Question: Is Oppenheimer Way, the campus street that runs between LeConte (now named Physics South) and Gilman Hall, a relatively new name for this short road? I never paid attention to the small streets / street signs on campus as a student, and I'm curious when UC Berkeley decided to name this street after Oppenheimer. A quick Google search found nothing.

BearBoarBlarney said:

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Question: Is Oppenheimer Way, the campus street that runs between LeConte (now named Physics South) and Gilman Hall, a relatively new name for this short road? I never paid attention to the small streets / street signs on campus as a student, and I'm curious when UC Berkeley decided to name this street after Oppenheimer. A quick Google search found nothing.

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per google AI:

Oppenheimer Way at UC Berkeley was created in 1974. The street was named after J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was a theoretical physicist and the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. Oppenheimer taught at UC Berkeley from 1929 to 1943, and his office was located in Physics North (then named LeConte Hall).
The street was originally named "Northwest Way," but it was renamed in 1974 to honor Oppenheimer. The renaming was controversial, as some people felt that Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb made him an inappropriate namesake for a street. However, others argued that Oppenheimer was a brilliant scientist and a major figure in the history of UC Berkeley, and that he deserved to be honored.
The renaming of Northwest Way to Oppenheimer Way was approved by the UC Berkeley Board of Regents in 1974. The street was officially dedicated in 1975.

philbert said:

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per google AI:

Oppenheimer Way at UC Berkeley was created in 1974. The street was named after J. Robert

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Thanks for the assist, philbert. Guess I'd better start exploring Google AI too.

J'aimerais bien un film sur Oppenheimer joué par Cillian Murphy
il a l'âge/apparence où le père de la bombe atomique a dirigé le projet manhattan..

(Et le visage émacié aux yeux clairs ça collerait bien) pic.twitter.com/1pDXBp5gcB

— 🩸Ianis La Malice🩸 (@_ianis_) July 2, 2018

Having a toddler has led my movie watching dwindle to 0. If someone gets to watch this movie this weekend, would appreciate if you could report back how often the the university was highlighted/mentioned! Hope we get much publicity from this to counteract Brock Huard lol

01Bear said:

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Dgoldnbaer said:

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I never said or even thought brick buidings = a more prestigious academic school. Just mentioned - in my eyes - they are more beautiful than ones at Cal

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I grew up in SoCal and some of my best friends went to UCLA, but (and I admit I may be biased here) I find Cal to be a more beautiful campus by far. Yes, Royce looks good. There are also plenty of nice looking buildings in the UCLA campus.

However, Cal's got many other gorgeous buildings. Take Doe Library, Bancroft Library, and Hearst Memorial Gym. There's also Wheeler Auditorium, Dwinelle Hall, and Hearst Memorial Mining Building. Of course, there are also the icons, Sather Gate, the Campanile, and the Greek Theater. These structures are all absolutely gorgeous!

That's before even mentioning the natural beauty on the Cal campus. There's Strawberry Creek that flows across campus, the swathes of green dotting the campus (e.g., Faculty Glade, Memorial Glade, and the Eucalyptus Grove), and (of course) the unparalleled panoramic views of gorgeous SF Bay from scenic Memorial Stadium.

I've visited many college campuses, Cal is absolutely my favorite (again, I admit there may be a bit of bias at play here). The buildings and campus rarely disappoint (with the infamous exceptions of Evans Hall and Wurster Hall). I'd pit Cal against pretty much any other college campus for aesthetic appeal.

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A fine description. I would add the old wooden Architecture Building ("The Arc") on Northside. A good many students who spent countless hours in that old building went on to become outstanding architects.

I would also praise the Unit ! and Unit 2 dormitory complexes when they were first built in the late 1950s. The planners gave great attention to the entire property, with the open plaza and landscaping. Unfortunately, over time more buildings have been added to the property between Durant and Channing, and the open space and landscaping has shrunk so much that the buildings have a different feel to them. That is the challenge now at Berkeley, as they try to accommodate more students by adding more buildings, thereby taking more and more of the open space to do it. The campus seems so crowded to me now, with people and buildings and roads. Not as many places to sit or lie on the grass and read a book, or just enjoy the nature that is left.

I've seen my fair share of college campuses and Cal is my favorite. The mixed architectural style makes me feel like I am in The Village (Portmeirion, Wales) from the Prisoner TV series.

SFCityBear said:

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01Bear said:

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Dgoldnbaer said:

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That is the challenge now at Berkeley, as they try to accommodate more students by adding more buildings, thereby taking more and more of the open space to do it. The campus seems so crowded to me now, with people and buildings and roads. Not as many places to sit or lie on the grass and read a book, or just enjoy the nature that is left.

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Not sure I agree with this. When I was at Cal in the early '90s, the administration finally got rid of the "T-buildings" ("T" for temporary) that had been there since WWII era. Getting rid of those barracks-like structures opened up Memorial Glade and restored it as a big chunk of open space in the heart of campus. The west side of campus has the big eucalyptus grove with Strawberry Creek running through it, and there's the pretty faculty glade as well. Just west of Moffitt Library there's a really pretty and quieter part of campus leading over the northwest part of campus where the College of Natural Resources is located. The central campus at Cal is just under 180 total acres, and yet I feel like there's more "natural areas" on the Cal campus when compared to the central campuses of, say, UCLA or USC.

If I had one wish it's that Cal would find the funding to re-pave the roads on campus. The asphalt is a crumbling, aging mess in some places.

EDIT: somehow I screwed up the nesting of quotes excerpted above. I believe the excerpted quote was from SFCityBear.

calpoly said:

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GivemTheAxe said:

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MathTeacherMike said:

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Golden One said:

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GoCal80 said:

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To each his own. One of my favorite campuses is Cornell. The setting is amazing and it is different but beautiful in each of the seasons. Cal is my second favorite campus after Cornell. Princeton is not to my tastes at all. It is too manicured and too perfect. To me it seems artificial, like Disneyland or something.

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I agree with you regarding Cornell. I've been there many times, and the setting is truly beautiful. I've never seen another campus with the gorgeous waterfalls that Cornell has.

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100% agree - Cornell's campus is what a college campus should look like. When touring schools with my daughter I was caught off guard by how beautiful the campus was. Now those visits were in the spring and fall - so the weather was perfect and the grounds were breathtaking. I hear the winters are brutal though.

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The problem with a college campus that is beautiful in the Summer and brutal in the Winter is that students spend more time on campus in the Winter than in the Summer.
And the Winters are longer there (despite what the calendar says). winter weather begins in October and continues until April.

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They have had snow storms during the Cornell graduation ceremony in May! I lived in Ithaca for 6 years, loved the 3 month summers but hated the 9 month winter (dark and gloomy with all that cloud cover).

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Cornell November through May
:large

Hey, what other campus does equal justice to a supermoon and toxic wildfire air?

As of right now the soonest I am watching is Tuesday on 70mm IMAX (Metreon), anyone seen it yet?

Anybody watching Barbie and Oppenheimer? I'm a really big Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling fan.

okaydo said:

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Anybody watching Barbie and Oppenheimer? I'm a really big Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling fan.

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Been a huge fan ever since he played McLovin.

WalterSobchak said:

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okaydo said:

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Anybody watching Barbie and Oppenheimer? I'm a really big Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling fan.

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Been a huge fan ever since he played McLovin.

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I mean, is that not Goff?

WalterSobchak said:

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okaydo said:

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Anybody watching Barbie and Oppenheimer? I'm a really big Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling fan.

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Been a huge fan ever since he played McLovin.

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? McLovin was the first one voted out on Stars on Mars.

#spoileralert

BearBoarBlarney said:

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SFCityBear said:

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01Bear said:

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Dgoldnbaer said:

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That is the challenge now at Berkeley, as they try to accommodate more students by adding more buildings, thereby taking more and more of the open space to do it. The campus seems so crowded to me now, with people and buildings and roads. Not as many places to sit or lie on the grass and read a book, or just enjoy the nature that is left.

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Not sure I agree with this. When I was at Cal in the early '90s, the administration finally got rid of the "T-buildings" ("T" for temporary) that had been there since WWII era. Getting rid of those barracks-like structures opened up Memorial Glade and restored it as a big chunk of open space in the heart of campus. The west side of campus has the big eucalyptus grove with Strawberry Creek running through it, and there's the pretty faculty glade as well. Just west of Moffitt Library there's a really pretty and quieter part of campus leading over the northwest part of campus where the College of Natural Resources is located. The central campus at Cal is just under 180 total acres, and yet I feel like there's more "natural areas" on the Cal campus when compared to the central campuses of, say, UCLA or USC.

If I had one wish it's that Cal would find the funding to re-pave the roads on campus. The asphalt is a crumbling, aging mess in some places.

EDIT: somehow I screwed up the nesting of quotes excerpted above. I believe the excerpted quote was from SFCityBear.

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Thanks for your post. I'll revisit the campus, and check out the areas you mentioned. I'm sure you are right about Cal having more natural area than UCLA and USC.

Econ141 said:

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WalterSobchak said:

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okaydo said:

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Anybody watching Barbie and Oppenheimer? I'm a really big Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling fan.

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Been a huge fan ever since he played McLovin.

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I mean, is that not Goff?

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I would go see it if Goff was in it, but otherwise, it does not appeal to me. I do want to see Oppenheimer in 70mm IMAX. The Regal in Dublin is pretty much booked up for the next week. I hope they keep it at the IMAX for awhile. I assume people are coming from all over to see it there since it is only 1 of 70 theaters in the world that can show it in that format.

SonomanA1 said:

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I would go see it if Goff was in it, but otherwise, it does not appeal to me. I do want to see Oppenheimer in 70mm IMAX. The Regal in Dublin is pretty much booked up for the next week. I hope they keep it at the IMAX for awhile. I assume people are coming from all over to see it there since it is only 1 of 70 theaters in the world that can show it in that format.

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There are IMAX screenings there at least until 8/9 (as far out as the app will go right now). I imagine it will keep extending if there is high demand.

3146gabby said:

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Saw Oppenheimer last nite; could have been edited down a wee bit, but just a stunning movie. All actors were superb; Robert Downey Jr revealed again [Chaplin] what a remarkable actor his is. Damon was great and the cameos also, Kenneth Branagh as Neils Bohr, Gary Oldman as Harry Truman.

The campus was easily recognizable, but not a lot of variety...fun to see and gave the movie a sense of reality....

Most of all Nolan succeeded at telling a story of complexity, nuance and reminded us that nothing is as simple or one-dimensional as current dialogue suggests.

One of the top 10 movies I've ever seen.

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They filmed at UCLA. Did UCLA portray UCLA or did it portray UC Berkeley?

Did not see anything that looked like UCLA...the main shots seemed to be entering what was the large science building in the 1960s/70s, views looking up to the Campanile with the lib on the left...interior shots could have been anywhere....

didn't they shoot scenes from Berkeley for The Graduate all at UCLA?

3146gabby said:

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Saw Oppenheimer last nite; could have been edited down a wee bit, but just a stunning movie. All actors were superb; Robert Downey Jr revealed again [Chaplin] what a remarkable actor his is. Damon was great and the cameos also, Kenneth Branagh as Neils Bohr, Gary Oldman as Harry Truman.

The campus was easily recognizable, but not a lot of variety...fun to see and gave the movie a sense of reality....

Most of all Nolan succeeded at telling a story of complexity, nuance and reminded us that nothing is as simple or one-dimensional as current dialogue suggests.

One of the top 10 movies I've ever seen.

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Agree with your review. There were some lulls, but to be expected in a 3 hour movie with mostly dialogue. Josh Hartnett was also terrific as Ernest Lawrence and Rami Malek as David Hill. Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt were also outstanding. Overall the supporting cast and performances were top notch. I too was left walking out of the theater agape and in deep thought.

Back to Oppenheimer's legacy on campus that @BearBoarBlarney referred to. I am speaking as a Poii Sci major in the early 90s, but I look back and there was an obvious lack of honorifics for a man of such transcendent scientific/academic status. From the labs that had his name attached to them, I certainly knew that Lawrence was a big figure at Cal. Oppenheimer, not so much, with only a small campus road named after him (I don't even recall that road, not that I was too aware of the names of on-campus roads since I didn't have a car). I heard of Oppenheimer through Sting's song Russians and passing references to The Manhattan Project. I didn't know of him through any associations with Cal. Apart from judgments of the horrors that resulted from his work (which is where politicians step in), his academic status and research were game changing, and you would think when they withdrew the name Le Conte Hall that it would been renamed Oppenheimer Hall. However, it's clear to me that this cannot be separated and Oppenheimer is viewed morally and ethically as toxic, although Nolan did a great job portraying the dilemma of a human being that had the gift and curse of moving forward the instant capability of destroying the world. Prometheus, as it were.

3146gabby said:

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Did not see anything that looked like UCLA...the main shots seemed to be entering what was the large science building in the 1960s/70s, views looking up to the Campanile with the lib on the left...interior shots could have been anywhere....

didn't they shoot scenes from Berkeley for The Graduate all at UCLA?

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UC Berkeley forbid The Graduate from filming on campus, so they filmed at USC.

But they "stole" a shot of Dustin Hoffman in Sproul Plaza. They also filmed across from Unit 3 and of course Telegraph Avenue and the frat across from Unit 1.


Here are some of the tweets from UCLA's film shoot.

😍😍😍!!!!#CillianMurphy on set of #Oppenheimer at UCLA #ChristopherNolan
Source IG pic.twitter.com/8OMDYQC3LN

— Cill-i-am 🎼 (@cill_i_am) February 24, 2022

#CillianMurphy on set of #Oppenheimer at UCLA. 😍♥️#ChristopherNolan pic.twitter.com/2UniSMydcH

— Cill-i-am 🎼 (@cill_i_am) March 13, 2022

they’re filming oppenheimer at ucla and this random girl just went up to cillian murphy’s trailer 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/0RXrux3z7J

— ariel ♉︎ (@mrarielspov) February 22, 2022

KoreAmBear said:

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3146gabby said:

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Saw Oppenheimer last nite; could have been edited down a wee bit, but just a stunning movie. All actors were superb; Robert Downey Jr revealed again [Chaplin] what a remarkable actor his is. Damon was great and the cameos also, Kenneth Branagh as Neils Bohr, Gary Oldman as Harry Truman.

The campus was easily recognizable, but not a lot of variety...fun to see and gave the movie a sense of reality....

Most of all Nolan succeeded at telling a story of complexity, nuance and reminded us that nothing is as simple or one-dimensional as current dialogue suggests.

One of the top 10 movies I've ever seen.

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Agree with your review. There were some lulls, but to be expected in a 3 hour movie with mostly dialogue. Josh Hartnett was also terrific as Ernest Lawrence and Rami Malek as David Hill. The supporting cast and performances were top notch. I too was left walking out of the theater agape and in deep thought.

Back to Oppenheimer's legacy on campus that @BearBoarBlarney referred to. I am speaking as a Poii Sci major in the early 90s, but I look back and there was an obvious lack of honorifics for a man of such transcendent scientific/academic status. From the labs that had his name attached to them, I certainly knew that Lawrence was a big figure at Cal. Oppenheimer, not so much, with only a small campus road named after him (I don't even recall that road, not that I was too aware of the names of on-campus roads since I didn't have a car). I heard of Oppenheimer through Sting's song Russians and passing references to The Manhattan Project. I didn't know of him through any associations with Cal. Apart from judgments of the horrors that resulted from his work (which is where politicians step in), his academic status and research were game changing, and you would think when they withdrew the name Le Conte Hall that it would been renamed Oppenheimer Hall. However, it's clear to me that this cannot be separated and Oppenheimer is viewed morally and ethically as toxic, although Nolan did a great job portraying the dilemma of a human being that had the gift and curse of moving forward the instant capability of destroying the world. Prometheus, as it were.

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I've always known. But then again, I know all the factoids - like how UC Berkeley is connected to the creation of television.

Also, when I was at the Daily Cal, locals would always be protesting LBNL. So I got to know the lab;s spokesperson, who introduced me to Glenn Seaborg.

Martin Sherwin, co-author of Prometheus was a terrific historian at least during my time @ Berkeley. He was part of an incredible history department.

MSNBC had a 2 hour special on Oppenheimer; what a complex, tortured man....

For this history major who barely made it thru physics 10, that such power can come from something so small speaks to the staggering mysteries of this world....

3146gabby said:

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For this history major who barely made it thru physics 10, that such power can come from something so small speaks to the staggering mysteries of this world....

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Well said

" They also filmed across from Unit 3 and of course Telegraph Avenue and the frat across from Unit 1."

Chuck Muncie and my buddy were in that frat. Theta Delta Chi.

okaydo said:

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AXLBear said:

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But digitally touched up (stuff removed)?

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Maybe they touched up the grass, but what would need to be removed?

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Somewhat ironically given that supposed Berkeley scenes for The Graduate were filmed elsewhere this scene with them walking across Edwards is actually meant to stand in for the U of Chicago stadium. The Chicago atomic contribution was housed under the stadium seats, the U having already given up football.

Larno said:

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okaydo said:

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AXLBear said:

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But digitally touched up (stuff removed)?

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Maybe they touched up the grass, but what would need to be removed?

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Somewhat ironically given that supposed Berkeley scenes for The Graduate were filmed elsewhere this scene with them walking across Edwards is actually meant to stand in for the U of Chicago stadium. The Chicago atomic contribution was housed under the stadium seats, the U having already given up football.

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Stagg Field at U of C (Chicago)

okaydo said:

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KoreAmBear said:

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3146gabby said:

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Saw Oppenheimer last nite; could have been edited down a wee bit, but just a stunning movie. All actors were superb; Robert Downey Jr revealed again [Chaplin] what a remarkable actor his is. Damon was great and the cameos also, Kenneth Branagh as Neils Bohr, Gary Oldman as Harry Truman.

The campus was easily recognizable, but not a lot of variety...fun to see and gave the movie a sense of reality....

Most of all Nolan succeeded at telling a story of complexity, nuance and reminded us that nothing is as simple or one-dimensional as current dialogue suggests.

One of the top 10 movies I've ever seen.

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Agree with your review. There were some lulls, but to be expected in a 3 hour movie with mostly dialogue. Josh Hartnett was also terrific as Ernest Lawrence and Rami Malek as David Hill. The supporting cast and performances were top notch. I too was left walking out of the theater agape and in deep thought.

Back to Oppenheimer's legacy on campus that @BearBoarBlarney referred to. I am speaking as a Poii Sci major in the early 90s, but I look back and there was an obvious lack of honorifics for a man of such transcendent scientific/academic status. From the labs that had his name attached to them, I certainly knew that Lawrence was a big figure at Cal. Oppenheimer, not so much, with only a small campus road named after him (I don't even recall that road, not that I was too aware of the names of on-campus roads since I didn't have a car). I heard of Oppenheimer through Sting's song Russians and passing references to The Manhattan Project. I didn't know of him through any associations with Cal. Apart from judgments of the horrors that resulted from his work (which is where politicians step in), his academic status and research were game changing, and you would think when they withdrew the name Le Conte Hall that it would been renamed Oppenheimer Hall. However, it's clear to me that this cannot be separated and Oppenheimer is viewed morally and ethically as toxic, although Nolan did a great job portraying the dilemma of a human being that had the gift and curse of moving forward the instant capability of destroying the world. Prometheus, as it were.

---

I've always known. But then again, I know all the factoids - like how UC Berkeley is connected to the creation of television.

Also, when I was at the Daily Cal, locals would always be protesting LBNL. So I got to know the lab;s spokesperson, who introduced me to Glenn Seaborg.

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It's also interesting that Edward Teller (who provided testimony against Oppenheimer's security clearance) founded the Lawrence Livermore (National) Laboratory and taught at UC Davis as well. Despite him being negatively portrayed for going against his friend Oppenheimer at this security clearance hearing, Teller's legacy seems to hold up to moral and ethical scrutiny undoubtedly because he had the fortune of not having a weapon of mass destruction used in the Cold War as a direct result of his research:

Quote:

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One award bestowed upon Edward Teller that he believed to be an acknowledgement of his greatest achievement is the Hungarian government's Corvin Medal for "exceptional achievement in the arts and science, and for having 'helped end the Cold War without bloodshed'". Author and historian Gregg Herken remarked, "My view of Edward Teller is that it is difficult if not impossible to overstate his influence as a scientist upon the politics and policies of the United States in the 20th century. In many ways, he was a force of nature as much as a human being. His passing marks the end of an era an era when scientists had extraordinary prestige and influence with the government for having invented the weapons that won not only the Second World War but the Cold War with the Soviet Union." U.C. President Emeritus Richard C. Atkinson said, "Edward Teller was one of the world's leading scientific minds of the 20th century, and he made a major contribution to the security of our nation and world peace. It has been a great honor for the University of California to be identified with him and to have had him as a member of our community and a key leader in the national laboratories."

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https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/inmemoriam/html/EdwardTeller.htm#:~:text=Faced%20with%20the%20rise%20of,at%20the%20University%20of%20Chicago.

bearister said:

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" They also filmed across from Unit 3 and of course Telegraph Avenue and the frat across from Unit 1."

Chuck Muncie and my buddy was in that frat. Theta Delta Chi.

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uh that's college Ave where it ends at Durant uh where they filmed the graduate

“Oppenheimer” is an inherently Bay Area story. When J. Robert Oppenheimer was approached about running the Manhattan Project, he was a physics professor at UC Berkeley. https://t.co/y2ZelURKsk

— SFGATE (@SFGate) July 24, 2023

Ray Ratto reviews Barbie and Oppenheimer.

Barbenheimer: The Ratto Review https://t.co/t3LUV2hGyQ

— Defector (@DefectorMedia) July 24, 2023

Yes, I know but I got tangled by his description and I don't know where Unit 1 is. What is the Unit designation of the dorm at corner of College and Durant across from that frat?