Cars, Tunes, Barbecue
Welcome Summer Today

Berkeley Lab’s third annual “First Days of Summer” classic car show and barbecue will take over the outdoor cafeteria area today. More than 20 custom and historic autos, hot rods and motorcycles will be on display in the parking lot from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. while the Music Club’s rock ‘n’ roll band plays songs from the past. Dining services is offering lunch packages for $4.95 or $5.95, depending upon entrée. And the Administrative Services Department will serve ice cream for $1. Celebrate the summer solstice with your friends and colleagues.

Roe

Natalie Roe, a member of the Physics Division senior staff, has been appointed by Laboratory Director Charles Shank as the new Chair of the Laboratory Staff Committee. She replaces Robert Stokstad of Nuclear Sciences, who served in the position since 1998. Roe came to the Lab as a postdoc in 1989 and was one of the early leaders in the design of the silicon vertex detector. She was also co-manager of the BaBar collaboration for five years. The staff committee advises the Director on matters concerning science and engineering staff quality and reviews S & E employment actions.

A New Supernova
Spectrograph Sees 1st Light

The Nearby Supernova Factory, an international collaboration of astronomers and astrophysicists, has announced that SNIFS, the Supernova Integral Field Spectrograph, achieved "first light" during the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 8, when the new instrument acquired its first astronomical target, a Type Ia supernova designated SN 2004ca. Type Ia supernovae are the kind used by astronomers to measure the expansion of the universe. Analysis of the initial data, plus a separate observation of the newly discovered supernova, confirm that SNIFS — while still in its commissioning phase — is meeting its design goals as a remarkable new tool for observing supernovae. Full story.

Super Air Conditioners:
Big Chill on Energy Waste
By Mark Clayton

The nation is about to be subject to one of the biggest campaigns for energy efficiency the nation has undertaken in years: high-efficiency air conditioning. The Department of Energy in April announced that all central home units sold in the U.S. must achieve a "seasonal energy efficiency ratio" of 13 starting in January 2006. That's 30 percent more efficient than today's minimum standard. In California alone, residential and commercial air conditioning can account for up to 30 percent of the total power load during peaks, according to a Berkeley Lab study last year. “Air conditioning will be proportionally more important than other end uses because of the sort of impact it has on peak power demand," says Lab scientist Jonathan Koomey. Full story.

Video Talks Available
On Loan from Library

Employees who may have missed Director Charles Shank’s State-of-the-Laboratory address on June 10, Bill Johnston’s Summer Lecture on June 16, or the press conference announcing the appointment of next Berkeley Lab director Steven Chu on June 17 can check out videotapes of each from the Lab Library in Building 50. An employee ID is required for the loans, which are free of charge.

PG&E Will Perform
Switching on Monday

PG&E will be performing additional switching on the 115-Kv electrical transmission line to the Laboratory on Monday. The procedures will be transparent to the Laboratory community and it is highly unlikely that an interruption of power will occur. However, please take all necessary precautions. For additional information, call Jim Murphy at x4175 or Mahesh Gupta at x5220.