Last Lecture

As a graduating senior I got to attend a college tradition, a very motivational, Last Lecture by Astrophysics professor, Alexei Filipenko of the exploding supernova and black holes fame. Berkeley has all these amazing faculty who are just so interesting and engaging to listen to. You are just swept away when listening to them. For instance, when Prof Filippenko explains hawking radiation in class, he comes dressed as a black hole, and scatters shiny candy around class. And of course his t-shirt says, Dark Energy is the new black.

It was a lovely last lecture that led us through his personal journey, and his work, which was quite incredible to hear as well as motivational. He really focused on how how endless curiosity led him to where he is today.

The late Carl Sagan had said there were three important characteristics we needed, kindness, kindness and kindness. Professor Filippenko added empathy and curiosity to that list.

Oh, and the picture on the bottom is a quote from Socrates which says Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. I think back to what Swami says about character being the end of education.

Thesis Submission

My year long research, my undergrad Honors capstone research as a Haas Scholar, was finally submitted this morning. 

All 66 pages of it.....

This is what the cover page looks like. 

I got covered by Berkeley Grad Diversity

I got covered by Grad Diversity 

Full article: https://grad.berkeley.edu/news/announcements/a-thirst-for-education-and-autism-advocacy/

“Though it was a sense of duty that initially drew me to participate in GiGS as a mentor, it has been my absolute privilege to know Hari and be a small support in his journey to graduate school. I am positive he will accomplish wonderful things at Vanderbilt and beyond.” Lindsey Burnside. Hari's GiGs mentor

...

Hari is very clear about what drives his passion for higher education. “A college degree and above is what gets you a seat at the table, where you get to be part of the conversion about who gets access to spaces, funding, and resources. If we want to see change, belonging, acceptance, and other solutions for autistics, we need to see more autistics in higher ed. And we need to see all profiles of autistics, including the most marginalized autistics, for this change to be meaningful.”

But for Hari, just having a seat at the table is not enough. “I want to be able to redefine the table itself, whether it’s academically or in advocacy. A fair and inclusive world does not just have to be a myth. We need to work actively to make the possibility a reality. Everyone deserves the same opportunity of education, inclusion, and belonging.”

Daily Cal covers me

 In an about turn, I'm being written about by someone else at the Daily Cal. 

Daily Californian: UC Berkeley wins Soros Fellowship to pursue PhD. 

Full article: https://www.dailycal.org/2022/04/25/uc-berkeley-senior-hari-srinivasan-wins-soros-fellowship-to-pursue-ph-d/

At Berkeley, Srinivasan has already been conducting undergraduate research in the area of autism as a Haas scholar, according to Haas Scholars program manager and advisor Leah Caroll. Caroll said Srinivasan has looked specifically at how those with autism process emotions differently from non-autistics. In doing so, he has broken down common stereotypes about those with the disability, she added.

“It’s interesting that his scholarship is in itself a form of activism,” Caroll said.

In addition to writing more than 50 articles for The Daily Californian, Srinivasan is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Chi, leads a DeCal dedicated to educating peers about autism and serves as a national activist for policy reform surrounding disabilities, according to Caroll.

Caroll added that despite his commitments, Srinivasan goes out of his way to help his peers in the Haas Scholars program.

“He’s been extraordinarily generous with his time and expertise,” Caroll said. “He’s taught everyone about different ways of communicating.”

==========

https://flipboard.com/@thedailycal/news-0brl6vv8z/uc-berkeley-senior-hari-srinivasan-wins-soros-fellowship-to-pursue-ph-d/a-A5xuoZcdTBi5nARLAlHynw%3Aa%3A2444082641-b8f0e80a36%2Fdailycal.org