UC Berkeley SLC Science Program

12/05/2022

Science learners, check out our SLC RRR Week Offerings! In addition to drop-in hours and exam reviews, we will also have extended building hours of 10AM-10PM Monday-Thursday, and 10AM-7PM on Friday. Gather up your study materials, bring along your classmates, and prepare for finals with us this week!

For more details, check out our service schedule: https://tinyurl.com/FA22-SLCRRRFinals-Schedule

11/23/2022

Happy Fall Break, Golden Bears! We wish you a restful and rejuvenating time off, and we look forward to connecting with you once we return.

Services will resume on Monday, November 28th. See you then!

11/22/2022

Science learners, we're hiring for Spring 2023! We’re seeking committed, collaborative, and service-oriented Cal undergrads to join our team next semester.

If you’re passionate about learning and seeking to shape the Berkeley science community, we encourage you to apply! Visit our website to learn more: tinyurl.com/join-science-team

We’re thrilled to announce that the Spring 2023 SLC Science Program Ambassador and New Tutor Applications are live! 📣📣📣 We’re seeking committed, collaborative, and service-oriented Cal undergrads to join the SLC Science Team next semester.

If you’re passionate about learning and seeking to shape the Berkeley science community, we encourage you to apply! Applications are considered on a rolling basis until all positions are filled, with upcoming review dates on November 28th and December 5th.

You can learn more about each position and submit an application at: tinyurl.com/join-science-team

10/06/2022

Access to safe drinking water is a privilege that we often take for granted. For many residents of Allensworth in the Central Valley, safe drinking water can be difficult to come by. In collaboration with the city of Allensworth, UC Berkeley engineers are coming up with a simple, low cost arsenic treating system that ensures water in the city will be safe and drinkable.

To read more about this technology, click here!

UC Berkeley engineers have created a simple and low-cost new arsenic treatment system to help low-income communities access safer water

10/04/2022

Many of you have probably seen the television show, but have you ever thought about our own universe’s Lord of the Rings? Saturn is one of the most magnificent planets that scientists have been studying for ages. Recently, MIT and UC Berkeley have joined forces to find out that Saturn’s rings actually came from a former moon.

To read more about this discovery, click here:

Saturn has long been in a dance with Neptune, but that dance was interrupted when one of Saturn’s moons ventured too close and was shredded. Some of its remains ending up as the beautiful rin…

09/30/2022

Although COVID-19 seems to be taking less and less of a toll on our daily lives, scientists have not stopped working on vaccines. With the fall and winter season approaching, updated boosters target the newer, widely spread Omicron variants as well as the earliest strain. To receive this booster, patients must be fully vaccinated and at least 12 years of age.

Click below to learn more about this amazing warrior in the battle against the pandemic:

New COVID booster vaccines built for the latest variants are here and should be more effective. But there are still some unknowns

08/24/2022

Happy first day of classes, science learners! We're so excited to welcome you back and kick off another academic year with you. Mark your calendars for our service launch on Tuesday, September 6. You can visit our website to learn more about the courses we are supporting this Fall and each of our service formats: https://slc.berkeley.edu/science

Have a great day and week, Golden Bears!

08/05/2022

Most of us have used our smartphones before we go to bed and probably even delayed our sleep because of it. This situation has been termed “bedtime procrastination” and can lead to unfortunate consequences in the future. Bedtime procrastination decreases the amount of time we sleep and leads to us feeling tired, which can result in feeling lazy or unmotivated when doing other activities.

To learn more details on how bedtime procrastination affects us and how much of the population is impacted click here:

Putting off sleep can have unfortunate consequences

08/04/2022

121, 113, 101. These are just some of the temperatures that we are reaching around the globe in what is said to be the worst heat wave yet. Although we may not be feeling it in the bay area, our neighbors in Europe and parts of the Middle East are. In response to very evident climate change, scientists have started conducting studies to see how much heat humans can truly handle. The aim of these studies is to prompt public health policy that keeps us safe as temperatures are rising.

To learn more, click below:

Humans’ capacity to endure heat stress may be lower than previously thought — bad news as climate change leads to more heat waves around the globe.

08/03/2022

Exercise is an essential practice for one to stay healthy and well. It has many benefits, like weight loss, muscle building, and joint health--but another reason why exercise is beneficial is that it may help prevent diseases including Alzheimer's. Dementia researchers have recently found new evidence that exercise delays the onset of Alzeihiemers for those who are susceptible and slows the decline in patients who already have the condition.

If you want to learn the specific process on how exercise affects Alzheimer's click here:

Exercise could be a powerful defense against Alzheimer’s disease. Three dementia researchers explain how it works.

08/02/2022

The stars have brought rivals Berkeley and Stanford together! Recently, Astronomy Professor Alex Filippenko (UC Berkeley), and Astrophysics Professor Roger Romani (Stanford) have been studying the heaviest neutron star to date. This collapsed star spins 707 times per second and has consumed nearly the entire mass of a star right next to it. PSR J0952-0607 is referred to as a “black widow”- an analogy to the female black widow’s tendency to consume the much smaller male after mating. If you want to learn more about this fascinating star and the work that astronomers are doing, click below:

Observations of a faint, planet-size star allowed UC Berkeley and Stanford astronomers to weigh it’s millisecond pulsar companion. It may be close to the limit for a neutron star/pulsar.

07/29/2022

Many of us are familiar with smallpox and chickenpox, but what about monkeypox? This virus is continuing to spread in large cities like New York, with symptoms including painful lesions that can last for up to a month. As public health officials are learning of the spread, they are trying their best to put an accessible and effective vaccine out. However, the impact that COVID-19 still has on NY is making this mission come with struggle. What’s great to note is that monkeypox is very unlikely to spread and be as fatal as COVID-19, as the disease is much less contagious!

Read NPR’s article on monkeypox here:

Public health experts know what it takes to control a disease outbreak: access to testing and vaccines. But in the last two months of the monkeypox outbreak, the response has not met the need.