The stimulus package passed in 2009 by Congress may help shovel-ready community wind projects move ahead, according to a new report by Mark Bolinger, a scientist in the Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Bolinger analyzed the impact of two new incentives for wind power that were included in the Recovery Act. According to the report, qualifying wind projects can, for a limited time, choose either a 30-percent investment tax credit or a 30-percent cash grant in lieu of the production tax credit that wind has historically received. More>
At a Wednesday press conference on “Cosmology’s Dark Side” at the American Astronomical Society’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Niv Drory of Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics announced that a team led by him, Kevin Bundy of UC Berkeley, and Alexie Leauthaud of Berkeley Lab’s Physics Division used data from the Cosmological Evolution Survey based at Caltech to uncover new evidence of how dark matter has affected the distribution of different types of galaxies and, in the distant past, the formation of the galaxies themselves. The role of dark matter in the evolution of the Universe is a key question in attempts to determine the nature of the even more mysterious dark energy. More>
Year of Science: Complete Set of Stories From 2009 Event Available 2009 was the Year of Science, a 12-month celebration of how science works and why science matters, led by participants in the Coalition On the Public Understanding of Science. As part of this effort, Berkeley Lab's Communications Group highlighted Lab research coinciding with the celebration's monthly themes, from evolution to physics to health. Go here to check out how Lab researchers contribute to science that is vitally important to our nation and world.
Special Event: Molecular Foundry Hosts Distinguished Lecture Series The Lab’s Molecular Foundry is sponsoring a Distinguished Lecture Series, with talks taking place over the next several months. The series starts Tuesday, Jan. 19, with a talk by Harold Craighead (left), with the Nanobiotechnology Center at Cornell University, who will discuss “Nanofluidic Devices for Individual Molecule Analysis.” Next up on Feb. 2 is Frances Ross, with the IBM Watson Research Center, with a lecture on “Nanowire Growth, Phase Transformation and Interface Formation Observed Through in situ Electron Microscopy." All talks start at 1:30 p.m. in Building 67-3111. More>
As part of its Distinguished Lecture Series, the Environmental Energy Technologies Division is hosting a talk by Jim Sweeney of Stanford University. He will discuss “Energy Efficiency and Renewables: Market and Behavioral Failures” at noon on Thursday, Jan. 28, in the Building 50 Auditorium. In his lecture, Sweeny will explore energy efficiency options and delve into the economic motivation for energy efficiency and renewable energy policies by articulating the classes of relevant behavioral failures and market failures. More>
Health: January is Thyroid Awareness Month The Lab’s Health Care Facilitator reminds employees that January is “Thyroid Awareness Month.” The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck below the skin and muscle layers, is shaped like a butterfly. The two “wings” are the left and right thyroid lobes, which wrap around the trachea. The thyroid regulates the body's metabolism. If the gland is not working properly, a variety of potentially severe medical problems can result. The good news is, if discovered and properly treated, a thyroid disorder can be controlled and a normal and active life can be led. More>
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