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spacer imageCALENDAR
Today

10:30 a.m.
Center for Beam Physics
High Average Power FELs
William Colson, Naval Postgraduate Institute
Bldg. 71-264

11 a.m.
NCEM
TEM, STEM, and Synchrotron Radiation as Tools to Refine Theoretically Predictive Models of Materials
Kevin Moore, LLNL
Bldg.72-201

Noon
Yoga Club
Class with Naomi Hartwig
Bldg. 70-191

2 p.m.
UC Berkeley
Directed Assembly of Block Copolymers for Patterning at the Nanoscale
Paul Nealey, U. of Wisconsin
390 Hearst Mining Bldg.


Monday

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

4:30 p.m.
Physics Department
Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
Wolfgang Bauer, Michigan State U. 1 LeConte Hall (campus)

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spacer imageCAFETERIA
 

Morning Editions: Biscuits and Gravy with 2 Eggs
Monday's Breakfast: Chili Cheese Omelette with Hashbrowns

Market Carvery: Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

The Fresh Grille: BBQ Beef Sandwich with Onion Rings
Menutainment: Viva El Burrito with Chicken or Pork

B'fast: 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Lunch: 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
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IN THE NEWS



Behind Glass and Steel,
A World of Discovery
By Sandhya Somashekhar

Rubin
The sound of bulldozers and circular saws still lingers as workers put the final touches on the new Janelia Farm Research Campus in Ashburn, a facility that promises to generate some of the most important work ever conducted on the human mind. The elegant glass-and-steel building, with fine Italian furnishings and lounges overlooking manmade ponds, seems more like a stylish resort than a research center. But that is precisely the point, said Janelia Director and Berkeley Lab life scientist Gerald Rubin. Full story.

'Ringleader' Reinventing Biotechnology Industry
By Matthew Herper

Keasling
To MIT professor Drew Endy, all the great breakthroughs in biotechnology of the past 30 years were mere tweaks. He has a grand ambition: to edit living organisms. Or more precisely, to rewrite DNA one unit at a time, using this genetic data to make proteins-to-order, which in turn would define entire living cells. If this venture or anything like it succeeds it will change the way mankind interacts with the living world. Endy, along with three synthetic- biology comrades, including Berkeley Lab physical bioscientist Jay Keasling, started a company called Codon Devices in late 2004 to industrialize the construction of genes. Full story.



Fung
Methane Mystery Seems Solved
By Andrew Revkin

For years, scientists have been trying to figure out why the atmospheric concentration of methane, a heat- trapping gas, stopped increasing in the early 1990's after tripling during the preceding 200 years. Now a new study by an international research team supports the suspicions of some experts that the leveling off was probably temporary and caused by a downturn in emissions from industry and most likely related to the collapse of the Soviet Union and its economy. Berkeley Lab earth scientist Inez Fung said the study was a convincing portrait of shifts in human and natural contributions to the methane mix in the atmosphere. Full story.

Lab Expert Discusses
Risks for Older Dads

Berkeley Lab life scientist Andrew Wyrobek appeared on the Sept. 26 edition of National Public Radio's award-winning Diane Rehm Show to discuss the reproductive risks of older fathers. Not only have infertility and miscarriage rates been linked to a father's age, but so, too, have a number of genetic diseases and disorders, including autism. Wyrobek, whose studies show that the genetic quality of sperm deteriorates as men age, joined Jeremy Silverman, director of family studies at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Alan DeCherney, from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, for an hour-long discussion. The program can be heard here (Real Media Player).

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Central Stores Closure
Means More eBuy Use


When the Facilities Central Storeroom closes for good on Oct. 13, employees will have several options to purchase materials formerly ordered through Stores. They can use eBuy, the new software that allows Lab employees to acquire goods at low cost and order them from their computers. Using eBuy requires an LDAP username and password and a valid Project ID. Find out more about eBuy here. Other items can be obtained through Business-to-Business (B2B) contracts — see a list here. The Stores closure is part of the Laboratory Supply Chain Management Initiative, which is described here. Departments requiring reports on their history of Storehouse issues to assist in the transition process can contact Steve Black at x7072 or Bill Llewellyn at x7726.

Lab Co-sponsors Green
Building Conference

Berkeley Lab is among the sponsors of West Coast Green, a residential green building conference that runs from Sept. 28-30 at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The conference, which showcases the latest in energy efficient and environmentally friendly building technologies, features more than 250 exhibitors and dozens of speakers. Go here for more information.

Blackberry Gate
Closed Tomorrow

Blackberry Gate will be closed from 7 a.m. tomorrow to 7 a.m. Sunday to all traffic to accommodate road paving work. During this time, both Strawberry and Grizzly Gates will be available for exiting the Lab, but only Strawberry Gate will be open to incoming traffic. Blackberry Gate will be open for pedestrians and cyclists, who must use the sidewalk in that area. The Building 88 parking lot will be closed.

EH&S UPDATE




New Seismic Sensor Sets Off False Alarm

Some employees may have noticed an alarm that was sounded throughout the Lab at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday. It was a false alarm, resulting from testing a new seismic sensor being installed in Building 48. The alarm was meant to be isolated to that building but was inadvertently broadcast throughout the lab. An announcement over the Lab’s public address system followed moments after the occurrence. Emergency Management apologizes for any inconvenience or anxiety the alarm may have caused. Contact x7032 with questions.
 
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Partly cloudy.
High: 66° (19° C)
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SECON level 3

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