$43 Million Grant Funds Fight Against Malaria

Keasling

A $42.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Institute for OneWorld Health, the first nonprofit pharmaceutical company in the United States, will create a powerful new approach to developing a more affordable, accessible cure for malaria, which kills more than a million children each year. The nonprofit nature of this partnership could be a model for attacking neglected diseases in the developing world, said Jay Keasling, UC Berkeley professor and director of the synthetic biology department at Berkeley Lab, which helped develop this malaria-fighting technology. Go here to learn more about the grant, to read a story on Keasling, and view a video on his research.

Lab's Holiday
Soiree Tomorrow

Celebrate the season with your Lab colleagues during tomorrow's Holiday Reception, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Food, beverages, and music will be provided, with brief remarks from Director Chu.

Find Out About Physics
Of Football Tomorrow

What effect does altitude have on the flight of a kicked football? How do Newton's laws of motion apply to blocking and tackling? What does the science of physics reveal to us about optimal chase strategies for defensive backs? Professor Timothy Gay from the University of Nebraska will discuss all this and more in a special one-hour brown bag talk tomorrow at noon in the Building 50 Auditorium. "Football Physics: The Science of the Game" is open to all employees, who are invited to bring their lunches.

Dicely

Dick Dicely, well known to many at the lab for his conscientious and responsive solutions to difficult facilities space problems, died unexpectedly on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 60. Friends and colleagues are invited to attend a memorial service in his honor tomorrow at 4 p.m at Saint Dominic's Church, 475 East I Street in Benicia. In lieu of flowers, his family is asking that donations be sent to either St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Dominics Parish in Benicia 94510; or to Benicia Community Action Council, 480 Military East in Benicia, 94510. A recollection of Dicely's 13 years of contributions to Berkeley Lab will be published in this Friday's edition of The View. To read the obituary prepared by his family, go here.

Schedule for Paycheck Pickup During Shutdown

The Lab's mailroom will be closed on the Dec. 24 biweekly payday and on the Jan. 1 monthly payday. Biweekly employees without direct deposit can pick up their paychecks on Thursday, Dec. 23, between 1 and 3 p.m. in the mailroom (Bldg. 69- 102). Monthly employees without direct deposit can retrieve their paychecks in the same location on Thursday, Dec. 30, between 1 and 3 p.m. Employees must bring their Lab ID cards. All checks not picked up will be delivered, along with the deposit advice forms, to employees on Monday, Jan. 3.

ITSD to Block Spam
From E-Mail Inboxes

Starting today, the Information Technologies and Services Division will begin blocking spam e-mail and will no longer send messages tagged as "Suspected Spam" to e-mail inboxes. However, as before, some spam may not be identified and slip through. Questions or concerns should be directed to the Help Desk (x4357).