Tours & Open Houses

Learn about the work, students, and staff of the Human Rights Center (HRC), the West Coast’s first human rights institution based at a university. Explore its vibrant Investigations Lab, run by students from two dozen majors and minors who collectively speak some 30 languages. The lab employs open source investigation techniques to discover and verify human rights violations and potential war crimes. You’ll also find out more about HRC’s research programs, including Tech and Human Rights, Health and Human Rights, and Summer Fellowship Programs. HRC has conducted major human rights investigations in more than a dozen countries.

Take a video tour of campus in Blockeley University! Blockeley is a virtual replica of the UC Berkeley campus in the popular Minecraft video game, built by more than 100 Berkeley students. This past May, hundreds of graduating students attended a virtual, mock commencement ceremony at Blockeley. You’ll experience avatars walking through campus and see Doe Library, Sather Gate, and other iconic places in a whole new way. Let there be light. And let there be blocks!

Spend some time with Cal’s peregrine falcons, Annie and Grinnell. Three webcams monitor their nesting area and balcony atop the Campanile around the clock. Check out the highlights from the 2020 breeding season and Q&A sessions with the scientists studying these very famous falcons. More information will be added shortly.

Cal Performances will offer a series of eclectic and inspiring virtual performances. They serve as a reminder of the unsurpassed ability of the performing arts to express the power and potential of the human spirit.

Though its doors are temporarily closed, the Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley’s public science center, continues to offer high-quality science and math learning experiences for all. Visit the Lawrence at Home for fun engaging videos and hands-on activities you can experience without leaving your home! A link to the virtual visit will be added soon.

With more than 2.2 million specimens representing all plant groups from around the world, the herbaria hold the largest collection of their kind at a U.S. public university. The tour will reveal more about these delicately preserved specimens — from marine algae to California flowers — and many other plants of California.

Learn all about the Berkeley campus with our Spanish-speaking student campus ambassadors over the course of an hour on Zoom. Two ambassadors will present for 40 minutes and then answer your questions. They’ll cover history, traditions, academics, housing, safety, student life, athletics, and so much more.

Curators Francesco Spagnolo and Shir Kochavi present observations and connections emerging from the holdings of UC Berkeley’s Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, one of the largest Jewish museum collections in the world. Throughout the series, guests will join them to explore Jewish art and culture, one object at a time. This program will feature discussions on prayers shawls, Karaite Jews, and subversive rituals with artist Nicki Green. Please register in advance through the Magnes to experience these captivating insights.

Hear from students mentoring youth in local schools, leading students on alternative break trips to explore social justice issues, and interning in government agencies. The Public Service Center (PSC) partners with students, community members, and faculty for programs and courses that support a more just and equitable world. Through the center, students, faculty, and communities work together to promote transformative social change and grow our next generation of civic leaders. Every year, the PSC supports nearly 200 student leaders in programs that support more than 5,000 students in partnership with 250 community-based organizations.

As the Jacobs Institute celebrates its fifth anniversary, learn how the institute has transformed hands-on education and inspired students from all across campus. Amy Dinh, student services and programs manager, and Joey Gottbrath, technical lab director, will lead the visit and Q&A session. Recent Jacobs graduate Sona Dolasia and Jacobs alum Roland Saekow will speak about their experiences at Jacobs Hall. Both Sona and Roland are part of the first Master of Design (Berkeley MDes) cohort launching in spring 2021. A link to join the Zoom meeting will be provided closer to the event. Speakers will take questions live, but attendees are welcome to submit them beforehand to jacobsinstitute@berkeley.edu.

Calling all kids aged 5 to 11! Join Lair of the Golden Bear staffers for a Zoom scavenger hunt! Be ready to find treasures around your home and bring them back to share with everyone on Zoom. Some adult supervision is needed for younger children. This event is free. Please register in advance through the Cal Alumni Association to receive the Zoom link.

This exhibition explores the legacy of the early Bezalel school, an art movement in Palestine in the late Ottoman and British Mandate periods. At the turn of the 20th century under Ottoman rule, Jerusalem was rapidly developing into a center of Jewish cultural activities. The protagonists of this scene were primarily recent Eastern European Jewish immigrants. They had been inspired to move to Palestine by the emerging Zionist movement and were eager to shake off the oppressive conditions they had experienced under the Russian Empire. A link to this event will be added soon.

Hey preteens and teens! Join Lair of the Golden Bear staffers for a game of Quiplash! Quiplash is the hilarious online game of wits. Use your smartphone to answer funny prompts like, “something you’d be surprised to see a donkey do” or “the best way to impress an alien from Mars.” And then vote on the best answer. If you haven’t played before, don’t worry — we’ll go over the rules! This event is free to all preteens and teens. Please register in advance through the Cal Alumni Association to receive the Zoom link.