Lab staff are invited to attend an onsite forum on post- employment benefits hosted by the University of California on Thursday, Dec. 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Building 50 Auditorium. The forum will include a presentation on the fiscal challenges facing UC and how retirement and medical benefits may be affected. Representatives from UC and the Lab will be on hand. Time will be allotted for attendees to ask questions. The forum will be webcast live and viewers can submit their questions via e-mail during the event. The webcast link and e-mail address will be provided in Today at Berkeley Lab on the day of the event.
Despite being all the way across the country, staff at the Lab’s Washington D.C. office participate in their own Runaround every year, on the same day, at the same time, and approximately the same length. But Erin Claybaugh (left), Phil Coleman (center), and Moira Howard-Jeweler don’t relegate their running to just the Runaround. They are avid runners, and often race to raise money for charitable causes. More>
Special Event: Earth Sciences ‘Distinguished’ Talk on Carbon CaptureAs part of the Earth Sciences Division's Distinguished Scientist Seminar Series, Peter Keleman, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University, will present a talk on Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Building 50 Auditorium. He will discuss “Enhanced, In-Situ Mineral Carbonation in Peridotite for Carbon Capture and Storage.” Keleman studies the evolution of the continental upper mantle, the role of density instabilities on crustal evolution, the deeper parts of earthquakes, and reactive transport of low temperature fluid through mantle peridotites. More>
Updates on research programs in feedstock production modeling, cellulose pretreatment, and cell wall imaging (pictured), plus highlights from two national reports on biofuels, are among the stories featured in the fall issue of the EBI Bulletin, quarterly newsletter of the Energy Biosciences Institute. More>
All employees are invited to join together in the Cafeteria from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday to celebrate the holiday season with desserts, beverages and door prizes. Director Paul Alivisatos will address the gathering at approximately 4 p.m. Staff are reminded that the Lab is conducting a collection drive for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Barrels are located in the Cafeteria lobby for non-perishable food donations. Online donations are also accepted. As of Friday, the Lab had contributed nearly $80 via the food bank’s website.
IT: Staff Asked to Weigh In on Calendar Improvements The Oracle Calendar tool that the Lab has used for the past 10 years will be replaced next year. A survey of capabilities was constructed, through which calendar “power users” indicated desirable features. While trade-offs will be necessary, it is important to understand which of these criteria are the most important. Those who use the Lab’s calendar system are invited to participate in a survey where they can identify the features most important to them. More>
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