Upcoming Events!

New and Improved Postdoc Happy Hour
Our next postdoc happy hour is Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Mark your calendars and come out and join us! Free pizza, beer, soda, and lots of good company. We've doubled our happy hour budget, so we're doubling our drink selection! We'll be in front of Pat Brown's from 6-7 pm. Can't make it that early? Come join us at 7:30 pm at Jupiter's (on Shattuck Ave across from the BART station). Can't make it this week? Postdoc happy hour will be the first Wednesday of the month, every month at 6pm, come join us next time!

BPA Monthly Board Meeting
Would you like to get involved in the Berkeley Postdoc Association? Do you have ideas about issues that affect postdocs, social events to recommend, or programs you'd like to start? Come join us! The BPA is holding regular monthly meetings the third Wednesday of every month, and the meeting is open to all UC Berkeley Postdocs. The next meeting is September 17, 2008 . It will be at 6 pm in either the Women's Faculty Club, or the Free Speech Cafe on campus. Stay tuned for more details! The BPA is a great way to meet other postdocs, gain leadership experience, and make a difference in the postdoc community. Come join us this month and bring all your great ideas!.

Orientation for new UC Berkeley postdoctoral scholars
The BPA, in conjunction with the VSPA, is organizing every month a half-day orientation session for new postdocs.

Latest News!

Postdoc Summer Social!
Did you know as a UC Berkeley employee, you can receive a discount on your cell phone plan (AT&T and Verizon)? Check out this website for more information: http://wireless.berkeley.edu/employee-discounts.html

Postdoc Summer Social!
Thanks for coming out to our annual summer social on June 18, 2008! Over 250 postdocs and families joined us for food, drink, and a fun time in Memorial Glade. A big thanks to everyone that helped organize and setup the event, with special thanks to our two main organizers - Helen Stimpson and Sam Casteņeda! For a few pictures from the social, click here... If you didn't make it to the event, we'll hope to see you at the next happy hour!

Second Industry Seminar was a huge success!
Our speaker was Dr. Marc Better, Executive Director for Process Development at Amgen. About 50 postdocs attended the seminar and about 15 had the opportunity to join the speaker for dinner. In his seminar, Marc talked about his early years as a postdoc in UC Berkeley, his successful transition to the biotech industry, and the working environment in Amgen. He also discussed the opportunities for postdocs at Amgen and the types of skills that postdocs need to be successful in private industry. The dinner offered an opportunity for several postdocs to have a more in-depth conversation with Dr. Better and to ask a number of questions. Dr. Better stressed the need to develop and maintain professional contacts throughout our career, and we intend for this seminar series to aid in our networking opportunities.

Teaching Opportunity - Molecular Genetics at SFSU
Due to sabbatical leaves, there are openings for lecturers for the Molecular Genetics course (BIOL357) at San Francisco State University. This is an upper division course for Biology Majors. The class is from 40-70 students per semester. Both current course instructors, Diana Chu and Sally Pasion, are happy to share all course materials, including slides, exams, etc. They would also be available to provide feedback for lectures. Depending on the course size, there may also be graduate assistants available. SFSU is an excellent place to gain teaching experience and to work with a pool of incredibly diverse students. If you're interested, please contact Dr. Carmen Domingo at cdomingo@sfsu.edu. For a copy of the current syllabus, you can download a pdf version here.

Thanks for coming out hiking!
We are happy to report that the hiking trip on May 17th was terrific. More than 30 postdocs came for the 3 hr hike (~ 5 miles) which included the Wildcat gorge and Selby trails in Tilden park. It was a beautiful sunny day, 75F and breezy. After the hike, we gathered for snacks provided by the BPA and relaxed in the sun. We would like to thank Jianping Sun, who did a wonderful job organizing the event. To see a few pictures of the trip click here...

Most postdocs are plagued with the question: "Is academia the only option?"....
In an attempt to introduce non-academic career options to postdocs, the BPA is organizing a seminar series with executives and leaders from alternative career paths. This series will be a great opportunity for postdocs to learn more about a career in private industry and to network with research leaders from Bay Area companies and other like-minded postdocs. To read about the successful flagship seminar click here...

Career Center services for Berkeley postdocs
Did you know that postdocs have full (and free) access to the UC Berkeley Career Center?  Take advantage of this great resource!  They offer job listings, workshops, career fairs, and even one-on-one counseling.  To sign up for services, go to http://career.berkeley.edu/PhDs/Postdocs.stm, fill out the form and bring it in with a copy of your Cal ID.

The document "General Tax Rules for Non-Employee Postdocs" (pdf file) is now available on the VSPA website.

Highlights from the Sigma XI postdoc survey are now available. The report summarizes information gleaned from some 7,600 postdoctoral investigators and illuminates this much-neglected tier of the scientific workforce.

This page was last modified: Tuesday, 25-Mar-2008 21:41:57 PDT