DOE on Bevatron Demo:
No Significant Impacts

The proposed demolition of Building 51 and the Bevatron at Berkeley Lab would not significantly affect the environment, according to an Environmental Assessment released Wednesday by the Department of Energy. “Based on the analysis in the Environmental Assessment for the proposed demolition, DOE has determined that no significant environmental impacts are expected,” said Aundra Richards, manager of DOE’s Berkeley Site Office, which prepared the assessment. The Bevatron was among the world’s leading particle accelerators during its operation between 1954 and 1993. Go here to read the DOE press release, and here to read the environmental assessment.

A Shanghai Jiao Tong University visitor presents Simon, right, with a gift.

Shanghai Professors Visit Computational Research

A delegation from Shanghai Jiao Tong University visited Berkeley Lab yesterday to learn about research in the Computational Research Division (CRD). They were welcomed and given an overview by Horst Simon, associate lab director for Computing Sciences and CRD director. The group heard presentations on scientific data management by Arie Shoshani, image processing for cryo-electron microscopy by Chao Yang, visualization and analytics by Wes Bethel, machine learning and pattern recognition by Daniela Ushizima, and numerical methods for imaging by James Sethian.

Lab’s Coffee Bar
Closed Tomorrow        

The Lab’s Peet’s coffee bar will be closed tomorrow, due to a planned power outage in the cafeteria and surrounding buildings. Service will resume on Sunday. Normal coffee bar hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday; and 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekends.

Chu Key Note Address
For Energy Symposium

Berkeley Lab Director Steve Chu will deliver the keynote address at the Northwestern Argonne Energy Symposium Friday, May 2, at Northwestern University. The symposium is titled “Energy: The Challenge for the 21st Century.” Chu’s address will explore “The World’s Energy Problem and What We Can Do About It.” The symposium will examine different aspects of the energy challenge, including nuclear energy, biofuels, solar energy and the energy market. Chu will present two other lectures during his visit: “What We Can Learn from Single Molecule Experiments of Biological Systems” on April 30, and “Coherent Control of Ultra-Cold Matter Thursday” on May 1. Go here for more information.

Cell Phone Microscope Monitors Blood Health

Fletcher

A group of bioengineers at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley are developing a simple instrument that could allow those with chronic blood conditions to easily and inexpensively monitor their blood from home. The device fuses two straightforward technologies—a camera-equipped cell phone and a basic optical microscope—into one powerful tool: a portable microscope that can send annotated images of blood cells to labs or medical centers for analysis. The idea for the tele-microscope first arose a year and a half ago in a class offered by Lab physical bioscientist Daniel Fletcher. Full story.

Breast Cancer Topic Of Monday's ‘Friends’ Talk        

Berkeley Lab life scientists Joe Gray, Mina Bissell and Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff will participate in a discussion moderated by Susan Love at the next “Science at the Theater” talk next Monday (April 21). The group will look at “The Two Faces of Breast Cancer: Genes and the Microenvironment” at 5:30 p.m. in the Berkeley Repertory Theater (2025 Addison St.). The talk, sponsored by Friends of Science, is free. Go here for more information.