Sponsored Programs for Undergraduate Research.
It's a program that allows you to come up with your own resarch project, with the help of a faculty mentor - and it gives your lab money to work on your research. Where does the money come from? Donations from Alumni in the College of Natural Resources!

What a great use of resources!

When you're studying the sciences at a credible institution you're expected to have a bit of research experience under your belt before entering the working world....

SPUR makes it easy on the students by giving CNR faculty inscentive for bringing undergraduates into their lab. Who doesn't want a few extra bucks fed into their lab per project? SPUR will give you the money you need for equipment, and other necessities.

I've started in on a project in the Specht lab, working with other undergraduates on Heliconia. Here's a tidbit about my lab buddy Laura's project last semester. From this website: http://nature.berkeley.edu/blogs/news/news_items/undergraduates/
November 18, 2006
Undergrad Laura Lagomarsino maps ancestral relationships using genetics

Laura Lagomarsino, third year in Plant Biology, is using nuclear and chloroplast genes to develop a phylogeny, or map of ancestral relationships between species of the genus Heliconia, a tropical plant. Her mentor, Assistant Professor Chelsea Specht in the department of Plant and Microbial Biology, uses molecular and evolutionary biology to understand lineages of related plants.

SPUR funding has allowed Specht to provide Lagomarsino with necessary laboratory materials to expand her research.

The SPUR program offers students a unique opportunity to develop as scientists with a level of independence that has often been reserved for graduate students. Not only does this help make Berkeley students more competitive, it develops of the kind of creative thinking skills so essential to the success of any scientist. “You learn all the techniques” says Lagomarsino, “But then you are also given a certain amount of freedom, and your thoughts are valued.”

For Lagomarsino, research in plant and molecular biology has also given her academic career a clear direction. “Now, I know exactly what I want to do and what I want to study.”

Posted by Christina at 1:31 PM | Permalink

They took me in. I was rejected from UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, UCLA and UC Davis. Not too often that you meet someone at Berkeley that was flat-out rejected from the lower-ranked UC schools. The only school that even considered my application was Riverside; other than Berkeley, that is.
Why did they reject me?

I have 145.5 units. I transferred in with 127.5 units. About 80 of these were from upper-division coursework. Most programs in the University of California system have a unit cap. When you reach 125 units, they kick you out, even if you haven't finished your degree. If you're a double-major, you're given a little wiggle room: up to 140 units. If you apply with any number of units close to the unit cap, they won't consider your application.

When I found that College of Natural Resources, I was exstatic. Finally, an opportunity to complete my degree! Assuming that I could get in.

I know what you're thinking, "Why do you have so many units?" It's a story that most returning students face. Take a few years off from school and you may just find that it's impossible to go back - or more trouble than it seems to be worth. Well, mine had a bit of a twist. I was studying Botany at a 4-year school when they cancelled their program, retired the professors, and left me up a creek in my junior year. I ran back to SoCal, moved in with the parents, and started attending night classes at a junior college while I worked full-time. I did a few interesting jobs, but most were dull. I was a receptionist for an electronics company, a dishwasher for an environmental testing lab, and data entry for Baxter Bioscience. I didn't feel settled into working life. I always wanted to go back to a "real" school, but I couldn't find another Botany program that interested me. So I started looking at university websites, looking at the actual research that the professors were doing. I focused on finding someone at every California school that did research involving plants. I found many that could work, none seemed quite right.

I was frustrated. I couldn't find anything that would work. No one was interested in an upper-division transfer student with 125 units. I was ready to throw in the towel. On a whim I typed something into my web browser. "Nature.berkeley.edu." The world opened its doors.

I contacted Kyle Dukart. He was receptive! Not just receptive - ENTHUSIASTIC! He said that I was just the kind of student that CNR works to attract. He invited me to poke around the programs available. He encouraged me to look into the research that was going on, and promised me that if I get into CNR, I'll have more opportunities to do research than any other program in the university. He told me about SPUR. He answered every question that I threw at him. And quickly. The longest I waited for a response was three hours.

Even with Kyle's encouragement, when I applied, I knew my chances were slim. Genetics & Plant Biology is a selective program, with only about 50 students. I planned on not getting in.

When I received my welcome packet from Berkeley, I didn't really believe it. How could my life have changed so quickly? I went from directionless to entirely too much direction in a matter of days. Berkeley. I still marvel that I get to finish my degree. Just a plus that it's at such an incredible research institution. You can't do this with Letters & Sciences.

Posted by Christina at 1:08 PM | Permalink

Last semester was my last fall semester of my undergraduate career and i took some really interesting classes. My favorite class of last semester was Economics 181: International Trade taught by Professor Ann Harrison (in the fall at least). This class is available to Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors and it is only taught in the fall. This class is a four unit class with prerequisites of Econ 100A-100B or 101A-101B. Here is the class website if anyone would like to check it out: http://emlab.berkeley.edu/users/webfac/harrison/e181_f06/e181.shtml. I am also providing the class description from the course sillabus. All this information is coming the course website listed above.
"This course covers the microeconomics of international trade, and related issues of US trade policy, developing country trade policies, foreign direction investment and multinational corporations. We begin with a brief introduction and then develop a theoretical framework to help us understand (1) why countries trade with each other and what determines trade patterns (2) whether trade is beneficial for a country and (3) how trade affects the distribution of income within a country. We then analyze the effects of commercial policy (ie tariffs) on trade and economic welfare. We conclude with a discussion of recent issues, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), regional trade agreements such as NAFTA, the impact of trade policy on growth, and other current concerns. Since I feel that there is not enough data analysis conducted in most classes, I will supplement the readings and the text with handouts whenever possible. I will expect you to become proficient in reading tables, graphs, and figures. An understanding of basic regression analysis, although helpful, is not required." (Harrison, class website).
I recommend all students who are interested in these issues to take the class. The class is only three hours of lecture and an hour of discussion every week but it doesnt feel like three hours at all. At least for me it didnt. The Professor is really nice and approachable and really knows her stuff. He has had a lot of experience in the field and is always will to talk about in office hours. She also does a really good job of applying the material to what is happenning in the world today.

Posted by Mayra Ceja at 10:17 AM | Permalink

This entry is for a couple of my housemates. They seemed a little lost around a newly-aquired cymbidium, so it seemed like a good time to give everyone a few pointers on tending to California's easiest-to-tend orchid.

The diversity of this genus is remarkable! From wild epiphytes to land-dwelling cultivated varities, cymbidiums are everywhere. Luckly those in cultivation aren't tricky.

Here are a few pretty photos:

.:HISTORY:.
Direct quote from Wayne Turville's article on this website: www.cymbidiums.com.au "Hybridised by man, for over 100 years, the range of colour, size, growth and shape is now very different from the original species. Cymbidium flowers vary from 1cm to over 15cm across with up to 50 blooms to the raceme (spike) of colours in cymbidiums now varies from deep chocolates through to spectacular yellows, gold and all the shades of reds and browns as well as every hue."

.:GENERAL CARE:.
If you live along the central coast of California, plop your cymbidium in a large pot, place it in mild shade, water it once a week, feed it twice a month, drench it once every 2 months, and you'll see some incredible blooms. My family always did. Prop up the blooms with stakes to give them good form. When frosty weather hits, give them a little extra care, cover them with a tarp or bring them inside. That's all you need to know when it comes to keeping a healthy Cymbidium.

.:SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:.
Sometimes, though, we don't always have the perfect backyard conditions. That's what I'd like to focus on now - helping your orchid cope with less-than-ideal circumstances.

Cultivated Cymbidium is native to the Hymalayas. Keep this in mind when you're considering locking it in a bedroom that stays 75 degrees all year. This is not the ideal condition for a Cymbidium. Because of where they're from, they bloom best when they're exposed to a temperature differential. During their growing season, they prefer daytime temperatures of 65-82°F and nighttime temperatures of 50-65°F.

Moderate sunshine is best - afternoon shade and morning sunshine. If you choose to keep them indoors, be sure they're away from drafts and heater vents. As long as you avoid extremes, your plant will acclimate to the conditions in one spot. Pick a spot. Leave it there. Moving it to another location may induce shock.

If you're set on keeping your orchid indoors, give it a little breather for a few months out of the year. It's best if the plant is left outdoors, potted, in an open breeze, at least for the months of June through September.

.:FEEDING AND WATERING:.
When watering, be sure to remove excess water from the tray. Cymbidiums prefer not to be soggy. Should be fed once every two weeks. Use a high nitrogen fertilizer from march to May, a balanced fertilizer from June until September and a blossom booster from October until February. Heavy watering once every other month is necessary to leach accumulated fertilizer salts from the potting medium.

.:REPOTTING AND DIVIDING:.
Many sources recommend repotting your cymbidium every other year, between the months of March and May. Other sources recommend never repotting, but instead ammending the existing soil to provide needed nutrients. Fresh, healthy soil will be the main benefit from repotting, but it's also a good time to divide your orchid to share with friends. Pre-made Cymbidium potting mixes can be found at most nurseries and hardware stores. Don't throw out the dead pseudobulbs, as they are still connected to the fresh plants. These "Back bulbs" store nutrients for the plant to use when nutrient supplies are low. 1 back bulb for a small grouping of bulbs is sufficient. If you think you might feed your orchid a bit less often, it's best to have three back bulbs for every one live grouping. If you divide your Cymbidium, be certain to include at least one back bulb in each pot.

.:QUIRKS:.
Two important ones to remember:
(1) Keep it away from frost.
(2) Do not bury the Cymbidium’s pseudobulbs! If you bury them, the plant will begin to rot.

References:

http://www.beautifulorchids.com/orchids/orchids_potted/cymbidium/care.html
http://www.carterandholmes.com/cymcare.html
http://www.how-to-grow-orchid.com/cymbidium-orchid-care.htm
http://www.orchidexperts.com/cymbidium-care.php
http://www.orchids.uk.com/beginnersthree.htm\
http://www.nurseriesonline.com.au/Articles/Cymbidium%20Orchids%20Care%20and%20Growing.htm
http://www.mcbeansorchids.co.uk/growing_cymbidium.htm

Photos came from these sites:

http://mugixor.tea-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/cymkinryouhen01.jpg
http://les-orchidees.ifrance.com/images/Cymbidium.jpg
http://www.sborchid.com/Cymbidiumphotos/CymbidiumAutumn/Cym-AutumnGreen-Geyserland-2w.jpg
http://www.sborchid.com/Cymbidiumphotos/CymbidiumAutumn/Cym-Canterbury-Coburg-1w.jpg

Posted by Christina at 10:23 PM | Permalink

First week of class is over. An incredible semester before me. After the headaches of last semester's challenging coursework, I'm ready for a new start. I'm excited about my instructors: Bruce Baldwin teaches Systematics of Vascular Plants, Chelsea Specht for Plant Morphology, and Dean Kelch for California Plant Life.
Monday I'll start in Chelsea Specht's Research Lab.
Good stuff.

Posted by Christina at 12:44 PM | Permalink

Took a break I did. A long long long Winter Break. I don't know about you but I can get used to four week sabbaticals.

To tell you what I did over the break would be to advertise unspeakable acts our University can never sanction. You know, things like reading and stuff.

To those who want to go to Berkeley, get a rolly luggage thing if you don't want to lug 30 pounds of luggage through treacherous locales such as Oakland. I totally utterly forgot how arduous and lactose-infused the feat was. And even in that case I had that rolling luggage. Earlier occasions I had a strap-on-shoulder-ruin-your-pitching-career-forever bag. I give myself full credit and admiration for my Herculean triumph.

Last year I took science classes such as Math 1B and Chem 1A. I really admire the geniuses who are moving on to Chem 3A and Math 53. Good Lord knows I sneezed through on sheer, goggle eyed luck. This semester I am taking something outside of the standard science/engineering criteria my electrical engineer father suggested: stuff like film and economics.

Totally unrelated and random but I'll tie it into Cal life so I won't get deleted off this blog: I told Google Finance to keep real time track of certain stocks I bought earlier this year and lately - because class is still starting and calm-before-storm kind of thing - I have taken to wasting the huge amount of spare time I have to draw out my own stock charts. On paper. With a pen. Like good old J. P. Morgan used to do it. My roomie thinks he's rooming with a crazy American-Psycho Jason Bateman or whatever now. More power to me. Least he doesn't bring in visitors anymore.

Posted by Jonathan Yu at 10:20 AM | Permalink

Being at home means more than delicious homemade food and a warm fireplace. It means relaxing, making a milk shake just because you can, staying up late only because you don't have class the next morning, fighting with your mom only because it reminds you of the good old days, driving to Starbucks because you can't do that at school, washing your car in the freezing cold because you HAVE a car, and taking 4 showers a day because you have your own bathroom and hot water is guaranteed.

I defiantly LOVE being home. Being the oldest, there are a lot of advantages when you are home. Like when I am feeling lazy and sleeping on the couch watching Gladiator and I get cold, Sarah the middle child will gladly get up and get me a warm blanket to make my movie watching experience that much better! Now it feels like when I go to Berkeley I go there to study, stress, wake up to class, and worry about grades. But when I come home I can relax, enjoy the freedom I have, and be around people who I grew up with. The feeling is fabulous and even though I never thought I would say this, I wish I could live at home once again!

Happy Holidays and enjoy your time at home everyone!

Posted by Rola Abduljabar Rabah at 6:21 PM | Permalink