Faculty Group To Advise
UC on Lab Contracts

The Academic Council Special Committee on the National Laboratories held the first in a series of town hall meetings last week at UCLA. The special committee was formed to provide information and comments to the Office of the President (OP) on issues that must be faced prior to a decision about competition, to provide educational background materials to UC faculty, and to solicit the views of the Academic Senate on whether or not to compete for these contracts. The committee has prepared a series of white papers regarding issues associated with the laboratories. They can be read here.

Dynes Recommends
Fox as UCSD Chancellor

Fox

University of California President Robert Dynes recently sent a message to the UC San Diego community, naming Marye Anne Fox -- currently chancellor of North Carolina State University -- as his recommendation for the next chancellor of the campus. The regents are scheduled to meet April 12 to act on the appointment. Go here to read the president's message.

Garman

Following the recent resignation of Robert Card, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has announced the appointment of David Garman -- currently DOE's Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy -- to serve as the acting Under Secretary of Energy. Abraham says Garman "brings an outstanding public policy and government service track record. His broad understanding of our various programs makes him the logical choice to fill the job pending confirmation of a permanent nominee." Garman will continue his duties as Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Full story.

Fidler in 1958 (left) and 1991

Associate Lab Director
Under McMillan Dies

Harold A. Fidler, who served as Berkeley Lab Director Ed McMillan's Associate Director in the 1960s, passed away on April 2 in Palo Alto. He was 93. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Piedmont Gardens Retirement Community, 110 41st St., Oakland. Fidler's association with the Lab began in 1942, when, as an MIT-educated civil engineer, he managed the Army's contract with the Lawrence Radiation Lab for the Manhattan District. Ernest Lawrence recruited him to the Lab in 1958, and he served as McMillan's chief administrator until both retired in 1974. Read more about Fidler in the April 16 issue of The View.

Thirty years after astronomers discovered the mysterious object at the exact center of our Milky Way Galaxy, an international team of scientists has finally succeeded in directly measuring the size of that object, which surrounds a black hole nearly four million times more massive than the Sun. This is the closest telescopic approach to a black hole so far and puts a major frontier of astrophysics within reach of future observations. The scientists used the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope to make the breakthrough. Go here to read the UC Berkeley press release.