UC Berkeley NewsCenter » Audio

With climate change, stronger wildfires for California?

Public Affairs — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:45:59 +0000

After two years of sparse rains, California fire officials say the 2013 wildfire season has started a month early and that the fires so far have been stronger than usual. Max Moritz and Bill Stewart, Cooperative Extension specialists with the College of Natural Resources, discuss the future of California wildfires in light of climate change, on KQED radio's "Forum" program.

Iraq vet ’13, tells of life after war

Public Affairs — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:19:22 +0000

Dave Smith deployed to Iraq twice during his time in the Marine Corps. Now he’s a Berkeley senior, about to earn his bachelor's degree in political science. What he saw and did in Iraq hasn't made for an easy ride. Smith talks intimately about student life after war, in an interview on KALW radio.

Biblical scholar on his latest translation, Ancient Israel

Public Affairs — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:03:37 +0000

Biblical scholar Robert Alter considers himself a "literary archaeologist." He discusses his latest Hebrew Bible translation, an award-winning work on the ancient Biblical books Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, on KQED radio's "Forum with Michael Krasny."

Bears’ winning formula? Aim high, don’t forget to dance

Cathy Cockrell — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:36:22 +0000

Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, 35, has just led the women’s basketball team to the NCAA Final Four. In a Q&A, she talks about personal influences, her approach to mentoring student-athletes and connecting with fans, and what makes Cal's diverse team click.

Looking for a preschool? What’s right for your child?

Public Affairs — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:08:53 +0000

It's the time of year when many parents of young children are looking at preschools. In a podcast from the Greater Good Science Center, Berkeley sociologist Christine Carter and R.N. Rona Renner discuss preschool philosophies, research insights on academic vs. play-based programs, and how to choose what's right for your child.

Newts, up close and (very) personal

Cathy Cockrell — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 23:20:37 +0000

For a front-row view of a biological spectacle, newt love, there’s no better spectator stand than the banks of the UC Botanical Garden’s Japanese Pool, and no better time than now. Docents are on hand at specified times to explain the life-cycle and mating rituals of these lively and fascinating amphibians.

I School prof Geoff Nunberg’s word of the year for 2012: big data

Carol Ness — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:39:03 +0000

Berkeley linguist Geoffrey Nunberg picks “big data” as the word of the year for National Public Radio’s Fresh Air show, and explains why people should pay attention to it. With audio.

To Berkeley civil-rights scholar, race is uppercase concern

Cathy Cockrell — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:17:12 +0000

Civil-rights scholar john powell rethinks notions of race for the 21st century in a recently published essay collection, Racing to Justice. In a Q&A with the NewsCenter, powell discusses the book and his ambitious vision for the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, which he heads at Berkeley.

Is China’s economy at a turning point?

Public Affairs — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:43:32 +0000

Chinese workers are protesting and demanding better working conditions and compensation. Are they pushing back in ways that could fundamentally change their situation? What implications will the slowing Chinese economy have for its people and the global economy? Katie Quan, associate chair of the Labor Center at UC Berkeley, shares insights on KALW radio's "Your Call."

A violin gifted by Nazi propagandist keeps its secrets

Public Affairs — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:03:00 +0000

In February, 1943, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels ceremoniously gifted an 18th-century violin to a young Japanese musician. The origins of the instrument remain a mystery. Violin maker Carla Shapreau, an adjunct faculty at Berkeley Law, writes on Nazi plunder of fine art in a feature article in The New York Times arts section.

Journalism profs discuss a top GOP donor under scrutiny

Public Affairs — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:27:38 +0000

Investigative reporters Lowell Bergman and Matt Isaacs were interviewed recently concerning Sheldon Adelson— a leading donor to a super PAC supporting Mitt Romney — and the federal investigation of his business for alleged bribery of Chinese officials. The School of Journalism faculty members appeared on Michael Krasny's KQED Radio show, "Forum."

Campus still a great place for birds despite century of changes

Robert Sanders — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 23:33:25 +0000

The bird population on the Berkeley campus has remained surprisingly diverse over the past 100 years, showing that it’s possible to create a green wildlife haven within a dense urban area, researchers say.

Gov’t affairs staffer, Southern expat Esther Gulli on ‘summer’ in Berkeley

Public Affairs — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:19:57 +0000

In a perspective for KQED Radio, the Government and Community Relations Office deputy director pines for hot summer days, lightning bugs and other seasonal Southern charms.

Sociologist, in latest book, questions ‘intimate outsourcing’

Public Affairs — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:48:08 +0000

In a new book titled The Outsourced Self: Intimate Life in Market Times, sociologist Arlie Hochschild, professor emeritus, explores how even the most intuitive human acts have increasingly become work for hire — offered by eldercare specialists to "name-ologists," potty trainers, even "wantologists who help us figure out what we want."

From J-School’s basement, curious earfuls of iTunes adventures in science

Barry Bergman — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:38:04 +0000

Journalism chops, media savvy, nerdiness and (especially) curiosity add up to the "Field Trip Podcast," a radio program created by a trio of J-School grads, and returning soon to a computer or smartphone near you.

Charter Day 1962: JFK on Soviet-American cooperation, space science, state support for higher education

Public Affairs — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:00:18 +0000

Fifty years ago, President Kennedy addressed an audience of 88,000 at Memorial Stadium, offering hope for peace and praising the people of California for supporting the state's colleges and universities.

I School dean talks tech innovation on Canadian radio

Roxanne Makasdjian — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:48:16 +0000

AnnaLee Saxenian, dean of the School of Information and author of The New Argonauts: Regional Advantage in a Global Economy, talks about what happened in Silicon Valley to make it the world's tech innovation center, and how the future of growth and innovation will depend on the new Argonauts — experts who move information fluidly between creative hubs all over the world.

Scientists decode brain waves to eavesdrop on what we hear

Robert Sanders — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:00:37 +0000

Stroke victims or paralyzed people unable to speak may someday be able to communicate via synthesizers that decode their internal speech and play it back. That hope comes from research by UC Berkeley neuroscientists Brian Pasley and Robert Knight, who have successfully decoded brain waves to predict what a person heard.

California native-plant classic gets a 21st-century makeover

Cathy Cockrell — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:16:50 +0000

For California botany, The Jepson Manual is the authoritative reference book. Now the super-sized tome has been revised to incorporate a wealth of new knowledge about the state's huge diversity of native plants. Scholars and staff at the Jepson Herbarium oversaw its 2nd edition, published by UC Press.

Botanical art as ‘capturing a plant’s soul’

Public Affairs — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:28:02 +0000

A camera can record a plant, but a botanical artist captures its soul, says botanical illustrator Catherine Watters in an audio interview with Paul Licht, director of the UC Botanical Garden. Works by Watters and other artists, along with classes and programs, will be featured at the Garden's third-annual Plants Illustrated exhibition, Jan. 14 to Feb. 3.