Miquel Salmeron, director of the Materials Sciences Division and an expert in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), provided the cover art for this month's edition of Physics Today — an STM image of water on the surface of the precious metal palladium. The image shows hexagonal rings of water molecules self-assembled into narrow chains and clusters, as depicted in the superimposed illustration provided by Sabine Maier. This contradicts the long-held idea of the first water layer as a two-dimensionally continuous molecular mesh, similar to that seen in a crystal of ice. The image yields new insight into water's behavior on solid surfaces. To see the cover go here.
Stimulus: EETD Receives $14.5 Million for Buildings Technologies The Environmental Energy Technologies Division has received $14.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for three activities related to buildings technologies. The projects will support DOE's Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative, which seeks to achieve marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2025. The principal investigator is Philip Haves, and the largest of the projects is to provide technical assistance to private and public partners on new technologies and other projects. More>
Call for Posters: CITRIS Seeks Energy and Resource PresentationsCITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) is hosting an Innovation Expo on Wednesday, March 3, at which researchers can present posters on their scientific breakthroughs, new technologies, innovative policies, field projects, or start-up companies. Any work on energy and resources is welcome. Prize money is $1,000 for first place and $500 for second. Participants will receive free admission to the expo and exposure to UC Berkeley faculty and staff and industry leaders. Send in 150-word abstracts by COB Friday. More>
When it was launched last year, 21 Berkeley Lab Breakthroughs provided a dozen and one examples of how our research has helped save lives, generated jobs, and reduced energy costs, among other accomplishments. That collection has now been updated with five more groundbreaking milestones, including pioneering medical imaging in the 1950s with the Anger Camera, and a first-ever look at the malaria parasite inside a red blood cell, courtesy of the Advanced Light Source. Go here to view the entire list. Paper copies can be provided by sending e-mail here.
Guest House: Staff Discount Over Valentine's WeekendLab employees are eligible for a special Valentine's discount for a stay at the Guest House this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It includes complimentary sparkling cider and candies. Win a chance for a free one-night stay by entering an essay contest on the "scientific" reasons people fall in love. Contestants are encouraged to use their imagination, but essays should have some basis in the scientific field. Submissions are due by COB Wednesday (put "Science of Love" in subject line).
Berkeley Lab invites individuals with a disability, and covered veterans, to self-identify as part of the federal mandate for institutions to take affirmative action when hiring and promoting individuals. Submitting such information is voluntary and will be kept confidential. Employees who wish to accept the invitation can go to the Employee Self-Service website. They may also fill out a hard copy of the EEOC Self-Identification Form available here and mail it to the Equal Employment Opportunity Office/Affirmative Action (EEO/AA), Mail Stop 90K-0119. For questions, call 486-7443.
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