Education

District demos new Dell laptops for Oakland schools

Taking math class online, designing video games, working with NASA scientists to launch experiments in space—these are things students at the Urban Promise Academy (UPA) can do with the 210 laptops the Oakland Unified School District provided for the school this year.

Nerds for Nature brings tech and environmental enthusiasts together

A Bay Area collective, Nerds for Nature (N4N), is trying to bridge the gap between techies and nature enthusiasts by designing low-cost equipment—like underwater robots and eco-drones—used to monitor the environment. Comprised of amateur scientists, engineers, ecologists, environmentalists and GIS professionals, N4N gathers once a month in either Oakland or San Francisco to discuss new Do-It-Yourself projects. Victoria Bogdan, an environment law student, co-founded the group after she noticed a lack of tools designed to protect the environment. “Technologists really…

OUSD’s Board vote paves the way for a new school

In a 5 to 0 vote, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Education approved the first “lab” charter school in Oakland on Wednesday night. The school’s site is yet to be determined, but it’s designed to apprentice novice teachers and feed them back into OUSD’s public schools.

Mills College takes on the nuances of transgender admits

Mills was the first U.S. women’s college to create a formal written admissions policy that includes transgender and gender fluid applicants. The policy went into effect this semester and the changes are making waves among Mills students and alums, as well as other women’s colleges around the county.