INEEL, Berkeley Lab To Study Earth's Subsurface

An agreement between the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Berkeley Lab is expected to provide answers to some of the most critical issues facing those who study the ground below us. The two Department of Energy labs have joined to create the Consortium for Research on the Earth's Subsurface (CORES) to find answers to a wide variety of critical problems in the Earth's subsurface. These include the availability of safe and adequate water supplies to support a growing standard of living. Full story.

Electrical Safety Will Be
DOE Focus This Month

The Department of Energy has declared May Electrical Safety Month.   Throughout the month, Today at Berkeley Lab will publish reminders on Lab electrical safety policy. Electrical hazards were prominent in the January 2004 OSHA audit and the Lab is working to rectify each issue (the May 14 issue of The View will summarize the audit and the Lab's response).   Environment, Health and Safety Division Acting Director Robin Wendt asks employees to "read upcoming articles and be vigilant of potential electrical safety hazards that can develop in the workplace. Your division safety coordinator and EH&S liaison are available to answer questions and assist you in resolving issues that can't be corrected on the spot."

Initial Data Narrows
Dark Matter Search

Sadoulet

With the first data from their underground observatory in Northern Minnesota, scientists of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) have peered with greater sensitivity than ever before into the suspected realm of the WIMPS. The sighting of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles could solve the double mystery of dark matter on the cosmic scale and of supersymmetry on the subatomic scale. "We know that neither our Standard Model of particle physics nor our model of the cosmos is complete," said CDMS II spokesperson and Berkeley Lab physicist Bernard Sadoulet. "This particular missing piece seems to fit both puzzles. We are seeing the same shape from two different directions." Full story.

Alivisatos Named
AAAS Fellow

Alivisatos

Berkeley Lab researcher Paul Alivisatos was among 178 new fellows elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) in recognition of their leadership in scholarship, business, the arts and public affairs. "These new members have made extraordinary contributions to their fields and disciplines through their commitment to the advancement of scholarly and creative work in every field and profession," Patricia Meyer Spacks, academy president, said. Founded in 1780, AAAS now boasts more than 4,500 members, including more than 150 Nobel laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners. Go here to see a complete list of fellows.

Nano Fears Focus On
Health, 'Nanorobots'
By David Kramer

Nanotechnology enthusiasts are steeling themselves for a backlash they anticipate as the public begins to catch on to the rapidly advancing field and its still largely unknown human health impacts. Fears of self-replicating robots elicited by the novel Prey and a famous essay by former Sun Microsystems honcho Bill Joy are now being joined by growing worries that some of the molecule-sized particles involved may pose environmental hazards. As with naturally occurring toxic elements or chemicals, the concern is that engineered nanomaterials such as carbon buckyballs and nanotubes could also have serious health impacts. Full story.

Cancer Fight Topic of
Next 'Friends' Lecture

Gray

Joe Gray — director of the Lab's Life Sciences Division — will discuss the collaboration between the Lab and UCSF's Comprehensive Cancer Center to fight the ravages of cancer at the next "Friends of Science" lecture on Thursday, May 13, at 5;30 p.m. in Perseverance Hall. This clinical/research model brings together bioscientists, engineers, computer scientists, and colleagues from various scientific disciplines to launch a powerful inquiry into the fundamental causes of cancer and helps to parlay this knowledge into effective therapies. Registration is required for attendance. Go here to reserve a spot.