Jacobs Institute Student Newsletter: April 30th, 2026
Jacobs Institute Student Newsletter
UPCOMING@JACOBS
Jacobs Institute-organized events, news, and announcements—straight from the source.
Celebrate Design @Berkeley at the Jacobs Spring Design Showcase
Wednesday & Thursday, May 7 & 8, noon-5:30 PM
Berkeley MDes: Friday, May 9, 5:30-7 PM
Join the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation and the Berkeley Master of Design (MDes) program for the Spring 2026 Design Showcase—three days of bold ideas, hands-on prototypes, and design work that pushes boundaries.
From Wednesday through Friday, May 6-8, Jacobs Hall comes alive with projects from Berkeley’s most creative minds. Explore work from Jacobs-hosted design courses and the graduate MDes core curriculum, alongside club initiatives, independent projects, and prototypes from our Spring 2026 Innovation Catalyst grantees—all under one roof.
This is your chance to engage directly with student designers, get behind-the-scenes insight into their creative process, and see how Berkeley is defining the future of human-centered design and emerging technology.
Free. Open to the public. Don’t miss it.
Wednesday, May 6th
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
E11: A Hands-on Introduction to Radiation Detection
DES INV 21: Visual Communication & Sketching
DES INV 10: Discovering Design
DES INV 15: Design Methodology
Independent Projects:
Toy Modification (Remote Controlled Car)
Pioneers In Engineering Game Field & Trophies
FlagAlert
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
DES INV 23: Creative Programming and Electronics
COMPSCI 294-304: Human-AI interaction
SP26 Jacobs Institute Innovation Catalysts: Spark Grants
Independent Projects:
Botanical
Stable Flex
Bionic Arm
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Makerspace Tour (Meet in the West Entrance to the Makerspace, 1st Floor)
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
ME 130: Design of Planar Machinery
ME102B: Mechatronics Design
Independent Projects:
UAVs@Berkeley 2025-2026 Competition Vehicles
Combat Robots
BEAR: Berkeley Emergency Aerial Rescue
Thursday, May 7th
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
BIOENG 192: Senior Design Projects
CE 186: Design of IoT for Smart Cities
BMW Projects
Independent Projects:
GaitWalker
Balancing B.M.O.
Sock Slider
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
ENGIN 29: Manufacturing and Design Communication
MECENG 292C / DESINV 190: Human-AI Design Methods
NWMEDIA C203: Critical Making
SP26 Jacobs Institute Innovation Catalysts: Ignite Grants
Independent Projects:
Microfluidic Chip for Antibody-Drug Conjugate Manufacturing
Geowall 2026 Competition Design
Cal Seismic Design Team
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Makerspace Tour (Meet in the West Entrance to the Makerspace, 1st Floor)
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
ENGIN 29: Manufacturing and Design Communication
DES INV 22: Prototyping & Fabrication
Independent Projects:
Thuderbird
Space Technologies at California
Malware
Friday, May 8th
5:00-6:30 PM
Berkeley Master of Design (MDes) Core Courses
DES INV 211: Designing Emerging Technologies
DES INV 219: Capstone Portfolio
Get Projects Done this Summer at the Jacobs Makerspace
Skill up this summer and take advantage of relaxed summer vibes at UC Berkeley's state of the art makerspace. Use digital fabrication or good old fashioned analog tools to get ahead of your holiday gift giving, build that furniture, or further that research! Passes are just $125 (fee waivers available) and include training, access to our materials store, and support from our Design Specialists. Registration begins May 20 and summer hours start May 27.
For group tour requests, please complete the Jacobs Institute Group Tour Request form. For individual tour requests, please reach out to Janrey Javier at janrey...@berkeley.edu.
FA26 Innovation Catalysts Applications NOW OPEN
Every semester, students bring a wide range of innovative projects to life at Jacobs Hall and throughout Berkeley’s vibrant design ecosystem. The Jacobs Institute Innovation Catalysts, made possible by Deborah Weisser, Ben Gomes, and the Eustace-Kwan Family Foundation, is a student grant program that provides an avenue for these ambitious student innovators to unlock further potential in their projects. Berkeley students are invited to propose projects that they aim to develop over the course of a semester. Selected grantees will work on their projects with the support of resources from the Jacobs Institute and as part of a cohort of fellow student innovators. Learn more, schedule a 1:1 Application Advising Appointment, and apply today! Applications close Monday, July 20th, 9AM PST
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES DIGEST
non-Jacobs Institute-affiliated events, opportunities, and programs—at your fingertips.
Chance Health Seeking UI/UX Designers
Chance is building a tech-forward home health agency in Florida focused on quality clinical oversight and caregiver-client matching.
Most of the existing platforms in this space are clunky, compliance-heavy, and built for legacy agency workflows.
Chance is rethinking everything from the ground up.
We are seeking a UI/UX Designer for contract work. The ideal candidate is someone with healthcare, HIPAA, or marketplace/scheduling experience.
Please contact schancel...@gmail.com
If interested in being part of this experience.
You're invited to the 2026 Fung Institute End of Year Showcase!
Thursday, May 7, 2026 from 4-6pm PT at the Mudd Hall Lawn in Berkeley, CA
The annual Fung Institute End of Year Showcase is just one month away! This free event is open to the public and will feature Berkeley Master of Engineering (MEng) capstone teams and Fung Fellowship undergraduate teams showcasing their design, tech, and engineering innovations. Join us to experience how UC Berkeley students at the Fung Institute are shaping the future of engineering, leadership, and technology for a better world. Light refreshments will be served.
Collider Cup XVIII
May 8th, 2026 (Friday), 1-5pm, Jarvis Auditorium- Grimes Engineering Center
Berkeley's Premier Student Startup Pitch Competition
Join us at SCET's Collider Cup, where top student teams pitch their projects to professors, investors, and industry experts for a chance to win the grand prize! This event is open to all and welcomes anyone interested in seeing the innovative work of Berkeley’s brightest student teams.
SirenOpt Mechanical Engineering Internship
Join SirenOpt as a Mechanical Engineering intern starting this May until August 2026. As an intern, you will play an integral role in the R&D and production of our revolutionary plasma-based metrology products that have sparked committed interest from globally renowned manufacturing companies. This role is full-time (40 hours/week) on-site in San Leandro, CA. Please see the attached job description for more details and send your resume to rafi.h...@sirenopt.com. Also visit our website https://www.sirenopt.com/ to learn more about what we do!
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This newsletter was created with assistance from artificial intelligence to help summarize events and programs.
To add your event to the Jacobs Student Newsletter, please contact Janrey Javier at janrey...@berkeley.edu.
Get your Jacobs Maker Pass and get access to a world-class prototyping and fabrication facility — training and mentorship by professional staff included.
If you require accommodation for a disability for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Jacobs Institute staff at jacobsi...@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.
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