University of California, Berkeley-10/16/10

UC Berkeley

Tour continuation

Lunch in Berkeley

Dinner chez Loan/Minh

UC Berkeley tour

Kevin is senior in high school this year and he has to figure out which university he would like to apply for.  So far we visited UCLA, UC San Diego, and Caltech.   Today we are visiting UC Berkeley and it is probably the last one we will visit.  UC Berkeley is about 1 hour drive from our school and it is one of top of the UC System. 

University of California, Berkeley is also referred to as Cal,  Cal-Berkeley, and most commonly as UC Berkeley.  UC Berkeley was founded in 1868 and was the first public research university in California.   It is also the oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California. The 10 public universities of California are: UC Berkeley , UCLA, UC Santa Barbara , UC Riverside, Davis, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UC Merced and UCSF (san Francisco) (graduate school).

The university occupies 6,651 acres with the central campus resting on approximately 200 acres.  Berkeley offers around 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines.  The university has the highest number of graduate programs ranked in the top 10 in their fields by the United States National Research Council. 

We just parked out car and we are now on Telegraph avenue, one of Berkeley's main shopping districts with stores, street vendors and restaurants catering to college students and tourists.  

This is a view on the entrance of UC Berkeley from Telegraph avenue.

Sather Gate is a prominent landmark leading to the center of the University of California, Berkeley campus. The gate was donated by Jane K. Sather, a benefactor of the university, in memory of her late husband Peter Sather.  Sather gate is a  California Historical Landmark in the National Register of Historic Places.

 

The south side entrance of UC Berkeley

 

Closer look at the gate.  Designed by John Galen Howard, Sather Gate was completed in 1910. 

Originally, the gate served as the terminus of Telegraph Avenue, and marked the University's south entrance. The circle in front of the gate served as a turning point for the trolleys coming from Oakland. The University later expanded further south of Strawberry Creek, and the gate is now well separated from Berkeley's city streets by Sproul Plaza.

Sather Gate has undergone restoration beginning in October 2008 that focused on its bronze and steel metal work, which had deteriorated over time. During its restoration it remained open to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Restoration of Sather gate was completed in April 2009.

On top of the column there are panels of bas-relief figures: four nude men representing the disciplines of law, letters, medicine, and mining, and four nude women representing the disciplines of agriculture, architecture, art, and electricity. They were sculpted by Professor Earl Cummins.  I was told that in the old days students were offended by the nude figurine and they would cover it with figs leave.  Nowadays nobody really care about nude figurine!

Sather Tower (back ground) commonly known as "The Campanile" (meaning bell and clock tower in Italian) because of its resemblance to the Campanile di San Marco in Venice.  The Campanile serves as UC Berkeley's most recognizable symbol. It was completed in 1914 and first opened to the public in 1917. The tower stands 307 feet (93.6 m) tall, making it the third tallest bell and clock-tower in the world. The tower has thirteen floors, with an observation deck on the eighth floor. Some floors are used to store fossils.

Students practicing drums as we were entering the campus.  They were so loud and it definitely created an upbeat ambiance.

Not sure what is going on here but there are so many students around!  Remember this is a Saturday so there are no class.

 

We met up with out tour guide that can be seen on left with a blue tee-shirt and shorts. 

 

I forgot the name of this building...

 

Zellerbach Hall is a multi venue performance facility on the campus. It was designed by architect and professor Vernon DeMars and completed in 1968.   Zellerbach Auditorium is the main performance venue.. The facility is suitable for dance, theater, and opera, and has a built in concert shell that provides an excellent acoustical enclosure for symphonic and other classical music performances.

The facility consists of two primary performance spaces: the 2,015 seat Zellerbach Auditorium, and the 500 seat Zellerbach Playhouse.

Our guide explaining that Clinton came here in 2010 and gave a speech.

The Bear's Lair Brew Pub is a very popular place for students to get together to watch football, eat cheap food and enjoy a few beers.

The Walter A. Haas, Jr. Pavilion is the home of men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, and men's and women's gymnastics teams. The arena is located in the middle of the main University of California sports complex, overlooking Evans Diamond (baseball) and Edwards Stadium (track/soccer).

 Playhouse is a multi venue performance facility on the campus . 

Following our guide... walking around the campus!

 

 

Science building

Large banner hanging on lamp post.

 

We are now in the Museum of Paleontology which houses the largest collection of fossils in any university museum in the world, and is one of the largest collections anywhere. It is noted worldwide for its research, teaching, and public education.

Here we are gathering around the beautiful Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton cast on display.

 

View from the top of the Tyrannosaurus rex

Far above is hanging a skeleton of a prehistoric bird.. can't remember the name. Looks like a pterodactyl but it is not.

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