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Monday, May 3, 2010

Research


Metal Catalyst Generates Hydrogen From Water

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Berkeley Lab’s Jeffrey Long and Hemamala Karunadasa (Materials Sciences), and Christopher Chang (Chemical Sciences), have discovered an inexpensive metal that can generate hydrogen from neutral water, even if it is dirty, and can operate in seawater. This new proton-reduction catalyst is based on a molybdenum-oxo metal complex that is about 70 times cheaper than platinum, today’s most widely used metal catalyst for splitting the water molecule. More>

Special Event: Rep. Garamendi Addresses Staff on Friday

DASTWCalifornia Congressman John Garamendi (10th District) will address the Berkeley Lab community on Friday at 12:10 p.m. in the Building 50 Auditorium. As a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, Garamendi plays a key role in the development of science policy and funding levels for the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Congressman will discuss his committee's recent passage of legislation reauthorizing the America COMPETES act and the ARPA-E program.

gmailSpecial Event: Nobelist Harry Kroto Presents Talk on Thursday

Sir Harry Kroto, a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of buckminsterfullerene (or buckyballs), will visit the Lab Thursday and present a talk for Lab employees at 1:30 p.m. in Perseverance Hall. A professor at Florida State University and active promoter of science education, Kroto created the Global Educational Outreach for Science Engineering and Technology (GEOSET), which uses interactive media to present short segments on science and math. In addition, Kroto will discuss using multimedia tools to help postdocs prepare presentations about their research. Space is limited for the talk, so registration is required.

ombudsEducation Outreach: Undergraduate Poster Session on Wednesday

The Center for Science and Engineering Education (CSEE) will host a poster session on Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. in the Cafeteria. The event highlights the breadth of research conducted at the Lab through the experiences of the seven undergraduate students who have participated in CSEE's 16-week Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program.

gmailEmployee Activity: ‘Active for Life’ Challenge Kicks Off Today

"Active for Life 2010 Challenge,” a fun 10-week, team-based fitness program starts today. Staff interested in participating can go here to find a team leader, or contact the Health Care Facilitator (x6997). Friday is the deadline for sign-up. Off-site locations, including the Joint Genome Institute, the Joint BioEnergy Institute, Potter St., and Donner Lab, are also participating. More>

ombudsSpecial Event: May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month — a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The month of May was chosen because it commemorates the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843 and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed on May 10, 1869. The federal recognition of APA Heritage Week was established in 1979, with the expansion to a full month signed into law in 1992. APA-related events are taking place in Oakland and San Francisco. Also, KQED will present APA programming throughout the month.

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