Rubin

D.C.-Area
Research Campus
May Trigger Boom

In 1999, Thomas Cech, who was soon to be president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, sat at a table in a hotel restaurant in Boulder, Colo., with two other Hughes scientists. One of them -- Berkeley Lab life sciences researcher Gerald Rubin -- he would soon lure to run the research operation the men were sketching on the back of a napkin. Today a version of that sketch is under construction in Loudoun County. The Janelia Farm Research Campus will bring 300 scientists together to share ideas, rather than work isolated in university laboratories around the nation. Full story.

Combing Mars For Clues To Early Life on Earth

Banfield

The evidence of plentiful water discovered on Mars excites scientists who hope that detecting signs of life long ago could answer puzzling questions about the origins and evolution of life on Earth. Berkeley Lab earth scientist Jillian Banfield has isolated and deciphered the genes of a curious variety of microorganisms, including bacteria that thrive in deep wet caves without light, and oxidize iron and sulfur. These are "interesting candidates" for the kinds of organisms that could once have emerged on Mars, Banfield says. Full story.

Mock-Up Tests Systems For Times' New Building
By Deborah Snoonia

The New York Times' printing plant in Queens provides a glimpse into the company's future: a 4,000-square-foot mock-up of its planned Manhattan headquarters. This one-of-a-kind lab for everything from lighting systems to the facade itself is giving The Times information on how its new building will work -- saving money in the process. At a meeting last year, scientists from Berkeley Lab, led by Steven Selkowitz , suggested creating a test bed where actual lighting conditions could be measured and compared to values predicted in computer models. Full story.

Unabomber's Brother
To Speak on April 14

	David Kaczynski

David Kaczynski, brother of Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, will speak in the Building 50 Auditorium on April 14 from 10 to 11 a.m. His topic will be "Doing the Right Thing -- When It's the Hardest Thing To Do." Kaczinsky will talk about his personal conflict between turning in a relative and his responsibility to protect others. All Lab employees are invited to attend or to view the simulcast in the Building 66 Auditorium.

	Marburger

Marburger Chats Online About Critical Report

A report recently issued by prominent scientists, educators, and Nobel laureates said the Bush administration has deliberately manipulated or ignored research when the findings have been at odds with White House goals. Has President Bush politicized science, or is the report an example of partisan politics, as the administration charges? The Chronicle of Higher Ed conducted an online chat on the topic, with Bush chief science advisor John Marburger answering questions about the report. Go here to read the transcript.

Reminder on Violence
In the Workplace

It is the policy of the Laboratory to create and maintain a community in which employees can work together in an atmosphere of respect and civility, free of harassing and threatening behaviors. Laboratory policies are designed to protect and promote the rights of members of the Berkeley Lab community and to prevent actions that interfere with those rights and with the Laboratory's mission. Go here to learn more about this policy.