Zhiwei Shan of Pitt (bottom), with Eric Stach of Berkeley Lab

New Light On How
Metals Change Shape

University of Pittsburgh scientists, working with the In-Situ Microscope at Berkeley Lab's National Center for Electron Microscopy (NCEM), have found that the prominent method of deformation in nanocrystalline metals is not dislocation, as in coarse-grained metals, but the sliding of grain boundaries past one another, allowing the grains to rotate and fit together in new ways. The observation may help researchers take advantage of the fact that as the grain size of a metal shrinks, it can become many times stronger. Full story.

Assemblywoman Hancock
Visits CSEE Students

Hancock

Last Friday, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock attended the final presentation of a group of 43 interns from 21 different high schools who participated in Berkeley Lab’s High School Student Research Participation Program. The internship program, administered by the Lab’s Center for Science and Engineering Education, offers juniors and seniors interested in science and engineering careers the opportunity to work alongside scientists in a real-world research environment. Hancock, who represents cities in Alameda and Contra Costa County, was the first woman elected mayor of Berkeley. A strong advocate for improving educational opportunities, she served as one of President Clinton's top education officials from 1994 to 2001, when she headed the Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Education. She is married to Tom Bates, the current mayor of Berkeley.

Story Features Radding,
'Technological Disneyland'
By Jessica Guynn

Radding

From the digital sampler he built as a teenage audiophile to the laser cutter he assembled in his college apartment, Zach Radding quite literally lives by his own devices. That's how this poster boy for the wired generation earns his keep at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where colleagues say his derring-do energy can be measured in megahertz. Now this 28-year-old renaissance tinkerer wants to decode the world of drill presses and circuit boards for people age 13 and up by giving them hands-on experience building things. Holograms and robots. Computer- controlled lasers. Any kind of mechanical or electronic gadget or gizmo that can be dreamed up. Full story (registration required).

Complete the ISSM
Survey This Week

To ensure that the Lab remains an open scientific facility, please complete the Integrated Safeguards and Security Management survey by Friday, August 6. The survey raises awareness and assesses how well we protect Lab assets. Each employee was mailed instructions on July 14. Go here to complete the survey electronically. It takes 5-15 minutes. To learn more about ISSM go here.

CS Summer Students
Present Research Today

Computing Sciences’ (CS) summer students are presenting their research today from 9:30 a.m. to noon in conference room 50F-1647. The CS program gives students an opportunity to gain relevant research experience while pursuing their degree. Students work on well-defined projects under the guidance of one or more staff members. For a list of students and their presentation titles go here.