The Lab is hosting one of three Regional Science Bowl competitions being held in the Bay Area for local high school students on Saturday, Feb 7.
The winners will receive a paid trip to Washington DC and the chance to participate in the Department Of Energy's National Science Bowl Competition. Volunteers are needed to serve as timekeepers, scorekeepers, scientific judges and moderators. To learn more contact Joe Crippen at [email protected] or at extension 5816.
Research: A Better Way to Make Nanotubes A compound synthesized for the first time by Berkeley Lab scientists could help to push nanotechnology out of the lab and into faster electronic devices, more powerful sensors, and other advanced technologies. The scientists developed a hoop-shaped chain of benzene molecules that had eluded synthesis, despite numerous efforts, since it was theorized more than 70 years ago. More>
In the News: Desktop Atom Smashers[New Scientist] An entirely new design of accelerator could revolutionize the economics of particle physics. Out are many-kilometer-long tunnels; in is a compact construction a fraction the size. When a laser plows through a plasma, huge accelerating fields can be created by displaced ions and electrons. "It's like a motorboat on a lake creating a wave in the water behind it," says Wim Leemans, who leads the development of plasma-based accelerators at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Electrons at the crest of the density wave can surf down it - gaining a huge amount of energy as they go. More>
Special Seminar: Noontime Talk Tomorrow: NIF Technologies for Carbon-Free PowerDr. Edward Moses, Principal Associate Director of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and Photon Science at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will give a talk titled, “LIFE: A Fusion-Fission Hybrid Concept for a Secure, Carbon-Free Energy Future.” The seminar will take place from noon to 1 pm in the Building 50 Auditorium. Moses will discuss an LLNL-developed approach for generating carbon-free, economically competitive power from nuclear energy that builds on NIF technologies. All employees are invited to attend.
Blood Drive: Bloodmobile To Visit Lab January 22 - Sign Up to DonateJanuary is “National Blood Donor Month.” The Lab’s Philanthropy Club will be hosting a blood drive Thursday, January 22, from 7 am-1 pm at the Bloodmobile in the Cafeteria parking lot. Please register for your appointment online. The sponsor code is LBL. Donation rules have changed recently, so if you previously didn't qualify, you may now. First-time donors are welcome. By donating blood, you can give the gift of life to others in your community. For questions (or encouragement) please call Heather Pinto x4181.
HR Benefits: Important Update Regarding Flexible Spending AccountsHR Benefits has learned that the new flexible spending account vendor, CONEXIS, has a website that does not allow access to those using an internet browser other than Internet Explorer. This is creating problems for many MAC users and those PC users who do not use Internet Explorer. UCOP Health & Welfare Vendor Management group is actively working with CONEXIS to see what can be done to open their site to more browsers, and they hope to have this issue resolved within a week or so. The HR Benefits group will communicate any updates as soon as they become available.
