March 9, 2007 Vol. 77, no. 8S

A graceful hoist of steel to the sky
CITRIS topping-out ceremony marks placement of highest beam

MAGNIFICENT MILESTONE: Acting Dean Fiona Doyle (top left) welcomed visitors to the College’s recent topping-out ceremony at the CITRIS building. Construction workers (top right) readied the beam for its trip to the top. Note the “citrus” tree and signatures, including the metal plaque bearing the late Dean A. Richard Newton’s signature, in honor of his dedication to the College of Engineering and CITRIS. The beam was raised as onlookers watched (middle row). Delicate sprays of champagne (right) and hearty cheers signaled completion of the ceremony. RACHEL SHAFER PHOTO

On March 2, construction workers placed a steel beam at the highest point on the CITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) building, reaching a construction milestone. More than 50 College faculty, staff, donors, CITRIS and construction personnel marked the occasion with a “topping-out” ceremony, which celebrates the moment when the highest structural element of a building is swung into place. The ritual traces back to the age of Egyptian pyramid-building.

In keeping with “topping-out” tradition, attendees signed the beam and a small tree was anchored to it, signifying that the building had grown to reach the sky without serious injury or loss of life and to bless future inhabitants. Instead of the typical evergreen tree, organizers chose a citrus fruit tree, a nod to the CITRIS name.

Acting Dean Fiona Doyle, CITRIS Director Shankar Sastry and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer gave remarks and thanked donors, specifically Marvell cofounders Sehat Sutardja and Weili Dai (accompanied by their son, Christopher, a Berkeley student), Greg Heinzinger of QUALCOMM, Kim Chen of TSMC and Cheryl and Christian Valentine. Construction is on track, and the building is scheduled to open in 2009.

To see additional photos of the ceremony and learn more about CITRIS, go to
www.citris-uc.org.

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