Leaders of Berkeley Lab, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Berkeley Site Office (BSO) and the UC Office of the President recently signed an Operating Principles agreement reaffirming their commitment to the partnership and outlining principles for continuously strengthening the working relationship.
The agreement describes the roles and responsibilities of BSO and the Lab, respectively, and emphasizes a spirit of collaboration and honesty. "BSO and LBNL mutually embrace a system of self-assessment and continuous improvement in which the parties constructively raise issues, identify shortcomings, and consistent with the performance-based contract concept, develop efficient and effective solutions to problems that affect performance and contract compliance," it states.
The signing of the agreement is a written testament to what is already a strong partnership of the three parties. This was in evidence this year in two major undertakings at the Lab—the Health, Safety and Security (HSS) audit by the DOE in January-February and a Mission Readiness Peer Review in June. More>
Report: New Study Sheds Light on Growing U.S. Wind Power MarketFor the fourth consecutive year, the U.S. was home to the fastest-growing wind power market in the world in 2008, according to a Berkeley Lab report released by the DOE. Specifically, U.S. wind power capacity additions increased by 60 percent in 2008, representing a $16 billion investment in new wind projects. "At this pace, wind is on a path to becoming a significant contributor to the U.S. power mix," notes report author Ryan Wiser of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD). Wind projects accounted for 42% of all new electric generating capacity added in the U.S. in 2008, and wind now delivers nearly 2% of the nation's electricity supply. More>
The next summer lecture will take place tomorrow at noon in the Building 66 auditorium. Curtis Oldenburg, who heads Berkeley Lab's Geologic Carbon Sequestration Program, will focus on the challenges, opportunities, and research needs of geologic carbon sequestration. And if you missed the first talk, you can watch it on YouTube. Check out the rest of the summer lecture schedule.
JGI: Summer 2009 Newsletter AvailableThe summer 2009 edition of the newsletter of the Joint Genome Institute, The Primer, has arrived. Features include the Community Sequencing Program (CSP) allocation for 2010, strategies for "Moving Microbial Genomics Forward," "Supporting Life in Great Salt Lake," "Brown-rot for Biofuels," "DNA Sequencing with a Single Cell," "Improving Crops and Biofuels Feedstocks," "Algae as a Climate Change Sensor," as well as notes from the fourth Annual JGI User Meeting. The newsletter can be downloaded here. Back issues can be found here. Additional hard copies can be requested from Margie Lozano, [email protected].
Special Event: Women Scientists' Council Luncheon Seminar The next Women Scientists' Council Luncheon Seminar will take place July 21 in Perseverance Hall (54-130) from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and will feature Melissa Lunden, staff scientist for the Atmospheric Sciences Department in EETD. Lunden will discuss her research involving atmospheric aerosols, inconspicuous airborne nanosized particles that significantly influence air quality, climate, and human health. Networking among participants will follow and lunch will be provided. For details contact Kamala Green at [email protected].
Blood Drive: Bloodmobile at LBL—Sign Up to DonateThe Philanthropy Club will host a blood drive in the Bloodmobile at the Cafeteria parking lot July 21 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please register for your appointment online (sponsor code is LBL). Donation rules have changed recently; if you previously didn't qualify, you may now. Please stop by and check, your blood could help save lives. First-time donors are welcome! For questions (or encouragement) please call Heather Pinto x4181.
HR: Berkeley Lab Comes in Second Place in Active for Life Competing against other DOE labs, 313 Lab employees in 27 teams participated in a ten-week wellness activity called Active For Life, a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the Lab's Health Care Facilitator Program. Berkeley Lab came in second place, averaging 44.84 minutes of exercise per day, just a hairline behind the first place Sandia Lab and surpassing the American Cancer Society's minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of exercise per day. In recognition of the achievements, all are welcome at a celebration July 20 at noon in Perseverance Hall. (Celebrations at off-site locations will be held July 23.) For more information, contact Loida Bartolome-Mingao, x6997. Click here for the 2009 teams.
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