Bodman, left, Alivisatos, center, and Orbach

Alivisatos Gets His
E.O. Lawrence Award

Paul Alivisatos, Associate Lab Director and director of the Materials Sciences Division, received his E.O. Lawrence Award on March 28 at a special ceremony in Washington D.C. The prize was conferred by DOE Secretary Samuel Bodman and Under Secretary for Science Raymond Orbach. Alivisatos was one of eight winners of the award, the Department of Energy’s highest prize in science. Winning the award in life sciences was Arup Chakraborty, a chemical engineer now at MIT, who did most of his award-winning research on T cells at Berkeley Lab.

UC Outlines Process
For Medical Plan Bids

In an effort to preserve quality health benefits while managing rising costs, the University of California will be exploring various medical plan options to implement in the future. These include consolidating the number of general medical plan providers, using specialty providers for specific benefits, and the launching of a new “wellness pilot program” that will provide new resources to employees to help them manage their own health. Go here for more information.

Judges Learn About
Science at Lab
By Betsy Mason

Some of the country's top judges spent last week at Berkeley Lab with some of the country's top scientists to bone up on the science behind some of the complex issues they encounter in the courtroom. Around 50 judges came to Berkeley Lab to get a handle on the science they could face in cases with environmental issues, such as the legality of using genetically modified bacteria for hazardous waste cleanup. "It's good for them to understand whether to exclude a certain expert or allow certain evidence and help them make better decisions," said microbial ecologist Terry Hazen, head of the lab's ecology department. The judges also toured the Lab's Advanced Light Source and the Molecular Foundry, and were treated to talks by Nobel Prize winners George Smoot and Lab Director Steve Chu. Full story.

Free Health Checks
For Ex-Lab Workers
By Betsy Mason

Former employees of Livermore and Sandia national laboratories are eligible for free medical screening to determine if they have any health problems related to on-the-job exposure to radioactive or toxic substances. Experts from UC San Francisco and Boston University School of Public Health will evaluate workers at the Kaiser Permanente occupational medicine facilities in northern California, starting with Livermore near the end of April. There are also plans to expand the program to include former Berkeley Lab workers in 2008. Full story.