Berkeley Lab researchers Ramamoorthy Ramesh and Chan-Ho Yang of the Materials Sciences Division have shown that electric fields can be used as on/off switches in doped multiferroics — materials in which unique combinations of electric and magnetic properties can simultaneously coexist. This is a promising development for future magnetic data storage and spintronic devices. More>
People: Thomas Budinger Awarded Roentgen Ray Society Gold MedalThomas Budinger, senior scientific advisor in Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division, is a recipient of the American Roentgen Ray Society’s highest award, the Gold Medal for Distinguished Service to Radiology. The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895.
Joel Fajans of the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division, who makes antihydrogen atoms, was among the scientists nationwide who took advantage of the "Angels & Demons" movie premiere to talk about the real science at CERN. In a lively lecture sponsored by the UC Berkeley Department of Physics, Fajans got a rousing introduction from fellow Berkeley Lab physicist Bob Jacobsen, showed a clip in which the movie's physicist "explains" antimatter, and followed up with striking demonstrations, which include time reversal and how to trap subatomic particles (electrons, in this case). A video of his lecture is available here.
[New York Times] The Senate unanimously approved three top-level Energy Department nominees. The confirmed Energy Department nominees are Kristina Johnson, undersecretary of energy, Steven Koonin, undersecretary of science, and Scott Harris, general counsel. Koonin, an award-winning physicist and BP chief scientist, helped Energy Secretary Steven Chu form a major biosciences energy research partnership when Chu headed Berkeley Lab. More>
The annual "Summer Wellness Fair" and "Meet the Employee Activities Association Clubs" will take place on the cafeteria lawn on Thursday, June 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Representatives from UC-sponsored health providers, financial institutions, the Lab's Health Services and Environment Health and Safety Ergonomics Team, UC Berkeley's CARE Services and the Retirement Center, among others, will be on hand. Visitors can also learn about the Lab's many activity clubs, such as tennis, table tennis, and dance. The cafeteria will be providing an outdoor barbecue for $6, and free massages will be available.
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