Staff are reminded that during the period January 25 through February 5 DOE will conduct an onsite review of Berkeley Lab’s Integrated Safety Management Systems. In preparation, the DOE team is conducting a scheduling visit beginning today and continuing through Thursday. The safety review team will look at every aspect of the Lab’s safety program, especially our compliance with Integrated Safety Management (ISM) guidelines. EH&S has established a comprehensive website that provides helpful resources to assist all employees, especially those in safety oversight and supervisory roles, to prepare for a successful review. Remember, safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Public Meeting: Helios Facility Scoping Meeting Tomorrow This Wednesday, at 6:30 pm, there will be a public meeting at the North Berkeley Senior Center to present plans for the proposed Helios Energy Research Facility, a University of California project that would be built adjacent to Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley. UC will be soliciting public input on what is projected to be a 144,000-square-foot building, expected to house 500 researchers, including those with the Energy Biosciences Institute. Employees are welcome to attend the meeting to learn more about the project or provide input about factors to be considered as part of this facility’s environmental review and design. For more information, go here.
People: DOE’s Computational Research Webzine Profiles James Sethian[ASCR Discovery] Mathematician James Sethian of CRD works on the edge – the edge where one material pushes into or retreats from another, where gases mix and burn, where metals meet silicon, even where ink meets air – among the most challenging problems in physics. For 30 years Sethian, who is also a UC Berkeley mathematics professor, has built computer codes that model combustion, that reconstruct the delicate structures hidden in the human body, and that improve the analysis of everything from seismic waves to noisy images. Among the many practical applications are improved computer chip manufacturing, medical imaging, and oil prospecting. More>
In the News: Choice of Chu for Secretary of Energy Still Making NewsPresident Elect Barack Obama’s choice to nominate Lab Director Steve Chu as his Energy Secretary continues to make the news. Chu was named one of the Bay Area’s ‘People to Watch in 2009’ by the San Francisco Chronicle, and he was also cited in a number of other press stories and blogs, including a WIRED Science story in which the choice of Chu is named one of the ‘The Top 10 Green-Tech Breakthroughs of 2008 (alternatively titled, The Great Green Hope).
HR/Benefits: Sign Up Now for Workshop on ‘Caregiver Stress and Success’The Human Resources Benefits Department will be sponsoring a “Caregiver Stress and Success Workshop” on Thursday, January 15. It will be held in Building 2-Room 100B from 11 am - noon. The guest speaker will be Maureen Kelly, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Elder Care Counselor from Care Services. The workshop will explore the stressors associated with caregiving and will provide strategies for getting assistance and support in making difficult decisions. This is a free workshop, open to all Lab employees.
Construction Update: Traffic Interruption For Crane Work Near Guest House Today To accommodate a crane that will be hoisting roof trusses to the third level of the Guest House now under construction, the portion of Lawrence Road in front of the site will be reduced to one lane today. At times, flaggers will stop traffic flow in both directions for intervals lasting no more than five minutes. Drivers are urged to use caution when traversing this area, and pedestrians should use marked crosswalks and directional signs. The project should be complete by 2 p.m.
