Former Berkeley Lab Director and new Secretary of Energy Steve Chu will deliver his first speech to DOE employees this morning at 10 a.m. Berkeley Lab staff can view a live feed of this talk in the Building 66 Auditorium or Building 54 (Perseverance Hall).
In The News: Seasons Arriving Early Due to Global Warming[San Francisco Business Times] UC Berkeley researchers — including Berkeley Lab earth scientist Inez Fung — have determined that global warming is causing the seasons to arrive two days sooner than in the past. Not only have temperatures gone up around the world over the last half-century, they say, but the cycle of seasons has also shifted. The researchers didn’t decisively blame human pollution for the change, but said human activity may be its cause. More>
World of Science: YouTube Video on Teens Who Made an AcceleratorSome enterprising high school students collaborating on various scientific experiments decided what they really needed to make progress on their theories was a particle accelerator. Unable to access any major centers, they embarked on making their own, with funding from the American Institute of Physics and the Jet Propulsion Lab. Go here to watch a YouTube video of their story.
HR Benefits: February Calendar of Events AvailableFrom new employee orientations to a healthy-relationship workshop and an investment strategy clinic, the HR Benefits department hosts a number of events to help staff manage their work and life. To assist in tracking upcoming events, the department produces a monthly calendar, and the February edition is now available.
Berkeley Lab is beginning the formal review and employee comment period for the proposed consolidation of its Postdoctoral Fellow policies in Regulations and Procedures Manual (RPM) Section 2.28. The purpose of the Postdoctoral Fellows policy is to enhance a postdoctoral fellow employee’s work experience by providing performance feedback and detailing the supervisor’s role in managing a postdoctoral fellow employee, which includes providing guidance, coaching, and mentorship. The policy also addresses recruitment and the length of a postdoctoral fellow appointment. This policy applies to non-represented postdoctoral fellow employees only. Represented employees should contact their union representative or consult their collective bargaining agreement. To comment on this proposed change, contact [email protected] by Feb. 21.
In The News: The Scientist Presents its 15 Most Popular Stories in 2008Are bananas in danger of becoming extinct? Is a breast cell line that's served as a cornerstone of cancer research for the past 25 years not a breast cell line? How did fruit fly researchers respond to Sarah Palin’s comment that their science does not serve the public good? Does anyone know what makes science “science?” These were among the 15 most popular articles published by The Scientist in 2008, based on the number of online page views. More>
Staff who haven’t already registered are encouraged to sign up to give a blood donation today. A Red Cross Bloodmobile will be onsite until 1 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Lab’s Philanthropy Club. Go here to register, using LBL as the code.
