University of California recently announced that it has identified the Richmond Field Station as its preferred site for the proposed consolidation of its biosciences programs for Berkeley Lab. The UC-owned site presents the best opportunity to solve the Lab’s pressing space problems while allowing for long-term growth and maintaining the 80-year tradition of close cooperation with the UC Berkeley Campus. More>
Feb. 27 'Science at the Theater' Talk on Extreme Science From big to small and far and wide, the incredible breadth of research at Berkeley Lab will be on display at the next installation of “Science at the Theater,” which will focus on extreme science. Speakers will discuss neutrino hunting in Anartica, microbial diversity in extreme environments, the use of advanced electron microscopes to explore materials, and cellular-electrical connections that could help transform sunlight into fuel. The free event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27, at the Berkeley Repertory Theater. More>
Looking to move science beyond its own borders, Berkeley Lab continues efforts to reach out to the community to improve science education. The Lab hosted a regional Department of Energy science bowl earlier this month, with first place going to Campolindo High School in Moraga, followed by Albany High School and Acalanes High School in Lafayette. The Lab’s computing sciences group gave Lowell High School students a tour of their facilities last month. The Lab also recently supported math and science in Berkeley schools with a $10,000 sponsorship for the Berkeley Public Education Foundation and $5,000 to Community Resources for Science.
Lab's Saul Perlmutter Wins Nobel Prize in Physics Berkeley Lab astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae.” Perlmutter heads the international Supernova Cosmology Project, which pioneered the methods used to discover the accelerating expansion of the universe, and he has been a leader in studies to determine the nature of dark energy. More>
Energy researcher Vince Battaglia leads a behind-the-scenes tour of Berkeley Lab's BATT, the Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies Program he leads, where researchers aim to improve batteries upon which the range, efficiency, and power of tomorrow's electric cars will depend. This is the first in a forthcoming series of videos taking viewers into the laboratories and research facilities that members of the public rarely get to see. More>
Lab Researchers Help Uncover Recordings by Alexander Graham Bell Scholars from three institutions — the National Museum of American History, the Library of Congress, and Berkeley Lab — came together in a newly designed preservation laboratory at the Library of Congress to recover sound recordings made by Alexander Graham Bell more than 100 years ago. Lab physicists helped uncover recordings of the word “barometer” being repeated, Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be,” the tune “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and a statement on the “11th day.” Go here for more and to hear the recordings.
JBEI Researchers Reach Milestone on the Road to Biofuels Jay Keasling of the Joint BioEnergy Institute led a groundbreaking study in which the first strains of Escherichia coli bacteria were engineered to digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into all three major transportation fuels — gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The switchgrass, which is among the most highly touted of the potential feedstocks for advanced biofuels, was pre-treated with ionic liquid, a key to the success of this study. More>
From dozens of low-slung buildings and state-of-the art complexes, more than 2,700 scientists, researchers, faculty and students at Berkeley Lab are concocting the latest in renewable energy, nanomaterials and supercomputers. Despite America’s knack for ingenuity, the forces of change face some heavy crosswinds. A wheezing economy, a dearth of college engineering students, sagging high school math and science scores, and sinking research-and-development investments have heightened concerns about the USA’s ability to compete. More>
Lab Tests Cookstove for Earthquake-Ravaged Haiti The developers of the fuel-efficient Berkeley-Darfur Stove for refugee camps in central Africa are at it again, this time evaluating inexpensive metal cookstoves for the displaced survivors of last year’s deadly earthquake in Haiti. Scientists from Berkeley Lab have teamed up with students from the UC Berkeley to run a series of efficiency tests comparing the traditional Haiti cookstove with a variety of low-cost, commercially available alternatives. More>
Come Visit Us: Sign Up for One of Lab's Monthly Tours Want to learn more about Berkeley Lab research and meet some of the cutting-edge scientists conducting this work? Then sign up for on of our monthly tours, from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. with pick-up from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. One of the Lab’s postdoctoral fellows will serve as your host, providing general information on the Lab during your bus ride. You will then get to look inside two of the Lab’s main user facilities: the Advanced Light Source and the Molecular Foundry. The next available tour is Feb. 10. Go here to sign up.
Want to take a tour of the Lab? Call (510) 486-7292
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