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Student Teams Can Win $100,000 in UC Clean Technology Competition

Published

11 years ago

August 19, 2015

By Robert Sanders, UC Berkeley News

UC Berkeley is encouraging students with game-changing ideas in clean energy technology to compete for a four-month-long campus bootcamp designed to shepherd the technology into the marketplace.

Between six and eight student-led groups will be chosen from around the country for the Berkeley Cleantech University Prize (CUP), which will fund the teams during the fall semester as they take advantage of the campus’s incubators and accelerators, which are now primarily helping UC Berkeley students launch start-ups.

“We will help the teams develop business plans, connections, mature their technologies in our fabrication spaces, provide legal, policy and business expertise that our community has to offer,” said Sean Wihera, the competition’s program director and an analyst with the Berkeley Energy and Climate Institute (BECI). “We are opening up the Berkeley community to national participation to accelerate, stimulate and facilitate collegiate cleantech entrepreneurship.”

The teams will work with UC Berkeley throughout the semester and then pitch their business plans to a panel of entrepreneurs in February 2016, with the winning team getting a $100,000 infusion to advance their technology further.

The final competition takes place during UC Berkeley’s annual BECI Philomathia Forum and the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC) Energy Summit.

BECI is the coordinating hub for energy and climate research at UC Berkeley, encouraging collaboration inside and outside the university. BERC is a multidisciplinary network of UC Berkeley students, alumni, faculty, industry professionals and advisors who foster innovation to tackle the world’s energy and environmental challenges.

The Berkeley CUP competition is funded for three years by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a national, $2.5 million program announced in June to commercialize new technologies that reduce carbon pollution and grow the clean energy economy.

UC Berkeley is one of eight universities hosting competitions like this, with cash prizes that aim to equip students with business skills to take clean-energy technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace.
“We really want the best collegiate cleantech teams from all over the country to apply to UC Berkeley’s program, and we want to get as many of these technologies into the marketplace as possible,” Wihera said.

The Cleantech University Prize program aims to inspire the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs and innovators by providing them with competitive funding for business and commercialization training and other educational opportunities.

UC Berkeley already offers a wealth of services to aspiring student entrepreneurs, prominent among them the Haas School of Business’s Cleantech to Market (C2M) program, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) Cyclotron Road incubator, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) Foundry, the American Jobs Project (AJP) and the BECI Energy Challenge.

UC Berkeley was selected as one eight collegiate hubs as the result of a joint proposal from BECI and BERC. UC Berkeley is seeking partners to support this and other collegiate cleantech entrepreneurship and innovation programs, both on campus and around the U.S.

“The Berkeley Cleantech University Prize (CUP) is an exciting opportunity for students across the U.S. to engage with Berkeley’s innovation ecosystem as part of the greater push to stimulate collegiate cleantech entrepreneurship,” Wihera said.

In addition to the eight local competitions run by universities, a national competition, the Cleantech UP National Hub, will be hosted by Spark Clean Energy, a national nonprofit focused on engaging students in clean energy.

The other DOE Cleantech UP Collegiate Competition hosts are the California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Clean Energy Trust, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rice University, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey and University of Central Florida.

Oakland Post

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New Protections for Ticket Buyers: Gov. Newsom Signs Assemblymember Isaac Bryan’s Bill

OAKLAND POST — Assembly Bill 1349 expands state regulation of original ticket sellers, resellers and online resale marketplaces. The law targets deceptive sales practices, ticket-buying software and speculative listings — tickets advertised for sale by sellers who do not possess them or have authorization to sell them.

Published

6 days ago

October 4, 2026

Post News Group

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights). File photo.

By California Black Media Staff

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Sept. 27 authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) that strengthens consumer protections for Californians purchasing tickets to concerts, sporting events and other live entertainment.

Assembly Bill 1349 expands state regulation of original ticket sellers, resellers and online resale marketplaces. The law targets deceptive sales practices, ticket-buying software and speculative listings — tickets advertised for sale by sellers who do not possess them or have authorization to sell them.

“Buying a ticket shouldn’t come with hidden risks or unfair practices,” Newsom wrote on social media after signing the measure.

Under AB 1349, ticket sellers are prohibited from listing tickets before they have been officially released unless they have authorization or a legally enforceable right to receive them. Online marketplaces must also take reasonable steps to prevent speculative ticket sales on their platforms.

The law prohibits sellers from using bots, multiple accounts, email addresses or internet protocol addresses to circumvent ticket limits, presale restrictions, electronic queues and other controls. It also bans websites and advertisements designed to mislead buyers into believing they are purchasing tickets from an authorized seller, venue or event organizer.

Sellers who violate certain provisions and fail to provide a promised ticket may be held liable for twice the ticket’s contracted price. Buyers may also recover nonrefundable expenses incurred while attempting to attend an event, along with reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs.

Pastor Tecoy Porter Sr., president of the National Action Network’s Sacramento chapter, said the law establishes needed accountability.

“Buying a ticket to a concert or show shouldn’t mean entering a marketplace where the rules are stacked against you. This year, we worked with a coalition of consumers, civil rights advocates, community groups, and businesses to make AB 1349 stronger. Consumers deserve enforceable rules that protect them. We thank Assemblymember Bryan for his leadership, and we will keep working to make ticketing fair for every Californian.”

Jose L. Barrera, national vice president for the Far West Region of the League of United Latin American Citizens, also praised the measure.

“Californian families deserve certain protections when they buy tickets. Assemblymember Bryan listened to communities across California and delivered a bill that puts fans first. We thank him and Governor Newsom for making it law.”

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Zakiya Jendayi Arrested, Locked Out of Home by Sheriff’s Deputies

OALAND POST — On Tuesday, deputies followed Jendayi as she left her residence of 13 years to file documents in her case at the Appellate Court. Deputies arrested her upon arrival and transported her to Santa Rita Jail.

Published

6 days ago

October 4, 2026

Post News Group

By Tanya Dennis

Yesterday, more than 10 Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies arrived to take possession of Zakiya Jendayi’s home on behalf of a court-appointed administrator. Jendayi was arrested at the courthouse and transported to Santa Rita Jail around the same time.

Jendayi, who has been embroiled in a probate court battle to retain the inheritance bestowed on her by a longtime friend and colleague who passed away in 2013, had received a notice of eviction last month.

With help from neighbors, friends and clergy, she was able to fend off the eviction from 3614 Randolph Ave. in Oakland and even obtained a reprieve when her bid to file bankruptcy was approved by a county court.

But Philip Campbell, the court-appointed administrator, had already placed Jendayi’s home in his name in October 2025.

On Tuesday, deputies followed Jendayi when she left her residence of 13 years to go to the Appellate Court to file documents in her case. Deputies arrested her upon arrival and transported her to Santa Rita jail.

Undersheriff April Luckett-Fahini said Jendayi was arrested for “safety reasons.” At this time, it is unknown what charges were used for the arrest.

In Jendayi’s absence, Campbell came to her residence accompanied by deputies, had the property taped off with yellow crime tape, and had the locks changed.

Afterward, Campbell requested a police escort to his car amid several angry neighbors who had been advocating that officials pause the eviction pending Jendayi’s appeal.

“Zakiya Jendayi is a respected Black elder in our community,” said Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, who has been working with Jendayi to prevent her eviction. “It’s outrageous that she was arrested. There needs to be more justice and equity in our probate system.”

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Ask California: Golden State Releases New AI Chatbot

Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced the prototype as part of the state’s broader effort to use artificial intelligence to make government services easier to access. The launch follows his March 2026 executive order directing state agencies to responsibly implement generative AI while protecting privacy, security and civil liberties.

Published

3 weeks ago

September 22, 2026

Post News Group

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California has launched AskCA, a new artificial intelligence-powered chatbot designed to help residents find and navigate state and local government services through a single online platform.

Developed by the state’s Office of Data and Innovation, AskCA is designed around major life events rather than individual government agencies. Californians can use the tool to find information about finding a job, starting a business, accessing family services and recovering from disasters.

“When a Californian needs help, they shouldn’t have to become an expert in government to find it,” said Newsom. “We’re using the best technology California has to offer to make the government more efficient, effective, and more engaged.”

The state is now seeking Californians age 18 and older to participate in the pilot and help test and refine AskCA’s responses. Officials said subject matter experts across state governments are helping inform the chatbot’s answers, which are designed to draw from verified government sources and provide actionable information.

The prototype grew out of California’s response to the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Early testing included more than 140 fire recovery leaders and Altadena wildfire survivors, a dozen job seekers and more than 100 general users.

Jeffery Marino, director of the Office of Data and Innovation, said the tool is intended to remove the need for residents to understand how government agencies are organized before they can get help.

“Californians should not have to understand how the government is organized just to get basic help,” Marino said.

AskCA’s technology will also be used in a new job-skills matching feature that the California Department of Human Resources plans to launch Sept. 30 on CalCareers. Job seekers will be able to upload a resume and receive potential matches to state job classifications.

The state said the CalCareers pilot will not store personal information or require users to have a CalCareers account. California plans to continue testing AskCA as officials evaluate its accuracy, performance and usefulness before expanding the system.