Computer Science Aids
Cancer Cell Research
By Esther Landhuis

A growing multidisciplinary movement hopes to exploit the similarities between computer chips and human cells to advance cancer research. A team of Bay Area scientists, including Berkeley Lab computational biologist Paul Spellman, has received a five-year, $15 million grant to study human breast cancer cells. They'll look at how protein networks transmit vital information, and how these pathways go awry, leading to cancer. Researchers will apply concepts from math, physics, and computer science to analyze this communication. Full story (registration required).

UC's Los Alamos Chances Are Looking Much Better
By Charles Burress

The University of California's chances for continuing to manage the nation's leading nuclear weapons lab, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, have won an apparent boost with the withdrawal of one of the most formidable potential competitors. The Battelle Memorial Institute, which runs five other U.S. Department of Energy labs, decided not to compete in order to focus on its existing lab contracts, said Bill Madia, Battelle's executive vice president for laboratory operations. Full story.

Oakland Scientific Facility

More than 30 researchers from the fields of high-energy physics, networking and cyber security will meet Wednesday and Thursday at the Oakland Scientific Facility for a High Energy Physics Cyber Security Workshop. The goal of the workshop is to prioritize and flesh out some of the ideas from a white paper circulated by the Lab last summer, and plan a "deployment" proposal to ensure that computing activities at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will be as secure as possible by 2007. The event will focus on identifying and launching compatible technologies. More information about the workshop can be found here.

LDRD FY06 Proposals
Are Due by April 15

Director Steve Chu has issued the FY2006 Call for Proposals for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program, which provides support for projects in forefront areas of science that can advance the Lab's R&D competencies and open up new directions and capabilities. Multi-investigator and multi-divisional initiatives that address problems of scale are especially encouraged. Proposals must be submitted to division directors by April 15. Go here for more information.