A team of Berkeley Lab researchers led by David Prendergast of the Molecular Foundry combined theoretical and experimental techniques to shed new light on the atomic level interactions of a model protein, triglycine, with simple salts in water. Although protein-salt interactions are a fundamental part of nature, they are still poorly understood. Other members of this research team included Richard Saykally, Craig Schwartz, Janel Uejio, Andrew Duffin, Alice England and Daniel Kelly. More>
Particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN are the big rock stars of high-energy physics — really big. But, a recent breakthrough in computer modeling may help hasten the day when accelerators thousands of times more powerful can be built in a fraction of the space — and for significantly less money. Researchers computing at the NERSC have sped up by a factor of hundreds the modeling, and thus the design of experimental laser wakefield accelerators. More>
The University of California-affiliated Livermore Lab, Lawrence Berkeley and Los Alamos national laboratories are taking part in U.S. Department of Energy-funded programs designed to give middle and high school teachers hands-on research experience. At the Berkeley Lab, 59 teachers have participated in the ACTS internship since it launched in 2004. Berkeley Lab reseacher Ashok Gadgil is sharing one of his projects with teachers this summer. "The teachers who participate here as interns get exposed to how real science is done, which is sometimes different than the clean, nice sanitized version that appears in textbooks," said Gadgil. "There is a lot more struggle, uncertainty and hard, hard work to gain a little bit of extra scientific knowledge every time." More>
The Joint BioEnergy Institute, for which Berkeley Lab is the lead partner, hosted an open house at its state-of-the-art facilities in Emeryville last week for private companies and venture capitalists. More than 80 attendees toured the faciliity, attended a poster session, and listened to scientific talks on JBEI research. Earlier that same day, JBEI hosted a visit from local community leaders, including the mayor of Emeryville and some two dozen members of the city councils and economic development staffs from Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito and Richmond.
Employee Activity: Staff Invited to Participate in Tennis Tournament The Lab’s Tennis Club is hosting its annual tournament on Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Davie Tennis Stadium in Piedmont. Players of all levels are welcome to participate in this round-robin doubles event. Partners are not required. Contact Csaba Toth to register.
The Lab’s Trunked Two-Way radio system will be out of service this Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Employees who use two-way radios should make necessary arrangements for alternative communications during this period. There will be a Hill-wide announcement when the radio system is taken out of service and another when the system is restored. For more information, contact the Radio Shop at x6182 or x5186.
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