Meet a Postdoc: Naomi Ginsberg

Postdoctoral scholars are the lifeblood of any research institution. Too often, though, they work in relative anonymity before heading off to their own scientific careers across the country and around the world. The "Meet a Postdoc" video series turns some much-needed light on this important segment of Berkeley Lab's population and offers a chance to learn more about them as individuals while they are in our midst. Today’s subject is Naomi Ginsberg, with the Physical Biosciences Division.

DOE Update: Win a Chance to Meet President With Energy Saving Ideas

Do you have a smart idea for how the Department of Energy can trim costs and save taxpayer dollars? Submit your cost-saving initiative for potential inclusion in the President’s Budget and become the first-ever SAVE Award winner. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Oct. 14. The winner will meet with President Obama at the White House and have their savings initiative incorporated into the FY 2011 budget. In addition, the agency with the most participation in the contest will receive an award. More>

In The News: Universe Quest Opens New Worlds for Young Explorers

[NSF Science Nation] Twenty-one sixth- through tenth-grade girls from the San Francisco Bay area spent a week at "Universe Quest" Summer Academy, a camp promoting scientific exploration. Carl Pennypacker of UC Berkeley and the Lab’s Physics Division, principal investigator of Universe Quest, says he loves to see the many "aha" moments from these young participants. Said one student, "It's hands on, it's not textbook, and it's not a teacher lecturing you about something." Funded by the National Science Foundation, Universe Quest is a partnership of Oakland’s ASA Academy and Community Science Center and the Girl Scouts of Northern California, with support from the Chabot Space and Science Center. More>

People: Moishe Pripstein Awarded Andrei Sakharov Prize

The American Physical Society (APS) has awarded Morris (Moishe) Pripstein the 2010 Andrei Sakharov Prize "For tireless and effective personal leadership in defense of human rights of scientists throughout the world." In the late 1970s Pripstein was a founder of a group of scientists who lobbied the Soviet Union until they succeeded in obtaining freedom from internal exile for Sakharov and fellow dissidents Natan Sharansky and Yuri Orlov. Pripstein, long a roving ambassador for the Lab’s Physics Division, is currently a program leader in the National Science Foundation’s Elementary and Particle Physics program. Pripstein shares the $10,000 award, to be presented at a special ceremonial session of the APS meeting in Washington, DC, next February 14, with Joseph Birman of the City College and City University of New York and Herman Winick of SLAC.

IT: New eJournals Available Through UC Berkeley Partnership

The Lab’s Library is continuing to work in partnership with the UC Berkeley Library to ensure that all Lab employees will have access to the same electronic journals and other resources as our campus colleagues. More than 300 additional eJournals became available in September. Go here to see these titles and to search the complete list of titles acquired to date through this partnership. You can also be notified when new titles are added by subscribing to the RSS Feed at that site.

Commute: Northbound Lane of Piedmont Closed Again This Week

To allow for underground utilities work, the northbound lane of Piedmont Ave between Bancroft Way and the Haas School of Business will be closed again this week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. North and southbound vehicle traffic will share the driving lane on the west side of Piedmont Ave, with flaggers on site to help direct traffic. Drivers and pedestrians in this area are urged to use caution.

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