A team from the University of Maryland, Sandia National Laboratory, and Berkeley Lab wanted to use x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to measure a solid-oxide fuel cell’s components in action, but XPS is a high-vacuum technique, and fuel cells pose their own high-temperature problems. Michael Grass, Zhi Liu, and Zahid Hussain of the Advanced Light Source and Hendrik Bluhm of Chemical Sciences devised a way to use XPS on an operating fuel cell in situ. This week the team’s groundbreaking results appear in Nature Materials advanced online publication. More about the work will be the subject of a forthcoming Berkeley Lab News Center feature.
Tech Transfer: It's Time to Consider Nominations for R&D 100 Awards Each fall, R&D Magazine evaluates some of the most technologically significant inventions of the year to determine which ones will receive its coveted R&D 100 award. Technologies that do well in this competition represent either a completely new technology or a significant improvement to an earlier approach. They also have some value to society, whether directly or by enabling new research in a beneficial field. Researchers at Berkeley Lab who would like to have their technology considered for nomination should contact Suzanne Storar (x4306) of the Tech Transfer Department by Oct. 8. More>
Human Resources: Program for Employment Referral Awards Enhanced An integral part of Berkeley Lab’s recruiting strategy is the Employee Referral Incentive Program (ERIP), which rewards eligible employees whose referrals of external candidates lead to successful hires. The HR Department has recently enhanced the program, effective on Oct. 1. The new bonus awards for employees will be $500 for regular jobs, $1,000 for those that are moderately hard to fill, and $2,000 for the most difficult. Employees must complete and submit an ERIP form to the ERIP coordinator. Go here for more information or contact the coordinator (x2902).
Recent sightings of male deer pursuing their female counterparts at Berkeley Lab are a reminder that fall is deer mating season, and that means the potential for attacks of humans who get in the way. Employees are encouraged to keep their distance when observing deer on the property, and not to provoke them in any way. Also be aware of deer darting in the roadway.
Health Services will be offering flu clinics at the Lab on Wednesday, Oct. 6 from 8 to 11:45 a.m. and on Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $10 per flu shot and $45 for pneumonia. Call x6266 for an appointment. Those attending the clinics are reminded that, due to construction, there is no parking available in front of Building 26.
Berkeley Lab employees are expected to uphold the University of California’s Ethical Values — Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect — and perform their duties in accordance with the University’s Standards of Ethical Conduct. If you have questions or concerns in this area, please contact Meredith Montgomery or Molly Stoufer in the Research and Institutional Integrity Office, or at [email protected].
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