Today at Berkeley Lab: October 16, 2006

Monday, October 16, 2006

Today

Noon
Yoga Club
Class with Inna Belogolovsky
Bldg. 70-191

Noon
Environmental Energy Technologies
Combinatorial Screening for the Identification of Mg-Based Destabilized Hydrogen Storage Materials
Robin Gremaud, Free U., Amsterdam
Bldg. 90-3122

12:30 p.m.
Environmental Energy Technologies
On the Remarkable Optical and Structural Transformations in Mg-Ti-H Thin Films
Dana Borsa, Free U., Amsterdam
Bldg. 90-3122

4:30 p.m.
UC Berkeley
Ultrafast Quantum Control
Philip Bucksbaum, Stanford U.
1 LeConte Hall

Tomorrow

8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Employee Activities Association
Karats Jewelry Sale
Cafeteria lobby

2 p.m.
EHS 345
Chemical Hygiene for Facilities
Bldg. 70A-3377

4 p.m.
Life Sciences & Genomics Divisions
Thrombopoietin: Towards an Understanding of Hematopoiesis
Bldg. 66 Auditorium

Morning Editions: Banana Pancakes, 2 Eggs
Tomorrow's Breakfast: Cheese Omelette with Hash Browns and Fruit
Market Carvery: Chicken Teriyaki Bowl over Rice
The Fresh Grille: Grilled Ham and Cheese with Potato Salad and Fruit
Menutainment: Curried Vegetables over Rice

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

Young Researchers Take 29th Runaround Honors

Four youthful entrants in the annual Runaround were the top men's and women's finishers on Friday at the 29th version of the event. David Bronfenbrenner, a materials sciences graduate student who works at the National Center for Electron Microscopy, won the men's overall race in a time of 9 minutes, 10 seconds. He edged four-time champ Dula Parkinson of Physical Biosciences at the finish line. Rebecca Jones, a researcher in Materials Sciences, and Elena Guardincerri, a postdoc working in the Nuclear Sciences Division, were the first two finishers in the women's category. A total of 603 runners, walkers and bikers enjoyed the cool overcast skies and the complimentary t-shirts and refreshments provided by the Employee Activities Association. A story on the results and more photos will appear in next Friday's View.

Near Miss: Bungee
Cord Causes Injury





Use Velcro straps instead of bungee cords

A Lab employee was using an elastic bungee cord last Thursday to secure boxes to a cart for transport. One of the metal hooks detached, flew upwards, and struck the employee in the face near the eye. Although the worker received medical treatment and was released, the damage could have been worse. Bungee cords are not safe for tying down loads, due to the high energy stored in the stretched elastic cord. Typical three-foot cords stretched to 4.5 feet can pull a hook at speeds of 46 miles per hour (go here for more detail). The exposed metal hook can even break safety glasses. Lab employees should use alternate tie-down methods, such as an adjustable hook and loop straps (available here). These devices do not present the hazards of stored elastic energy and can be cinched tight without risk of injury.

Lab Joins Effort to Adapt PS3 Clusters for Science

Commercial Linux distributor Terra Soft has been tapped by Sony's Computer Entertainment division to make good use of the PlayStation 3 machines that were formerly in the hands of the developers of games. Terra Soft is going to build two supercomputer clusters based on the machines. Among the clusters, the "amoeba" will be used by researchers at Berkeley Lab to tweak its gene sequencing software to run on a PS3 cluster. The clusters will be built in Colorado. Full story.

Staff: Be Alert to Fires
At Lab, East Bay Hills

October — which typically includes low humidity, high temperatures and offshore winds — brings extreme fire danger to the East Bay Hills. The Environment, Health and Safety Division would like to remind employees to be alert to the possible dangers that exist and what their responsibilities are in the event of a fire. Go here to read more about the efforts of EH&S to minimize fire danger and to learn more about employee responsibilities. Go here to view a dramatic video on fire evacuation from Berkeley Lab.

Karats Jewelry
Sale Tomorrow

Representatives from Karats Jewelry will be in the cafeteria lobby on from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. Among the offerings are chains, bracelets, rings, charms, and earrings. Karats offers a layaway plan and Lab employees get a 10 percent discount on all items. The event is sponsored by the Employee Activities Association.

Discount Tickets
For Fright Fests

Both Marine World and Paramount Great America are hosting Freight Fests during October. Use the promotional code "FALLS" for Marine World ($25) and "BERKLABS" for Great America ($29).

EETD's Harris Joins Alliance to Save Energy





Harris

Jeffrey Harris has joined the Alliance to Save Energy in Washington as vice president for programs, moving over from Berkeley Lab, where he spent more than 25 years as a staff scientist in Environmental Energy Technologies. At the Alliance, Harris oversees the buildings and utilities, industrial, and international programs. Since 1993, he had led the Government and Industry Programs Group at Berkeley Lab's Washington, D.C., office. From 1982-90, Harris led the Buildings Energy Data Group at the Lab. He also served from 1990-93 in the Department of Energy's Office of Building Technologies. Read a profile of Harris here.

WEATHER

Partly cloudy.
High: 65° (18° C)

Extended Forecast

SECURITY CONDITION

SECON level 3

More Information

INFO