Solar Power Not
Reaching the Poor

Chu

A surge in investment in solar power is bringing down costs of exploiting the alternative energy source, but affordability problems still dog hopes for people worldwide without electricity. A study by the InterAcademy Council said efforts to curb climate change should target vast numbers of people who lack basic energy. "It's sad that 1.6 billion people live without electricity and two to three billion use energy in a primitive way very damaging to health," said Steve Chu, Berkeley Lab director and co-chairman of the InterAcademy Council report. Full story.

Computing Researcher
Describes Parallel Path

Patterson

A veteran computer science researcher described plans for defining a new model for parallel programming at an annual gathering at UC Berkeley on Thursday. David Patterson, with Berkeley Lab’s Computational Research Division, said the opportunity to define a parallel programming model for mainstream computing was "an opportunity that comes only once in your career." Every startup that has tackled the problem over the last forty years has failed. Nevertheless, "The whole IT industry has bet its future on figuring out the problem of parallel programming, and I am still astonished about that," he said. Full story.

Onsite Classes Offered
For Excel, Powerpoint

The Berkeley Lab Institute is offering Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Powerpoint classes on Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 20.  The classes, taught by Learn iT, are $40 each.  Due to limited space, interested employees are encouraged to sign up soon.  Go here  for more information and to register. E-mail a project ID number to Karen Paris for payment, or call x5122.

Workshop on Lab's
Tuition Reimbursement

The Berkeley Lab Institute will offer a workshop on the Lab's Tuition Reimbursement program on Tuesday, March 18, in Building 2-100B from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Participants will learn about the program’s policy and guidelines, the types of services offered, how to access the necessary forms, and getting reimbursed. This workshop is free. Go here for more information and to register, or call x5122.