Matrix On Point
Recap
Published April 10, 2025
Mainstreaming Psychedelics
Psychedelics are steadily moving from the fringes of counterculture to the heart of mainstream society, driven by a growing body of research and shifting public perception. As psychedelics shed their stigma, they are catalyzing a broader conversation about mental health, spirituality, and the boundaries of human consciousness. Recorded on March 6, 2025, this panel featured Diana Negrin, David Presti, Charles Hirschkind, and Graham Pechenik, with Poulomi Saha moderating.
Learn More >Health
Published April 29, 2020
Berkeley Interpersonal Contact Study
Researchers from the UC Berkeley Department of Demography use survey methods to measure the effect of "social distancing."
Learn More >Inclusion
Published April 22, 2020
COVID-19 is Blind to Legal Status, but Can Disproportionately Hurt Immigrants
COVID-19 is blind to legal status, but can still disproportionately hurt immigrants, argue Jasmijn Slootjes and Irene Bloemraad from the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative.
Learn More >COVID-19
Published April 17, 2020
Student Futures and Life Under COVID-19
Michael Watts writes that innovative solutions are needed to support students and universities in the era of COVID-19.
Learn More >Health
Published April 13, 2020
Hand-washing in the Time of COVID-19
In the era of COVID-19, the public health directive to "wash your hands" is a challenge for people with limited access to clean water, writes UC Berkeley researcher Isha Ray.
Learn More >Cities
Article
Published April 8, 2020
Gangs, Labor Mobility, and Development
A Q&A with Carlos Schmidt-Padilla, PhD Candidate in the UC Berkeley Department of Political Science, on his research showing the staggering economic toll of living within gang-controlled territory.
Learn More >Podcast
Interview
Published March 30, 2020
Matrix Podcast: Interview with Desiree Fields
In this episode, Michael Watts talks with Desiree Fields, Assistant Professor of Geography and Global Metropolitan Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Fields' research explores the financial technologies, market devices, and historical and geographic contingencies that make it possible to treat housing as a financial asset, and how this process is contested at the urban scale.
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