Dear Colleagues,
We are excited to update you on the success of the Berkeley Discovery Initiative and request your continued support. The Discovery Initiative seeks to give all students access to high-impact learning experiences, both in the classroom and through co-curricular engagement, and prepare them to thrive in our changing world.
The Discovery Opportunities Database—which centralizes learning opportunities like research positions, internships, scholarships and more in an easy-to-search format for students— has made tremendous progress in the past year, growing to 5,300+ student users in 2023. A sincere thank you to those who have already helped populate this valuable resource.
The value of the database depends on our campus partners sharing the rich array of opportunities and experiences available to Berkeley students.
So, what do we need from you? Please list your undergraduate opportunities in the Discovery Database. It takes less than 5 minutes to add an opportunity.
- Need help? We have an FAQ and offer email support at discoverydatabase@berkeley.edu
- Deadline: Please enter your opportunities prior to January 15 to reach the most students. The Discovery team will be doing outreach through January 26, 2024 to encourage new and existing users to login and search for spring 2024 and summer 2024 opportunities.
Benefits of Posting Opportunities to the Discovery Database
- Increase Your Applicant Pool: Even if you are promoting your experiential learning opportunities through Work Study and Handshake, you can quickly add your listing through the Discovery Database’s easy interface, expanding visibility for your post to thousands of undergraduate students.
- Accessibility: Unlike more traditional methods of recruiting, like sending email with attached PDF documents, the database has been designed with accessibility in mind for all students, whether they need to use assistive technology like screen readers or other tools, so you’ll have equity built into your recruiting.
- Equity-Oriented Outreach: The Berkeley Discovery team is dedicated to promoting the initiative through campus organizations with strong ties to typically underrepresented communities, so that all students gain access to these opportunities, regardless of major, background, means or social capital.
- Recruit Faster: The Database supports keywords for easier searchability - so you can make a match with the right student more quickly.
We thank you for making Discovery at UC Berkeley more accessible, especially for students who may not otherwise have the navigational capital to access these opportunities by other avenues.
With appreciation,
Alessandra Lanzara
Faculty Director of the Discovery Initiative
Professor of Physics
Senior Faculty Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Oliver O’Reilly
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
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