Earth and Planetary Science. Learn how BSL's work helps keep Californians safe while contributing to important earthquake-related research. 🎥 Learn more: bit.ly/3MoSvEc

Man points at a screen (screenshot from video)

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

👏 Roland Bürgmann, UC Berkeley professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science and the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, has been awarded the National Academy of Sciences 2026 Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship! Read more: bit.ly/3ZC2CIH #NASAward #ResearchInnovation

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

🦍 UC Berkeley gorilla doctor and assistant professor of integrative biology, Tierra Smiley Evans, is working to prevent the next pandemic by studying human and wildlife interaction at forest edges around the world where important pathogens are most likely to emerge. ➡️ bit.ly/49UrEZy

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

#FacultyFriday 🌟 Meet UC Berkeley professor Mike Boots, chair of the Department of Integrative Biology. His research tackles important "why" questions: "Why are some infectious diseases more virulent than others?" Read more here: bit.ly/4rpQlml #Research #BiologicalScience

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

📝Linguistics Research Apprenticeship Practicum (LRAP) at UC Berkeley is reshaping undergraduate research by pairing undergrads with graduate student mentors. Professor Hannah Sande: "We are truly building the next generation of linguistic researchers." Learn more: bit.ly/4c5dnun

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

🧬 From quantum theory to the modern laser, curiosity-driven research has shaped the world we live in. In just 101 seconds, watch UC Berkeley Dean Steve Kahn explain why basic science fuels innovation. ▶️ bit.ly/4sVf6IH #CuriosityDrivenResearch #UCBerkeley

Screenshot from Basic Science 101 video featuring Dean Steve Kahn

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Want to make better decisions in 2026? 🎧 Listen to a panel of UC Berkeley L&S professors, with expertise ranging from political science to philosophy, discuss decision-making and how we can use different approaches to make better, more informed choices. ➡️ bit.ly/4qO3wgV

A woman with light brown hair talks into a mic, gesturing and smiling, as a panelist next to her looks on. Behind, there is a banner that says UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

🌟 From Nobel Prize-winning experiments to the future of computing, UC Berkeley leads quantum information science. The new Roger Herst Quantum Nexus will help scientists, students, and industry leaders access groundbreaking quantum activity now and into the future! ➡️ bit.ly/48V0jGh

Two men cut a ribbon with a giant pair of scissors; A man speaks at a podium in front of two women; A man gestures to Governor Gavin Newsom

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

💡 Did you know? Zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 jump from animals to humans. UC Berkeley Integrative Biology Professor Cara Brook is studying wild fruit bats in Madagascar to test vaccines and prevent future pandemics before they start. 🦇 Read more: bit.ly/4ahjriF #ResearchExcellence

A woman wearing a mask and gloves holds up a bat

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

🪸 UC Berkeley (@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social) researchers report that sponges likely evolved first, reshaping our view of early animal evolution and the base of the animal tree of life. This research was funded by the Life Sciences Research Foundation and HHMI. Read More ↠ bit.ly/4axMbnf

Side‑by‑side view of a towering yellow sponge on a coral reef and several glowing comb jellies drifting through dark ocean water.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

📚 Third-year English & Rhetoric major, and Mellon Mays Fellow, Kelly Chuang shares how speculative fiction, vision, and unreliable narrators shape her research and her work in the humanities. Read more: bit.ly/44K0bXg #SpeculativeFiction #Humanities #StudentSpotlight

Portrait of Kelly Chuang smiling outdoors, wearing a sleeveless black top and gold hoop earrings, with blurred green trees in the background.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Silicon Valley’s hustle culture is back and intensifying, and UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Professor Carolyn Chen explains what’s driving it — from AI to changing ideas of work, community, and purpose. Read more: bit.ly/4ox0VWN #UCBerkeley #SiliconValley #HustleCulture

Portrait of Ethnic Studies Professor Carolyn Chen, smiling and looking into the camera against a solid light turquoise background.

Office scene with tech workers sitting at shared desks, working at computers in a dimly lit room, illustrating a long-hours workplace environment.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

🌟 UC Berkeley dean of biological sciences, Richard Harland, shares how his basic research has inspired emerging treatment for a rare bone disease called FOP. ➡️ Read more: bit.ly/3KrDvUP #UCBerkeley #ResearchWithResults

Photo of Dean Richard Harland next to images of a mouse embryo, a skeletal arm, an enlarged skeletal arm, a deformed mouse embryo, both images are behind a blue square that is almost transparent. Copy reads: UC Berkeley dean's research inspires emerging treatment for rare bone disease. Left: Johnny Gan Chong. Right: Brunet, McMahon, McMahon, and Harland / Science

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

#FacultyFriday: UC Berkeley Arts & Humanities Dean Sara Guyer discusses the modern utility of a #humanities degree: “The arts and humanities classroom really helps us understand the world. We’re comfortable being in complexity.” Read more: bit.ly/4i1putm #UCBerkeley #LiberalArts

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

#Alumni Spotlight: Purvi Kunwar credits her UC Berkeley interdisciplinary double major (political economy & development studies) with laying the foundation for a dynamic career that has spanned public health, education and biotechnology 🌟 Read more: bit.ly/3M2D4ko #SocialSciences

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

🌟 UC Berkeley molecular & cell biology alum, Wendy Marie Ingram Ph.D. '15, transformed a tragedy into a positive movement by founding Dragonfly Mental Health. “Action is my coping mechanism,” says Wendy. Read more here: bit.ly/3JcDq72 📷: Aga Ignas #Research #Impact #CalAlum

Wendy Ingram speaks about Dragonfly Mental Health at a conference, sharing her journey from UC Berkeley researcher to global advocate for mental wellness in academia. Event hosted by Behavioral Teaching Solutions; Photo by Aga Ignas.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

#FacultyFriday: UC Berkeley's Prof. Roland Bürgmann is studying "earthquake weather" and the effect of climate on seismic activity. Are the atmosphere & solid earth connected? 🤔 His research may offer new insights into earthquake forecasting. Read more: bit.ly/4oSFgJW #Research #Earthquakes

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

🐋 Sperm whales communicate in ways similar to humans according to a new study from UC Berkeley and Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) by Linguistics Professor Gašper Beguš. Read more here: bit.ly/3KbEMiN #Linguistics #Research #Impact

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

A UC Berkeley (@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social) study led by Professor David Harding finds that how applicants explain their past crimes can affect hiring decisions. Those who took responsibility and showed change were most likely to be hired. Read more – bit.ly/4nVVsc7 #Sociology #Research

A typewriter with a sheet of paper displaying the text 'JOB APPLICATION' in bold letters.

David Harding wearing a dark blazer over a collared shirt, standing outdoors with a blurred natural background.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

🌎 Finch chirps are more than mindless chatter — they actually convey meaning. UC Berkeley (@uofcalifornia.bsky.social) researchers found that zebra finches understand what they’re hearing. Read more – bit.ly/4hTNIG7 #UCBerkeley #Neuroscience #AnimalCommunication #Finches #Science

Three male and two female zebra finches, including two mating pairs. Females are typically all gray, though here one female is a white morph. Males are colorful, with red cheeks, zebra stripes on their chest and brown patches with white spots on their sides.

Julie Elie sits on the ground in the Australian outback in 2008, wearing a sun hat and using a large microphone and telescope setup to study the calls of zebra finches.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Artificial intelligence is transforming society and raising deep questions. UC Berkeley Philosophy, led by Alva Noë and supported by Sarah Douglas, is launching a new initiative on the philosophy of AI. Read more – bit.ly/47KxmL5 #UCBerkeley #Philosophy #AI

Sarah Douglas has short, white hair, light skin, and is wearing a purple zip-up jacket over a light plaid shirt. The background features large windows with a green outdoor view.

Alva Noe has short brown hair, a full grey beard, light skin, and is dressed in a grey collared shirt with a black blazer. The background includes abstract, colorful light streaks.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

🚀 NASA’s ESCAPADE mission — led by UC Berkeley — launches in early November. Twin “Blue and Gold” satellites will map Mars’ magnetic fields and atmosphere in 3D to aid future human exploration. Read more ⇨ bit.ly/4oXxFtc #UCBerkeley #NASAMission #Mars #ESCAPADE

Engineers in cleanroom suits work with twin ESCAPADE spacecraft, Blue and Gold, developed by UC Berkeley and Rocket Lab, preparing them for launch as part of NASA’s mission to map Mars’ magnetic field and upper atmosphere in 3D.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands on the launchpad at sunrise in Cape Canaveral, Florida, ready to carry the twin UC Berkeley ESCAPADE satellites to Mars for NASA’s first dual-satellite mission to another planet.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

🧐Chimpanzees may have more in common with human thinkers than we thought. A new study co-authored by Emily Sanford at the University of California, Berkeley (@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social) shows they can rationally revise their beliefs when given new evidence. Read more ➥ bit.ly/4qKyDug

A group of chimpanzees is gathered on a grassy field surrounded by trees, with one chimpanzee standing close to the camera while others rest and interact in the background.

Emily Sanford stands on a scenic hiking trail at sunset with mountains and bushes in the background, wearing a zip-up jacket and a crossbody bag.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

⏰ There are fewer than 500 atomic clocks in the world, and the one inside UC Berkeley's Kolkowitz Lab is not just keeping time for the planet. It's helping researchers "test fundamental physics, to search for new physics, and to test relativity." ▶️ bit.ly/3Jj2nOh #Physics #BasicScience

Screenshot of video with Professor Kolkowitz

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

#FacultyFriday: By designing innovative new algorithms that harness the power of quantum computers, UC Berkeley professor Lin Lin is making game-changing contributions to both fields of computational mathematics AND quantum science. 💡 Read more >> bit.ly/48RPqVW

Professor Lin Lin, a man with glasses and dark hair, stands in front of a whiteboard with mathematical equations written on it

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

Generative #AI tools are everywhere, and UC Berkeley's Division of Social Sciences is helping students and faculty use these tools wisely: "We see generative AI as a tool to supplement — not substitute — intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge." ➡️ bit.ly/47B7RNp

Collage of five headshots featuring Raka Ray, Dave Harding, Clancy Wilmott, Shaudi Fulp and David Whitney

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

🏆 UC Berkeley‘s Mike Zaletel was named a 2025 American Physical Society Fellow for "pioneering contributions to the understanding of topological aspects of condensed matter.” 💡Read more here: bit.ly/3KQdTRw #UCBerkeley #Research #APSFellows #Physics

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

#FacultyFriday: Exploring the forms of Postcolonial African Literature with UC Berkeley Professor Farah Bakaari, a scholar of 20th and 21st century African literature. 💡Read more here: bit.ly/4hmEXnH #UCBerkeley #Research #English

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

🧠 Professor Na Ji is transforming our understanding of how the brain processes visual information and about diseases, addiction, and other neurological conditions through her research at UC Berkeley. Read more here: bit.ly/4hd5Fio #UCBerkeley #LettersAndScience #ResearchImpact #Neuroscience

Woman with short dark hair and a blue sweater, smiling

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

🏆#ICYMI: University of California sets a world record with five Nobel Prizes in one week, including UC Berkeley's emeritus professor of physics John Clarke and chemist Omar Yaghi! Read more here: bit.ly/4okwnId #NobelPrize #Physics #Chemistry #BasicScience #ResearchExcellence

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

📢 ICYMI: “...These Nobel laureates reflect the excellence of our universities, the strength of our innovation ecosystem, and the boundless creativity that defines the Golden State.” - Gov Gavin Newsom 🌟 Read more: bit.ly/47q3BjO #FiatLux #GoBears #Research

California Governor Gavin Newsom at podium

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

🦠 UC Berkeley's Andrew Dillin is launching CURED, a new center that connects efforts across campus to discover cures for unmet, rare, and emerging diseases. “We are decentralizing the normal path to clinical breakthrough.” Read more: bit.ly/42CVDkK #GlobalHealth #ResearchImpact #CURED

Andrew Dillin smiles in front of a lush green tree and wooden building. He has short brown hair, a gray beard and mustache, and is wearing a navy blue hoodie. The background shows curved tree branches and a pond surrounded by greenery.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Juan Liu, a UC Berkeley paleontologist, assistant adjunct professor of integrative biology and assistant curator in the UC Museum of Paleontology, used fossilized ear bones to rewrite the history of freshwater fish! Learn how: bit.ly/4odOY8V 🐟 #Research @ucmpberkeley.bsky.social

An artist’s reconstruction of the Weberian apparatus in a 67 million-year-old fossil fish. Gold-colored bones at the center show the Weberian structure connecting the air bladder on the left to the inner ear on the right. The background shows fish lineages that evolved after the supercontinent Pangea broke up.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

UC Berkeley's Department of African American Studies has launched a three-year initiative on Black critical theory, founded by Professor Henry Washington, Jr., to explore new directions in the field. 📚 ➡️ Read more here: bit.ly/47dK1am #AfricanAmericanStudies #BlackCriticalTheory

Henry Washington, Jr. rests his face on one hand against a light gray background. He wears round eyeglasses, a black turtleneck sweater, and a black wristwatch. His dark, shoulder-length hair is styled in locs, and he wears a silver ring on his finger.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

📚 Did you know? UC Berkeley students can now major in Korean studies! The program offers an interdisciplinary dive into Korea’s language, history, and culture, reflecting growing demand across campus. 🇰🇷✨ Read More Here ➟ bit.ly/42T9pzC

Side-by-side portraits of UC Berkeley professors Steven Lee (left) and Jinsoo An (right). Lee, wearing glasses and a gray polo, is speaking with hands gesturing in front of bookshelves. An, wearing glasses and a blue button-down shirt, stands in front of a bookshelf.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

⚛️ Gov. Gavin Newsom visited UC Berkeley to sign Assembly Bill 940, creating “quantum innovation zones” to boost research, jobs, and California’s leadership in the trillion-dollar quantum economy. Learn More: bit.ly/432FiG3 #UCBerkeley #Quantum #Research #Innovation

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, wearing a dark blue suit and tie, listens attentively to a researcher in a light pink shirt inside a UC Berkeley quantum computing lab. The two stand beside a curved computer monitor displaying code, with blue cables and illuminated equipment surrounding a large cylindrical quantum device glowing with blue light in the background.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

#FacultyFriday: UC Berkeley historian Susanna Elm studies the late Roman Empire to understand how its legacies of autocracy, slavery, gender, religion and medicine continue to shape the world today 🏛️ ➡️ Read more: bit.ly/4nY2Unb #UCBerkeley #History #RomanEmpire #Research

Susanna Elm, a woman with curly light brown hair, wearing a navy blue shirt, is smiling in front of a softly blurred indoor background with warm tones and a hint of flowers.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

🔬 Elena Conis, UC Berkeley professor of history and journalism, explores the history of vaccine hesitancy from smallpox to COVID-19. Learn how culture, politics & science are influencing policy and shaping attitudes. ➟ bit.ly/4gLicJT #VaccineHistory #PublicHealth

Black and white portrait of Elena Conis, a professor of history and journalism at UC Berkeley. Elena is wearing a dark herringbone blazer, showing one earring, and a thin necklace.
Photo Credit: Brittany Hosea-Small

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

🤩 Congratulations to Dacher Keltner, UC Berkeley psychologist, who recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Association for Psychological Science 🏆 Read more >> bit.ly/4nPcrwR

Video screenshot from Professor Keltner's Academic Review video about contributing to Pixar's Inside Out.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

🎧 In this insightful episode of #BerkeleyTalks, UC Berkeley philosopher Alva Noë argues that life and art are entangled. Learn how art changes us as humans, and makes us new >> bit.ly/42aCvu4

A woman looks at enlarged mounted photos of sparse rooms in a house on a gallery wall

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

💡AI is revolutionizing weather prediction! Co-developed by #UCBerkeley professor William Boos, an AI-based weather model successfully predicted a delayed monsoon in India & enabled millions of farmers to adjust crop planting accordingly. ➡️ bit.ly/4nPXKd7 #ResearchWithResults

a man in a rice field looking at his mobile phone

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

🌟 Congratulations to the 2025 L&S First-Year Pathways Course Enrichment Grant awardees! L&S Pathways helps students explore majors, fulfill breadth requirements, and discover new passions - all while making positive connections in small cohorts. Read more >> bit.ly/3Kidk2D

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

🗓️ WEDNESDAY, OCT 8: Join us for a screening of The Last Class, the hit documentary capturing UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus Robert Reich's last semester. Writer & comedian W. Kamau Bell will join Prof Reich for a conversation after the film. 🎟️ TICKETS ARE ONLINE >> bit.ly/4gxZ0PA

Event details for screening of The Last Class with photos of Robert Reich and W. Kamau Bell.

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UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science @berkeleyls.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Blind, neurodivergent, first-gen alum Ann Wai-Yee Kwong ’15 is reframing disability justice and creating space that is joyful, messy, healing & hopeful at UC Berkeley. Her leadership shows that true access requires cultural change. Learn More 👉 bit.ly/42ygPrO #DisabilityJustice ✊

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