National Postdoc Appreciation Week at UC Berkeley had a series of fun events lined up for postdoctoral scholars, including a “Postdocs, We Love You a Latte” coffee social to let our postdocs know that they are loved not just a little but a ‘latte’! This preceded the lovely PostdocFest celebration, where the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) and Berkeley Postdoctoral Association (BPA) warmly welcomed the postdoctoral community for PostdocFest, a special evening of an awards ceremony, dinner, and dancing.
The VSPA office organized the coffee social event on the morning of September 16th, 2024, at the Alumni House. Postdocs enjoyed delicious treats, gifts from VSPA, and raffle prizes! The event saw postdocs and their faculty supervisors come together to sip on coffee, eat tasty pastries and fruit, and mingle with their peers from different fields across campus. Attendees also had a fantastic time with a special appearance by Oski, UC Berkeley’s beloved mascot!
Postdocs, We Love You A Latte Event. Photo credit: Brittany Hosea-Small
As part of the celebration throughout the week, VSPA also gave away free tickets to the first 40 people who registered for two on-campus games: a Cal Men’s Football game against San Diego State on September 14, 2024, and a Cal Women’s Volleyball game against UC Los Angeles on September 21, 2024.
In addition to the fun, the postdocs also participated in two virtual events; a panel for a discussion with former postdoc alumni about their career paths after Berkeley and special guest speaker, author and CEO coach Kim Scott from UC Office of the President, presented her virtual talk: Leadership without Authority: How to Leverage Your Skills to Make an Impact.