Today at Berkeley Lab: December 7, 2007

Friday, Dec. 7, 2007

A full listing of the Lab's activities is available on the

Today

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

Noon
Dance Club
Practice Session
Bldg. 51

2 p.m.
Nano Institute
Carbon Nanotube Nanofluidics: New Physics and Applications
Jason Holt, Livermore Lab
390 HMMB

4 p.m.
Chemistry Department
Diboron Porphyrins and Corroles: Unexpected Chemistry for Both Boron and the Ligands
Penny Brothers, U. of Auckland, New Zealand
120 Latimer Hall

Monday

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

Noon
Dance Club
East Coast Swing Lesson
Bldg. 51 Lobby

3:45 p.m.
Nuclear Engineering
Engineering in the 21st Century: Risk, Ethics And Education (Part Two)
W. E. Kastenberg, UC Berkeley
3105 Etcheverry

6:30 p.m.
Physics Department
Elementary Particle Physics: a Personal Look Ahead
Burt Richter, Stanford U.
1 Pimentel

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito
Monday's Breakfast: Biscuits and Gravy with Eggs
Cultural Cuisines: Burrito Bar
Pizza: Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Deli: Smoked Turkey, Swiss and Dionaisse Prestini
Grill: Beer Batter Fish and Chips
Carvery: Baked Ham with Two Sides

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

Lab's Annual Holiday Party
Is Next Friday, 3 to 5 p.m.

All employees are invited to attend a holiday gathering on Friday, Dec. 14 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the cafeteria. Music and refreshments will be provided, and Director Steve Chu will offer season’s greetings to all in attendance.

Persis Drell Chosen
As Director of SLAC





Drell

Persis Drell has been named director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), effective immediately. Drell, a professor of physics at SLAC, has held a series of senior positions at the laboratory since 2002 and has served as acting director since September. Drell succeeds former director Jonathan Dorfan, who announced his departure in March. Drell received her Ph.D. in atomic physics from UC Berkeley in 1983, then switched to high-energy experimental physics as a postdoctoral scientist at Berkeley Lab. As a Cal graduate student, she worked with Lab Director Steve Chu, who was then a postdoctoral student, according to SLAC’s former director Burt Richter. Full story.

Gray, Scientists, A-Bomb
Survivors on Rad Studies





Gray

For the past 60 years, the National Academies have studied the health effects of radiation exposure in survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. To commemorate the many contributions of former and current research employees and bomb survivors, the National Academy of Sciences is hosting a symposium, "Sixty Years of ABCC/RERF: Major Contributions and Future Studies" in Washington D.C. on Dec. 12. Berkeley Lab Associate Laboratory Director Joe Gray will give the keynote speech in the section on "The Future," focusing on research into low levels of radiation. Full story.

Help Lab Save Energy
During Holiday Break

This year’s holiday shutdown will start at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21 and continue through Tuesday, Jan 1. The shutdown offers significant opportunities for saving energy. Before leaving for the break, staff are asked to set back thermostats and turn off nonessential lighting and equipment. Those who will be here during the shutdown should be aware that a minimum work force will be on hand to continue essential functions, such as safety, mail, and plant operations. Go here for more details.

Sale on Lab Logo
Fleece Blankets

The cafeteria gift shop has lowered the price of its Lab-logo fleece blankets through Friday, Dec. 21. The cost is $19.99, a $5 discount over the regular price. The shop has many other items available for purchase, including shirts, hats and jackets. Staff are also reminded that, due to the approaching holiday break, the coffee bar will close at 2:30 p.m. during the week of Dec. 17.

Going Green Includes
Ethernet Efficiency
By Rutrell Yasin





Nordman

Want to make your data center more environmentally friendly? Or just cut the power bills for your agency? The path to either goal is the same: Greater energy efficiency. Government data center certainly could stand to sharpen its energy usage profile. However, servers are not the only components in the data center that draw power. Efforts are under way at Berkeley Lab to make Ethernet networks more energy efficient. Adaptive Link Rate technology, or Energy Efficient Ethernet, focuses on letting Ethernet data links adjust their speed — and power — to traffic levels, said Bruce Nordman, a researcher in the Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Full story.

Polymer May Boost
Hydrogen in Fuel Cells





Porous polymer

U.S. chemists have developed a polymer, which could lead to a new kind of hydrogen tank for fuel cell-powered vehicles. Berkeley Lab materials scientist Frank Svec and colleagues from UC Berkeley have formulated highly porous materials from polyanilin. Svec applied hypercrosslinking to manufacture a material with a mesh-like structure which keeps the polymer chains apart, and in so doing leaves a material full of nanometer-sized pores. This results in a surface mesh material that has a high affinity for hydrogen and which has a surface area up to eight times higher than previous porous polyanilines — thus potentially providing a solution to the problem of hydrogen storage in fuel tanks. Full story.

Dance Lesson by Division
Director’s Daughter





Erica, right, with partner Andrea Faraci

Erica Ridgeway — the daughter of Berkeley Lab Facilities Director Jennifer Ridgeway and a world-class professional ballroom dancer — will visit the Lab on Tuesday to give a free lesson to members of the Dance Club and other interested staff. The lesson will begin at noon in the lobby of Building 51 (Bevatron). Ridgeway has won numerous titles and has been approached by the producers of the hit TV series "Dancing with the Stars" to appear as a professional contestant, an invitation she is considering.

Jewelry Sale at Lab
Tuesday in Cafeteria

Representatives from Karats Jewelry will be in the cafeteria lobby on Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Karats sells chains, bracelets, rings, charms, and earrings — all perfect for holiday gifts. 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.

WEATHER

Partly cloudy.
High: 60° (16° 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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