Paid-Holiday Change
In Shutdown Period

During this year's December holiday shutdown period, Lab employees will now have to use only one vacation or leave-without- pay day instead of the usual two. Thursday, December 29, 2005, has been designated as one of the New Year's Holidays instead of Monday, January 2, 2006.As a result, the only day during the shutdown period that is not a paid holiday is Wednesday, December 28. Go here to view this revised holiday schedule.

Oil on Troubled Waters
May Stop Hurricanes

Chorin

Sailors who traditionally dumped barrels of oil into the sea to calm stormy waters may have been on to something, a new study suggests. The old practice reduces wind speeds in tropical hurricanes by damping ocean spray, according to a new mathematical sandwich model. As hurricane winds kick up ocean waves, large water droplets become suspended in the air. This cloud of spray can be treated mathematically as a third fluid sandwiched between the air and sea. "Our calculations show that drops in the spray decrease turbulence and reduce friction, allowing for far greater wind speeds, sometimes eight times as much," explains Berkeley Lab computational researcher Alexandre Chorin.
Full story.

Ten Receive EH&S
Safety Spot Awards

The Environment, Health and Safety Division has instituted a new award program to encourage the use of safe practices by employees across the Lab. The inaugural recipients are: Teresa Lynem, Christophe Nicolas, Marcus Hertlein, Musahid Ahmed, Mike Jimenez Cruz, and Wayne Lukens (Chemical Sciences), Ed Romero, James Osborn, and Bryan Holmes (Engineering), and Micheele Galloway (Nuclear Sciences). More details on the program and the staff who received awards will appear in the next issue of The View (Aug. 19).

AFRD Division Director
To Head Physics School

Barletta

William Barletta, director of the Lab's Accelerator and Fusion Research Division, has announced his intention to resign his position in order to become Director of the U.S. Particle Accelerator School at Fermilab, effective next January. Barletta, who directed the Lab's preparation effort for the new University of California management contract, headed AFRD for more than 12 years and, according to Director Steve Chu, has "developed and nurtured world-class efforts" in diverse areas of accelerator physics." Chu also cited Barletta's role in developing programs in intelligence, non- proliferation and counter-terrorism. Go here to read a memo from Chu on Barletta's departure.

Life Sciences Veteran
Bea Singer Passes

Singer

Bea Singer, a senior scientist in the Life Sciences Division and UC Berkeley professor emeritus, died July 20 at the age of 82. She joined the Lab in 1985 after retiring from a nearly 40-year career for the campus's Department of Molecular Biology and Space Sciences Laboratory. Singer was widely recognized for her work on RNA structure and function of the plant RNA virus TMV. She also made seminal contributions to the field of chemical carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. A memorial event is being planned for the fall. Additional information on Singer will appear in the next issue of The View (Aug. 19).

Generator To Be
Tested Today

The Facilities Division will carry out the monthly test run of the 2-MW, 12-kV Generator. The procedure will be transparent to employees, however, the remote possibility of an electrical power interruption on SW-A6 Bus 1, which feeds Buildings 51 and 64 and the 90 Complex, does exist. Staff should take all necessary precautions. A public address announcement will be made prior to the test run. For more information, contact Jim Murphy (x4175).