Advanced energy-efficient technologies in lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), and control systems are heading for the buildings, laboratories and data centers of several federal agencies. With $1.8 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, experts at Berkeley Lab will provide the technical expertise to help federal energy managers perform these projects and monitor their performance. The bulk of the funds, $1.4 million, are from the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), while the remainder, $445,000, is from the Department of Defense’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. More>
By comparing diets of marine microbes, DOE Joint Genome Institute scientists and their collaborators demonstrated how the microbial diversity of the oceans could be analyzed without necessarily cultivating samples in the laboratory. These findings, detailed in the Sept. 7 online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hold promise for informing options for reducing and stabilizing atmospheric greenhouse gases. More>
Employees are invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Berkeley Lab Guest House on Monday, Sept. 21, at 4 p.m. in the Z parking lot, just off Lawrence Road above the cafeteria. Tours of the facility will be provided that day, taking place every half hour between 1 and 4 p.m. The Guest House features 57 rooms in three different sizes: standard, large, and studio. Amenities include wireless internet access, flat-screen TVs, micro-fridges, complimentary parking, a laundry room, and daily housekeeping service. The facility is scheduled to open on Oct. 1. While reservations cannot yet be taken, send e-mail here to receive more information.
Lab staff who were looking forward to seeing George Smoot match wits with elementary school kids on Fox Broadcasting’s “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” tonight should not be misled by errors in newspaper and TV guides: the show is actually next week. The Nobel-Prize-winning physicist stars in the season finale next Friday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. on KTVU Channel 2, where his elementary school knowledge will be tested in a race for a million-dollar prize. More details will appear in TABL next week.
Science at the Theater: Panel Discusses 'What’s Next for Biofuels?' on Sept. 28 The fall series of Science at the Theater events kicks off Monday, Sept. 28, with a panel on biofuels moderated by John Fowler, health and science editor of KTVU Channel 2. The three panelists are Jay Keasling, acting deputy director of the Lab and head of the Joint BioEnergy Institute, Jim Bristow, deputy director of programs at the Joint Genome Institute and Susannah Green Tringe (pictured), a computational biologist at JGI. The event takes place at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre (2025 Addison St.) and is free and open to the public. More>
Lab researchers are invited to submit nominations based on patented sustainability products or processes they created for the $100K Lemelson-MIT prize. The prize seeks to recognize and financially reward mid-career inventors who have developed an invention of significant value to society, which has been adopted for practical use, or has a high probability of being adopted. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 6. More>
The Lab's Philanthropy Club will be hosting a visit by the Red Cross Bloodmobile in the Cafeteria parking lot Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Go here to register (sponsor code is LBL). For more information, call x4181.
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