Old Town had its heyday in the post-War years, when Harry Truman was president and America was locked in a nuclear weapons race with the Soviet Union. Today, less than 150 people work in Old Town, half of them in one building. Faced with a critical need for space coupled with a prime development opportunity in Old Town, Berkeley Lab has decided to apply for $45 million in federal stimulus funding for demolition and remediation of the site and to prepare it for construction. The project would clear up about three acres of land for future development. More>
[CBS-Channel 5] President Obama promised to create 3.5 million jobs with the stimulus plan but unemployment remains at a 26-year high. While there is talk that the plan isn't working, there's a small glimmer of hope coming from Berkeley. There are more than 150 new jobs with benefits posted at Berkeley Lab because of new energy and infrastructure projects fueled by stimulus money. Susan McAllister (pictured), with Human Resources, was interviewed as part of this story. More> 
Funding Opportunity: Office of Science Grants for Early Career ResearchUnder the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the DOE Office of Science has announced it is accepting grant applications for support under the Early Career Research Program in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR), Biological and Environmental Research (BER), Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), High Energy Physics (HEP) and Nuclear Physics (NP). It is anticipated that up to $60 million of Recovery Act funds will be available for grant awards to laboratories in FY 2010. Letters of Intent are due August 3. Click here for more on this grant and here for other ARRA funding opportunities.
The Lab's Human Resources Department, partnering with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and IT, has developed an electronic version of the Personnel Action Form (ePAF). This is the form used to make any changes to an employee’s personnel status, such as a new supervisor, a reclassification, or a move to a different division. Those responsible for approving PAFS will now receive an e-mail notice directing them to the HRIS website. After logging in, they can approve, deny, or alter a requested change to an ePAF. ePaf will send notification to supervisors and/or other designated individuals within a division when the transaction is complete. For more information, contact your HR Center.
IT: Virus Spreading Via Social Networking SitesA difficult-to-remove virus named Koobface has infected a number of computers at the Lab. The virus, which only affects Windows, spreads via malicious video and photo links on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Clicking on a malicious link will prompt users to install video software (a codec) that is in fact a virus. More>
Safety: Avoid Heat-Related IllnessWith the heat of summer upon us, here are some recommendations for avoiding heat-related illnesses. Workers should avoid exposure to extreme heat, sun exposure, and high humidity when possible. When these exposures cannot be avoided, workers can take steps to prevent heat stress, such as wearing loose-fitting, breathable clothing, scheduling heavy work during cool parts of the day, taking breaks in the shade, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding drinks with caffeine, alcohol and excessive sugar. More>
Berkeley Lab is proposing to revise RPM Section 2.26 (Catastrophic Leave Sharing). The policy is being revised to (1) redefine the meaning of catastrophic illness or injury and (2) add catastrophic casualty loss and catastrophic bereavement loss as eligible criteria for leave donation requests. This policy applies to non-represented employees only. Represented employees should contact their union representative or consult their collective bargaining agreement. Go here to see the proposed changes. To comment on this proposed change, contact [email protected] by July 24.
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