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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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