Big Ideas @ Berkeley
Come hear what the Big Ideas @ Berkeley Initiative is up to this year, and learn how iSchool students can get involved!
The Big Ideas @ Berkeley Initiative, launched in July 2005, provides funding, support, and encouragement to interdisciplinary teams of UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students who have "big ideas." Our plans for academic year 06-07 include the launch of an electronic marketplace for Cal student projects (this semester!) as well as the 2nd campus-wide Bears Breaking Boundaries whitepaper contest.
Big Ideas is led by Thomas Kalil, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Science and Technology at UC Berkeley. Kalil is the former Deputy Assistant to President Clinton for Technology and Economic Policy.
Berkeley students want to make a difference. They are passionate about tackling regional, national or global challenges such as safe drinking water, public policy, the future of the information society, entrepreneurship in life sciences and nanotechnology, clean energy, global public health, and sustainable development. They want to link their research, course work, entrepreneurship, and service-learning to these challenges. They are willing to devote an incredible amount of time and energy to ideas that they have developed.
Big Ideas supports these student-led initiatives with seed grants, in-kind contributions, connections, advice, assistance in marketing and communications, and university resources (e.g. allocation of teaching resources for new courses). These initiatives take many forms, including clubs, competitions, new courses, projects, domestic and international field work, collaboration with non-profit and corporate partners, and greater student involvement in shaping and inspiring the next generation of research, education, and service activities.
As part of the Clinton Global Initiative, Kalil is committing to expand Big Ideas @ Berkeley in three of the priority areas of the CGI: energy and climate change, global health, and poverty alleviation.
For more information, see the Big Ideas @ Berkeley website or contact Annie Yeh, the Program Development Officer (510-643-5319 or annieyeh@gmail.com ).