Need another reason to attend next week's Carbon Cycle 2.0 lunchtime symposia? Everyone is needed. The success of CC2.0 depends on the engagement of the entire Lab community. Tackling one of the greatest challenges facing the nation and world will require an urgent and more creative take on the kind of cross- disciplinary problem solving needed to bridge the gap between basic and applied research. Go here for the agenda and more information. All symposia will be webcast live. The links for each day's webcast will be provided in TABL next Monday through Thursday.
An individual working at the Lab was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB). The City of Berkeley Public Health is working with the Lab to identify and evaluate the small number of coworkers who had close contact with the individual and may have been exposed. TB is a slow-growing bacterial infection that is spread when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. To become infected, another person must directly inhale TB germs over an extended length of time. Brief or casual contact with an infected person does not spread the disease. Approximately eight employees who were in close contact with this individual will be contacted directly with information about where they should be screened. Visit the CDC website for information about tuberculosis and its prevention and treatment. Employees with questions should contact their health care provider or City of Berkeley Public Health Nurse, Yuko Leong, at 510-981-5331.
In a bid to explore how public perceptions of science form and shift under the influence of mass entertainment, the Public Affairs Department has created a free-admission double feature entitled "Hollywood Science Meets Berkeley Lab." On Wednesday, Feb. 3, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley Rep, a "Science at the Theater" panel will examine how scientists are depicted in film and how science is sometimes stretched to the point of disbelief for dramatic and creative ends. On Thursday, Feb. 4, 7-9 p.m. at the Brower Center (Oxford and Allston), Jaime Paglia will be interviewed about "Eureka," the SyFy TV program he co-created, followed by a conversation with audience members. More>
Berkeley Lab's Jay Keasling led a team at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) that included Eric Steen, which reports the first microbes capable of producing an advanced biofuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, Keasling and his team engineered a strain of E. coli bacteria to produce biodiesel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids. JBEI is a DOE Bioenergy Research center led by Berkeley Lab. More>
Lab chemical scientist Stephen Leone has been awarded a Department of Defense 2010 National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship for work in attosecond electron dynamics in solids. The award, established to bolster high-profile basic research for the Department of Defense, gives scientists significant support to conduct basic research that may transform DoD's capabilities in the future. With the award, Leone will explore new technology and experiments in the application of attosecond pulses to semiconductor nanoparticles.
Special Event: Dedication of New i4Energy Initiative on CampusBerkeley Lab's Ashok Gadgil is among the distinguished guests scheduled to speak today at the dedication of i4Energy, a collaboration between the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), Berkeley Lab, and the California Institute for Energy and Environment. The group brings together IT and smart-sensing methods to "facilitate and promote research on system-integrated enabling technologies that will achieve better energy efficiency, improved demand-response, and dramatic improvements in energy distribution." The campus event begins at noon in the Banatao Auditorium in Sutardja Dai Hall. More>
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