The BioEngineering Association of STudents. Every UC Berkeley-UCSF Bioengineering PhD student is automatically a member of BEAST. Its purpose is to facilitate student involvement and leadership in areas ranging from social activities to prospective student visit weekends, from running the annual retreat to organizing BESTs (BioEngineering Student Talks). There are several elected positions, but the structure is informal and anyone wishing to volunteer with any activity is welcome.