Turn Air Conditioners
Off To Limit Urban Heat
By Erik Baard

Each year, New Yorkers suffer and quietly die on our beloved "heat island"— a special urban hell where average temperatures soar more than seven degrees higher than in the gas-guzzling suburbs, thanks, in part, to the use of air conditioners. An Okayama University study found air conditioners raised ambient temperatures in Tokyo by almost three degrees Fahrenheit. The Heat Island Group at Berkeley Lab calculated that the efforts to offset the phenomenon in Los Angeles would cost more than $100 million annually. By comparison, New York City is denser and lacks the steady ocean breezes. "I would not be surprised if in New York the number was on the order of $150 million," says environmental energy technologist Hashem Akbari. Full story.

Summer Lectures, Safety
Humor in Today's View

ALS employee Valerie Wysinger's great-great- grandfather

The Lab's participation in the latest international global warming report, an ALS employee whose great-great- grandfather was a civil rights pioneer in California, and a cyber workshop on astronomy beamed to high school students in Kenya are among the stories featured in the May 18 issue of The View. Also included are stories on the upcoming Summer Lecture Series and a facilities staffer who uses humor to share safety messages. Look for copies in your mailbox or mailroom, the Building 65 bus shelter, or the cafeteria lobby.

Sessions on Writing
Self-Assessments

The Berkeley Lab Institute (BLI) has scheduled two sessions of Writing Your Self-Assessment (BLI1001) on June 4 to help employees prepare for the annual performance review process, which begins in July. The morning session runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and the afternoon from 1 to 2:30 p.m. For more information and to enroll, go here.

Governor Here Today
For Low-Carbon Forum

Schwarzenegger

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will make a brief appearance at Berkeley Lab today when he welcomes delegates to the International Low Carbon Fuel Symposium in the Building 66 Auditorium. The invitation-only conference will run from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature more than 100 technical experts in the field engaging in talks about international standards, policies, and emerging technologies. The program is sponsored by the International  Council on Clean Transportation. An agenda can be viewed here. A live web feed of the proceedings will be broadcast through the Governor's State of California web site here.

Director to Give Address,
Get Degree at Boston U.

Berkeley Lab Director Steve Chu will deliver the commencement address at Boston University's 134th graduate ceremonies on Sunday. He will speak before more than 5,000 graduates and 20,000 guests at New England's largest graduation ceremony. Chu will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree from BU, to be presented by President Robert A. Brown. Read the university's news release here.