Shank Receives
DOE Gold Award

Shank

Former Berkeley Lab director Charles Shank is the recipient of a Gold Award, presented yesterday by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. The accolade is the Energy Department's highest honorary award and includes a plaque with citation, a medallion, and a rosette. Shank was honored for his "passion for science," and for creating "a rich environment in which many different scientific activities, ranging from experiments deep underground to the light source on the surface to studies of outer space, have flourished." Go here for more information and a complete list of Gold Award winners.

The Lab's Green Team (an Employee Activities Association group) will conduct its fall bulb planting on Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Planters will meet at the Cafeteria. Volunteers are not required to work the entire session...even 15 minutes will help, say organizers. Participants should dress appropriately and bring gardening tools. Send
e-mail here for more information.

Experts, Including Rubin,
Discuss Genome on NPR

	Rubin

Last week, scientists unveiled the completed sequence of the human genome. Now that we have all the building blocks of a human being, what do we do with that information? How will understanding the human genome change human health and disease? A panel discussion on this topic -- including Berkeley Lab geneticist Eddy Rubin -- was recently featured on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation." Go here to listen to the program.

Lab Scientist Studies
Astronauts' Vision Flaws

Blakely

Years after exposure to space radiation, many astronauts' vision becomes clouded by cataracts. Understanding why may shed light on cataracts suffered by elderly people. That goal is many years away, though. First, "we have to understand the details; the genes and proteins and molecular pathways involved," Berkeley Lab life scientist Eleanor Blakely says. Supported by a NASA grant, she and her colleagues are experimenting with human eye tissue to learn these details. Full story.