Like many people at the Lab, Brooke Vaughn, a training specialist in the EH&S Division, spends most of her days sitting behind a computer. Before long, her body was aching — pain in her hands and wrists, lower back, shoulders, and neck. After consulting with the EH&S Ergonomics group, she overhauled her workstation with dual monitors, a dual mouse setup, a telephone headset, a chair suited to her “perching” style of sitting, and an adjustable desk that allows her to switch between sitting and standing. With those changes, she has gone from constant pain to occasional, minor discomfort. “Before I’d go home and still feel the pain in the evening,” she says. “Now I hardly ever experience pain.”
Go to OurSafety for more on the Lab's safety efforts.
[San Francisco Chronicle] With the Obama administration staking the nation's energy future on clean sources, the U.S. nuclear power industry aims to make a comeback by building dozens of new reactors that supply plentiful, carbon-free electricity. "Many people are gritting their teeth and beginning to look at nuclear energy because the problems appear to be more manageable," said Per Peterson, with Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator and Fusion Research Division. More>
DOE Update: Chu Op-Ed in USA Today on Developing Energy Technologies Last Thursday's edition of USA Today included an editorial from Energy Secretary Steve Chu highlighting President Obama's plans to develop and deploy new energy technologies that increase job opportunities, reduce dependence on foreign oil and address the global climate crisis. “With a network of 17 national laboratories and researchers at 300 colleges and universities, the federal government knows how to do this work,” says Chu. More>
HR Employee Develoment: New BLI Workshop for SupervisorsHow should I handle this situation? This is a question supervisors grapple with in the workplace almost every day. A workshop coordinated by the Berkeley Lab Learning Institute (BLI) will help supervisors learn how to answer this question by engaging them in discussions around three common yet complex HR-related scenarios. Groups will discuss how best to resolve the issues presented, and then compare their responses to Laboratory subject-matter expert recommendations. The workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, in Perseverance Hall from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Go here for more information and to register.
HR Benefits : Workshop on Relieving StressThe Lab’s HR Benefits Department invites all employees to attend a free workshop entitled “Tips for Stress Relief.” It will be held on Friday, March 13, from 11 a.m. to noon in Building 2-100B. The workshop is provided by UC Berkeley’s Care Services and will explore some of the core aspects of stress and skills to manage it.
HR Employee Activities: Philanthropy Club Sponsors Blood Drive at LabThe Lab’s Philanthropy Club will be hosting a blood drive at the Lab on Monday, March 23, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Red Cross Bloodmobile will be parked in the Cafeteria parking lot. Go here to make an appointment (sponsor code is LBL). Call x4181 for more information.
The University of California is seeking applications for the Larry L. Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology. The deadline to submit applications is 5 p.m. on April 27. Named for UC Riverside's former associate vice chancellor for computing and communications, the award is open to faculty and staff from all UC campuses, the UC Office of the President and Berkeley Lab. The program recognizes innovative deployment of information technology in support of the university's mission. The Sautter Award program presents up to three Golden Awards and two Silver Awards, as well as honorable mentions. More>
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