[KGO] Much of the research underway in finding an alternative to gasoline is being conducted in the Bay Area. Behind one of the largest projects is an East Bay scientist who is trying to make a difference in the world. Berkeley Lab's Jay Keasling went from life on the farm to be a scientific superstar in the Bay Area. Keasling is as smart as smart gets. He's developed many of the methods for a new area of science, synthetic biology. It's a field that's allowing scientists to turn single celled organisms like the bacteria in yeast into microscopic factories that churn out compounds from scratch. More> 
Research: Tiny Algae Shed Light on Big Role Managing Carbon Scientists from two-dozen research organizations led by the Joint Genome Institute and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have decoded genomes of two algal strains, highlighting the genes that enable them to capture carbon and maintain its delicate balance in the oceans. These findings, published in the April 10 edition of the journal Science, will illuminate cellular processes related to algae-derived biofuels being pursued by Department of Energy scientists. More>
[The Oregonian] In their essay "Why Bicyclists Hate Stop Signs," Joel Fajans, with Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator and Fusion Research Division, and editor Melanie Curry write that requiring cyclists to follow the same complete-stop rules as motorists defies science. "If the bicyclist wants to maintain her average speed of 12.5 mph while still coming to a complete stop at each sign," Fajans and Curry write, "she has to increase her output power to almost 500 watts. This is well beyond the ability of all but the most fit cyclists." More>
Berkeley Lab’s Tech Transfer Office and the Sponsored Projects Office are sponsoring a workshop for researchers and administrators on the UC Discovery program. The event will take place Friday, April 17, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Perseverance Hall. Participants will learn how to submit a successful proposal to this matching grant program. More>
Special Event: Lab Researchers Join Cal Day Festivities April 18Cal Day, UC Berkeley’s annual open house, takes place Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day is chock full of activities sponsored by nearly all of the campus’s departments. In addition to exhibits, tours, and hand-on workshops are lectures, specifically geared towards lay audiences. Berkeley Lab scientists are among those slated to talk. Go here to view the times, locations and topics of Lab speakers. The entire Cal Day program is available here.
Employee Activities: Arts Council Offers Tickets for Piano ConcertLab staff interested in seeing a performance by classical pianist Leon Bates can receive one pair of complimentary concert tickets for the event. Bates will perform on Sunday, May 3, at 4 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Oakland (1547 Lakeside Drive). To get tickets, send e-mail (with name, address and phone number) here. Deadline for requests is Monday, April 20. More>
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