Cleanup of environmentally contaminated sites can be significantly more effective and less expensive if more realistic health-risk assessments and cost models are included in remediation strategies. This is one of the preliminary findings of the SELECT project, a team of Berkeley Lab scientists working on a computational framework for determining cost-effective environmental remediation strategies.
The SELECT project brings together all of the components of a cleanup into a single framework. An environmental cleanup begins with the characterization of the nature and extent of the site's contamination. The next steps are evaluating the effectiveness of remediation options, assessing the exposure to contaminants under these options, and evaluating the resulting human health risks. Finally, the developers of the cleanup plan must assess the cost of various options. Policymakers can make informed decisions about the most effective and cost-wise alternative by comparing the human health risk reduction to the cost of remediation options. The knowledge to facilitate development of cleanup plans incorporating all of these steps will be part of the SELECT software.
"The SELECT project is ideal for a national laboratory," says Thomas McKone, an environmental engineer who is the project's new leader. "While universities are strongest at single-investigator research, the national labs are an ideal place to bring together all of the pieces of a cross-disciplinary problem. An area like hazardous waste research requires the cooperation of scientists in many fields--chemists, geologists, ecologists, computer scientists, engineers, etc. And when you bring in health risk assessments, you need toxicologists, biochemists, statisticians, public health experts and many others."
McKone holds a joint appointment with the Energy and Environment Division and UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. He is a member of two National Academy of Sciences committees, the Committee on Toxicology, and the Committee on Health Effects of Waste Incinerators. McKone comes to Berkeley Lab after having spent five years developing a computer model called CalTOX for the California Environmental Protection Agency.
CalTOX is designed to assess health risks from contaminated soils and is one of the modules for SELECT. "CalTOX is being merged into SELECT to add the dimension of variability of conditions at the site and uncertainties in information," McKone says.
To bring the needs of potential SELECT users into the development process, McKone and his group are talking to researchers and policymakers working on a variety of remediation problems. The Air Force's Center for Environmental Excellence, the Berkeley Environmental Restoration Center, which is working with the Navy on the closure of the California's Alameda Naval Air Station, DOE's Savannah River facility, the Consortium for Environmental Risk Evaluation at Tulane University, and the California Environmental Protection Agency are all interested in using SELECT in various remediation efforts.
When it is fully up and running, SELECT will be in a form that can be made available through the Internet. Users will submit site information through their own computers and call up 3-D simulations of contaminant transport through time, graphs of pollutant concentrations, exposure tables, health information about many environmental contaminants, and cost spreadsheets. A demonstration of the SELECT prototype is available now on the World Wide Web at http://omega.lbl.gov/select/.
The SELECT project got a big lift with the Lab's recent acquisition of the National Energy Research Supercomputing Center.
"We're excited about collaborating with NERSC," says McKone. "Making public access to SELECT possible will require putting the software on a much bigger, faster machine." SELECT is also designed so that developers can update it with the best existing models. The development team will use NERSC's computational power to improve SELECT's ability to simulate physical, chemical and biological processes, providing its users with better science to guide policy decisions.
CAPTION: Environmental engineer Thomas McKone is the SELECT project's new leader. Photo by Joe Moore
CAPTION: The Lab's celebration of Asian Heritage Month continues at noon on Thursday, May 30, with a presentation by noted author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni in the Bldg. 50 auditorium. She will discuss her book "Arranged Marriage," which won the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award and the PEN Oakland Award for best fiction in 1995. The author, who was born in India and spent the first 19 years of her life there, received her doctorate degree from UC Berkeley, and now teaches creative writing at Foothill College. She is an author several times over, and the recipient of many writing prizes and awards.
As of mid-May, 276 cards have been issued to 168 trained cardholders. Since the beginning of the fiscal year, more than 2,500 transactions have been processed through the program (see chart), at a value of more than $1.1 million. In the last two months the dollar value of procurement card transactions has more than doubled.
For more information about the program, and to obtain application forms, contact procurement card administrator Marguerite Fernandes (X5158, [email protected]) or visit the Procurement Web site (http://purch1.lbl.gov).
After a five-year hiatus from the stage, contracts assistant Mari Shine is easing her way back into local theater, hoping to achieve a previously elusive balance of artistic expression, motherhood, and a career at the Lab. She plays M'Lynn in the Moraga Playhouse production of Robert Harling's "Steel Magnolias," which runs through June 1.
Shine began acting at age 12 in New Jersey. In 1968, she entered college as a drama major in Boston. She soon left school to pursue an acting career, working odd jobs to support her stagecraft, and occasionally receiving college credit for her work.
Twenty-eight years and 38 jobs later, she now has a bachelor's degree in theater, and just completed her third year at the Lab. In a move motivated largely by motherhood, Shine sought a career position and began working in the Center for Science and Engineering Education in 1993, where she worked until being transferred to the Office for Sponsored Research Administration last fall. During this time she was able to complete her final credits at UC Berkeley to receive her degree from Thomas Edison College in New Jersey.
Besides New Jersey and Boston, Shine's stage career includes work in Florida, San Francisco, and in Idaho, where she helped found Laughing Stock, a theater company in Sun Valley. Shortly before leaving the stage to have a baby, Shine also did stand-up comedy at El Rio, a club in the Mission District. In 1992, she won a "Shellie Award" for best actress in a Contra Costa County play production.
Shine, now divorced, lives in Lafayette with her 5-year-old daughter, Halle. "She actually likes me," Shine quips, "which I find surprising." Although she has a very crowded schedule, Shine relishes the time she spends with her daughter, who she says provides inspiration for her theatrical endeavors.
When not performing, Shine enjoys teaching theater for children. This summer, she will be holding one-day "theater camps" on Saturdays at the Moraga Playhouse.
"Theater brings reality to people and helps them think and reflect about things that are important," says Shine. "The relationship between the players and the audience isn't possible on film or television. Hearing people laugh and seeing grown men cry makes such a difference. We all come together to laugh, cry and learn about life."
Shine's performance in "Magnolias" can be seen at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Moraga Playhouse through June 1.
CAPTION: Contracts assistant Mari Shine (right) plays M'Lynn in the Moraga Playhouse production of "Steel Magnolias," which runs through June 1. Photo by Sally Wilson
MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY
OPEN CALENDAR
EH&S CLASS
Earthquake Safety (EHS 135), 10-11:30 a.m., Bldg. 48-109
EMPLOYEE MUSIC CLUB
Folk Group Rehearsal, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria, for info. contact Larry Bell at X5406.
ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH ACTIVITY
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of "Arranged Marriage," will discuss her book at noon in the Bldg. 50 Auditorium.
BUILDING ENERGY SEMINAR
"The Visual DOE Simulation Tool" will be presented by Charles Eley of Eley & Associates at noon in Bldg. 90-3148.
CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY SEMINAR
"Biofilm and its Morphology: The Fractal Approach" will be presented by Slawomir Hermanowicz of UCB at noon in Bldg. 50A-5132.
SURFACE SCIENCE AND CATALYSIS SCIENCE SEMINAR
"Surface Photochemistry on Pt(111): Probing the Reaction Dynamics of Catalysis" will be presented by Ian Harrison of the University of Virginia at 1:30 p.m. in Bldg. 66 Auditorium.
BIOSCIENCES DISTINGUISHED LECTURE
"Proto-oncogene and Cell Signalling" will be presented by J. Michael Bishop of UCSF/G.W. Hooper Research Foundation at 4 p.m. in the Bldg. 66 Auditorium.
PHYSICS DIVISION RESEARCH PROGRESS MEETING
"The ATLAS Detector for LHC" will be presented by Kevin Einsweiler of LBNL at 4 p.m. in Bldg. 50A-5132; refreshments, 3:40 p.m.
EMPLOYEE MUSIC CLUB
Rock Group Rehearsal, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria, for info. contact Steve Blair at X5927.
OPEN CALENDAR
EMPLOYEE MUSIC CLUB
Classical Group Rehearsal, 5-7 p.m. in the cafeteria, for info. contact Wesley Steele at X7893.
OPEN CALENDAR
TOASTMASTERS
Officer's meeting at 12:10 p.m. in Bldg. 2-100.
EH&S CLASS
Chemical Hygiene and Safety Training (EHS 348), 1-4 p.m., Bldg. 51-201
EMPLOYEE MUSIC CLUB
Folk Group Rehearsal, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria, for info. contact Larry Bell at X5406.
SHOEMOBILE
7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., near Bldg. 77
EH&S CLASS
Introduction to EH&S Safety at LBNL (EHS 010), 9-11:30 a.m., Bldg. 66 Aud.
BUILDING ENERGY SEMINAR
"Overview of the Tool Lending Library Program and Misc. Case Studies - Empowering Tool Users: Automating the Data Collection Process" will be presented by Robert Marcial and Charlie Huizenga, of PG&E at noon in Bldg. 90-3148.
PHYSICS DIVISION RESEARCH PROGRESS MEETING
"The Search for the Quark-Gluon Plasma at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)" will be presented by Jay Marx of LBNL at 4 p.m. in Bldg. 50B-4205; refreshments, 3:40 p.m.
EMPLOYEE MUSIC CLUB
Rock Group Rehearsal, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria, for info. contact Steve Blair at X5927.
OPEN CALENDAR
Between May 27 and June 17, traffic in the lower canyon area (Strawberry Canyon Recreational Area) will be controlled by a flagperson between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. Traffic will be restricted to a single traffic lane and uphill and downhill traffic will be regulated by the flagperson. Between the hours of 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., and on weekends, both traffic lanes will be open (one uphill and one downhill) and no flagperson will be present. Please be cautious in the construction area. The road surface will be irregular, and reduced speeds are advised.
Watch Currents for updates on future phases of the work. For more information, contact Eric Yee at X7144.
Please note also:
'86 TOYOTA Celica GT, sliver, cloth int., 5-spd, a/c, AM/FM cass., 112K mi., 1 owner, gd cond., $3700/b.o. Bob, X6557, 527-6937 (eve.)
'94 TOYOTA 4-Runner, SR5, V6, a/t, all pwr, CD, leather, alarm sys., tow pkg, low mi. 642-1826
'95 HYUNDAI Elantra GLS, silver, a/t, 4-dr, a/c, sunrf, pw, pl, cruise, all warranties & roadside in effect, 8800 mi., $12.5K. Kris, X5571
CARPOOL, drivers wanted from Modesto to Berkeley BART or LBNL. Yvonne, X5792
VANPOOL, two riders looking for ride from Modesto to Berkeley BART or LBNL. Yvonne, X5792
VANPOOL, riders wanted from Rohnert Park - stopping at Petaluma and Novato - ending at Berkeley BART, Commuter Checks accepted. Shirley, X4521
HOUSE FOR HOUSE-SITTING, Berkeley area, week of 8/17-25. Jeff, (202) 484-0883, [email protected]
ULTIMATE FRISBEE PLAYERS, for a coed corporate league tournament in Santa Rosa, 6/8. J. Eto, X7284
CAMERA BODY, Cannon Elan, autofocus, 35mm, under warranty, Canon F1.8 50mm lens, both in exc. cond., $350. 841-6285
COMPUTER, Quadra 700, 20Mb RAM, 2Mb VRAM, 500Mb hard drive, Apple extended keyboard, mouse, accelerated to run at 33Mhz, $1050/b.o. John, 525-3323 (eve.)
COMPUTER, Mac SE30, 8MB Ram, 200 MB HD, 19" radius 2-pg. Monochrome monitor, keyboard, mouse, manuals & software, System 7.5.3, just tuned up, $500. Robert, (415) 863-6133
DISHWASHER, built-in, Whirlpool, $100. Matt, X6428, 247-0447
FUTON, queen sz., hardwd frame w/arms, 1 yr. old, $150. 525-4594 (eve.)
FUTONS (2), 1 king sz., fairly new, $130; 1 reg. sz., $50. Werner, X7315, 527-4491
GARAGE SALE, 20th annual Jordan Rd./neighborhood, Redwood Rd. off Warren fwy or 35th Ave. off 580, Sat., 6/1, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
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.)
MOVING SALE, oak entertainment center, like new, $175; oak end table & coffee table, like new, $150; sofa, $100; bamboo/glass shelving unit, $90; Craftsman power mower, $40. Tammy or Mike, 455-4226
PRINTER, Panasonic 9-pin dot matrix, KWP-1180 w/stand, dust cover & extra ribbon, $40/offer. Dave, X4024, 526-0552 (eve.)
YARD SALE, multi-family, Sat., 5/25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 2325 McKinley (& Channing) below Martin Luther King Jr. Way
BERKELEY, Delaware/Shattuck, rm for rent in 2-bdrm apt, share w/postdoc visitor, prefer woman, avail. 7/10, $465/mo. Ana, X4249, 486-0786 (eve.)
BERKELEY, brand new, 1 lg. bdrm & 1 bth in 2-bdrm, 2-bth apts, part furn., washer/dryer, microwave, walk to LBNL/UCB, nr shopping & trans., no smoking, no pets, avail. 6/1, $500/mo. + util., dep., mo. by mo. X6736, 841-2140
BERKELEY, Northside, Rose & Walnut, short term, furn. 1 & 2-bdrm apts, incl. local phone, utils., linen & weekly cleaning, 4 blks from UCB/LBNL shuttle, $975-$1200/mo. Viki, 549-1876
NO. BERKELEY, nr LBNL/UCB, part. furn. 5-bdrm, 3-bth house, 2-story, bay view, frpl, decks, LR, DR, avail. mid-July, $2200/mo. + utils., possibly addt'l studio. 845-2901, 524-4654
EL CERRITO HILLS, 2-bdrm, 1 bth house, ofc. space, dining rm, hardwd flr, 1-car garage, washer/dryer, bay view, yd, $950/mo. X6460, 778-0280
EMERYVILLE, Emerybay, bdrm in 3-bdrm, 2-bth apt, frpl, swimming pool, spas, fitness center, garage, completely gated, shuttle to BART, prefer female/non-smoker, $425/mo. 841-5109
KENSINGTON, furn. rm, avail. 6/15 - 8/1 (flex.), $350/mo. 526-2007
KENSINGTON, lg. furn. house, avail. 6/19 - 8/28 (all/part), room for 1-2 adults & 1-2 children, must share w/part time occupant, prorated at $800-$1200 depending upon the number of people. D.M. Moltz, X7853
OAKLAND, 3-bdrm, 4-story home, ofc. w/IBM comp. multi-media computer/printer/modem & Internet connection, lg. yd, washer/dryer/dishwasher, non-smokers, avail. for July (pos. part of Aug.), $1K/mo. Claudia, 834-7607
OAKLAND, Rockridge, furn. 2-bdrm, 2-bth house, lg. living & dining rms, frpl, Golden Gate view, walk to BART, avail. 6/1 (flexible dates), $1800/mo. 654-1492
OAKLAND HILLS, recently built 3-bdrm, 2.5 bth house, bay views, master bedroom suite, lg. living rm w/frpl, family rm, kitchen w/hardwd flrs, deck, laundry, 2-car garage, 15 min. drive from UCB/LBNL, $1795/mo. 482-4252
RICHMOND HEIGHTS, furn. 3-bdrm, 2-bth top flat in 2-story house, 1800 sq. ft., garage/game rm, next to Wildcat Cyn, lg. yd, view, nr shopping & trans., 7 mi. no. from LBNL, avail. June (negot.), $1250/mo. up to 1 yr., long term $1100/mo. Elena, 233-5732 (eve.)
WANTED: rm in a shared apt or live-in, starting 5/28, for a visiting Chinese physicist, prefer walking distance to LBNL or nr LBNL shuttle route. Song, (415) 723-9749, (415) 949-4592
WANTED: apt, cottage or house for LBNL employee, in East Bay, long term, max. rent $800/mo. X5006, 524-2327
WANTED: housing for visiting German scientist (LBNL/ALS), 6/24 - 7/16. Jens, (+49)6221/512-326, [email protected]
WANTED: house/apt, 2/3 bedrooms, 6/15 - 8/31, for visiting German scientist & quiet family (wife & 2 teenage daughters), non-smokers, prefer walking distance to UCB or nr public trans. Ernst, (+49)22544452, [email protected]
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: 1-bdrm apt for 1 mo. starting 8/17, sublet or rent, prefer nr UCB. Luanne, X5853