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Welcome to the Berkeley Postdoctoral Association!
The Berkeley Postdoctoral Association (BPA) is a volunteer organization of postdocs working for all postdocs. On our website you can find information on social events, schedule of orientation for new postdoctoral scholars, policy issues of interest to Berkeley postdoctoral scholars, announcements for seminars for professional development, and lists of useful resources.
Meet the Board
The Berkeley Postdoctoral Association
Events and Announcements for May 2013
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Summer has arrived! At least until tomorrow! Get ready for the balmy evening(s), whilst remembering that it is still the bay area, and you must at all times be accompanied by a down jacket and some socks. To help celebrate the pleasant weather, this week is Bike week, so cycle to work, rejoice in having the wind in your hair and black oil all over your trousers. Check out the various bike rides on offer, plus Thursday is Bike to Work day, and there will be free goodies and bike tune-ups on Sproul Plaza. The BPA would like to thank all those who came and made our Spring Cookout a great success, especially those who brought delicious food with them, our helpers with the BBQ and to those who brought our ‘second wind’ at 3 pm, helping to devour the left-overs, we were very worried to be eating soy burgers for the next three months! For May the BPA brings you two lovely seminar series editions, All Talks Considered this Thursday, and Alternative Careers on the 16th. Also this month, in San Francisco is the Bay to Breakers race, on Sunday 19th of May. It is ostensibly a running race, 12 k from the city center to Ocean Beach, however, it is a sight to behold, the whole city seems to be on the streets, dressed up as a clown/test tube/large fish, and enjoying the sun. One can ‘run’ the race, if one so desires, but most people walk, rather slowly: http://www.baytobreakers.com/. On May 27th it is Memorial Day, to commemorate those who died serving for the US Armed Forces. Since it is a Monday, this makes a long weekend, so enjoy!
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1. Thursday, May 9th, 5.45-7.30 pm: All Talks Considered, Sproul Rooms, IHouse
2. Wednesday May 15th, 6:30 pm: BPA Board Meeting at 652 Barrows Hall
3. Thursday May 16th, 5-6:15pm: Alternative Careers Seminar at I House, Golub Homeroom
4. Sunday, May 19th, Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco
5. Thursday, May 23rd, 6:30 pm ‘til late: BPA Pub Social at the Beta Lounge
6. Monday, May 27th, Memorial Day
7. Another joke you may have seen before (got any jokes??!)
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BPA online: http://postdoc.berkeley.edu/
BPA on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4209571
BPA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=141584449197971
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We are looking for summer(June, July and August)speakers forAll Talks Considered. The talks are short, only20 minutes, and in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Whatever your research area or progress with your project, we want to hear about it. Please email Matti, the ATC coordinator, if you would like to give a talk,mmo@math.lbl.gov
1. All Talks Considered – This Thursday, May 9th, 5.45 – 7.30 pm, The Sproul Rooms, International House
‘Stimulating interdisciplinary networking and collaboration’
Please join us for lively discussion and two 15-minute talks from UC Berkeley postdocs from various fields, accompanied by drinks and snacks. The talks are research based but non-specialized, the main aim is that they are accessible to all, in this informal setting where we hope new ideas and links can be made. This month’s speakers are:
David Selby, Department of Rhetoric
”Tocqueville in the 21st Century: A Way Forward for America?”
Kenneth Higa, Environmental Energy Technologies Division (LBNL)
”Mechanical stresses in batteries”
2. BPA Board Meeting at 652 Barrows Hall - Wednesday May 15th, 6:30 pm
The BPA board is always open to new ideas; we encourage everyone to get involved and help out. If you would like to voice issues that you feel affect postdocs, or programs you’d like to start, then join us. Also, if anyone has any burning suggestions for social events – do tell. To help out, send suggestions, or to receive reminders about BPA meetings, send an email to me, the BPA secretary: jmfrost@berkeley.edu
3. Thursday May 16th, 5-6:15pm: Alternative Careers to Academia Seminar at International House, in the Golub Homeroom
The BPA is pleased to invite you to our next Alternative Careers to Academia event, designed to expose postdocs to unique career options, and to connect postdocs with people who are working in exciting fields outside of academia. This session features two former Berkeley Postdocs who are now working in social-networking and biotech industries in the bay area.
Please register for this event, http://alternativecareersmay162013.eventbrite.com and arrive early to ensure a seat! There will be drinks served from 4.30 pm.
Afterwards, please join us, and the speakers, for drinks at the Freehouse pub, on Bancroft and College.
This month the speakers are:
Emi Nomura, Data Jockey at Hearsay Social
Emi received her PhD in Neuroscience from Northwestern University, where she focused on the neural systems involved in memory and learning. In 2008 she joined UC Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow, where she studied the brain network reorganization that occurs after brain injury using MRI and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. During her postdoc, Emi developed many of her own analysis tools to supplement existing fMRI analysis packages and to automate much of the image processing. This interest in scientific computing and software development led to her transition to her current position as Data Jockey at Hearsay Social, an enterprise software startup in San Francisco.
Christopher Tsang, Technical Business Developer at AnaSpec
Chris received his Ph.D. in biochemistry/neuroscience from the University of Toronto, Canada. He did his postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley in the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, where he developed new optical methods for controlling neural activity with light. Chris is also a co-founder and former chair of the “Postdoc Industry Exploratory Program” (PIEP) at UC Berkeley. Chris now works for AnaSpec, a biotech company based in Fremont. At AnaSpec, Chris works in business development, creating new business and growth opportunities for the company.
5. BPA Pub Social at the Beta Lounge - Thursday, May 23rd, 6:30 pm ‘til late (a week later as there are 5 Thursdays this month!)
Please join us for Happy Hour at the Beta Lounge, from 6.30 pm! It has excellent and varied beers, wines and cocktails. We usually stay past happy hour…until they ask us to leave (possibly because it is 1 am). (http://www.thebetalounge.com/) The Beta Lounge has $3 beers, and $5 glasses of wine, and is located near the intersection of Fulton and Durant.
7. The duck
A duck walks into a bar and says to the barman: "Got any bread?"
The barman says: "No, I’m sorry we don’t have any bread"
The next day the duck walks into the bar again and asks: "Got any bread?"
The barman says: "No, like I told you yesterday, we don’t have bread, we just serve drinks."
The next day, the duck walks into the bar again: "Got any bread?"
The barman, infuriated by now, says: "No, we don’t have any ***** bread, now go away!"
The next day, the duck walks into the bar again: "Got any bread?"
Barman says: "NO!!! WE HAVEN’T GOT ANY ****** bread, and if you come in here asking for bread again I’ll nail your beak to the bar."
The next day, the duck walks back into the bar and says: "Got any nails?"
The barman says: "Er, no…"
The duck says: "Got any bread?
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That’s all for this month folks.
For more information, look us up at http://postdoc.berkeley.edu/ or to sign up for postdocnet; an informal list to exchange info and look for furniture, housing, etc. - go to https://calmail.berkeley.edu/manage/list/listinfo/postdocnet@lists.berkeley.edu
If you know someone that doesn’t receive our emails, but would like to, they need to REGISTER their email address. To register, or to change the address your emails are sent to, write to vspa@berkeley.edu
Hoping to see you this month!
With thanks,
Your Berkeley Postdoctoral Association (BPA)
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Interested in Outreach?
Community Resources for Science
Community Resources for Science (CRS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting and engaging educators, students, and scientists in a vibrant community working together to excite all children about learning through the scientific exploration. CRS is funded by foundation and corporate grants, including UC Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and private donations. Through the Bay Area Scientists in Schools (BASIS) program, CRS recruits, prepares, and places Cal scientists and science students into local classrooms to deliver hands-on science lessons aligned with state standards, and to serve as enthusiastic and diverse role models. CRS also facilitates classroom placements for various Cal education outreach groups, provides information and support services to teachers in Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville and other local schools, and partners with Cal campus programs for pre-service teachers including CalTeach and Environmental Leadership Pathway