Today at Berkeley Lab: December 19, 2006

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Today

10 a.m.
EHS 27
Performing an Effective Safety Walk-Around
Bldg. 70-3377

4 p.m.
Life Sciences & Genomics
Regulation of Programmed Alternative Pre-mRNA Splicing in Normal Development and in Human Disease
John Conboy
Bldg. 66 Auditorium

Tomorrow

Noon
Environmental Energy Technologies
Commissioning and Performance Diagnostics for HVAC Control Systems
Ashish Singhal, Johnson Controls
Bldg. 90-3122

Noon
Dance Club
Waltz Practice
Bldg. 51 Lobby

Noon
Yoga Club
Class with Naomi Hartwig
Bldg. 937-302

Morning Editions: Breakfast Burrito with Roasted Potatoes
Tomorrow's Breakfast: Chili and Cheese Omelet with Hash Browns and Fruit
Market Carvery: Beef Brisket with potato and Vegetables
The Fresh Grille: Pizza Burger with Onion Ringss
Menutainment: Fiesta Taco Salad

B'fast:	6:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Lunch:	11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Full menu

New Schedules, Routes
For Buses Starts Jan. 2

The Facilities Division's Bus Services would like to thank all those who took the survey on proposed changes to the shuttle bus route. Nearly 300 responses were received, and the comments have helped the Transportation Advisory Committee make adjustments to the plan that will benefit the majority of bus riders at the Lab. The comments, suggestions and questions posed by survey respondents can be read here, along with responses by the committee. Go here to view the finalized shuttle bus route maps and schedules. These changes will be implemented on Tuesday, Jan. 2, the day most employees are returning to work after the holiday break. Because of this new process, some adjustments may be needed during implementation. Send comments to Tammy Brown. A follow-up survey will take place in a couple of months. To assist with the transition, bus service representatives will hand out maps, schedules and answer questions from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today and Wednesday in the cafeteria lobby and the Building 65 bus stop.

Website Collects Lab,
Campus Energy Efforts

A new website has been created that gathers in one place the various programs, projects and initiatives that represent Berkeley Lab's and UC Berkeley's efforts to secure an energy future for the nation. Sections on climate change, economics and policy, energy production, and energy use collect the relevant links to campus and Lab energy sites. For example, there are links to the Helios and Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) sites, representing the Lab's initiatives to develop research facilities for the development of efficient processes to produce transportation fuels from biomass and solar-driven electrochemistry. Go here to visit the Energy@Berkeley site.

Air Rich With Bacteria,
New Study Finds





From left, Andersen, Eoin Brodie, and Todd DeSantis

Want biodiversity? Look no further than the air around you. It could be teeming with more than 1,800 types of bacteria, according to a first-of-its-kind census of airborne microbes recently conducted by Berkeley Lab. Earth scientist Gary Andersen and colleagues used an innovative DNA test to catalog the bacteria in air samples taken from the Texas cities of San Antonio and Austin. Surprisingly, they found a widely varied bacterial population that rivals the diversity found in soil. They also found naturally occurring relatives of microbes that could be used in bioterrorist attacks — although many of these relatives are harmless. Full story.

Alivisatos Shares Italian Prize for Solar Cell Work





Alivisatos

Paul Alivisatos, Associate Laboratory Director for physical sciences, has been named co-winner of the Eni Italgas Prize from Premio Italgas Energia & Ambiente, the Italian gas company. The prize, worth 120,000 Euros, honors relevant results in research on energy sources and their relation with the environment. Alivisatos and Nobelist Alan J. Heeger of UC Santa Barbara were chosen for their studies on next-generation solar cells. They will receive their awards in Torino in March. Full story.

Library's Website Back in Service

The Library website is now online again, restoring access to catalog services for the book, journal, reference, circulation and inter-library loans and acquisition services. The reports catalog and reports coordination submissions will be processed manually until an automated system can be developed to securely handle documents. All private documents have been removed from the reports server, including titles and authors. For help, contact Library staff. For document submissions or public report/document searches, contact Jean Wolslegel (x6504).

WEATHER

Clear.
High: 54° (12° C)

Extended Forecast

EMERGENCY INFO

Emergency: Call x7911
Cell Phones: Call 911
Non-emergency Incident Reporting: Call x6999

SECON level 3

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