Student Engagement
Part of the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab (BRSL) mission is to help UC Berkeley students engage with the national security and technology policy fields and familiarize them with these sectors, research processes, and professional opportunities. BRSL takes seriously its commitment to showcase alternative viewpoints, career pathways, and extracurriculars to enrich students’ educational experience and provide them with more options when they leave Berkeley. In service to this mission, BRSL supports academic courses and a growing portfolio of academic certificate and degree programs. The Lab also offers research opportunities for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students and provides supplemental support for extracurricular student activities relevant to the Lab’s work.
Academic Courses and DeCals at UC Berkeley
BRSL supports academic courses at UC Berkeley at the intersection of technology, politics, and security. Courses are hosted by the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP), administered by BRSL, and taught by Professor Andrew W. Reddie (BRSL Faculty Director) and other BRSL affiliated faculty. We offer both undergraduate and graduate courses. Courses offered by faculty often shift and are not available every semester and/or academic year. BRSL also often supports student-run courses through the DeCal program at UC Berkeley.
Academic Programs at UC Berkeley
BRSL supports a growing portfolio of academic programs at UC Berkeley. BRSL is proud to administer the Graduate Certificate in Technology Policy. Graduate certificates allow graduate students to explore specialties and areas of expertise not frequently offered by a regular degree program and/or to supplement their education with a deeper dive into a particular area of interest for their studies. BRSL also provides support for the Masters in Public Policy/Master’s in Nuclear Engineering Concurrent Degree Program, a partnership between the Goldman School of Public Policy and the College of Engineering.
Undergraduate Student Research
UC Berkeley undergraduate students can apply to be undergraduate research apprentices at BRSL at the start of each academic semester. The Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) provides an opportunity for undergraduates to work with faculty members and research staff on cutting-edge research projects. URAP offers undergraduate students research opportunities in exchange for college credit. BRSL typically hosts 10-20 undergraduate researchers each academic year.
Graduate Student Research
BRSL supports graduate student research (both master’s and doctoral students) through GSPP in fields relevant to BRSL’s mission. Graduate students at GSPP can work collaboratively with BRSL to create an internship opportunity that fulfills and meets the GSPP summer internship requirement and a capstone proposal for an individual consulting project that is approved by a capstone instructor and fulfills the degree requirement. Support for graduate student research helps build the pipeline of next generation scholars and professionals working at the nexus of technology and security.
Student Groups
BRSL is proud to support several student groups and initiatives at UC Berkeley.
Other Ways to Get Involved
BRSL does not work with student researchers independently outside of the formal research positions listed above. However, we encourage students to get involved with the Lab through other vehicles such as taking one of the many courses listed above, joining a student group, coming to our public events and research seminars, and subscribing to our newsletter to stay in the loop about all BRSL activities.