How do you lift a three-ton ion source apparatus? The answer, according to Guy Pulsifer, manager of the Central Fabrication Shops of the Engineering Division, is not in the latest do-it-yourself Cranes for Dummies. "You can't move a high-value instrument of that size without talking to a Facilities SME [subject matter expert] who specializes in rigging," he says. More>
In The News: Scientists Decoding 'Brett' DNA to Stop Wine Spoilage[Wine Spectator] The only thing worse than that first whiff of barnyard smell coming from your glass of wine is the realization that the whole case is contaminated. Brettanomyces, aka brett, can be a winemaker's worst enemy. A yeast species that contaminates wine and corrupts the entire fermentation process, brettanomyces can lead to flavors best described as sweaty horse, manure, Band-Aid and burnt plastic. Now, scientists at the Joint Genome Institute have begun a project to decode and sequence the brettanomyces genome. More>
The Naval Facilities Engineering Command has completed the installation of a 21-kilowatt "Building Integrated Photovoltaic Roof" (BIPV) roof at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, AZ. The BIPV system is comprised of amorphous silicon photovoltaic panels bonded onto an Energy Star-rated polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) roof membrane, requiring less drilling and penetration of the roof structure than with previous methods. The Navy is collaborating with Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division to evaluate both the energy production and savings potential of the new roof system. More>
Pandemic Flu: With Possible Resurgence in Fall, Lab Website Offers Info, Resources Several organizations, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are preparing for a potential resurgence of the H1N1 influenza virus this fall. The Lab is also preparing for the possible increase in flu cases with the creation of its own pandemic flu website. The site includes an overview of the Lab's response, human resource FAQs, links to prevention resources, and access to the Lab's business continuity plan.
People: CRD's David Bailey in Australia as Visiting ProfessorDavid Bailey, Chief Technologist for the Computational Research Division, has been invited to spend four weeks in Australia as a visiting professor at the University of Newcastle. Bailey was asked to "participate in collaborative research in the area of mathematics and network with colleagues within the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences." During his visit, Bailey will give presentations on "Computing: The Third Mode of Scientific Discovery," "High-Precision Arithmetic Meets Experimental Mathematics," and "Experimental Mathematics Meets Mathematical Physics."
The fueling station at Building 76 will be unavailable this week due to repairs. Those who need to fill up their vehicles off-site can contact the Work Request Center (x6274) for their vehicle's credit card.
Today at Berkeley Lab is produced by Public Affairs' Communications Department
