Today at Berkeley Lab: January 28, 2008

Monday, Jan. 28, 2008

A full listing of the Lab's activities is available on the

Today

8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Philanthropy Club
Blood Drive
Bldg. 2-100B

9:45 a.m.
Scientific Computing
High-Quality Preconditioning Techniques for the Multi-Length-Scale Hybrid Quantum Monte Carlo Simulation of the Hubbard Model
Ichitaro Yamazaki, UC Davis
Bldg. 50F-1647

10 a.m.
Earth Sciences
Biocatalysis for the Synthesis of Novel Fuel
Lawrence Wackett, U. of Minnesota
Bldg. 50 Auditorium

Noon
Dance Club
Beginning Waltz
Bldg. 51 Lobby

Noon
Yoga Club
Class with Inna Belogolovsky
Bldg. 70-191

3:45 p.m.
Nuclear Engineering
Probing Structure and Dynamics of Molecules in Solids by NMR spectroscopy: A Spin I = 1 Journey
Sasa Antonijevic, UC Berkeley
3105 Etcheverry

4:30 p.m.
Physics Department
Solar Neutrinos: Old Questions About Hydrogen-Burning Stars
Wick Haxton, U. of Washington
1 LeConte

Tomorrow

7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Philanthropy Club
Blood Drive
Bldg. 2-100B

10 a.m.
EHS 260
Basic Electrical Hazards & Mitigations
Bldg. 70A-3377

10 a.m.
Dance Club
Beginning Waltz
Bldg. 51 Lobby

11 a.m.
Chemistry Department
Nanostructures in Biodiagnostics and Gene Therapy
Chad Mirkin, Northwestern U.
120 Latimer Hall

1 p.m.
Molecular Foundry
Designing Multicomponent Nanocrystal Assemblies for Function and Fun
Christopher Murray, U. of Pennsylvania
Bldg. 66 Auditorium

1:15 p.m.
EHS735/739
Bloodborne Pathogens/ Biosafety Training
Bldg. 70A-3377

2 p.m.
CITRIS
Multielectrode Microcompartment Platforms for Signal Transduction in the Nervous System
Surendra Ravula, Sandia Lab
290 Hearst Mining Bldg.

4 p.m.
Chemistry Department
Regents Lecture: Aerosols in the Atmosphere: From the Ozone Hole to Climate Change
Doug Worsnop, Aerodyne Research, Inc.
120 Latimer Hall

4 p.m.
Life Sciences & Genomics
Using Mouse Genetics to Model Cancer Therapies of the Future
Gerard Evan, UC San Francisco
Bldg. 66 Auditorium

4 p.m.
Physics
Learning to Love the Error Matrix
Louis Lyons, Oxford U.
Bldg. 50A-5132

Breakfast: English Muffin Sandwich
Tomorrow's Breakfast: Country Strata
Salad: Caesar with Chicken
Blue Plate: Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Peas
Grill: Tuna Melt
Deli: Chicken and Chipotle Panini
Pizza: Greek

Breakfast:	6:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Lunch:	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Coffee Bar:	6:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

JBEI, Synthetic Biology
Featured in Publication





Lignocellulose

A feature article about the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), the six-institution partnership led by Berkeley Lab that’s one of three new DOE Bioenergy Research Centers, appears in the latest issue of the American Chemical Society’s ACS Chemical Biology. The issue is dedicated to the emerging field of synthetic biology, which is expected to play a key role in the future development of bionergy technologies. In the JBEI article, Jay Keasling and five co-authors describe how JBEI researchers will use the tools of synthetic biology to produce the next generation of biofuels that can directly replace gasoline. This effort will include engineering microbes and enzymes that can process the complex sugars of lignocellulose into biofuels and other valuable products. The article can be read here.

Venter Scientists Create
Longest DNA Strand
By Dennis O'Brien

Researchers have come a step closer to creating artificial life in a test tube by stringing together the longest strand yet of man-made DNA. Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute published an online paper describing how they lined up synthetic genes that replicated a large chunk of DNA from a simple form of bacteria. "I think it's one of the important steps that have to be achieved," said Eddy Rubin, director of the Joint Genome Institute and Berkeley Lab’s Genomics Division, of the announcement. The next step, inserting strings of the DNA into microbes to see if they "boot up," might be just months away, according to Venter. Full story.

Atoms stable at left, shaking at right

Rock Music Serenade
Can’t Shake Gold Atoms

The TEAM 1 microscope due at the National Center for Electron Microscopy (NCEM) next year will achieve unprecedented resolution thanks partly to a new, internally mounted sample stage, now under development, with fewer moving parts and more resistance to vibration than today's externally mounted stages. Rock fans at NCEM recently videotaped a sample of gold atoms mounted on the new stage (although not under the TEAM microscope) and then cranked up Queen's "We Will Rock You" on a nearby boombox. The gold atoms stayed put, while atoms in a sample on an older mount vibrated into a blur. See (and hear) the demonstration here.

Lab’s Bissell Namesake
Of New Research Award





Bissell award medal

At the recent Symposium on Frontiers in Cell Migration in Cancer, organized by the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology at Portugal’s University of Porto, an award named after Berkeley Lab Senior Scientist Mina Bissell was unveiled. Bissell then presented the first-time award to Leonor Beleza, president of the Champalimaud Foundation. The award will be given every two years to a scientist who “like Bissell, has a devoted successful, lifetime research career that has transformed our perception of a topic.”

Lab Blood Drive
Today, Tomorrow

The winter months can be very challenging as the blood supply diminishes with the demand increasing. Extra help is needed during this time of year, so employees are invited to donate blood during the onsite visit of the Red Cross today (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and tomorrow (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Both drives take place in Building 2-100B. Walk-ins are welcome, but making a reservation will ensure a quicker donation process.

CITRIS Sponsors
White Paper Competition

CITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) is hosting its third annual White Paper competition, which will give away $25,000 in cash prizes for the best ideas that demonstrate the ability of information technology to address a major societal challenge. The contest is open to all UC Berkeley students, with the deadline for submissions on April 11. All entries should be submitted electronically to [email protected] in HTML, Word, or PDF. Go here for more information.

WEATHER

60% chance of rain.
High: 48° (9° C)

Extended Forecast

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Emergency: Call x7911
Cell Phones: Call 911
Non-emergency Incident Reporting: Call x6999

SECON level 3

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