Chancellor Lyons Praises Seth Lunine's Community-Engaged Teaching

February 12, 2026

We are delighted to share recent recognition of Seth Lunine’s community-engaged teaching and scholarship, which continues to bring well-deserved attention to the impactful work happening in our department and in partnership with communities across the Bay Area.

Chancellor Rich Lyons praised Seth Lunine (PhD '13) in an email sent yesterday to Cal alumni, parents, and friends. Lyons highlighted Lunine's innovative work connecting UC Berkeley students with community organizations in Oakland through collaborative research and public scholarship. Lunine’s courses, available through the American Cultures Engaged Scholarship (ACES) program, encourage students to explore topics such as gentrification, criminalization, and community solutions by spending time with the communities that students are studying, helping them link abstract information to real people. 

We are proud to see Seth’s work recognized at the campus level and beyond. His teaching exemplifies the powerful role geography and community-engaged scholarship can play in advancing equity, understanding, and public impact.

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