EDUCATORS A group of engineering students, including ME senior Perry Johnson and BioE senior Mike Lin, launched BEAM (Berkeley Engineers and Mentors), an outreach program run entirely by undergraduates that places engineers in local schools to teach weekly science activities and spend one-on-one time with kids. So far, 40 Berkeley Engineers have mentored about 100 middle and high schoolers, many from disadvantaged backgrounds. Pictured left, an engineer teaches kids about DNA through a fun activity.

LEADERS MSE/BioE senior Ahmad Namvargolian and ME senior Sam Woodard helped kick-start an initiative to reinvigorate engineering’s official student governing body, the Engineers’ Joint Council (EJC), which had become less active in recent years. Writing proposals and hosting meetings, the two received the go-ahead from college officials and EJC leaders, putting the spotlight on EJC’s mission and advocating for better service to the engineering community.

VICTORS “My only disappointment was that we didn’t set a new speed record,” said EECS senior Larry Van Pham Ly, referring to his team’s win of Natcar, the yearly competition between 20 or so college teams that race their autonomous radio-controlled cars for the fastest time, sponsored by National Semiconductor.

ALTRUISTS Ask CEE senior Jessica Huang about Sushi 4.0. She was part of a team that tackled the problem of arsenic in Cambodia’s groundwater supply by building a device to remove it using a low-cost process. During a lighthearted lab moment, the team dubbed its prototype Sushi after the layers of rolled iron sheets.