Robots Help Out Protein Crystallographers

A big step towards speeding up the process of solving protein structures has been achieved by Berkeley Lab researchers who have developed and successfully demonstrated the first automated system for mounting and aligning protein crystals in an x-ray beamline at a synchrotron light source. Details on the robots appear in this week's edition of the journal Structure. Go here to read a press release on this story.

Dynes

Livermore Staff Have Web Chat With Dynes on Contract

Last week, University of California President Robert Dynes conducted an online chat with employees of Livermore Lab. The question and answer session touched on such topics as the timeline for when Livermore's contract might be negotiated, the possibility of UC using industrial partners to manage Livermore, and the polling of faculty in May on whether the contracts should be competed. Go here to read a complete transcript.

Fix Your Computer Vulnerabilities Now

As part of a Lab-wide cyber security effort, all Laboratory computer users must ensure that their systems are registered and all vulnerabilities patched by Thursday, April 15. Employees who do not verify and patch their computers by that date may have their network access blocked until the system is made compliant. Employees can go here to quickly register their computers and identify vulnerabilities. For assistance, contact the Help Desk at x4357.

Server Maintenance on Sunday 8 a.m. to Noon

In an effort to meet dynamic cyber security threats, ITSD will perform maintenance on central e-mail, directory, and web servers this Sunday, between 8 a.m. and noon. The work will update, upgrade, and patch various central computer systems. ITSD's central server maintenance schedule is available here. E-mail, directory, or web services may be unavailable during these times. For more information, contact the Help Desk at xHELP.