$25 Billion Requested
By Bush for DOE in '09

President Bush has unveiled his $25 billion FY09 budget request for the Department of Energy, an increase of $1.073 billion over the FY08 appropriation. Among the priorities outlined in the request is $4.7 billion for the “Advancing the American Competitiveness Initiative,” which will increase basic research in the physical sciences, as well as support the construction and operation of scientific facilities. The request also includes $4.7 billion for the Office of Science, a nearly 20 percent increase over the FY08 appropriation. It will fund research grants to advance energy research, as well as Basic Energy Science, which supports research on new and improved energy technologies. It also continues funding for the DOE ’s Joint BioEnergy Institute, which is managed by Berkeley Lab. An article on how this request may affect Berkeley Lab more specifically will appear in the Feb. 22 issue of The View. Go here to read the DOE release on Bush’s request.

Online Courses for Staff
Offered Through Skillsoft

The Berkeley Lab Institute still has licenses available for Skillsoft, the online learning resource that features hundreds of courses, and simulations and performance support tools on a variety of business, management and IT topics. Topics include communication, project management, strategic planning, and desktop software.  Skillsoft can be accessed by both MAC and PC users at work, home, and on the road.  Cost is $75 per employee for access until Sept. 30. Go here to view the Skillsoft course catalog. To subscribe, contact Karen Paris (x5122).

What to Do With ‘Dark
Matter’ in Your Office

While many questions remain about dark matter in our expanding universe, staff at the Lab’s Archives and Records office have the answers to help deal with the "dark matter" that is expanding in your office. To help employees learn more about the archiving and transferring of records and files, the Archives and Records office, along with the Berkeley Lab Institute, is conducting a one-hour workshop on the topic. The session is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 21, in Perseverance Hall from 11 a.m. to noon.  Go here to register.

Lab's Energy Efforts
Discussed in Articles

The Register, a British-based news website that covers the information technology beat, sent reporter Ashlee Vance to Berkeley Lab last Wednesday to cover the Technology and Inventors Expo at the Molecular Foundry. One of two articles she posted looks at energy-efficient computing and the Lab’s renewed efforts to slot low power chips into supercomputer-class machines. The second article presents Lab Director Steve Chu’s view that scientists should discuss the range of possibilities and risks when addressing environmental issues and let the public decide how they feel about them. Go here for the efficiency story, and here for the article on Chu.

Genetic Code Read
Directly From RNA

Mathies

Scientists have directly read the genetic code from a single strand of RNA for the first time, using a combination of powerful microscopes and laser spectroscopy techniques. If this method can be extended, sequencing traces of DNA could become as simple as reading a barcode at the supermarket. Berkeley Lab chemist Richard Mathies, who uses laser spectroscopy to study biological molecules, is excited by the research. “This is a very significant advance, but there are still challenges ahead,” he said. “Such as ensuring that individual bases can be correctly identified in more complex chains.” Full story.

Do Wind Turbines
Affect Home Prices?

Until recently, personal wind turbines were used primarily by those who lived outside the range of local utility lines, or who wanted to live completely off the grid. Now, reductions in their size and cost, along with improvements in their efficiency, are allowing suburban homeowners to install them in growing numbers. However, turbines' effect on property values is not clear. Ryan Wiser, with Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division, said the effect of large wind farms on home values has been mixed, and added that there are no studies covering small turbines. Full story.