Got a Big Idea?
Finalists and award recipients of Bears Breaking Boundaries 2009 announced! Congratulations everyone!
Thank you to all the student teams who participated this year. We received 146 submissions (30 more than last year) and selected 33 new Big Ideas to seed fund. The proposals of the teams who have agreed to public dissemination will be posted in the next few weeks.
Big Ideas @ Berkeley and the Berkeley student government (ASUC) teamed up with a variety of research centers and institutes on the campus to organize a series of “idea competitions” that will encourage student teams to propose the next generation of research, education, and service activities on the UC Berkeley campus.
This was the fourth annual “Bears Breaking Boundaries” competition. A total of $85,000 in cash prizes was available. In 2008, we provided seed funding to over 55 student proposals. A number of student proposals have also received significant follow-on funding from other sources.
Goals of Bears Breaking Boundaries:
- Provide concrete support (money, advice, other resources) for creative, high-quality student proposals.
- Encourage UC Berkeley students to set ambitious goals for their current and future endeavors.
- Increase the role that UC Berkeley students play in shaping the next generation of research, education, and service activities on the campus.
- Encourage the innovation and fresh thinking that often arises from multidisciplinary student teams.
- Have fun!
To see the list of 2008 award recipients, see the Fact Sheet or Proposals
Rules and Guidelines
To learn more about any of the contests, please click on the links in the left hand column. Visit the various sections for more information, including the rules and guidelines page.
The deadlines for the contests are either March 23rd or March 31st, 2009, depending on the specific contest you're applying to.
Latest Info
Bears Breaking Boundaries Award Ceremony
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009: 7 - 9 pm
Heller Lounge, MLK Student Union, UC Berkeley
Free and open to the public; food and drink will be served.
CITRIS Finalists' Poster Session and Award Ceremony
Wednesday, April 29, 2009: 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: Jean & E. Floyd Kvamme Atrium, Sutardja Dai Hall, UC Berkeley
Free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.
STEP Contest Finalist Symposium
Thursday, April 23rd - Morrison Foerester Lounger, Simon Hall
2 pm - Keynote Address - "Darwin, Dover and Intelligent Design: science teaching and public policy"
Kevin Padian, Professor of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley
Expert witness in the Dover intelligent design trial
3 pm - Student Presentations
5 pm - Reception
Come watch STEP finalists present their proposals on science, technology and public policy and compete for more than $8000 in cash prizes.
All award recipients will be announced on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009.
Submissions for IT for Society and STEP are due March 23rd, 2009 at 5 pm.
Submissions for all other contests are due Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 5 pm.
Monday, Feb 23, 2009 -
5:00 pm - Science, Technology, and Engineering Policy contest - Intent to Submit Deadline
Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 5 - 6:15 pm.
At this month's forum, we will highlight student-led initiatives that are Improving Student Life and serving the UC Berkeley community.
Come meet some past Bears Breaking Boundaries winners.
Where: Heller Lounge, MLK Student Union Building
Project presentations will include:
Green Bike Share
Residential Service Initiative
Water Idea Lab
Magnolia Project
The Berkeley Project
Courseland
For general questions about the Bears Breaking Boundaries contest, please send an email to Annie Yeh - annieyeh@berkeley.edu.