Today at Berkeley Lab: March 13, 2007

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Today

10 a.m.
EHS 260
Basic Electrical Hazards & Mitigations
Bldg. 70A-3377

11 a.m.
Chemistry Department
Chemical Research Inspired by Nature's Products
Justin Du Bois, Stanford U.
120 Latimer Hall (campus)

Noon
Environmental Energy Technologies
Mitigating Climate Change through Energy Efficiency: Implications of China's 20 Percent Energy Intensity Reduction Target
Jiang Lin
Bldg. 90-3122

1 p.m.
EHS 614
Satellite Accumulation Areas Management
Bldg. 70A-3377

4 p.m.
Life Sciences & Genomics
Imaging Addiction in the Human Brain
Joanna Fowler, Brookhaven National Lab
Bldg. 66 Auditorium

4 p.m.
Chemistry Department
Dynamics at Metal Surfaces
John Tully, Yale U.
120 Latimer Hall (campus)

5:30 p.m.
Water Resources Center Archives
Late Pleistocene to Holocene Evolution of the San Francisco Bay
B. Lynn Ingram, UC Berkeley
250 Goldman School, 2607 Hearst Ave.

Tomorrow

10:15 a.m.
EHS 10
Intro to EH&S at LBNL
Bldg. 50 Auditorium

Noon
Dance Club
American Tango Lesson
Bldg. 51 Lobby

12:15 p.m.
Yoga Club
Class with Chris Hoskins
Bldg. 70-131

1 p.m.
Materials Sciences
Ultrafast THz Spectroscopy of Electronic Correlations: From Excitons to Cooper Pairs
Robert Kaindl
Bldg. 80-234

4 p.m.
Chemical Engineering
Macromolecular Surfactants: Bigger and Better
Frank Bates, U. of Minnesota
120 Latimer Hall (campus)

Morning Editions: Avocado an Swiss Omelet with Hash Browns and Toast
Tomorrow's Breakfast: Banana Pancakes with Bacon or Sausage
Market Carvery: Baked Ziti with Side Salad and Garlic Bread
Fresh Grille: Mushrooms and Swiss Burger 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

Studying the Universe Getting More Complicated
By Richard Panek

This story, featuring Lab physicists George Smoot and Saul Perlmutter, appeared in the New York Times Magazine on Sunday

Three days after learning that he won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics, Berkeley Lab's George Smoot was talking about the universe. Sitting across from him was Saul Perlmutter, a fellow Lab cosmologist and a probable future Nobelist himself. “Time and time again,” Smoot shouted, “the universe has turned out to be really simple.” Perlmutter nodded eagerly. “It’s like, why are we able to understand the universe at our level?” “Right. Exactly. It’s a universe for beginners! ‘The Universe for Dummies’!” Full story.

Sensor Being Developed Checks for Life on Mars





Mathies

Researchers are refining a tool called Urey (Mars Organic and Oxidant Detector) that could not only check for traces of life's molecular building blocks on Mars, but could also determine if they've been produced by anything alive. A Urey component, the micro-capillary electrophoresis unit, has the job of separating organic compounds from one another for identification. "We have essentially put a laboratory onto a single wafer," said Berkeley Lab physical bioscientist Richard Mathies, a Urey co-investigator. Full story.

BP's Energy Grant
And Academic Freedom

This editorial ran in the Contra Costa Times on Monday

With its $500 million research grant to UC Berkeley, Berkeley Lab, and the University of Illinois, energy giant BP doubled the amount of money for biofuel research worldwide. Despite its promising scientific, technological and economic benefits, the grant has its detractors among the faculty and student body, who believe that corporate money somehow diminishes academic independence and freedom. Regardless of the source of grant money, valuable research can be done. That is particularly true when universities, including UC Berkeley, restrict companies' control of the research they fund. Full editorial.

Correction: Survey
Brown Bag on Thursday

Yesterday's edition of Today at Berkeley Lab included an incorrect day for Director Chu's brown bag discussions on the workplace survey. The next gathering will take place on Thursday in Building 937-302 (downtown). Another meeting will be held Tuesday, March 20 in Perseverance Hall.

Costco Representatives
At Lab Today, Tomorrow

Representatives from Costco Wholesale will be in the cafeteria today and at Building 937 on Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Employees can learn more about the benefits of Costco membership and special promotions. The visit is sponsored by the Lab's Employee Activities Association. For more information, e-mail the EAA coordinator.

City's Planning Commission To Discuss Lab's Plan

The City of Berkeley’s Planning Commission will discuss Berkeley Lab’s draft 2006 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) and its accompanying draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) at its Wednesday meeting, to be held at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. The meeting, which is open to the public, will also include the Transportation Commission and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 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. Both documents can be accessed at Berkeley Lab’s LRDP website.

WEATHER

Clear.
High: 69° (21° C)

Extended Forecast

EMERGENCY INFO

Emergency: Call x7911
Cell Phones: Call 911
Non-emergency Incident Reporting: Call x6999

SECON level 3

More Information

INFO