Last Friday, at approximately 10:30 a.m., an employee — exiting the Lab in a car via Strawberry Gate — collided with a motorcyclist on Centennial Drive near the Botanical Gardens. The motorcycle rider was transported to Alta Bates Hospital. The accident is still under investigation by the UC Police Department.
At approximately 5 p.m. that same day, another Lab employee riding a bike west on Cyclotron Road, just past Blackberry Gate, fell off the bike trying to avoid a pedestrian in the crosswalk near the F (Horseshoe) parking lot. The bicyclist was injured and transported to Alta Bates Hospital for examination. The rider was wearing a helmet, which is required by Lab policy.
Further details of the two accidents, including updates on the condition of the injured employee, will be reported as facts become available.
In The News: Conference Explores Bay Area's Synthetic Biology[Mercury News] Bay Area futurists and their fans gathered Saturday in a coming-of-age celebration for the fledgling field of synthetic biology, which builds living entities from lifeless chemicals. At the first-ever "Convergence '08'' conference, leaders — including Berkeley Lab physical bioscientist Jay Keasling — exchanged news from the front lines of research, hoping to excite the public about synthetic biology in the same way that developers of integrated circuits in the 1960s ignited the field of semiconductor electronics. More>
In The News: State Unprepared for Effects of Warming, Report Says[San Francisco Chronicle] Despite its tough goals to reduce greenhouse gases, California is not prepared to deal with the flooding, coastal erosion and loss of wildlife habitat that scientists are predicting in the coming decades as a result of higher global temperatures, says a new report issued by the Public Policy Institute of California. It is based on previous studies done by Berkeley Lab, UC Davis and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, among other researchers. More>
Policy: Government Vehicles are for Official Business Only Government vehicles can only be used to conduct official Lab business. Using a government vehicle for personal use — such as driving to the cafeteria, to lunch or service stations off-site, or unofficial stops en route to Lab business destination — is prohibited. There are limited circumstances in which an official vehicle may be used for transportation to a residence or eating establishment. The full policy on use of official vehicles is in the Regulations and Procedures Manual (RPM) Section 1.05.
Excess/Salvage: Requests for No-Cost Material Removal Accepted Tomorrow to Nov. 30 The Lab’s Facilities Division is conducting a fall cleanup at no cost to customers. Requests will be accepted tomorrow through Nov. 30 on a first-come, first-served basis. Material over 500 pounds, hazardous waste, and universal e-waste will not be accepted. To request a pick-up, go here, click “Transportation Move Request” and check the “Cleanup” box in the form. Attach the Transportation Authorization Form (e-mailed when the request is submitted) to the items. Contact your Division Safety Liaison for information about hazardous or universal e-waste pick-up.
Staff interested in becoming a member of Costco can meet with a store representative to get more information and signup at a discounted rate tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. The event is sponsored by the Lab’s Employee Activities Association.
Monster Jam takes place Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Oakland’s Oracle Arena, while the Harlem Globetrotters will perform there on Saturday, Jan. 17 and 18. Staff can purchase discounted tickets to both events using BERKLAB as the promo code.