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Graduate student Ryan Lattanzio is heading to the Cannes Film Festival, where he’ll help select the winner of the “Visionary Award,” for a fledgling independent filmmaker.
Social science archive
‘Greater Good’ Valentine’s tips for emotionally intelligent guys
February 14, 2012: Looking for Valentine’s Day inspiration? Jeremy Adam Smith, Web editor and relationships pundit at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, draws on scientific studies to showcase some unlikely romantic heroes: Zebras, astronauts and a mindfulness teacher.
Professor of Greek history worries about his homeland’s future
February 10, 2012: As Sunday’s vote on austerity measures approaches, Nikolaos Papazarkadas, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of classics and a native of Greece, is apprehensive about conditions in his native land improving anytime soon.
Wen-hsin Yeh receives Humboldt Research Award
February 9, 2012: China scholar receives Humboldt Research Award
Pearson heading new international Literacy Research Panel
February 6, 2012: Everyone’s talking about gossip
January 25, 2012: A new study by UC Berkeley social psychologists Matthew Feinberg and Robb Willer about the upside of gossip is receiving considerable press. Hear Willer and author Joseph Epstein discuss whether gossip can be good on KQED’s Forum radio show.
NAS honors Robert Powell’s work on nuclear deterrence
January 19, 2012: UC Berkeley political scientist Robert Powell has been awarded the National Academy of Sciences Award for Behavioral Research Relevant to the Prevention of Nuclear War.
Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life to open Jan. 22 
January 19, 2012: The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library, the latest addition to the city’s burgeoning downtown arts and culture district, is opening to the public on Sunday, Jan. 22.
‘Income inequality didn’t just happen, it was engineered’ 
January 18, 2012: Political scientists Paul Pierson of UC Berkeley and Jacob Hacker of Yale say the vast and growing gap between America’s haves and have-nots didn’t just happen, but was deliberately and politically “engineered.” Co-authors of the recent book “Winner-Take-All Politics,” the two appeared on the Jan. 13 episode of “Moyers & Company.”
Media Advisory: North Korean crossroads
January 17, 2012:
Experts will assemble on campus Friday to assess North Korea
Gossip isn’t all bad — new study finds its social and psychological benefits
January 17, 2012: For centuries, gossip has been dismissed as salacious, idle chatter that can damage reputations and erode trust. But a new study suggests rumor-mongering can have positive outcomes such as helping us police bad behavior, prevent exploitation and lower stress. Listen to UC Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer discuss the virtues of gossip on KQED Forum.
Media Advisory: Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life open house Jan. 22
January 12, 2012:
The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life to welcome the public to its new home with a Jan. 22 open house.
I School professor leads “Digging Into Data” project
January 5, 2012: Professor Ray Larson is leading a newly funded project using text mining tools to boost social history research.
MATLAB statistical-analysis tool now free to campus community
January 4, 2012:
A campus site license will provide MATLAB — a technical computing language and interactive environment used for research — at no cost to campus faculty, staff, and students in 2012.
Law prof’s book probes ‘whys’ behind Big Apple crime decline
January 2, 2012: Between 1990 and 2009, New York City saw its crime rate drop by more than 80 percent. In his latest book, The City That Became Safe, Professor Frank Zimring explores how NYC’s experience, focusing on harm-reduction strategies, challenges assumptions driving U.S. policies on crime and drugs.
Lower classes quicker to show compassion in the face of suffering
December 19, 2011: Emotional differences between the rich and poor, as depicted in such Charles Dickens classics as “A Christmas Carol” and “A Tale of Two Cities,” may have a scientific basis. Researchers at UC Berkeley have found that people in the lower socio-economic classes are more physiologically attuned to suffering, and quicker to express compassion than their more affluent counterparts.
‘Everyday Dogs’ book depicts allure of man’s best friend
December 6, 2011: New book drawn from the Bancroft Library’s vast Pictorial Collection celebrates the powerful connections between people and pets.
Researcher takes on ‘empathy fatigue’ in the workplace
December 6, 2011: A nurse refuses to help an ailing alcoholic who is upset to find a hospital detox unit closed. A hospital clerk brushes off a deceased woman’s grieving family as they try to pay her bills and claim her belongings. These harsh, real-life scenarios helped inspire Eve Ekman, a UC Berkeley doctoral student in social welfare, to study empathy burnout in the workplace, a condition expected to skyrocket this year due to the stress caused by the nation’s financial crisis.
Professor Nwokeji wins prestigious African-studies book prize
November 29, 2011: G. Ugo Nwokeji, professor of history and African American Studies, has been named winner of the 2011 Melville J. Herskovits Book Award, a prestigious honor in African Studies worldwide. Nwokeji was named for his book “The Slave Trade and Culture in the Bight of Biafra.”
How grateful are you? Take this quiz and find out
November 23, 2011: Research from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center shows that gratitude is key to happiness. How grateful are you? Take this quiz and find out if you’re counting your blessings this Thanksgiving
Dream sleep takes sting out of painful memories
November 23, 2011: They say time heals all wounds, and new research from UC Berkeley indicates that time spent in dream sleep can help. UC Berkeley researchers have found that during the dream phase of sleep, also known as REM sleep, our stress chemistry shuts down and the brain processes emotional experiences and takes the painful edge off difficult memories.
Memorial for Robert Scalapino set for Dec. 10
November 22, 2011: A memorial service for Robert A. Scalapino, an East Asia scholar and political science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has been set for 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, in the Great Hall of UC Berkeley’s Faculty Club.
‘Happiness expert’ Christine Carter shares favorite gratitude practices
November 22, 2011: UC Berkeley sociologist Christine Carter believes gratitude is the key to personal and community happiness. This Thanksgiving, she offers her three favorite gratitude exercises that she practices with her kids so they can focus on what they have instead of what they’re missing.
Is a stranger genetically wired to be trustworthy? You’ll know in 20 seconds
November 14, 2011: There’s definitely something to be said for first impressions. New research from UC Berkeley suggests it can take just 20 seconds to detect whether a stranger is genetically inclined to being trustworthy, kind or compassionate. See if you can guess which people shown in the video have the empathy gene.
Media Advisory: Public policy professor, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich to deliver Savio Memorial Lecture on class warfare
November 8, 2011: he University of California, Berkeley’s 15th annual Mario Savio Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Robert Reich, former U.S. labor secretary and professor of public policy at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, on the topic of class warfare.
Big Ideas for Jobs Creation: A Q&A with Karen Chapple
November 7, 2011: Thirteen big ideas for programs and policies to create badly needed jobs in the United States were unveiled Monday at a Washington, D.C., briefing.
East Asia scholar Robert A. Scalapino dies at 92
November 4, 2011: Robert A. Scalapino, the Robson Research Professor of Government emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and a renowned expert in the field of East Asian studies, died Monday, Nov. 1, in Oakland, of complications from a respiratory infection. He was 92.
Taeku Lee co-authors new book on Asian American political participation
November 3, 2011: Political science professor Taeku Lee has co-authored a new book on Asian American political participation, based on the most comprehensive study to date of Asian American political behavior.
Political scientist Harold Wilensky dies at age 88
November 1, 2011: Harold L. Wilensky, professor emeritus of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, died at his Berkeley, Calif., home on Sunday, Oct. 30, after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 88.
Findings offer new clues into the addicted brain
October 30, 2011: What drives addicts to choose drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, overeating or kleptomania — despite the risks? Campus neuroscientists have pinpointed the locations in the brain where calculations are made that can result in addictive and compulsive behavior. Their astonishing findings could lead to improved treatments for many addictions and disorders.
Haas study sheds eerie light on fright and financial decision making
October 27, 2011: Watching a scary movie can motivate you to sell your stocks earlier than you would have otherwise. That’s the frightening evidence shown in a series of studies from the Haas Marketing Group.
