Energy Secretary
Abraham Resigns

Abraham

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham resigned on Sunday, in a letter to President Bush. Abraham would become the longest-serving secretary at the department, if he stays at his post until the end of this term. During his tenure, Abraham struggled to get Congressional approval of the Bush administration's broad energy agenda, but was unsuccessful. He also worked on the safeguarding of nuclear materials and the expansion of research into hydrogen-fuel vehicles. Go here to read Abraham's letter to President Bush.

Schaffer

Enhancing
Adult Stem Cell Utility
By Betsy Mason

Adult stem cells carry neither the controversy nor the cachet of embryonic stem cells, but research on the older cells is often clouded by the conflict over their younger cousins. Now, David Schaffer — a UC Berkeley Bioengineer who is also working with Berkeley Lab's Synthetic Biology group — has devised a way to enhance the utility of adult stem cells that could steal some of the spotlight away from embryonic stem cells and eventually lead to treatments or cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Full story.

New Results From
Anti-Neutrino Studies

Freedman

First they were seen to go away. Now, for the first time, they've been seen coming back. An international team of researchers at KamLAND, an underground neutrino detector in central Japan, has shown that not only do anti-neutrinos emanating from nearby nuclear reactors "disappear," they also "reappear." This is further evidence that the three known types or "flavors" of neutrinos — electron, muon and tau — all have mass and can oscillate or change from one type to another, says KamLAND co-spokesperson and Berkeley Lab physicist Stuart Freedman. Full story.

Eight local organizations featured in the Berkeley Lab SHARES charitable giving program will staff information tables today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Cafeteria lobby. Employees have until Nov. 24 to make a pledge through a federation like Community Health Charities, via a non-affiliated non-profit, or through the SHARES list of 13 local groups dedicated to causes complementary to the Lab's mission. Attending will be: Berkeley Biotechnology Education, Inc.; Hall of Health, Children's Hospital; Project SEED; West Contra Costa Public Education Fund; Berkeley Public Education Foundation; Chabot Space & Science Center; Rebuilding Together; and REACH for Learning. For campaign questions, send a message here.

Ethicist Talk Tomorrow
On Stem Cell Research

	Bennett

The University of California has entered into a home loan program agreement with Wells Fargo Bank. Wells Fargo has designed an Employee Mortgage Program for University employees and retirees, and their immediate family members. The Program can be used for purchasing a first or second home, construction financing, refinancing, or tapping into home equity using a secondary loan or a line of credit. A description of the program they are offering is available here. For more information, contact Wells Fargo Bank using this UC-exclusive toll-free number: 1-877-291-4331.