Rachel Gross is a journalist who writes online and in print. Her work has been published in The New York Times Bay Area, California Magazine, Forbes Magazine Online, The East Bay Express, Berkeleyside and The Daily Californian. Contact her at rachelegross@gmail.com.
Saving the Park that Jack Built
The Bay Citizen | October 18, 2011
Three times a month, Lou Leal, 77, shows visitors to Jack London State Historic Park something more than the familiar hills and hiking trails —he leads them on a literary journey. [Link]
Farmers Seek to Raise Standards for Berries
The New York Times Bay Area | September 23, 2011
Organic-produce buyers who think they are striking a blow against a chemical-heavy industrial food system may be surprised when it comes to one of California’s signature fruits: those “organic” strawberries that overflow from baskets at local farmers’ markets are not nearly as organic as they may think.[Link]
The Bulimic Brain
East Bay Express | July 6, 2011
The nagging impulse was urgent and familiar. It drew Jacky Duong into the brightly lit kitchen of her North Berkeley apartment, where she stood contemplating the fridge. Having recently returned from a Saturday night dinner at a friend’s house, the 21-year-old Cal student was feeling pleasantly satiated — but not stuffed. She could certainly eat more. Should she do it? [Link]
Weaning Off the Bottle: UC Berkeley Tests the Waters
Berkeleyside | March 31, 2011
Being a college student means starting to make tough decisions. But here’s one you might not expect: bottled water or tap? [Link]
In Pictures: Companies That Can Re-Energize Your Life
Forbes Magazine Online | Feb. 26, 2010
A sneak preview at twelve of the hottest new clean-tech companies this year.
[Link]
A California High School That Values College, and the Real World
The New York Times Choice Blog | June 23, 2010
Is the role of high school always to steer students toward a four-year university or even a two-year college? Or should today’s high schools also be considering vocational training and other alternative pathways? Some educators believe students can have it both ways. [Link]
Farmers’ Markets: By the Numbers
The New York Times Bay Area Report | May 14, 2010
In the past few years, farmers’ markets have experienced a resurgence in the Bay Area and across the United States as consumers have sought ways to connect with their meals and an alternative to large grocery chains. A new generation wants to know where its food comes from, how long it is in transit and what techniques are used to grow it — information individuals can get from their growers but not from their local chain stores. [Link]
A Few Wrinkles in U.C. Berkeley’s Plan to Test Freshmen’s Genes
The New York Times Bay Area Blog | March 24, 2010
“Whoa … that’s kind of weird.”
So said Barbara Lin, an incoming freshman to the University of California at Berkeley, upon learning that she would soon be receiving a home genetic testing kit, complete with cotton swabs, from her new college. [Link]
After 40 Years, Homeless Group Looks Ahead
Berkeleyside | August 20, 2010
Margaret, a 52-year-old Bay Area native and a current resident of the North County Women’s Shelter in Berkeley, says she’s “new to being homeless.” After divorcing an abusive husband, she has spent the past two years without a permanent home, sleeping at motels, on friends’ couches, in her car, on benches, and now, at the women’s shelter. [Link]
Rethinking High School Education in Oakland
The New York Times Bay Area Blog | April 7, 2010
It’s almost deadline, and Christopher Scheer’s journalism class at Skyline High in Oakland is working feverishly on the upcoming issue of The Oracle, their school paper. Computer keys clack. Time ticks down.[ Link]
Coffee Grounds + Spores = A New East Bay Business
The New York Times Bay Area Blog | March 9, 2010
Last year, in an ethics class at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Alex Velez and Nikhil Arora heard a visiting lecturer mention that women in Colombia and parts of East Africa were growing mushrooms from coffee grounds to fight malnutrition.[ Link]
Mid-Year Fee Hike Strains Students
The Daily Californian | Dec. 4, 2009
When UC Berkeley junior Patricia Moreno signed up for next semester’s classes on Tele-BEARS, she wasn’t worried about picking classes that would allow her to sleep in or avoiding slots too late in the day. She was scheduling her classes around work. [Link]
Researchers Photograph New Planet
The Daily Californian | Nov. 14, 2008
Not very long ago, in a planetary system 25 light years away, UC Berkeley researchers took the first-ever photograph of what is believed to be a planet orbiting a star in a solar system other than our own. [Link]