Director’s AAAS Plenary 
Talk Wows Reporters

Chu

Berkeley Lab Director Steve Chu gave a plenary lecture this past Saturday night in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) entitled “The Energy Problem and What We Can Do To Solve It.” Afterwards, there was a party for science reporters at the California Academy of Sciences, where Chu’s lecture received rave reviews. Jokingly introducing himself as a stand-in for Google CEO Larry Page (the two had switched times), Chu delivered both the “good news and bad news” about the global energy situation today and prospects for the future. His talk can be viewed here (scroll down to third item).

Free-Science Movement Gains Foothold on Campus
By Barry Bergman

Eisen

When the journal Nature reported last month that a group of publishing goliaths had enlisted a "PR pit bull" to "take on the free-information movement" — a story that quickly entered the mainstream media through the Washington Post, then replicated itself endlessly via the blogosphere — the move was widely viewed as a declaration of war. The long knives, it appeared, were finally out. In response, the slingshots, too, came out in force. "I think it's fantastic," exults Michael Eisen, an assistant professor of molecular and cell biology and a genetics researcher at Berkeley Lab. "It's just evidence that open access is working." Full story.

Fréchet

Governor, Trade Group
Laud Energy Expert

Vine

Ed Vine, with the Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, was among a 17-member team honored with an "Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Research and Evaluation" by the Association of Energy Services Professionals. They were recognized for developing the California Energy Program Evaluation Framework and the California Energy Efficiency Program Evaluation Protocols. The team also received a letter from Gov. Schwarzenegger that stated in part, “Your commitment to a sustainable environment further enhances the state's image as a world leader, but more importantly, will bring about a healthier future for our children and grandchildren. Thank you for your contributions to energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction."

Web Feeds of TABL,
SABL Now Available

Employees can now receive Today at Berkeley Lab (TABL) and Science at Berkeley Lab (SABL) at home or from any computer with an internet connection and a web-feed reader.  There are many ways to start receiving web feeds; one of the simplest is to download the Sage Extension for the Firefox web browser. Go here for instructions. Once Sage is installed, subscribing to the web feed is simple, and new issues will be delivered automatically. This is part of a broader Lab effort to gauge interest in new methods of information delivery. For more on Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and instructions, go to the IT Department’s “TWIKI” website here (requires LDAP password and username). For questions, contact the IT Help Desk at x4357. For more information about web feeds, go here.

Library Moves
May Delay Service

The Library is currently moving materials from the Lab's Berkeley warehouse to Richmond and compacting space and moving personnel in the Building 50B collection. These moves, scheduled to end on or around March 23, may cause delays to those seeking material stored in those locations. Library staff will make every effort to continue prompt services during this time and apologize for any inconvenience.

Brown Bag Covers
Healthy Heart Tips

The Health Care Facilitator office invites employees to attend a brown-bag talk on “Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke.”  It will be held on Monday from noon to 1 p.m. in Perseverance Hall. Guest speaker Patty Schumann will share tips on food, exercise and other methods for preventing heart disease.