A community workshop on environmental issues, hosted by Berkeley Lab at the North Berkeley Senior Center on April 17, featured three hours of lively discussion and debate between Lab representatives and about two dozen city residents. Many of the attendees represented environmental action groups.
The public forum was scheduled in response to citizen concerns that the Laboratory needed to provide more information about its programs in waste storage and management. As a result, nine Lab professionals, plus representatives from ICS Kaiser Engineers and the Department of Energy, devoted an evening to answering questions on everything from Lab safety to research programs.
Guests were invited to raise any concerns they had about environmental monitoring, regulatory compliance, waste management and minimization, fire protection and emergency services, tritium risk assessment, and environmental restoration.
Lab representatives included Jack Bartley, Mike Chartock, Stacy Cox, Iraj Javandel, Michelle Obrien, Ron Pauer, Nancy Shepard, Brian Smith, and Robin Wendt. Chris Whipple, a consultant to the Lab on the tritium risk assessment, and Larry McEwen from DOE-Oakland also participated.
Much of the evening was devoted to conversation about the potential health risks of the Laboratory's hazardous waste, especially under various disaster scenarios. Berkeley Lab is seeking an amendment to its current state permit for increased storage capacity of its waste, and several community members challenged the need and process for obtaining the new permit.
Lab spokespeople sought to reassure the residents by providing background on the nature of the stored toxics and well as the measures in place to secure those wastes and protect them in instances of fire or earthquake.
Following last Friday's close of the public comment period on the Environmental Assessment for the waste storage permit, the Laboratory is addressing all questions and concerns and will forward the responses to the state Department of Toxic Substances Control for review. The DTSC will then decide on both the adequacy of the assessment and on the permit modification. The process is expected to conclude later this spring.
ICSD
Stu Loken will continue as division director of ICSD. The division's R&D programs in computer science include scientific data management, distributed collaborative environments, hardware and software architectures, and networking. ICSD also maintains responsibility for Macintosh and PC desktop support. As the home of Berkeley Lab's Technical and Electronic Information Department (TEID), ICSD will continue to provide publishing, photography, and library services, as well as database design and implementation. ICSD's Information Systems and Services Department (ISS) will continue to supply the computing and information infrastructure and expertise for the Lab's administrative and financial requirements. Ruby Tebelak is head of TEID; Carl Eben is head of ISS.
Networking and Telecommunications Department
This department combines existing Berkeley Lab networking and telecommunications efforts with the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet). A major national and international data communications network, ESnet is funded by Energy Research to meet the communications needs of its researchers. Jim Leighton, the leader of ESnet since its inception, will head the Networking and Telecommunications Department. Bob Fink will continue to lead internal Laboratory efforts.
Center for Computational Sciences and Engineering--CCSE develops and applies advanced computational methodologies to solve large-scale scientific and engineering problems arising in DOE mission areas involving energy, environmental, and industrial technology. CCSE's application-driven mathematical and numerical research enhances DOE's ability to use high-performance computing as a scientific and engineering tool. CCSE has been closely associated with NERSC for several years. John Bell will continue as leader of CCSE at Berkeley Lab.
Mathematics Department--The Mathematics Department has played a central role in and developing state-of-the-art numerical algorithms used throughout the DOE community. Located at the intersection of applied mathematics, physical modeling, and advanced computer architectures, this group invents and implements techniques significant to problems in Energy Research. James Sethian has been appointed to lead this collaboration between UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab.
NERSC--Berkeley Lab's newest division, NERSC brings together the High Performance Computing Department and its future technologies efforts with Berkeley Lab services in both central computing and distributed scientific workstation support. Horst Simon, formerly of Silicon Graphics (see Currents, 2/9/96), is the new division director. Bill Kramer has been appointed head of the High Performance Computing Department. He comes to Berkeley Lab from the NASA Ames Research Center.
When an automobile's emissions control system fails, it may be because that model is more prone to failure than most others, according to a new study by researchers at Berkeley Lab and the University of Michigan. This finding goes against conventional wisdom that most auto emissions control failures are caused by owners who don't maintain their cars properly or deliberately disable their emissions systems.
Tom Wenzel of the Energy & Environment Division, and Marc Ross of the University of Michigan conducted the new study. Their results may provide clean air regulators with more cost-effective strategies to reduce air pollution from autos than the current system of individual auto inspections.
The Clean Air Act sets standards for emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC) from new automobiles. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests automobile models for compliance with these standards. Since the mid-1960s, emissions of CO and HC from cars measured in these "on-cycle" lab tests have come down 96 percent. At the same time, cars in actual use emitted only 75 percent less CO and HC, while Americans drove twice as many miles per year--resulting in a roughly 50-percent net drop in actual auto emissions. Vehicle travel is growing so rapidly that the trend of decreasing total emissions could reverse without additional regulatory steps.
One problem with using the on-cycle tests to predict a car's real emissions is that the tests measure a car's performance in the lab, not on the road. Road emissions tend to be higher because drivers run their cars at higher speeds and accelerations than in the on-cycle tests. The EPA does not extensively test emissions from cars after they have been on the road for a few years, when the performance of emission controls has begun to degrade.
Wenzel and Ross analyzed thousands of observations of car tailpipe exhaust measured with a remote sensing system used in California. The system's infrared beam measures the CO, CO2 and HC emissions directly from the tailpipe as the car drives by, while a video camera records the car's license plate. Researchers from the University of Denver gathered this data for the California Air Resources Board in 1991. They set up the system at several sites in California. State Department of Motor Vehicles records provided each car's vehicle identification number, which encodes the make, model, engine type, and other technical data for each vehicle.
Wenzel and Ross studied 4,000 observations of 3,000 model year 1987-1989 cars that were two-to-five years old. Their aim was to determine the probability that a car on the road had malfunctioning emissions controls. They expected that these "young" cars, which were within the manufacturers' warranty period for emission control components, would have a low probability of malfunction.
"What we found surprised us" says Wenzel, "About 10 percent of these cars showed CO emissions that were 50 times higher than for properly functioning cars. This is a very high rate for young cars." They also found that the malfunction rate varied widely by vehicle model; some models had few or none, while others had failure rates of up to 30 percent.
The data did not show a correlation between manufacturer and probability of malfunction. In fact, their data suggests that the manufacturers whose models were among the worst identified also had very clean models. The five worst-performing models were low-priced models of Asian manufacturers: an average of 22 percent of the models in this category had malfunctioning emissions controls, compared to 6 percent for all the other models. At the same time, the mid- and high-priced models of the same manufacturers had very low failure rates. Most domestic models performed well, falling into the middle of the range of malfunction percentages.
Another finding of the Berkeley Lab study is that malfunction rates are higher in vehicles with certain technologies. With few exceptions, carbureted automobiles were more likely to malfunction than fuel-injected ones.
"The data indicate that emission control problems are not necessarily the fault of drivers not properly maintaining their cars. Certain models appear to have more problems than others. Policies that focus on improving the durability of emission controls on all models may therefore be more cost-effective in reducing emissions than the proposed approaches," Wenzel says.
A profile of Jose's life and work will appear in next week's Currents.
This past October, Martin Head-Gordon, of the Chemical Sciences Division, received a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship. This highly competitive five-year fellowship provides a total of $450,000 for each recipient to support his or her research. Head-Gordon is developing new algorithms for calculating ground and excited states of molecules with the idea that these algorithms will eventually serve as standard tools of chemistry. His group recently made a significant breakthrough with the development of the "Continuous Fast Multipole Method," an algorithm that makes calculations for large molecules feasible by dramatically reducing computation. "We're trying to redefine the frontiers of electronic structure theory," Head-Gordon says.
POINT AND COUNTERPOINT:
A GAO report issued last week which was critical of a DOE "Success Stories" report on the basis of "faulty analyses" was itself roundly criticized for "faulty analyses." The GAO report was commissioned by House Budget Committee chairman John Kasich (R-Ohio) to investigate DOE claims that relatively small investments in energy R&D have paid huge dividends to consumers. GAO concluded that DOE made some valid claims but "we found problems with the analyses DOE used to support the benefits cited in 11 out of the 15 cases we reviewed. (This) makes DOE's estimates of the benefits for these cases questionable." The GAO report came under immediate fire from DOE supporters for, among other things, dismissing the conclusion of the Success Stories report over a few math errors and incomplete analysis. In a letter to GAO leaders, Rep. George Brown Jr. (D-Calif.) wrote, "The picture left by your report is that DOE is either incompetent or lying and that the successes claimed are actually failures. The truth is that your evaluation is unbalanced, incomplete, and often dead wrong, and even using your own preferred methods, most of the challenged cases would still count as successes." DOE has said it will revise its Success Stories report. GAO has not said whether it, too, will make revisions in its report.
CONGRESSMAN CLEARS WAY FOR DOE TO EXTEND UC LAB CONTRACTS:
Representative Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), who represents the district in which Los Alamos National Lab is located, has announced he is dropping his request that DOE seek bids on the LANL contract. Because LANL was the only one of the UC-operated labs for which the University's continued management was being challenged by a member of Congress, this announcement is believed to have cleared the way for DOE to extend the UC contract at all three labs. Richardson says the University made concessions to his concerns. Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary says she will announce DOE's decision on extending the UC contracts for LANL, LLNL, and Berkeley Lab by the end of this month.
Templates for Berkeley Lab letterhead, internal memos, viewgraphs, and name tags, as well as the logo itself, can be obtained through the Workstation server, the Web, or the TEID Composition Group, X6600.
Among the stationery options is a generic Berkeley Lab letterhead with the official laboratory address, plus versions for each division. Department, center, group or other special letterheads require division approval and can be prepared by TEID for electronic and hard-copy production. Pre-printed division stationery may be ordered by calling Faye Jobes at X6787. Generic Lab letterhead and envelopes are available through Stores.
A letterhead request form also appears on the Server and the Web (via the TEID home page) and can be handled through the Composition Group in Bldg. 50F.
In the logo folder, black-and-white and one- and two-color versions are available as encapsulated postscript (EPS) files. They can be imported or placed into Microsoft Word, and can be sized as needed. Alternative logos designed for special applications are also available through TEID's Illustration and Design Group. For assistance, contact Flavio Robles (X5997) or Marilee Bailey (X4145).
Business card designs are also being prepared by TEID. Applications and information forms are available at the Employee Buying Service in the cafeteria lobby.
CAPTION: EVERY ONE'S A WINNER--During an Earth Month tour of the Sutta Company, Berkeley Lab employees stand in front of bales of shredded California lottery tickets slated for recycling--all of the shredded tickets in the bales were winners! The Sutta Company is one of two vendors that helps recycle as much of Berkeley Lab's waste stream as possible, in this case by accepting shipments of unsorted waste from office trash receptacles, separating out the paper, and shredding and baling it for shipment to facilities that can generate recycled paper and other products. Sutta handles paper waste from all over the Bay Area. As many as 25 trucks a day leave the plant loaded with bales.
Basic Electrical Hazard Awareness-Researchers (EHS 260), 10 a.m.-noon, Bldg. 51-201
JOINT CENTER FOR BEAM PHYSICS & PHYSICS DIVISION & UCB PHYSICS DEPT. COLLOQUIUM
"Logical Analysis of EPR-Bohm and Stern-Gerlach Experiments" will be presented by Yuri Orlov of Cornell University from 12:30 - 2 p.m. in 308 Le Conte Hall.
DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM
"Fusion, The Competition and the Prospects for Alternative Fusion Concepts" will be presented by L. John Perkins of LLNL at 3:30 p.m. in 3105 Etcheverry; refreshments, 3:15 p.m.
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM
"The Almost Magical World of Photonic Crystals" will be presented by J.D. Joannopoulos of MIT at 4:30 p.m. in 1 Le Conte Hall; refreshments, 4 p.m., 375 Le Conte.
Chemical Hygiene & Safety Training (EHS 348), 9 a.m.-noon, Bldg. 51-201
EARTH MONTH ACTIVITY
Pollution Prevention Awards, noon, in the Bldg. 50 Auditorium.
JOINT CENTER FOR BEAM PHYSICS & UCB SLAVIC AND EAST EUROPE CENTER LUNCHEON SEMINAR
"The Probability of a Neo-Totalitarian Regime in Russia" will be presented by Yuri Orlov of Cornell University at noon in 270 Stephens Hall.
LIFE SCIENCES DIVISION SEMINAR
"Double-Strand Break Repair and the Specific Cloning of Human DNA in Yeast" will be presented by Michael A. Resnick of the National Institute of Env. Health Science at 4 p.m. in the Bldg. 66 Auditorium.
SURFACE SCIENCE AND CATALYSIS SEMINAR
"Highly Selective Organometallic CVD of Germanium from 1.3-Di-ter.butyl-1,3,2-Diazagermolidin-2-Yilidine" will be presented by Stan Veprek of the Technical University of Munich, Germany, at 1:30 p.m. in the Bldg. 66 Auditorium.
"Origins of Quantum Hilbert Space and Indeterminism" will be presented by Yuri Orlov of Cornell University from 12:30 - 2 p.m. in 308 Le Conte Hall.
ENERGY AND RESOURCES GROUP COLLOQUIUM
"The Coming Energy/Environment/Security Train-Wreck: -Why business as usual is a prescription for disaster. -What we should be doing about it. -Why we're not doing it." will be presented by John P. Holdren of UCB at 3:30 p.m. in the Lipman Room, 8th Floor, Barrows Hall; reception, 3 p.m.
"Microengineering of Heterogeneous Catalysts" will be presented by Abhaya Datye of the University of New Mexico at 1:30 p.m. in the Bldg. 66 Auditorium.
DEPARTMENT OF ASTRONOMY COLLOQUIUM
"Rings" will be presented by Doug Hamilton of the University of Maryland at 4 p.m. in 1 Le Conte Hall; refreshments, 3:30 p.m. at 661 Campbell Hall.
"Coherent Radiation from Short Bunches in Storage Ring" will be presented by Sam Krinsky of BNL at 2 p.m. in the Bldg. 71 conference room.
DEPARTMENT OF NUCLEAR ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM
"Inertial Fusion Energy: A Clearer View of the Safety and Environmental Perspectives" will be presented by Jeff Latowski of UCB at 3:30 p.m. in 3105 Etcheverry; refreshments, 3:15 p.m.
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM
"Single Molecule Flashlights: A Spectroscopic Yard-stick for DNA, Proteins and Stuff" will be presented by Shimon Weiss of LBNL at 4:30 p.m. in 1 Le Conte Hall.
General meeting at noon in the lower level cafeteria.
TOASTMASTERS'
Officer's meeting at 12:10 p.m. in Bldg. 2-100
7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., near Bldg. 77
AFRICAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
General meeting at noon in Bldg. 90-1099.
SURFACE SCIENCE AND CATALYSIS SEMINAR
"Template-Directed Crystal Growth Using Biomolecular Membranes" will be presented by Deborah Charych of LBNL at 1:30 p.m. in the Bldg. 66 Auditorium.
PHYSICS DIVISION RESEARCH PROGRESS MEETING
"The First Extrasolar Planets" will be presented by Geoff Marcy of UCB/SFSU at 4 p.m. in Bldg. 50A-5132; refreshments, 3:40 p.m.
"Generation of High-Intensity Half-Cycle Electromagnetic Pulses" will be presented by Edward Budiarto of UCB at 10:30 a.m. in the Bldg. 71 conference room. Photo by Don Fike
Pre-registration is required for all courses except Intro to EH&S. To pre-register for all other classes, send e-mail to LBNL Training-Registration in the HR zone or send a fax to X4072 with your name, employee ID number, extension, and class name, date & code (or call X5999).
'84 JEEP Cherokee 4X4, loaded, new all-terrain tires, brakes & battery, $4K. Tom, 547-5445
'85 SAAB 900, 4-dr, 106K mi., exc. int., 5-spd, CD, $4K. Pat, 874-7877 (day), 568-6386 (eve.)
'86 TOYOTA Celica GT, silver, 5-spd, a/c, AM/FM cass., 112K mi., exc. cond., $4700. Bob, X6557, 527-6937 (eve.)
'87 NISSAN Sentra, 168K mi., 5-spd, gd cond., reliable, $1K. Klaus, X7779, 540-1206 (eve.)
'88 FORD Escort GL, white, 4-dr hatchbk, a/t, a/c, AM/FM cass. stereo w/4 spkrs, tilt steering wheel, 27K mi., well maintained, exc. cond., $5500. 652-4190
'88 TOYOTA Dolphin motorhome, 22', 67K mi., 4-cyl., a/t, a/c, 1 owner, exc. cond., $10.5K/b.o. Adele, X5803, 658-5503
'92 HONDA Civic LX, 4-dr, a/c, exc. cond., 45K mi., $10.8K/b.o. Inna, X6312, 881-5646
'95 PLYMOUTH Neon, sports sedan, 5-spd, 132 HP, loaded, 4-disk/ABS, alarm, emerald/tan, warranty, $10,750. Philip, X5096, 236-9778
TIRES, 2 ea., Michelin, 205/65/sr 15 V rated, low mi., $25 ea. R. Arri, X4593
CABLE CHAINS, slightly used, from '80 Honda Civic, fits tire sizes: 5.50 & 5.60-12, 145 & 155 R12, and 135 R13, $10. Linda, X5716
CABINET for home, audio/video rack style, 6' tall, 30" wide, 12" deep, has 4 adj. height shelves - 2 glass, wood finish, 2 units avail., $60 ea./b.o. Philip, X6583
COIN SORTER, commercial, electric, Klopp engineering, $100. Ed, 526-6328
COLOR PRINT CARTRIDGE for Hewlett-Packard Color DeskJet/ Deskwriter, never used, $20. Bill, X5703
GOLF CLUBS, set of "Sting", used twice, irons are 2 thru sand wedge, 3 metal woods, swing weight D-1, stiff shafts, standard grips, cost $650 new, sell for $450 firm. Kathy, 837-7062 (eve.)
SKI LIFT TICKETS (2), for Squaw Valley, usually $44 ea., $35 ea. Luanne, X5853
TENNIS RACQUET, Wilson Prostaff, mid sz., great cond., string of your choice, $75 + stringing. Dan, X7356, 848-2005
TONER CARTRIDGES for older Apple, HP, etc. laserprinter series I, $10 ea. Ken, X7739
WATER FILTERS, NSA, sink models 50C & 100S. Marek, X5029, 582-5867
WINDSURFING EQUIPMENT, 9'6" Fanatic Ultra Bee Slalom Board, $250; 5.8 ART Rad Wing, $50; 3.1 Convertible Windwing, $75; 2 pc. epoxy mast, $25. Erik, X6435
WORK SPACE/ARTIST STUDIO, Berkeley, 3K sq. ft. to share, incl. use of machine tools & other metal & wood working equip., rent will depend on need, $100-$350/mo. + dep. X5869, 843-5052
BERKELEY, 1-bdrm apt, nr Blake @ Sacramento, avail. mid-May, new, yd setting, off st. parking, $500/mo.+util. Meng, 841-6452
BERKELEY HILLS, summer sublet, 2-bdrm house, above stadium, 15 min. walk from UCB, very pvt., bay views, floor to ceiling windows, open beam construction, pvt. patio, avail. between 5/27 & 8/7, $250/wk, incl. utils., min. 7 wks. Ian or Debbie, 548-8384
NO. BERKELEY, nr LBNL/UCB, part. furn., 5-bdrm, 3-bth, 2-story contemp., bay view, frpl, decks, sunny, LR, DR, avail. mid-July, $2200/mo. + utils., $2800 dep., poss. addt'l studio. 845-2901, 524-4654
NO. BERKELEY HILLS, furn. 1-bdrm in home, avail. 6/23 to 7/27 or 8/16, wintergarden, balcony, bay view, sep. entrance & bth, share kitchen, washer, dryer, quiet, nr bus, $450/mo. incl. utils. Stefanie, 528-5573
CANYON, handcrafted artists' home, 1 lg bdrm, 2nd sleeping area, plus 2 bdrm, 1 bth in adjacent cabin, all appliances, redwood setting nr excellent k-8 school, 20 min. fr. LBNL, avail. 6 mo. starting 6/1 $1500/mo. 376-3543
CASTRO VALLEY, 2 bdrms avail. in home, 1 w/pvt. bth, laundry & kitchen privs., short/long term, rent & dep. negot. Marek, X5029, 582-5867
EL CERRITO, furn. rm for rent in house, pvt garden entrance & full bth, closet, privacy, yd, breakfast negot., nr bus & UC/LBNL shuttles, short/long term stays, reasonable rates, avail. 6/15. X5006, 524-2327 (until 8 p.m.)
EL CERRITO HILLS, sunny rm w/patio & yd, pvt entrance & bath, share kitchen, washer, dryer, nr bus & BART, 10 min. from LBNL, $385/mo. + utils. Daniel, X5827, 527-8756
KENSINGTON, glass house w/views, verdant setting, share w/professional woman & exuberant Labrador, pvt. courtyd, entrance, bth & lg. bdrm, workshop space avail., off-st. parking, $500/mo.+1/2 of utils. 528-3575
KENSINGTON, 3-bdrm, 1-1/2 bth house, GG view, deck, lg. yds, avail. 5/29 till 7/10, $1200/mo. 524-1641
ORINDA, furn. sm. 3-bdrm house, 1-1/2 bth, lg. garden, 3 blks from BART, 12-15 min. from LBNL, $1400/mo. Scott, (916) 894-5519, (916) 898-5747
WALNUT CREEK, 2-bdrm, 1-bth home, on cul-de-sac, woodsy setting, nr. trans., hardwd flrs, appliances, no smoking, no pets, avail. 5/1, $1100/mo. incl. gardening. 895-3584 (msg.)
NEW YORK CITY, furn., lg. studio, kitchen, dressing rm on upper Central Park West, move-in cond., convenient travel to Columbia, NYU, $1250/mo. Mel, X4801, 652-2483
WANTED: nice apt from June or July on, in Berkeley, for a 28- yr-old postdoc, smoker. [email protected]
WANTED: sunny, comfortable, quiet, house in the Kensington or Walnut Creek area for professional single mom w/9 yr. old daughter, Sept. '96 - June '97. Chris, 528-0172
WANTED: 2-3 bedroom house for visiting Israeli researcher & family, non-smokers, for Sept. '96-Feb. '97 (somewhat flex.) prefer furn., will consider unfurn. w/appliances, pet dog (but flexible), pref. Berkeley, Albany & El Cerrito. [email protected], 011-972-2-611519 (FAX)
WANTED: rental nr campus for 4 UCB grad students mid-May '96 to May '97. Graham, X5436
WANTED: house for visiting French scientist w/3 children, 6/20 thru Aug., animals welcome, could exchange 4-bdrm, 2-bth apt & car (Volvo 740) in cent. Paris. 33 1 43389440 (msg.), [email protected]
WANTED: summer rental, July/Aug., 3-bdrm house in Berkeley, Kensington or No. Oakland for visiting prof. & family from CERN. Luanne, X5853
WANTED: house mid-June thru July for visiting French scientists. Fred, X4892
SONOMA COAST, Timbercove, 2.16 acres, all utils., has beach access. Nick, 527-1965
SO. LAKE TAHOE, Tahoe Keys, 3-bdrm, 2.5-bth house, W/D, upstairs living, mountain & water views. Bob, 376-2211