Three Honored for 'Lab21'
Energy Efficiency Awards

Sartor
Bell
Mathew

The Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) program has been named one of five recipients of the Presidential Awards for Leadership in Federal Energy Management. Eight individuals have been named, including three from the Environmental Energy Technologies Division: Dale Sartor, Geoffrey Bell, and Paul Mathew. The winners attended a reception in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night, and received their awards at a special ceremony, as well as a tour of the White House, today. The goal of the combined DOE and EPA Labs21 program is to improve energy efficiency and environmental performance of laboratories in the United States, and around the world. For more about Labs21, go here.

New Program Focuses On Sustainable Solutions

With an initial $2 million gift announced Tuesday, UC Berkeley will move to establish a new program aimed at providing students educational and research opportunities in the area of sustainable products and solutions. Based at the Center for Responsible Business at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, the Sustainable Products and Solutions (SPS) Program is being established in partnership with UC Berkeley's College of Chemistry. Financed initially with $2 million in seed money from the Dow Chemical Co. Foundation, the foundation intends to provide a total of $10 million over the next five years and to help the program secure additional foundation and corporate sponsors.

Probes Detect Enzymes Affecting Our Emotions
By Sarah Corcoran

Chang

A team led by Berkeley Lab chemist Christopher Chang is the first to develop chemical tools that measure directly monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in living cells. MAOs catalyze amine oxidation, and the enzymes are responsible for breaking down amine-containing neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Altered MAO activity levels have been linked with diseases such as depression, and MAO inhibitors are often used to treat both depression and anxiety. Our MAO levels, determined by our genes, may also affect aspects of our personality, said Chang. Full story.

NERSC's 'Franklin' Computer
Passes Acceptance Test

NERSC announced yesterday the successful completion of the acceptance test of one of the world’s largest supercomputers. The powerful Cray XT4 TM system contains nearly 20,000 processor cores and has a top processing speed of more than 100 teraflops. The next-generation supercomputer will be used to advance a broad range of scientific research. Named “Franklin” in honor of the first internationally recognized American scientist, Benjamin Franklin, the Cray XT4 system enables researchers to tackle the most challenging problems in science by conducting more frequent and increasingly detailed simulations and analyses of massive sets of data. Full story.

Heilbron

Artisans Sought
For Holiday Craft Fair

Lab employees who create arts and crafts are invited to sell their wares at the Lab's annual craft fair, on Thursday, Dec. 6, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Items must be handmade and artisans are asked to donate one item for a prize drawing at the fair. Interested staff should contact Robin Mitchell (x4141) for more details.

WageWorks Service
Disruption Notice

WageWorks, the vendor for the Lab's Commuter Benefits Program, will be performing a planned security upgrade on their website from 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 3rd to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 4th. During this time, employees will not be able to access program and account information. After the upgrade, you will be able to log-on, enroll and get your account information at: www.wageworks.com

Veterans Day
Holiday Option

Eligible employees have the option of using Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 12, as a paid holiday (if they have not already taken Cesar Chavez Day as a holiday) with approval from a supervisor. Those who do, however, must use a third vacation day on Wednesday, Dec. 26. See the "Limited Floating Holiday Implementation Guidance" web site for information on eligibility and time entry procedures. Laboratory policy concerning holidays is contained in the Regulations and Procedures Manual (RPM), Section 2.10. Go here to view the Lab's full holiday schedule.