Last Friday, one of the last days of sun before gray skies and stormy weather hit, more than 700 Lab staff and guests turned out for the Runaround fun race. The men’s winner was Daniel Feldman, a guest in the Earth Sciences Division, with a time of 10:06. Meredith McMurdo, with the Chemical Sciences Division, was the women’s winner with a time of 12:45. She also won last year. Organizers said that there was a significant increase in the number of volunteers this year, which greatly helped with the race’s success. Deputy Operations Officer Anita Gursahani started the race and Acting Deputy Lab Director Jay Keasling presented the trophies. The race was captured by members of the Lab’s Photo Club, who were assigned by their mentor, Lab photographer Roy Kaltschmidt, to try and capture action and movement. Go here to see a slideshow of selected images.
The Great California ShakeOut will take place across the state tomorrow, and Berkeley Lab will be participating. A Drop, Cover, Hold and Evacuation drill will take place at 10:15 a.m., similar to those conducted during the Lab’s Emergency Preparedness Week last spring. Instructions will be provided via a public address announcement. The drill should last no more than 20 minutes. Buildings 6, 7 and 80, as well as all ALS and Molecular Foundry User Conference attendees will be exempt from participation. To help evaluate the drill, staff are asked to complete a survey linked in the Level-One e-mail that will be sent shortly after the drill. For more information, contact Rocky Saunders (x7032).
Dale Sartor, Geoffrey Bell, and William Tschudi of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division led a partnership with representatives from Silicon Valley companies such as IBM, Intel, and Sun Microsystems, and the California Energy Commission to demonstrate new or underused energy-efficiency strategies for data centers. Data centers are ranked by the Environmental Protection Agency as one of the nation’s fastest-growing energy users. A demonstration of three technologies will take place at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Data Center Energy Summit tomorrow in Sunnyvale. More>
Special Event: Brown Bag for International Researchers on Oct. 26 The Lab’s International Researchers and Scholars Office, part of Human Resources, is hosting a brown bag session on Monday, Oct. 26, from noon to 1 p.m. in Perseverance Hall. The gathering will provide an opportunity for employees and supervisors to ask questions regarding VISA's, Green Card applications, work permits, and other related documents. The next session will be offered on Jan. 25. For more information, contact Ben Ortega.
Safety: Lab Had Near Perfect JHA and Training Record This YearAn active and accurate Jobs Hazards Analysis (JHA) and the fulfillment of training requirements are two crucial components of the Lab’s ISM (Integrated Safety Management) system, which helps ensure a safe work environment. The Lab finished FY09 with 96 percent of all staff having an active JHA, and a required training completion rate of 95 percent, higher than the goals set in the Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plan required by contract with the Department of Energy. All Lab employees contributed to this performance, but special thanks are directed to the Division Safety Coordinators and John Seabury of the Environment, Health and Safety Division.
The period of eligibility for employees to enroll a new family member starts the day he/she becomes eligible, for example, the day you marry or your child is born. Enrollment is not automatic; a form must be completed within 31 days of the event and returned to HR Benefits. For more information, read the Family Changes Benefit Checklist.
October is National Archives Month and 2009 is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Archives, where Berkeley Lab stores its records. To mark these events, the Archives and Records Office is offering a class (BLI0926) on archives and records management at the Lab on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Perseverance Hall. Participants will discover the essential role employees play in preserving the history of the Lab as well as how to manage their own office files. There will also be materials available on managing your personal records at home.
The Lab’s Dance Club will host its Autumn Gala on Friday, from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Lake Merritt Dance Center. It includes dinner, dancing, live band, and dance lessons. All Lab employees and their guests are welcome. Call x7227 or x5257 for details and tickets.
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