Lab Staff Win Poster
Honors at Symposium

Two Berkeley Lab teams won honors at the poster session of the UC Berkeley Energy Symposium held March 21. Susan Amrose, Ashok Gadgil, Christina Galitsky, and Ken Chow of Environmental Energy Technologies Division won first place for their poster on the Darfur cookstoves project. Rebecca Jones, Kirstin Alberi, Joel Ager, Kin Man Yu, Eugene Haller, and Wladyslaw Walukiewicz of the Materials Sciences Division tied for second place for their poster on new materials for high-efficiency solar cells.

Laser Safety Officer
Sharing His Expertise

Barat

Ken Barat, Berkeley Lab's Laser Safety Officer, is sharing his knowledge of this field with others. Last month, he started writing a monthly column on laser safety in Photonics Spectra (available by subscription only). Barat also wrote an article for SPIE (the publication of the International Society for Optical Engineering) and a book on the topic. He is also assisting former Lab employee Jay Marx on laser safety at LIGO, and recently conducted a review of the laser safety program at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

Outside Consulting
And Employment

When is it permissible to engage in outside employment, consulting, and other types of paid work? To answer these questions, Lab employees are advised to follow five basic rules concerning outside business opportunities, and to be familiar with the Lab's conflict-of-interest policies in Chapter 10 of the Regulations and Procedures Manual (RPM). Go here for more details.

Cosmic-Ray Detector
May Be Shelved

After more than 10 years and $1.5 billion, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer detector is nearly ready for the cosmos. A blue-ribbon panel appointed by the Energy Department affirmed last fall that the instrument had the potential to make “fundamental new discoveries.” The only hitch is that NASA says it no longer has the space to fly its once-prized project. Berkeley Lab physicist George Smoot, who served on the blue-ribbon review panel, said, “The real issue is does NASA stand up to its commitments to the DOE and the rest of the world?” Full story.

Lab Tour Guides Sought;
Stipends Are Offered

Berkeley Lab's Community Relations Office is seeking graduate students and postdocs to provide tours of the Lab and its various facilities, including the Advanced Light Source and Molecular Foundry. Guides can receive up to $70 for each two-hour tour. Participants not only get to improve their public speaking skills, but will also learn more about the Lab's research programs. Training is provided. Those interested can e-mail Beverly Harris.