What Is A Beamline, And Why Is It Important?

Reetz

Last month, the editors of "Today at Berkeley Lab" inaugurated a new feature inviting members of Berkeley Lab to e-mail their questions about the Lab's people, places, programs, and policies. Here's a question from Kimberly Reetz, of the Human Resources Department, that many others have also wondered about: "What the heck is a beamline, and why is it important?" Well, beamlines come in various sizes and shapes, but the ones Reetz is inquiring about are the main experimental tools of the Advanced Light Source. Go here to see the answer. And if you're wondering about something, send an e-mail to  "Do You Ever Wonder?"

Misused Extension Cords Could Create Hazard

Extension cords are found in many work locations at Berkeley Lab. Using an extension cord is convenient, but if misused, can create unsafe conditions. Potential hazards include fires from overloaded cords, electrical shock from worn or damaged cords, and trip and fall accidents from unsecured cords. According to the National Electrical Safety Foundation, extension cords should be used only on a temporary basis. For extension cord safety do's and don'ts, go here. Read more about Lab safety issues in today's issue of The View.

Designer Virus
Stalks HIV

Arkin

It took Berkeley Lab researcher Adam Arkin and UC Berkeley professor David Schaffer just $200,000 and a grad student to develop a potential treatment for AIDS. And that scares them. That's because the therapy itself is a virus. They created a virus altered to latch onto HIV and mute its ability to become AIDS. They've tested the theory in a computer model and in cells in a dish. The results have been promising, and if they continue in that vein, the researchers could begin animal testing by the end of this year. Full story.

DOE Launches
Science.gov 2.0

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham recently launched "Science.gov 2.0," the next major step in government science information retrieval. Science.gov is the gateway to reliable information about science and technology from across federal government organizations. The site offers groundbreaking, user-friendly technology enhancements to the interagency science portal. While retaining the content and advances originally unveiled in December 2002, Version 2.0 will now search 47 million pages of government R&D results and present the result to the patron in relevancy-ranked order. Full story.