Climate Change Experts Share Nobel Peace Prize

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose reports over the past two decades have confirmed the connection between human activities and global warming, shares the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore, it was reported in Norway today. Eight members of Berkeley Lab's scientific staff were contributors to the IPCC reports — Mark Levine, Jayant Sathaye, Lynn Price, Evan Mills, and Ernst Worrell of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division, and Bill Collins, Inez Fung and Norm Miller of the Earth Sciences Division. EETD researchers Stephane de la Rue du Can and Aleksandra Novikova contributed to the analysis. Go here to read the Nobel Prize committee's news release on the award.

Daya Bay

Groundbreaking for Daya
Bay Experiment Tomorrow

Chinese government officials will join DOE's Robin Staffin and members of the international Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment tomorrow in a groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction of tunnels under the mountains near the Daya Bay nuclear facility east of Hong Kong. In the first major China-U.S. equal partnership in a high-energy experiment, detectors in the tunnels will study neutrino oscillation using antineutrinos from the powerful reactors. Berkeley Lab, represented by Jim Siegrist, leads U.S. participation, with Kam-Biu Luk as U.S. scientific spokesperson, and Bill Edwards as U.S. project manager for construction. For more on Daya Bay, go here.

Alga Genome Associated
With Carbon Capture

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The genome analysis of a tiny green alga — Chlamydomonas reinhardtii — has uncovered hundreds of genes that are uniquely associated with carbon dioxide capture and generation of biomass. Among the 15,000-plus genes revealed in a study by the Joint Genome Institute are those that encode the structure and function of the specialized organelle that houses the photosynthetic apparatus, the chloroplast, which is responsible for converting light to chemical energy. The genome also provides a glimpse back through time to the last common ancestor of plants and animals. Full story.

First Flu Clinic
Is Next Thursday

The Lab’s Health Services Department is holding the first of three flu shot clinics on Thursday, Oct. 18, from 8 a.m. to noon in Building 26. Subsequent clinics will be held Friday, Oct. 26, same time and location; Thursday, Nov. 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Joint Genome Institute; and on Friday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to noon in Building 937 (downtown Berkeley). Vaccines cost $10 for flu and $35 for pneumonia. An appointment must be made to receive services (x6266).

Super hero Rosenfeld, center, with Gadgil to his left

Researchers are ‘Super
Heroes,’ says Diablo

The current issue of Diablo Magazine includes a feature on East Bay super heroes, who “aren’t faster than a speeding bullet, and they don’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they are doing a whole lot more to make our world a better place.” Among the heroes is former Berkeley Lab researcher Art Rosenfeld (Mr. Energy), recognized for his creation of “a number of energy-saving devices, like smaller fluorescent lights and reflective window coatings.” Also included is Ashok Gadgil (Water Man), with the Environmental Energy Technologies Division, for his invention of “a water purifier that is changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the globe.” Full story.

Building 937 Phone
Outage Tomorrow

Due to a scheduled service repair, incoming and outgoing telephone service will be temporarily unavailable in Building 937, starting at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. Service is expected to be out for most of the day and restored by 5 p.m.  In the event of an emergency, use a cell phone to call 911 and provide the building address (2120 University Ave.) as well as the floor number. Wait in the building lobby and direct emergency personnel to the proper location.

Lab Street Cleaning
Takes Place Tomorrow

The cleaning of all Lab parking lots and streets will take place tomorrow. To accommodate this work, staff are asked to park their cars in locations that will not impede the wide turns of cleaning trucks. The cleaning will run from about 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact Bob Berninzoni (x5576).

Keep Lab Litter-Free;
Put Trash in its Place

The Facilities Division would like to remind Lab staff to be more conscientious of putting trash in the proper receptacle, both indoors and out. “Our Lab deserves better care from the people who work here. Hopefully, staff agree that keeping the grounds clean is a priority,” says Facilities Division Director Jennifer Ridgeway. If trash receptacles are needed in your area, contact the Work Request Center.