The Office for History of Science and Technology accepts requests for visiting scholar status from senior scholars, post-docs, and under some circumstances graduate students with projects to be carried out in Berkeley. If you are interested in being considered for visiting scholar status, please note the following steps:
1. Write to our director, Cathryn Carson, describing your project. This can be done by e-mail or by postal mail or fax at OHST. The letter should contain your program of research and proposed dates of stay, as well as a curriculum vitae. If you send e-mail attachments, they must be in PDF, RTF, or MS Word format.
2. If your request is approved, you must next fill out the Visiting Scholars Program Application form from the VSPA website. Review the definitions (postdoc, visiting scholar, etc.), decide which category you need to apply under, and follow the links. Select the application form in either PDF format or in MS Word and fill in all requested information on the application before going on to the next step. Your signature is not required at this stage. Note: In addition to the application form, the VSPA website contains important information about application procedures, fees, and benefits and services provided to visitors. Please review all information carefully before filling out the VSPA application.
For international scholars:
The VSPA website contains important information about US visa regulations and health insurance requirements for international scholars. It is important that you review and understand these requirements and ascertain that you are able to fulfill them BEFORE you begin the process of applying for visiting scholar status at OHST.
3. After you have filled out the application form, send an unsigned e-mail copy of it as a MS Word or PDF attachment to Diana Wear in the OHST office. From this point on, Diana will keep you informed of your pending status. You are encouraged to contact her for any questions or assistance regarding your visiting scholar application.
For domestic applicants, paperwork approval takes a minimum of two weeks to process after being received. For international applicants, the approval process can take up to three months because much of the visa information must be processed out of country. You are strongly encouraged to begin the process before then.
4. Visiting scholars must look for housing BEFORE they arrive. The Bay Area is a competitive and difficult housing market, so please make your arrangements well in advance of your arrival date. For assistance with housing in the local area, we recommend using craigslist or the Cal Rentals Office. International Students may be interested in the residential services provided at International House.
5. Arrival, or, what you need to do next:
a. As soon as possible after you arrive in Berkeley, stop by the OHST office at 543 Stephens Hall to get a full tour. We will give you a set of keys and a Patent Acknowledgement Form that you will need to sign in the presence of an OHST staff person. The OHST Office is usually open between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM weekdays. You may call first: (510) 642-4581.
b. Your next stop will be the VSPA office in Room 336 at Sproul Hall between the hours of 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. You will take your signed patent form and pay your visiting scholar fee. In return, you will receive your VSPA ID card, which entitles you to the use of UC facilities. Consult the VSPA privileges form to see what campus privileges you are entitled to, and what strings are attached to them.
c. International scholars must attend an orientation meeting at International House. Information on immigration regulations and legal employment will be discussed. Attendance at this meeting is required to validate the stay of all international scholars. A list of upcoming meeting dates can be accessed at Services for International Students and Scholars. Click on the "Workshops" rubric at the top of the page and then on "Scholar Information Meetings."
International scholars may find more specific questions answered at Services for International Students and Scholars.
