Silicon Valley Starts
To Turn to the Sun

This opinion piece was written by Stanford professor Pascal Zachary.

Can Silicon Valley become a world leader in cheap and ubiquitous solar panels for the masses? Given the valley’s tremendous success in recent years with such down-to-earth products as search engines and music players, tackling solar power might seem improbable. Yet some of the valley’s best brains are captivated by the challenge, and they hope to put the development of solar technologies onto a faster track. There are suddenly a lot of new ideas coming into this field, says Berkeley Lab Deputy Director Paul Alivisatos, who also has his own solar start-up. “There's a lot of money being thrown at the problem and that’s healthy; it gives it a real chance of succeeding," he says. “But so much of our effort is going into short-term victories that I worry our pipeline will go dry in 10 years.” Full story.

Energy Security With
High-Temp Reactors

Three of America’s biggest problems may be addressed by one of the country’s most controversial technologies: nuclear power. Climate-altering carbon emissions, the politically destabilizing dependence on foreign oil, and an ever-increasing need for electricity are tangled together in a tight knot known as the energy crisis. A plan designed by Per Peterson, with Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator and Fusion Research Division, would place new Advanced High-Temperature Reactors (AHTRs) near chemical facilities and refineries that would employ the “process heat” discarded by existing nuclear plants. Instead of cooling the plant by releasing that heat into the atmosphere or water, the heat could be put to use converting various raw materials into liquid fuels. Full story.

Article Highlights Water
Center, Climate Project

An article on how scientists worldwide are collaborating to gather critical data on climate change — appearing in Microsoft’s science news website — highlights the work of the Berkeley Water Center, a joint venture between UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division. The center’s Microsoft eScience Project has developed the server architecture for the Fluxnet Scientific Data Server, a network of networks providing a worldwide carbon-climate field dataset. Contributing to this project are Computational Research Division scientists Deb Agarwal, Monte Goode, and Keith Jackson. Full story.

Recruitment for Key
Public Affairs Positions

Due to the recent retirement of two key staff members, the Lab's Public Affairs Department is now acting fast to recruit and fill the positions of  Manager for Communications and Community Relations Officer. A national search is underway for the communications position and a search committee has been formed. The job posting may be viewed here. A regional search will be held for the community relations position and a job description will soon be posted. In the interim, Lynn Yarris, senior science writer, will serve as the Acting Manager of Communications.  An outside consultant, Caleb Dardick, will assist with community relations issues until a replacement is hired. Contact Acting Head of Public Affairs Don Medley for additional information.

Nonresident Tax Workshops
To be Held March 4 and 20

The Lab's Payroll and International Researchers and Scholars Offices will conduct a nonresidents’ international tax workshop on Tuesday, March 4, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the Building 50 Auditorium. An overview of tax forms, tax treaties, and resources will be provided. Attendees can also get answers to visa questions relating to nonresident taxation issues. A second workshop will be held on Thursday, March 20, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in the same location.

Activate Alert Lights
Before Using Crosswalk

Those who use the crosswalk between the Building 65 bus stop and Building 50 are reminded to activate the flashing LED lights, which warn approaching motorists that pedestrians are crossing. The LEDs are triggered by manually pressing a pole-mounted button located on both sides of the crosswalk. The LEDs, which flash for 10 seconds, are aimed approximately 70 feet down the road for maximum visibility by approaching vehicles. The LEDs are not always visible to someone directly below them. The system is not a stop light. While pedestrians legally have the right-of-way in crosswalks, they should always make eye contact with approaching drivers to make sure they are recognized before crossing the street.

Wintel Funds Parallel
Software Lab at Cal

Intel and Microsoft will help fund a new Parallel Computing Lab at UC Berkeley, hoping to take a leading role in the scramble to define a parallel programming model that will serve the multicore computer processors already on the drawing board. According to one source, the grant is for about $2 million a year over five years. It is estimated that about 14 faculty will work in the new lab, which started operation on Jan. 21. Full story.