JGI Scientists Included
In Rat Genome Project

More than 100 contributors are listed in a paper appearing in this week’s edition of Nature that announces the sequencing of the brown Norway rat genome. Among them are Edward Rubin, Inna Dubchak, Olivier Couronne and Alexander Poliakov of Berkeley Lab and the Joint Genome Institute. The information gained from this project is expected to help medical research and further the understanding of evolution. Read the Nature paper here, and a UC Berkeley news release here.

Latest Dynes Newsletter
Comments on Contracts

Dynes

Our University, UC President Robert Dynes’ bimonthly newsletter to University of California employees, includes in this month’s issue reflections on the upcoming lab management contracts, among other issues. He confirms that Berkeley Lab’s competition is expected to take place later this year. Read his comments on leadership changes, UC admissions, and budget issues here.

Daylight Saving Time Begins Sunday

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday at 2 a.m. Clocks are turned forward one hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Enjoy.

UC Fact Sheet Offers
Info on Pension Benefits

Since the intent to have open competition for management contracts of its three Department of Energy labs was announced, the University of California has received questions from employees about the eventual status of their retirement benefits. UC has compiled helpful information on this issue in a two-page fact sheet. “Current UC employees may reasonably expect that, in the event the University does not run the labs in the future, vested rights will be fully honored,” it states. Go here to read the fact sheet.

Cafeteria Parking Limited
By Guardrail Work

Beginning tomorrow, some parking spaces will be barricaded on the north side of the Cafeteria parking lot so that the guard rail can be replaced. Work is expected to be complete on Tuesday, April 6. Please be careful when walking or driving near the work area. Contact Mike Elizalde at x6021 for information.

New Computer Protection
Quarterly Now on Line

The April issue of Computer Protection Quarterly, the Lab’s cyber security publication, is now on line here. This edition includes tips on alerting the Computer Protection Program (CPP) on spam and suspicious emails and checking for vulnerabilities in your system, such as spyware. There are also tips on how to set up your system to make it as secure as possible, and upcoming security courses. The quarterly is produced by the CPP in the Information Technologies and Services Division.