A Boost for Hydrogen
Fuel Cell Research

Stamenkovic

In a development that holds promise for the future of hydrogen fuel cells, materials scientist Vojislav Stamenkovic and a team of researchers at Berkeley Lab and Argonne have identified a new variation of a familiar platinum-nickel alloy that is far and away the most active oxygen-reducing catalyst ever reported. The slow rate of oxygen-reduction catalysis has been a primary factor hindering development of the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells favored for use in vehicles powered by hydrogen.  This research has been published in the online version of Science. Full story.

Earth Scientists Win
$4.5 Million in Awards

Wan

Six investigators in the Environmental Remediation Program of Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division were recently successful in securing over $4.5 million in funding from DOE’s Environmental Remediation Sciences Program for projects that will be carried out over the next three to five years. Successful project-based proposals include those of Jiamin Wan, Mark Conrad and Terry Hazen; successful field research center proposals were approved for Don DePaolo, Ken Williams and Susan Hubbard. They all focus on the use of advanced geophysical, geochemical, microbiological, and hydrological approaches for understanding complex subsurface phenomena. Go here for details.

Lab History on Display
At Downtown Exhibit

The history of Berkeley Lab is on display at a new Berkeley Historical Society exhibit entitled "Berkeley: 75 Years Ago." The exhibit, which was unveiled on Sunday and will run through April 7 at the Veterans Building at 1931 Center St., features items that defined the City of Berkeley decades ago. Among them are four large, colorful panels that provide an overview Berkeley Lab's history, starting with its founding in 1931 and continuing through the 1960s. Go here to read a Contra Costa Times article on the Berkeley Historical Society exhibit.

Lab Development Plan
Strives for Modernization
By Katlyn Carter

As the clash over the development of Memorial Stadium continues on campus, Berkeley Lab released its own draft long-range development plan Monday. According to the plan, 62 percent of the buildings on the lab’s campus are currently more than 40 years old and 17 percent of the current building square footage is deemed extremely dangerous under current seismic codes. The lab has proposed to demolish up to 320,000 gross square feet of building space that is currently occupied but, according a lab statement, may be too old to be repaired. In addition to the need for safe facilities, the report highlights the current lack of modern spaces to conduct multidisciplinary research and house advanced technological research tools. Full story.

Climate Change Focus
Of World Economic Forum

Davos, Switzerland

A dearth of snow threatened to make this year’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland the greenest ever, but a storm covered the town with a fresh layer of white yesterday as participants started discussing global warming and climate change. About 2,400 business and political leaders, journalists, bloggers and celebrities, 24 heads of state, and scientists like Berkeley Lab Director Steve Chu, are meeting at the five-day annual gathering to talk politics, economics and social issues in an atmosphere aimed at finding long-term solutions instead of quick fixes. Full story.

Ride Ion Train From
The Moon to Earth
By Kelly Young

Brown

Spacecraft could one day be propelled by ion beams shooting up from the Moon, according to a recent study. Other spacecraft have flown with ion engines, which work by stripping electrons off gas atoms and accelerating the ions with an electric field. The ions create thrust as they are shot out of the engine. The idea behind the new study is to rip out the engine and mount it on the ground, beaming ions up to the spacecraft. "This first look at the idea seems to indicate that it is, in principle, feasible," says Ian Brown, a retired physicist from Berkeley Lab. Full story.