News & Events Archive
News & Events Archive
Fall 2024 Speaker Salon
In anticipation of the election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the Yardi Scholarship Program invited Professors Cecilia Mo, David Broockman, and our very own Faculty Director of the Yardi Program, Kirk Bansak from Political Science to speak about the upcoming election. Program Manager Joanie Ly facilitated the conversation between the three professors about their research, their predictions around voter turnout, and what resources Yardi Scholars should look for in understanding the election results.
Fall 2024 Yardi Kick-Off Dinner
The Yardi Scholarship Program has now officially more than doubled in scholars. The program added an additional 19 new students to the second cohort bringing the total number of students in the Yardi Scholarship Program to a whopping 35!
All 35 scholars were able to come together for our Fall Kick-Off Dinner. We had special guest Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education and co-creator of the program, Oliver O'Reilly join us!
Yardi Scholar Spring Semester Speaker Salon on Thursday 7:30pm-9pm, 3/14/2024
Professor Stuart Russell in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley and Dr. Elaine Korzak from UC Berkeley’s Center for Long Term Cybersecurity joined all 16 scholars for a riveting conversation around Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and their implications. Faculty Director Kirk Bansak facilitated the conversation between Dr. Korzak and Professor Russell. The scholars engaged across what A.I. means in its current state, where it is going, and what if anything they can do to continue to learn more. The scholars and the two leading experts in their fields enjoyed dinner and got to connect across a myriad of topics beyond the themes of the conversation. The event was a great success!
Yardi Scholar Spring Semester Welcome Back Dinner on Thursday, 1/25/2024
The Yardi Scholarship Program welcomed the scholars back to campus from winter break and celebrated the start of a new semester with dinner at a local restaurant near Berkeley’s campus, Berkeley Social Club. The scholars walked to the restaurant together after their Berkeley Connect class. At dinner, the scholars talked about their classes, shared their plans for summer, and enjoyed one another’s company. It was great for the scholars to see one another outside the classroom setting and connect in an informal setting.
Carolina Reid Speaker Salon on Thursday October 26, 2023, 7:30pm-9pm
ProfessorCarolina Reid was the keynote speaker for the Yardi Scholarship Program’s first speaker salon held in the Faculty Club. Professor Reid’s research focuses on housing and community development with a specific focus on access to credit, housing and mortgage markets, urban poverty, and racial inequality. Kirk Bansak, faculty director for the Yardi Scholarship Program, facilitated the conversation between Professor Reid and the scholars. Professor Bansak asked one initial question of Professor Reid and the conversation immediately took off from there. The scholars were asking their own questions of Professor Reid, having discussions with one another across the dinner table, and engaging throughout. The scholars grappled with difficult, complex issues and demonstrated much critical thinking around topics that are so relatable and relevant like homelessness, environmental racism, values on public funds and what those issues mean in BIPOC communities. The lively conversation went all the way until the event was scheduled to end at 9:00pm. Professor Reid truly made the space feel safe to learn and ask questions, so much so that a few students even shared their own stories of experiencing homelessness. The Yardi Scholars continued to engage as they walked Professor Reid out of the Faculty Club. The event was a great success!