UC Berkeley
Coverage of UC Berkeley in the Nexus archive.
- California colleges reveal their military weapons stockade after CalMatters investigation
California public colleges and universities are found to possess military-grade weapons like AR-15s and sonic devices, but an investigation reveals inconsistent compliance with state laws requiring transparency and public reporting. Some campuses delayed or omitted required disclosures, while others claimed exemptions for standard-issue equipment.
- California colleges reveal their military weapons stockade after CalMatters investigation
A CalMatters investigation found that many California public colleges and universities owning military-grade weapons, such as AR-15s and sonic devices, are not fully complying with state laws requiring public reporting and transparency. Some institutions, including UC Berkeley, San Jose State University, and San Francisco State University, delayed or omitted required disclosures about their equipment.
- UC Berkeley Opening Nancy Pelosi Institute, Where She’ll Teach
UC Berkeley is opening the Nancy Pelosi Institute, where Nancy Pelosi will teach. The announcement was made by Ryan Quinn in a July 7, 2026 article.
- Nancy Pelosi launches new democracy institute at UC Berkeley and will teach a class
Nancy Pelosi and UC Berkeley are partnering to establish a nonpartisan academic institute focused on strengthening democracy. Pelosi will co-teach a course on Congress at the university.
- Nancy Pelosi launches new democracy institute at UC Berkeley and will teach a class
Nancy Pelosi and UC Berkeley are forming a nonpartisan academic institute focused on strengthening democracy. Pelosi will co-teach a course on Congress as part of the partnership.
- AI may spot deadly heart risk in a routine ECG
UC Berkeley researchers developed an AI model trained on over 440,000 ECGs to identify patterns linked to sudden cardiac death, outperforming traditional methods like left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The model detected a high-risk group with a 7% annual sudden cardiac death rate, compared to 4.6% for the standard LVEF method, highlighting missed risks in routine ECGs.
- Berkeley Will Start Institute Named for Pelosi
Berkeley will establish an institute named for Nancy Pelosi. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.C. Berkeley’s chancellor, Richard K. Lyons, were present at the campus on Saturday.
- Nancy Pelosi’s retirement plans: launching a $50M democracy institute at UC Berkeley
Nancy Pelosi is planning to launch a $50 million democracy institute at UC Berkeley as part of her retirement plans. The initiative includes an endowment, a visiting-fellows program, and a course she will teach herself, according to a draft announcement.
- Nancy Pelosi's next challenge: Building a nonpartisan democracy institute at UC Berkeley
Rep. Nancy Pelosi will launch a multimillion-dollar politics institute at UC Berkeley after leaving office, co-teaching a course on Congress and hosting visiting fellows from across the political spectrum.
- Nancy Pelosi's next challenge: Building a nonpartisan democracy institute at UC Berkeley
Nancy Pelosi will launch a multimillion-dollar democracy institute at UC Berkeley, co-teach a Congress course, and host visiting fellows from diverse political backgrounds. The initiative aims to promote nonpartisan democratic engagement.
- UC Berkeley researchers give new life to wildfire wood through innovative construction techniques
UC Berkeley researchers are using a technique called dowel-laminated timber (DLT) to salvage wood from forest fires and fabricate mass timber panels. This method aims to repurpose wildfire-affected wood into construction materials.
- The database that refused to die: How Postgres survived its own creators
PostgreSQL, originally developed by Michael Stonebraker as a successor to Ingres, was abandoned in the 1990s but survived due to a dedicated open-source community. The volunteer team expanded its capabilities with standard SQL while maintaining its extensible architecture, leading to its current role as a foundation for modern cloud infrastructure.
- Camp staffer charged after allegedly sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl in UC Berkeley dorm
A 27-year-old staffer at a non-university-run camp on UC Berkeley campus is accused of entering a dorm room twice overnight and sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl multiple times, according to court documents.
- 2 college students Mahial Sran, Harshita Nair, dead after being swept into ocean at Santa Cruz, California beach
Two college students, Mahial Sran and Harshita Nair, from UC Berkeley and San Jose State, died after being swept into the ocean at a Santa Cruz County beach. The incident occurred last week, according to authorities and family members.
- 2 college students Mahial Sran, Harshita Nair, dead after being swept into ocean at Santa Cruz, California beach
Two college students, Mahial Sran and Harshita Nair, died after being swept into the ocean at a Santa Cruz, California beach. They were students at UC Berkeley and San Jose State, respectively, according to authorities and family members.
- 2 college students Mahial Sran, Harshita Nair, dead after being swept into ocean at Santa Cruz, California beach
Two college students from UC Berkeley and San Jose State died after being swept into the ocean at a Santa Cruz County beach. Authorities and family members confirmed the incident.
- 2 Bay Area college students dead after being swept into ocean at Santa Cruz Co. beach
Two Bay Area college students from UC Berkeley and San Jose State died after being swept into the ocean in Santa Cruz County last week, according to authorities and family members.
- 2 Bay Area college students dead after being swept into ocean at Santa Cruz Co. beach
Two Bay Area college students from UC Berkeley and San Jose State died after being swept into the ocean at a Santa Cruz County beach. Authorities and family members confirmed the incident occurred last week.
- I graduated from UC Berkeley with a job lined up, but I was quickly laid off. I found my next job by cold emailing.
The author graduated from UC Berkeley with a job at a PR firm but was laid off after seven months. She found a new job by cold emailing hospitality companies in the Bay Area.
- Camp counselor arrested for sexually assaulting minor at UC Berkeley, authorities say
A Vallejo man has been arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting a minor at UC Berkeley, authorities confirm.
- UC Berkeley doctoral student accused of espionage, Chinese authorities say
A UC Berkeley doctoral student is accused of espionage by Chinese authorities, following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping aimed at stabilizing U.S.-China relations and addressing disputes over Taiwan, Iran, and regional security.
- China Has Arrested U.S. Scholar Who Studies Myanmar Politics
China has arrested U.S. scholar U Min Zin, a graduate student at UC Berkeley and founder of a research group in Myanmar. The arrest occurred shortly after President Trump met with Xi Jinping in China.
- Workers are spending over 6 hours a week 'botsitting' AI, fueling job frustration
A Glean report found white-collar workers spend 6.4 hours weekly 'botsitting' AI by feeding context, debugging errors, and cleaning outputs. This task, linked to job frustration, makes workers 73% more likely to seek new jobs, despite 75% reporting AI boosts personal productivity. The study surveyed 6,000 workers in the US, UK, and Australia.
- Actually, the SAT Was Necessary After All
UC Berkeley professors Zvezdelina Stankova and Mina Aganagic observed declining math proficiency in calculus students, attributing it to UC's post-pandemic standardized test ban. Over 1,400 faculty members signed an open letter demanding reinstatement of test requirements for STEM admissions, citing a UC San Diego report showing 1 in 12 incoming students struggled with middle-school math.
- California professor argues need for 'objective measures' after state drops ACT/SAT requirement
A coalition of over 1,400 University of California professors is urging the reinstatement of SAT/ACT math requirements for STEM majors, citing declining academic readiness and the need for objective benchmarks. Data from campuses like UC Berkeley and UC San Diego show significant foundational deficits in math among incoming students, with instructors forced to provide remedial instruction.
- Failing grades soar with AI usage, dwindling math skills in Berkeley CS classes
Failing grades have increased in UC Berkeley's computer science classes as professors report higher AI usage and declining math skills among students. The article highlights concerns about academic performance linked to AI reliance and foundational skill gaps.
- Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt close gap in election for LA mayor, new poll shows
A UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll shows a tight race for Los Angeles mayor with Karen Bass at 26%, Nithya Raman at 25%, and Spencer Pratt at 22% in the June 2 primary. Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Bass, who previously held larger leads in polls. The top two candidates will advance to a November runoff.
- AI sends A grades into overdrive
Universities are concerned about grade inflation due to AI assistance, with some classes seeing a 30% rise in excellent grades since the release of ChatGPT in 2022. This trend is particularly noticeable in classes where AI is useful, such as English composition and coding. UC Berkeley professor Igor Chirikov authored a study on AI and grade inflation.
- AI agents show they can create exploits, not just find vulns
Researchers from UC Berkeley and other institutions found that AI agents like Mythos can create functional exploits from security vulnerabilities. The ExploitGym benchmark tested AI models' ability to develop working exploits. Models like Mythos Preview and GPT-5.5 showed promising results.
- AI writing hits a ceiling
The share of online news articles and blog posts that are primarily AI-generated has held near 50% for over a year, indicating that AI content hasn't overtaken the web. AI-generated articles surged after ChatGPT launched in November 2022 but growth has stalled. The quality of AI content is rapidly improving, making it hard to distinguish from human-written content.
- Research Hub Bridges Cybersecurity Gap for Under-Resourced Organizations
The UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity provides tools and support to under-resourced organizations, including schools, local governments, and non-profits, to help them defend against cyberattacks. This effort aims to bridge the cybersecurity gap for these organizations. The center's work is crucial in today's growing volume of cyberattacks.
- Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: UCLA mob mess, veiled threats of violence and a major win over DEI
The article highlights campus unrest at UCLA involving a DHS lawyer's disrupted event and veiled threats of violence, alongside broader issues including a UC Berkeley event tied to an anti-Israel group, Harvard's investigation into a Republican Club post, and a Trump-linked DEI policy critique. It also mentions controversial campus events like a severed Trump head painting at Utah Pride and Texas Tech's gender curriculum freeze.