Cal Neighbors

Hiba Bou Akar, Ph.D. candidate, city and regional planning*
I workedwith a team from the American University of Beirut on the post-war reconstruction process in Beirut's southern suburbs, helping with the team's urban planning scheme supporting the rights of war-displaced residents to return to a livable environment that includes adequate shelter. I also helped contact local media to raise awareness and start public discussion as a way to cut through the political issues hampering the reconstruction process.

Bauni Hamid, Ph.D. candidate, architecture*
Working with the Indonesian Institute of Architects in Aceh, Indonesia, I helped develop a collaborative model to bring together residents, state agencies, builders and architects to rebuild local communities that were devastated by the earthquake in 2006 and the tsunami in 2004. I saw firsthand the importance of local input, including a program that encourages community participation by paying residents for their involvement in the reconstruction process.

John Harte, professor of energy and resources
For most of the summer, I studied global warming in the Colorado Rockies, where I'm conducting a long-term, National Science Foundation-funded experiment that uses electric heaters in a meadow to mimic future global warming. For two weeks in July, I traveled to the Siberian Arctic, including Wrangel Island, where I observed signs of global warming and lectured as part of a Cal Discoveries expedition on the topic.

Christine Shaff, communications manager, UC Berkeley Facilities Services
The highlight of my summer was working as a roadie captain for AIDS LifeCycle 6, a seven-day bike ride from SF to LA that raised $11 million for AIDS services. My team of 20 was responsible for the bike parking lot in camp and for getting the 2,300 cyclists out on the road each morning. Whew! I was also co-captain of a Cal team of 15 cyclists. I worked from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day - it was exhausting but incredibly rewarding.

Thuy Tran, sociology major
As a student director for Bears United in Literacy Development (BUILD), I supervised eight student tutors working with kids at Berkeley Youth Alternatives (BYA), a local community organization that serves at-risk youth. We provided literacy tutoring, physical fitness education and nutrition education for 5- to 14-year-olds as part of BYA's summer camp program. It was great just hanging out with the kids, accompanying them on field trips and really getting to know them.

Oyundary (Daria) Tsagaan, second-year student, graduate school of journalism*
I spent one month in my home country, Mongolia, working on a multi-media project about the impact of a new law that criminalizes domestic violence. The project focuses on the law's limited effectiveness, the impact of domestic violence on families, and the alternative, emerging solutions that are helping to make a difference.