Starting today, Chief Human Resources Officer Vera Potapenko launches a quarterly update of the Lab's HR Department activities. In this first installment, Potpenko shares her group's recent efforts to gather feedback from key Lab groups. This data will be used to make adjustments that will help improve the work environment, enabling employees to perform their jobs more effectively and further support the Lab's scientific initiatives. More>
Before the new Tom Hanks movie "Angels and Demons" opens in mid-May, with its plot about an attempt to destroy the Vatican using antimatter made at CERN, scientists from more than 30 colleges, universities, and national laboratories in the U.S. and Canada will embark on a continent-wide series of public lectures intended to reveal the real science at CERN. Among the lecturers is Joel Fajans of Berkeley Lab's Accelerator and Fusion Research Division, who will speak on "Why Physicists Would Love to Trap Antimatter but the Vatican Need Not Fear" at 6:30 p.m., Monday, May 11, at the Chan Shun Auditorium in the Valley Life Sciences Building (campus). More>
[Daily Telegraph] With more than 1.5 billion people online around the round, scientists estimate the carbon footprint of the Internet is growing by more than 10 percent each year. A study by Rich Brown, an analyst with Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, suggested U.S. data centers used 61bn kW of power in 2006 — enough to supply the UK for two months. "Efficiency is being more than overwhelmed by continued growth and demand for new services," he said. "It's a common story... technical improvements are often taken back by increased demand." More>
[New York Times] The White House made its first major statement on ethanol on Tuesday, announcing the creation of the Biofuels Interagency Working Group and a plan to shield corn ethanol producers from the credit crisis, work with them to cut their use of natural gas and coal in ethanol production, and nudge the auto industry toward production of vehicles that can use ethanol at concentrations of up to 85 percent. More>
UC Update: Staff Advisor to Regents Creates Newsletter The Staff Advisor to the Regents — a position that was created to bring a staff perspective to the UC Regents and who serves as a non-voting member on three UC Regents committees — has developed a quarterly newsletter to keep UC staff apprised of their activities. The inaugural edition includes an article on the Regents endorsement of Proposition 1A, a solicitation to staff for input on cost-saving measures, and other news updates. It also includes a permanent "What's on Your Mind?" link, where staff can offer comments and suggestions. Sign up here to receive future issues directly via e-mail.
There is still space available in the Microsoft Word Intermediate/Advanced class on Wednesday, May 13. The classes, taught by CMC Training, are $50 per person. Go here for information and to register. E-mail a project ID number to Karen Paris for payment, or call x5122.
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