ESPM undergrad Allegra Saggese is featured in this Daily Californian article on the expansion of Alameda County's existing reusable bag ordinance to retail stores and restaurants. Saggese, outreach coordinator for the Berkeley Student Food Collective, noted that waste reduction is the starting point to changing lifestyles, adding that the "financial incentive is really important, and it definitely changes consumers' minds."
The New Yorker | April 23, 2017
ERG professor Dan Kammen is quoted in this New Yorker article on the March for Science. As an employee of the State Department, Kammen had been working with governments in Africa and the Middle East on climate and renewable-energy issues. Kammen noted that he had joined the march because "for me it should be a no-brainer that science is a good thing."
Wall Street Journal | April 22, 2017
PMB grad student Daniel Westcott is featured in the Wall Street Journal's review of some scientists' motivations to participate in science activism, including the March for Science. Westcott gave his perspective, noting that he feels there is a growing "disregard" for science that he finds "disheartening," especially when he considers his career prospects. He believes that many people's lack of interaction with scientists is part of the problem, and that many see researchers as "weird." To correct those stereotypes, he says that he and some of his Berkeley colleagues are organizing visits to community events, such as farmers markets, to talk casually with neighbors about their work.
The Chronicle of Higher Education | April 21, 2017
ERG professor Dan Kammen is quoted in this Chronicle of Higher Education article on why he traveled to Washington for the March for Science this past weekend. Kammen, who is a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a science envoy for the U.S. State Department, noted that he thinks the march’s success will be measured by the number of people who attend, and by the opportunities it creates for scientists and engineers to start conversations with the news media and to meet their representatives in D.C.
Daily Californian | April 13, 2017
ERG professor Dan Kammen and grad students Julia Szinai, Ian Bolliger (M.S. '16), and Noah Kittner (M.S. '15) are featured in this Daily Californian article on federal research funding and how the presidential budget could impact graduate students.
Civil Eats | April 10, 2017
ESPM Ph.D. candidate Maywa Montenegro is highlighted in this Civil Eats article on gene editing technology like CRISPR and the potential impacts on big agriculture. Montenegro describes CRISPR/Cas9 as a kind of Swiss army knife with the potential to be paradigm-shifting. But, she adds that, for that reason, it calls for a lot more scrutiny and regulatory oversight
Daily Californian | April 05, 2017
ESPM professor George Roderick and ERG professor Dan Kammen are featured in this Daily Califonian article on the recent partnership between Mexican institutions and UC campuses. Roderick noted that this initiative, which will direct $10 million towards energy efficiency research, is "a demonstration of our commitment to work on scientific issues across the border." The Energy and Resources Group, or ERG, currently partners with Tecnológico de Monterrey to look at clean energy planning at the scale of the entire nation of Mexico. Kammen commented that "it’s really exciting to see the federal government of Mexico and the California state government moving ahead because we know this is beneficial to both our economies."
IEEE Spectrum | April 04, 2017
ERG Ph.D. candidate Grace Wu is featured in this IEEE Spectrum article on a tool called Multicriteria Analysis for Planning Renewabale Energy (MapRE), developed by ERG and Berkeley Lab Researchers and the International Renewable Energy Agency. MapRE starts with a large spatial database that includes wind speeds and timing, solar insolation, and other physical factors, but also factors in the impact of both the project and the transmission infrastructure it will need. In a recently published article, the authors apply the MapRE tool and show that potential for renewable energy generation is several times greater than demand in many countries.
Bay Nature magazine | March 28, 2017
ESPM adjunct professor and CE Specialist Matteo Garbelotto is featured in this Bay Nature magazine article on Sudden Oak Death, a disease caused by P. ramorum, a pathogen that has felled millions of tanoaks. Garbelotto believes he’s closer to identifying a set of genetic markers that confer some degree of tolerance to the disease and could become a powerful tool in managing tanoak stands.