Saving PC Energy:
It's Simple as Sleep
By Ian Austen

Nordman

Book About Accelerators Includes E.O. Lawrence

Lawrence

An account of nuclear physics 75 years ago, "The Fly in the Cathedral: How a Group of Cambridge Scientists Won the International Race to Split the Atom," by British journalist Brian Cathcart, includes the story of Ernest Lawrence's cyclotron invention. The 1909 revelation that the atom "is like a fly in the cathedral" launched an international contest to dissect things further. In reflects upon the young Lawrence at UC Berkeley experimenting with a circular accelerator, competing with other American and German teams to be the first to split the atom. Read the New York Review of Books review here.

Cicerone Elected
NAS President

Cicerone

Members of the National Academy of Sciences have elected UC Irvine Chancellor Ralph Cicerone as its next president. He will serve a six-year term, starting July 1. Specializing in earth sciences and chemistry, Cicerone's research has helped shape policy on climate change and pollution. He also helped identify the roles that nitrous oxide and methane play in climate change and global warming. Full story.

Library's Journal
Funding Restored

The results of the recent Library Journal Survey, completed by 1,330 employees, have helped spur the restoration of $580,000 to the Library's journal budget. This decision by Director Chu will allow the renewal of subscriptions to Elsevier and other journals and the addition of new subscriptions. The Berkeley Lab Library Committe (LLC) will determine the additions in consultation with the Information Technologies and Services Division (ITSD) and the Computing and Communications Services Advisory Committee (CSAC). Researchers can offer preferences or concerns to their LLC division representative.

Ethanol Fueling Station
Down for Maintenance

Due to required maintenance of the ethanol fueling system located at Building 76, ethanol fuel (E85) will not be available for dispensing throughout February. Divisions that have a "flex-fuel" vehicle can use their assigned fuel card to dispense unleaded fuel at the pump. Those who experience difficulty in refueling their vehicle can stop by the Fleet Office (Building 76-115) for assistance. A notice will appear in Today at Berkeley Lab when maintenance is completed. For more information, contact Don Prestella (x4224) or Fleet Operations (x5475).

Biowarfare sensing element can detect a single molecule of sarin.

Postdoc's Work Leads
To Bio Sensing Device

Based on a dissertation by Choongho Yu, currently a postdoctoral fellow in Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division, a research group led by an engineer at the University of Texas at Austin has developed a sensing device tailored for mass production of highly sensitive and stable nerve-gas detectors. The new sensor technology, which is more sensitive and much more stable than its predecessors, was featured on this week's cover of Applied Physics Letters. The researchers' highlighted study — of which Yu was the lead author — demonstrated the sensor's potential ability to detect a single molecule of the nerve gas, sarin, the most toxic of biological warfare agents. Full story.