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Join us in celebrating the California Golden Bear spirit at events in our region.
2024 EVENTS
MIDWEST ROAD TRIP:
SOUTH BEND FOR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2/9/25
Cal Alumni Club of Chicago cordially invites you to attend the Cal vs Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Game, Sunday, February 9, 2025. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00pm EST at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Indiana.
Cal Women’s basketball is off to a fantastic start! The Bears are ranked #21 nationally and are off to an 13-1 start, including a blowout win over Stanford and an upset of Alabama. We are organizing a road-trip from Chicago as the Bears take on #3 Notre Dame. Depending on interest and availability, we will likely buy tickets in the upper tier ($11 each) and the middle tier ($60-70 each).
If you are interested in attending, please email Nelson Lin at nplin1@yahoo.com and provide your name, email, phone, number of tickets, and if you’re interested in carpooling to/from the game.
SCHEDULE FOR ACC MEN’S BASKETBALL THIS WINTER
Below is a calendar that shows the Bears’ opponents for their first season of men’s basketball in the ACC, one of the most competitive leagues in the sport. We’ll update this page for any upcoming game watches we’ll schedule throughout the winter. Already this season, alumni from the Midwest met up at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo., to take in the Golden Bears’ game against Missouri.
Midwest alums sat courtside at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. on December 4, 2024.
TURNING THE PAGE ON A NEW YEAR: LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE 2025 EVENTS
2024 was a year that saw a record number of events for our group, and we have a number of positive things already in the works for 2025 too.
February: Chicago networking event for Chicago alumni (TBD)
April: Cal Admissions Yield event for Midwest students
April/May: Volunteer event for Chicagoland alumni — details announced soon
July: Summer Welcome Party in Lake Bluff, Ill.
MEET YOUR 2025 CACC BOARD
President - Leslie Behnke
Vice-President (Event) - Nelson Lin
Treasurer - Bill Hall
Communication - Art Menke
Memberships - Bhavya Vashisht
Events - Edward Millet
At large - Cass Freiburg
BERKELEY TEAM EARNS DISTINCTION WITH HOLLYWOOD RESEARCH PROJECT USING AI
A team of researchers at UC Berkley conducted a project that confirmed Hollywood films have actually been getting more diverse, including increased representation for actors who are women, Black, Hispanic/Latino, East Asian and South Asian. This has been noted as groundbreaking research as their findings contradicted recent claims made over the last few years. With the help of advanced AI, the study used facial recognition technology to track the amount of time actors appear on screen in more than 2,300 Hollywood films released between 1980 and 2022 — a total of 4,412 hours of footage.
Check out the link to learn more. Proud to be a Golden Bear! #UCBerkley #alumni #ai
PROFESSOR HONORED WITH NATIONAL MERIT OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
Jennifer Doudna, a UC Berkeley biochemist who shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the invention of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, has been awarded a National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement. President Joe Biden named Doudna and 10 other technology medalists in a White House announcement last Friday, Jan. 3.
TWO UC BERKELEY FACULTY MEMBERS,
TWO ALUMS RECEIVE NOBEL PRIZES
The unveiling of the Nobel Prize recipients for 2024 once again featured former UC Berkeley teachers and alumni being honored for their work and research.
David Baker Ph.D. ’89 (Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
Gary Ruvkun ’73 (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine)
James Robinson (Prize in Economic Sciences)
John Hopfield (Nobel Prize in Physics)
BIG GAME 2024 - CAL KEEPS THE AXE!!!
Cal fans in Chicago reveled in the Golden Bears’ 98-yard game winning drive and touchdown in the closing minutes of the 127th Big Game. Final score Cal 24- Stanford 21. With this fourth consecutive win over Stanford, Cal becomes BOWL ELIGIBLE!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BEARS!!!!!!
CAL ALUMNI CLUB OF CHICAGO T-SHIRTS FOR SALE
Show your Cal spirit in Chicago by purchasing a Cal Alumni Club of Chicago t-shirt for $35 plus shipping.
Email calalumniassociationchicago@gmail.com for orders.
MIDWEST ALUMS PARTICIPATE IN
CAL ALUMNI MENTOR PROGRAM
In 2023 the Cal Alumni Association launched the Alumni Mentor Program, where alums are able to connect with students and recent graduates who are looking for assistance in beginning their careers. Cal Alumni Club of Chicago members have been actively taking part in this program in its infancy, offering career advice and introducing students who are interested in exploring certain career activities. This program has been recognized as a particular benefit to those students who might be the first in their families to attend college, or come from an underserved secondary school environment.
To get involved you can visit the link above or go to the Berkeley Career Network, which manages the program.
About
We are an officially chartered chapter of the California Alumni Association bringing together Cal alums form the greater Chicagoland area and surrounding Midwest states.
The Cal Alumni Club of Chicago organizes social activities, game watches and volunteer events for Alumni throughout the year. We also work with the University to coordinate and host a Summer Welcome Party for the new Midwest Cal students.
If you are interested in getting involved, sign-up for our events and please email us at calalumniassociationchicago<at>gmail.com. Sign-up for our monthly newsletter below.
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