Clarification: Several
Ways to Share Concerns

An article in the Oct. 17 edition of Today at Berkeley Lab explained how the Lab’s Ombudsman office provides assistance with informal complaint resolution and problem solving. Two additional resources are available to employees to express their concerns — represented staff can go to their union bargaining representatives (AFSCME, CNA, CUE, KB, UPTE) with informal and formal complaints, and employees may contact their department's Human Resource Centers where representatives can listen to concerns, interpret policies, and help resolve issues.

Venture Capital Firm
Cites 2 for Innovation

Liphardt
Segalman

Mohr Davidow Ventures (MDV), a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, has selected two Berkeley Lab researchers to receive newly launched MDV Innovators Awards. Jan Liphardt of Physical Biosciences and Rachel Segalman of Materials Sciences were honored for their innovative approaches to important scientific and technical challenges — Liphardt for his work in photosynthesis, synthetic biology, photonics, and single-molecule biophysics; and Segalman for her work in nanostructural control and self-assembly of soft materials for energy applications. Each will receive $75,000 for one year to pilot a “high-risk project with potential to disrupt current thinking in their field or provoke new avenues of research.” Read an MDV news release here.

Manager Development
Class Completes Year

Twenty participants in the Berkeley Lab Institute’s Management Development Program completed a year’s worth of training and were recently honored in Perseverance Hall for their accomplishments. The leaders from scientific, engineering and operations programs devoted one day a month to developing their skills in various aspects of management. Go here to see a full-size photo of the honored staffers.

Toss New Incandescents
Or Replace With LEDs?

Selkowitz

Last year, Reading, MA city officials proudly announced that the holiday lights on two maples near Town Hall held strings of efficient light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, for the first time. The incandescent lights on the other trees will be replaced as they fail, instead of throwing away perfectly good bulbs. But Stephen Selkowitz, with Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division, says the incandescents should be tossed now. He explained that since LEDs use just one-tenth the electricity — which is inefficiently produced, mostly in fossil-fuel power plants — the 90 percent that's conserved far outweighs any lost energy and money invested in light bulbs. Full story.

Star Nuclear Reactions
Studied Underground

Vetter

Scientists say developing a more precise understanding of the nuclear reactions in stars that creates some of earth's most basic elements is the central idea behind one of the many astrophysics experiments proposed for the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. Paul Vetter, with Berkeley Lab’s Nuclear Science Division, is part of a collaboration of astrophysicists who are proposing constructing a particle accelerator at the 4,850-foot level of the former Homestake Mine. Full story.

The annual Berkeley Lab holiday craft fair will he held Thursday, Dec. 6, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Sponsored by the Employee Activities Association, the fair will feature a variety of handmade goods for sale, such as jewelry, photography, art glass, candles, baked goods, jams and jellies, tamales, hand-sewn crafts, hand-knitted and crocheted items, music CDs of original compositions, paintings, original books, music boxes, and pottery. For more information, contact Robin Mitchell (x4141).