Nacht nominated to Defense Department

President Barack Obama last month nominated Professor of Public Policy Michael Nacht to become assistant secretary of defense (Global Strategic Affairs). Nacht previously was dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy and served a three-year term as a member of the U.S. Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee, for which he chaired panels on counterterrorism and counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
promise.berkeley.edu/nacht

Pursuit of Happyness hero to speak at graduation

Chris Gardner, the self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist whose homelessness-to-riches story inspired the 2006 autobiography and feature film The Pursuit of Happyness, will deliver the keynote address at Cal’s May 22 Commencement Convocation.
promise.berkeley.edu/gardner

Stimulus, eased restrictions fuel research

Bloomberg.com recently described how the federal stimulus package is fueling the dreams of researchers, while Nature magazine highlighted the impact of eased restrictions on stem cell research at UC Berkeley and other campuses.
promise.berkeley.edu/stimulus
promise.berkeley.edu/stemcell

Keasling pitches synthetic fuel on “Colbert Report”

In an appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” Berkeley chemical engineering professor Jay Keasling explained how he and his colleagues at the Joint BioEnergy Institute are engineering bacteria to produce fuel from sugar, as well as to synthesize a low-cost anti-malarial drug.

New gifts help communities in need

New gifts totaling $9.4 million will boost Berkeley’s research and service. Five million dollars from Kaiser Permanente through the East Bay Community Foundation will expand California ’s public health workforce, with an emphasis on recruiting students from underserved communities and placing them in organizations serving vulnerable populations. A $4.4 million bequest from the Florence Krenz Mack Revocable Trust to the School of Social Welfare will foster research on best practices in handling mental health crises in areas experiencing political and social conflict and support social workers entering the underserved field of mental health.