LRDP's EIR Hearing
Takes Place Monday

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Berkeley Lab’s draft 2006 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) is the subject of a public hearing that will be held Monday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. The LRDP establishes a framework of land-use principles to guide the Lab’s growth and other physical development through 2025. The EIR, which provides an assessment of the LRDP and its potential effects on the environment, is undergoing a public review process that ends on March 23. The UC Regents are expected to review the LRDP and EIR in the fall. Both documents and additional information are available here. 

Umbrella Bags Help
Prevent Slips and Falls

The EH&S Division is launching a pilot program to minimize the risk of slips and falls during the rainy season by providing plastic umbrella bags in the Building 90 lobby. Interested building managers and safety coordinators are welcome to visit the lobby and view the bags. The Lab’s Occupational Safety Group is in the process of identifying other candidate buildings to deploy a limited number of wet umbrella bag dispensers on a trial basis.

Shuttle Bus Fire
Quickly Extinguished

An unattended bus caught fire in the Building 51 parking lot at approximately 9 p.m. on Feb. 15. Lab firefighters responded and extinguished the fire within minutes. No injuries were reported and the buses interior is in good shape. The bus’s engine compartment and associated wiring suffered significant damage. The root cause appears to be leaking diesel fuel.

License for Life Scientists' Pulse Measuring Device

Budginger
Maltz

The Lab recently concluded an exclusive license with Endothelix, Inc. to further develop a noninvasive device for the detection of preclinical cardiovascular disease. Invented by Thomas Budinger and Jonathan Maltz, with the Life Sciences Division, the device measures the time required for a pulse to travel from a patient’s wrist to the heart. This technology allows for earlier detection of cardiovascular disease, before plaques begin to form in the cardiac arteries.

NERSC Database Ranks
2nd Largest In World

According to “Business Intelligence Lowdown,” an online platform about information technology, the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) at Berkeley Lab is No. 2 on the list of 10 largest databases in the world. Topped only by the World Data Center for Climate in Europe, NERSC has 2.8 petabytes of information, which the site says is about .05 percent of the total number of spoken words in human history. See the list here.

On Quest: Cooling Off
Urban Heat Islands

Akbari

Dark colors retain heat. An entire city of asphalt roofs, blacktop roads, and parking lots creates what scientists call an "urban heat island," which causes a vicious cycle of higher energy bills and air pollution. One community, in Sacramento, is trying to cool down. The story, on the KQED radio program Quest, features the comments of Berkeley Lab Environmental Energy Technologies scientist Hashem Akbari, who talks about "cool roofs" from his laboratory on the Hill. Go here to listen (RealMedia audio and MP3 download).

Planned Power Outages
At Lab Tomorrow

Power outages are scheduled to take place in Buildings 68, 69, 75 Complex, 76 Complex, 78 and the Grizzly Gate tomorrow. The outages will run approximately from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The Grizzly Gate will be closed during this time. Outages are also scheduled for Buildings 13A, 13E, 33B, 65, 65A, 65B and 88 Complex, from approximately 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Power will be restored in all locations as soon as work has been completed. For additional information, contact Jim Murphy (x4175).

Tree Work Closes
Road Tomorrow

A portion of Lawrence Road near Building 72 will be closed tomorrow to accommodate the removal of some dead pine trees. The closure is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and will continue for 4-6 hours. Traffic in this area will be redirected. For more information, contact Bob Berninzoni (x5576).