Video of Berkeley Class
Features Tour of ALS

Among the highlights of a UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science course offered last spring was a tour of Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source, which was videotaped and recently posted on YouTube. The class, Synchrotron Radiation for Materials Science Applications, brought students to the domed landmark for a crash course on the history of E.O. Lawrence and the early development of cyclotrons, the inner workings of the ALS, recent equipment updates, and its service as a national user facility. The overview was provided by ALS scientist Tony Warwick. The video serves as a good primer for Lab staff who want to know more about the ALS. Go here to watch it.

Projects to Modernize
Electrical Grid Chosen

The Department of Energy recently announced plans to invest up to $50 million over five years in nine demonstration projects competitively selected to increase efficiency in the nation’s electricity grid. The Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration (RDSI) technologies demonstrated in these projects aim to reduce peak load electricity demand by at least 15 percent at distribution feeders. Among the projects chosen was Chevron Energy Solutions, which seeks to significantly reduce peak load and measurably improve power reliability at the Santa Rita Jail. Berkeley Lab is among the project’s collaborators. Full story.

Lab Fuel Cell Project
Wins Innovation Prize

Jacobson

A low cost fuel cell project from Berkeley Lab emerged as the winner of a recent UC Berkeley clean technology innovation competition. A panel of judges representing industry and investment firms chose Low Cost Fuel Cells ahead of second-placed Lagrangian Sensors and finalists Better Battery Capacity and Banyan Energy. The four finalists received a total prize of $20,000.  The winning technology emerged from the Materials Sciences Division. Team members Craig Jacobson, Tal Sholklapper, Mike Tucker, and Grace Lau developed a small, rugged, low-cost fuel cell and are hoping to commercialize this technology to provide LED lighting in developing countries. Full story.

Film on Pioneering
Female Mathematician

Robinson

The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and UC Berkeley’s Department of Mathematics are co-sponsoring the Northern California premiere screening of “Julia Robinson and Hilbert’s Tenth Problem.” The screening takes place next Wednesday (April 30), at 7 p.m. in 2050 Valley Life Sciences Building on campus. In 1975, Julia Robinson (1919-1985), a UC Berkeley graduate and professor, became the first woman elected to the mathematical section of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 1982 she was the first woman to become president of the American Mathematical Society. She played a key role in the solution of Hilbert’s Tenth Problem, and in 1983, was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.