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Big C gets a touch up
LETTERED:
ME students (right) watch as members of the UC Rally Committee prepare to re-paint
the “Big C” yellow after Stanford was suspected
of surreptitiously painting it red. The mechies had taken
a hike up to the Big C as part of an activity with Pi Tau
Sigma, the ME honor society. If you haven’t visited
the hallowed spot, you should. It’s about a 30-minute
hike from Bechtel Engineering Center. Start at the Foothill
Parking Lot. Follow the dirt track that begins in the southeast
corner of the lot. Take the fork that becomes paved (briefly)
and keep heading up. Wear shoes with good traction and bring
water. The view from the top is worth it!
RACHEL SHAFER PHOTO
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With the proliferation of point-and-click digital cameras
and camera phones, taking a photo has never been easier. But that doesn’t
mean pictures are better. “As cameras have become smarter, people
may not be learning about photography because they’re relying
on the camera to do everything for them automatically,” says
EECS professor Brian Barsky. “Technique, lighting, composition,
an aesthetic sense, storytelling — these are all elements that
people sometimes skip.”
But in Barsky’s CS 39J, “The Art and Science of Photography: Drawing
with Light,” students skip the automatic mode to immerse themselves in
f-stops, apertures and the darkroom. They study the work of great photographers.
They strive to develop an “eye.” They practice taking photos based
on principles covered each week in class, and their assignments are critiqued
by the group the following week. In this freshman/sophomore seminar, Barsky
teaches his students not only how to take better photos, but how cameras work,
the science behind photography, and the art of seeing and producing a good
photograph. [FULL STORY]
What would you do with $500,000? That’s the pleasant
dilemma facing EECS associate professor Claire Tomlin (Ph.D.’98
EECS), who recently won a 2006 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship.
Tomlin was one of 25 recipients chosen for their creativity, originality
and potential to make important future contributions. Fellows receive
a $500,000 “no strings attached” grant over the next five
years.
“It was really out of the blue,” Tomlin told the San Francisco Chronicle
about the surprise phone call. “I was sort of shaking on the phone.” [FULL STORY]
The first time EECS senior Jeff Chou performed improv comedy
in front of a live audience, he was a sophomore. “Five minutes before
going on, I was really nervous,” he recalls. “But when it
was my turn, I forgot everything else and just went out there. When you
say something and the audience laughs, it’s thrilling. Being onstage
definitely changed me.”
Chou is a producer of Theatre Rice, an Asian American theater group run entirely
by Berkeley students that performs improv, sketch comedy, plays and monologues,
among other modern pieces. It began in 1998 as a way to promote Asian Americans
in theater, though you don’t have to be Asian American to join. Students
from a variety of majors are represented, including EECS, ME, BioE and IEOR [FULL STORY]
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