A Computing Sciences employee was recently walking to a fourth-floor exit of Building 50 when he saw a fellow employee ahead of him riding his bike, sidesaddle, down the hallway. A couple of days later, he heard the sound of a bicycle behind him and turned around to see it was the same person. This time, the employee pointed out to the rider how unsafe the activity was, but the rider only smiled wryly and continued coasting down the hallway. The lesson? Use common sense: bicycles can cause serious accidents — they should not be ridden indoors; doing so creates enormous hazards for both the rider and pedestrians. If you witness unsafe behavior at the Lab, let the person know. You can also report unsafe conditions to [email protected].
In The News: Is 100 the New 80? Centenarians [Scientific American] Centenarians may help researchers find the key to living longer, healthier lives. The reason, say scientists: centenarians may possess genes that protect them from disease into old age. The goal now is "to find the subtle genetic differences between individuals in the genes or families of genes associated with longevity," says Judith Campisi, with Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division. By understanding the underlying biology of aging, she notes, it may be possible to develop drugs that will delay age-related diseases such as some cancers, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. More>
People: Rosenfeld Gets Innovation Award, Touts Cool Roof Technology at Acceptance Speech The Economist magazine has named California Energy Commissioner and Berkeley Lab veteran Art Rosenfeld the recipient of an Innovation Award in the "Energy and the Environment” sector. During his acceptance speech for the award yesterday in London, Rosenfeld discussed the Cool World plan, a research paper he co-authored with Lab scientists Hashem Akbari and Surabi Menon (EETD) on the use of cool roof technology to offset the heating affect of greenhouse gases globally. More>
Shuttle Bus: On Monday, New Routes and Schedule Start, Downtown Stop Moves to Shattuck Ave. Between Center & AddisonEmployees are reminded that the new shuttle bus routes and schedules take effect on Monday. Also, the Downtown Berkeley BART Station stop will move to Shattuck Ave. between Center and Addision on Monday. The Potter/JBEI van schedule has also been adjusted. Go here view a route map, and here for the new schedule.
JGI: Fall Edition of ‘The Primer’ Now Available The fall 2008 edition of the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) newsletter, The Primer, which features recent developments and highlights new collaborations advancing JGI's mission of sequencing and characterizing plants and microbes relevant to bioenergy, global carbon cycling and bioremediation, is now available. Contact David Gilbert for hard copies.
The Licensing Executives Society recently presented its Deals of Distinction Awards to winners in five industry sectors. The “Industry-University-Government Interface Sector” awardee was the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a partnership between BP, UC Berkeley, Berkeley Lab, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The partnership was recognized for its ability “to leverage complementary skills, expertise and resources in a way that has the potential to result in the development of novel energy sources and solutions that could significantly benefit the global community.” More>
Courtesy of the Lab’s Arts Council (an Employee Activities Association club), employees can take advantage of free and discounted tickets for the annual Dickens Christmas Fair. Free tickets are available for performances on Nov. 28, 29 or 30, and half-off for performances on Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 or 21. The event takes place at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Contact Cynthia Jones to purchase.
Berkeley Lab is beginning the formal review and employee comment period for the proposed policy on re-employment of UC retired employees. The policy governs the re-employment of all former UC employees who have separated from University or Laboratory employment and elected monthly retirement income or a lump-sum cash-out from the University of California Retirement Plan (UCRP), and who are rehired by the University or the Laboratory. More information on this policy is available here. To comment on this change, contact [email protected] by Nov. 23.
