Four inventions from Berkeley Lab have been recognized with the R&D 100 award for 2010 from R&D Magazine, which recognizes the 100 most significant proven technological advances of the year. “The large number of winners from the Department of Energy’s national labs every year is a clear sign that our labs are doing some of the most innovative research in the world,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. More>
Special Event: Carbon Smackdown Talk Today at Noon; Also Webcast Live The second of five Carbon Smackdown matches takes place today at noon in the Building 50 Auditorium. Lab scientists Jeff Long (Materials Sciences) and Nancy Brown (Environmental Energy Technologies Division) will discuss their efforts to fight climate change by capturing carbon from the flue gas of power plants, as well as directly from the air. Those unable to attend the event can view a live webcast. Check out the complete line-up of matches pitting Berkeley Lab scientists against carbon dioxide. The June 3 smackdown lecture can be viewed here.
Special Event: EETD Distinguished Lecture on Energy and Climate BudgetThe next Environmental Energy Technologies Division Distinguished Lecture takes place Tuesday, July 13, at noon in the Building 50 Auditorium and features Saul Griffith of SQUID Lab and Makani Power. His talk is titled "Balancing the Energy & Climate Budget: Personally, Nationally, Globally." Go here for more information.
Is the time your computer spends analyzing data getting out of hand? Have you heard about graphical processor unit (GPU) computing but don’t know where to begin? Join us for a one-day workshop on GPU computing on Friday, July 30, in Perseverance Hall. The workshop will present an introduction to GPU computing and provide participants with an understanding of how to utilize it with little effort for their research. The event is free; registration is required.
In The News: Taking the Sizzle Out of Summer in the City [NPR] As the mercury soared into the triple digits this week along the East Coast, you can bet it was even more stifling in the asphalt and concrete jungles of cities than in nearby rural areas. It's a phenomenon known as the "urban heat island" effect, and it's getting increased attention nationwide as a way to help cool sweltering cities, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "If all the cities in the hot and temperate parts of the world converted to cool roofs and cool pavement, 44 gigatons of carbon dioxide — about one and a half years' worth of current CO2 emissions — could be offset," says Hashem Akbari, a researcher at Concordia University in Montreal and a member of the Heat Island Group at Berkeley Lab. More>
World of Science: First All-Sky Image From Planck “An extraordinary treasure chest of new data for astronomers, from the closest portions of the Milky Way to the furthest reaches of space and time,” says the European Space Agency of the Planck mission's first all-sky image. The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) hosts the U.S. Planck team’s data analysis through the Computational Cosmology Center, a collaboration of the Computational Research and Physics Divisions, with a group including Julian Borrill, Christopher Cantalupo, Ted Kisner, and Radek Stompor. George Smoot co-authored the proposal that led to Planck and, with Martin White of Physics, is a Planck scientist. More>
The stairs leading to the Pit parking lot near the Building 65 bus stop are now closed for repair. The work will take about a week and half to complete. Those who park there can use the stairs located on the east side of the lot (near Building 55) to enter and exit. For information, contact Richard Doty (x6022).
The demolition of Old Town buildings 25, 25A, 44, 44A and 44B are planned for FY 2011. The demolition of other Old Town buildings depends upon additional funding. Starting this week and continuing through the start of August samples are being taken in Buildings 14, 25A, 40, 41, 44, 44A, 44B, 52, and 52A to determine if any of their components are hazardous. Parking and traffic control measures will be in place, but access on some roads will be temporarily disrupted during this time and five spots in the N4 lot will be blocked off. For more information, contact Ted Mankowski (x2012).
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