Industry-Academia
Partnerships are Supported

This editorial appeared in yesterday's edition of the San Jose Mercury News.

For more than 50 years, the rise of California's leading-edge industries has been fueled by a unique collaboration between the private sector and researchers at the state's pre-eminent academic institutions. It is no accident that Silicon Valley has flourished in the shadow of UC Berkeley and Stanford. It is no coincidence that the Bay Area has become the global headquarters for biotechnology. Success has been fueled by a dynamic blend of experimentation and innovation, basic research and business savvy, academic rigor and the entrepreneurial spirit. We are particularly impressed with the recently announced $500 million university research contract awarded by BP to a research consortium led by UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab. Full editorial.

University of Washington
Competes for DUSEL Funds
By Nick Perry

Lesko

Deep in the granite thousands of feet directly below the Seventh Heaven chairlift at Stevens Pass ski area, University of Washington scientists may one day walk through a series of dust-free chambers to figure out how matter came to exist in the universe. The university is competing with the Homestake Gold Mine in North Dakota to receive National Science Foundation funds to build a Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab, or DUSEL. The Homestake scientific team is led by Berkeley Lab physicist Kevin Lesko. Full story.

Life Scientists Author
Book on Cryo-Microscopy

Macromolecules

A book by Berkeley Lab life scientists Robert Glaeser and Ken Downing, along with three other colleagues, on "Electron Crystallography of Biological Macromolecules," has been published by Oxford University Press. The book provides a complete introduction to both the practical details and the theoretical foundations required to use electron microscopy as a research tool in structural biology. More information about the book is available here.

Rewriting Genetic
Code From Scratch
By Lee Silver

It last happened about 3.6 billion years ago. A tiny living cell emerged from the dust of the Earth. It replicated itself, and its progeny replicated themselves, and so on, with genetic twists and turns down through billions of generations. This pantheon of living organisms is about to get some newcomers. Scientists in the last couple of years have been trying to create novel forms of life from scratch. A few projects are already giving us a glimpse of the power of this new field. The most extraordinary effort, led by Jay Keasling, director of Berkeley Lab's Physical Biosciences Division, is to create a microbial organism that would produce a powerful anti-malarial drug. Full story.

Do Not Pass Buses,
Cross Yellow Lines

Two near-miss accidents underscore the need for vehicle drivers to stop and wait for shuttle bus passengers to board and get off the bus, and unload their bicycles, before proceeding. The first incident occurred at the blue route bus stop near the cafeteria. A pedestrian who was unloading his bicycle was nearly struck by a car that went around the bus and illegally crossed the double yellow line. The second incident occurred at the Firehouse. Passengers were attempting to cross the road in front of the bus when they were nearly struck by a car attempting to pass the stopped bus by crossing the double yellow line. Lab employees are reminded that, according to the California vehicle code, it is illegal to cross the double yellow line. Doing so put others at risk.

Staff Can Take New
Library Journal Survey

To ensure that journal subscriptions meet the needs of Lab scientists, the library has launched a new survey of these publications. After LDAP authentication, the survey begins with general questions and then allows users to vote for the journals they need. Those who have taken the survey previously will have their old votes provided for reference (some journal names have changed, so proofread responses carefully). The survey will help administrators make appropriate subscription decisions. The survey deadline is June 15. Go here to take the survey.