Levi, left, and Perlmutter

$2.38 Million Grant
For Supernova Research

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation of San Francisco has awarded $2,377,000 to support the Nearby Supernova Factory and principal investigators Saul Perlmutter and Michael Levi, astrophysicists at Berkeley Lab. The grant is intended to further dark energy research through the study and understanding of nearby Type Ia supernovae, a special class of very bright exploding stars. This grant builds on the 1998 discovery by Perlmutter and his colleagues of "dark energy," a mysterious new energy that dominates the universe, causing it to fly apart at an accelerated rate. Full story.

Request: Be Patient
If You Forget Your ID

Security officers and site access personnel have asked Berkeley Lab employees to be patient and understand the policies being enforced if they forget their parking permits or identification badges when coming to work. Those who forget parking permits must be issued a one-day pass at the gate. Those without a Lab photo ID must register on the visitor's log and, at night and on weekends, require a host to gain admittance. The gate and bus procedures are in place to protect the facility and ensure that access is granted only to individuals with official business to conduct at the Lab. For policy details, go here.

Lot C Parking Limited
Until This Monday

The perimeter of Parking Lot C, near Building 90, will be closed until Monday while fencing is being installed. For more information, call Tipasa Samatua at x5611 or (510) 610-3979.

An international consortium including the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Genome Canada, and the Umeå Plant Science Centre in Sweden, has released the first complete DNA sequence of a tree, Populus trichocarpa, the Black Cottonwood or poplar, one of the most ecologically and commercially valuable group of trees in North America. The sequencing was completed at JGI, which includes many Berkeley Lab scientists. Said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham: "The poplar genome sequence will provide researchers with a critical resource to develop faster growing trees, trees that produce more biomass that can be converted to fuels, and trees that can sequester more carbon from the atmosphere or be used to clean up waste sites." Full story.

Runaround Is Just
Around the Corner

Time to dust off those jogging shoes and start getting in shape for the Lab's 27th annual Runaround, which takes place at noon on Friday, Oct. 8. The 1.86-mile run begins at the firehouse and ends at the cafeteria, where refreshments and entertainment will be provided. Go here for more information. As a reminder for employees, a countdown of days will appear in the "Today at Berkeley Lab" calendar section through the day of the race.

Regents Advised to
Seek Lab Contract
By Keay Davidson

The University of California should join the competition to retain its controversial 6-decade-old contract to run Los Alamos National Laboratory as long as specific contractual details prove to be satisfactory, a top advisory council to the UC president is recommending. Some UC regents and other university officials have questioned over the past year whether UC should join an expensive competition for the Los Alamos contract at a time of state budget crisis. But in a short summary of its position, the council says UC's continued management of Los Alamos "is in the best interest of the nation." Full story.