[IP] Student-led initiatives at UC Berkeley
Begin forwarded message:
From: Thomas Kalil <tkalil@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 15, 2006 4:48:24 AM JST
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Student-led initiatives at UC Berkeley
Dear Dave:
Last year, I started a program at UC Berkeley called “Big Ideas” to
provide small grants to
student-led initiatives, such as clubs, project-oriented courses,
competitions,
field work, and greater student involvement in shaping future
research, education,
and service activities. I’ve discovered that students are capable of
getting an amazing amount
done with very modest resources, and that these student-led
activities can often serve as “seedlings”
for much larger activities.
In addition to funding, I am connecting students with people on or
off campus that might
be able to help them, and also giving them some pointers on how to
have influence without
authority.
Students are beginning to propose not just summer projects, but new
courses,
certificate programs, and interdisciplinary research centers. These
projects are in a broad
range of areas, including commercialization of clean energy
technologies, science policy,
using geospatial information systems to fight the spread of malaria,
bringing
safe drinking water to the slums of Mumbai, where the dysentery rate
is 80 percent,
and providing healthcare services to the homeless.
This week – I am unveiling an online marketplace to help Berkeley
students with great ideas
for projects attract volunteers, mentors, money, and in-kind
contributions.
The longer term goal is to create a replicable model for tapping the
creativity,
energy, and idealism of young people, particularly at research
universities,
to address the “grand challenges” of the 21st century.
See http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/12/13_ideas.shtml
for the press release.
http://bigideas.berkeley.edu for the site
http://contest.berkeley.edu for the $100K annual, campus-wide
competition that helps identify
interesting and high-impact student ideas
I’d welcome help and participation from interesting people readers on
all aspects of
“Big Ideas,” – including support for individual projects, ideas for
future competitions.
and ideas for the future evolution of the “Big Ideas” marketplace.
Thanks!
Tom Kalil
tkalil@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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