Today at Berkeley Lab: February 13, 2007

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Today

10 a.m.
EHS 123
Adult CPR
Bldg. 48-109

11 a.m.
EHS 339
Asbestos Awareness
Bldg. 70A-3377

11 a.m.
Chemistry Department
Reprogramming Bacteria with Small Molecules and RNA
Justin Gallivan, Emory U.
120 Latimer Hall (campus)

Noon
Environmental Energy Technologies
Daylighting Research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
Anothai Thanachareonkit, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Bldg. 90-3122

Noon
Benefits Office
Determining an Investment Stragegy
Alyssa Valladao, FITSCO
Bldg. 50 Auditorium

1 p.m.
EHS 116
First Aid Safety
Bldg. 48-109

4 p.m.
Chemistry Department
Optical Properties and Charge Carrier Dynamics of Nanomaterials: Some Fundamental Issues and Emerging Applications
Jin Zhang, UC Santa Cruz
120 Latimer Hall (campus)

5:30 p.m.
Water Resources Center Archives
The Wild Heart of Silicon Valley
Steve Ritchie, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project
Goldman School of Public Policy, 2607 Hearst Ave. (campus)

Tomorrow

10 a.m.
EHS 10
Intro to EH&S at Berkeley Lab
Bldg. 50 Auditorium

Noon
CITRIS
Participatory Urbanism: Empowering Everyday Civic Engagement and Promoting Wonderment
Eric Paulos, Intel
290 Hearst Mining Bldg. (campus)

Noon
Dance Club
American Tango
Bldg. 51 Lobby

12:15 p.m.
Yoga Club
Class with Chris Hoskins
Bldg. 70-191

1:30 p.m.
EHS 346
Chemical Management System Web Application Training
Bldg. 90-0026

4 p.m.
Chemical Engineering Department
Nonlinear Impedance Analysis of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes: Connecting Materials Properties, Microstructure, and Electrochemical Characteristics
Stuart Adler, U. of Washington
120 Latimer Hall (campus)

Morning Editions: Swiss and Bacon Omelet with Hash Browns and Toast
Tomorrow's Breakfast: Polish Sausage and Eggs with Toast and Hash Browns
Market Carvery: Herb Roast Pork with Potatoes and Vegetables
The Fresh Grille: Chicken Melt with Onion Rings
Menutainment: Fiesta Taco Salad

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

Energy's Real Costs
Discussed at Forum
By Allison Bruce





Benson

A sea change is coming in how people think about energy, where it comes from, and its actual costs. Facing these energy challenges and taking steps toward a truly sustainable future were part of the discussion at the recent "Concept to Commerce: Emerging Energy Technologies Summit" at UC Santa Barbara. Among the summit's participants was Berkeley Lab earth scientist Sally Benson, who said her first priority when talking about energy is to stress efficiency, whether it be compact fluorescent light bulbs or special coatings on windows to cut down energy use. Renewable sources of energy also will play an important role in determining the future of power, she said. Full story.

WaterHealth International
Launches Blue Revolution





Gadgil

WaterHealth International recently announced the launching of the "blue revolution," aimed at bringing potable water to roughly two billion people worldwide with little or no access to safe drinking water. The organization will focus on India and South Asia, West Africa, the Philippines and Latin America, using innovative purification systems, including UV Waterworks, developed by Berkeley Lab environmental energy technologist Ashok Gadgil. Full story.

CUCSA Delegate Sought; Staff Invited to Meeting

The Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) is comprised of delegates from every UC-managed institution, including Berkeley Lab. Members discuss issues that affect staff with top UC administrators and Regents. CUCSA members are also asked for their feedback on programs and initiatives that UC is developing. The Lab is seeking a new junior delegate to serve alongside a senior delegate for 2007-08. Details on who is eligible and the nomination process are available here. To get an inside look at how CUCSA operates, staff can attend the group's next quarterly meeting at UC Berkeley on Thursday, March 8 (775 Tan Hall), and at the Lab on Friday, March 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Perseverance Hall.

Cal's Deal with BP
Moving Forward
By Rick DelVecchio

Ten days ago with fanfare, UC Berkeley rolled out its unprecedented bioenergy research pact with oil giant BP. Now begins the hard work: crafting a contract that protects the university's independence and provides guarantees against corporate involvement in faculty decisions. One step in the process takes place Monday when the executive committee of the university's Academic Senate discusses the deal during its regular meeting. Among the faculty's concerns is that any future corporate patronage should not repeat the controversial 1998 research partnership between the university's Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and the biotech firm Novartis. Full story.

Collider's Reference
Design is Issued





ILC detector

In Beijing last Thursday, the Global Design Effort team of the International Linear Collider released the long-awaited Reference Design Report for physicists' next big dream machine, which promises to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the nature of the universe. The reference design initially calls for an accelerator 31 kilometers (over 19 miles) long, colliding leptons at half a trillion electron volts, with construction costs estimated at $6.7 billion. The Physics Division's Marco Battaglia and AFRD's John Byrd head Berkeley Lab design efforts for the ILC's detectors and damping rings. Read the International Committee for Future Accelerators press release here. Go here for a New York Times story on this development.

Pair Give Talk
At Fuel Cell Expo





Newman



Weber

Adam Weber, a scientist in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division’s Electrochemical Technologies Group, gave a presentation on his work with EETD's John Newman on modeling of polymer-electrolyte fuel cells at the FC (Hydrogen and Fuel Cell) Expo in Tokyo, Japan. His talk was part of a special invitation-only presentation organized by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The show is billed as the largest exhibition of fuel-cell technology in the world.

	# of Assets	Asset Cost
100%	20,813	$632,211,637
90%
80%	17,839	$496,787,431
60%
40%
20%
0%

Help Reach 100 Percent; Bring In Laptops for Scanning

As the Lab's wall-to-wall inventory reaches its halfway point, more than 80 percent of assets have been verified. To procure the remaining 20 percent, staff who have Lab-issued laptops at home or off-site locations are encouraged to bring them in to get scanned. Contact your division property representative for more information.

WEATHER

Partly cloudy.
High: 56° (13° 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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