IDEA Speaker Series: Why Women Can’t Write Code: Challenging gender stereotypes in STEM

On August 3, 2022 the IDEA Office and the Early Career ERG office hosted a conversation with Dr. Siân JM Brooke.

The programmer is a young, university-educated, white man. This is the stereotype that dominates how we see people who write code and work with computers. Women are continuously discriminated against in professional and informal technical settings, they are underrepresented, underpaid, and underestimated. In this talk, Dr Brooke will draw on her research into programming and technical cultures to offer valuable insights into how we can work toward greater diversity in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) Summit

The first Department of Energy Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) Summit took place on July 12, 2022. More than 20 startups, including clean tech entrepreneurs from Cyclotron Road, pitched their proposals. Click the video icon to the left to watch the replay of the Berkeley Lab cohort presentations from 50 Auditorium.

The hybrid in-person and virtual summit will showcase all four Program sites – Chain Reaction Innovations located at Argonne National Laboratory, Innovation Crossroads located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Cyclotron Road/ Activate located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and West Gate, located at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory – along with the regional ecosystems these programs leverage to move clean energy technologies out of the lab and into the market.

The History of Juneteenth

Juneteenth (a combination of June and nineteenth), also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day, is celebrated annually on the 19th of June to commemorate Union army general Gordon Granger’s reading of federal orders in the city of Galveston, Texas, on 19 June 1865, proclaiming all enslaved persons in Texas were free.

The Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them almost two and a half years earlier, and the American Civil War had largely ended with the defeat of the Confederate States in April 1865. However, Texas was the most remote of the southern states, with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent. For decades the date of June 19 was celebrated in the African American community as a day of freedom and independence. While some states marked the day as a holiday, it was only last year when it became a federal holiday.

This year the Lab’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) celebrated this date with several Lab events. On Wednesday, June 15, 2022 Katrina King spoke at a lunchtime session for employees to learn more about the holiday and how it is celebrated.

International Day of Light: Illuminate

Have you noticed the Bay Bridge lights at night? Strange arts installation in San Francisco? These are all works initiated by Illuminate (https://illuminate.org/). The founder of the collective Ben Davis will present their work and ongoing projects to bring light everywhere – Fiat Lux!

Ben Davis is helplessly drawn to the flame of public art, upending his career and life to pursue bold, light-filled visions, with a growing body of large-scale works across San Francisco. Ben founded and runs the art nonprofit Illuminate whose mission is to rally large groups of people together to create impossible works of public art that, through awe, free humanity's better nature. Ben's quest is to transform San Francisco through light (and enlightenment) so that it is known internationally as the City of Awe.

Bevatron Particle Accelerator Honored as Historic Site by Physics Society

Celebrate the past and plan for the future, said Frances Hellman, president of the American Physical Society – and a physicist at Berkeley Lab – during a historic site dedication on May 11 to the Bevatron, a particle accelerator that operated at the Lab from 1954 to 1993.

Midday Science Cafe: A Great (New) Future in Plastics

Plastic is inexpensive, easy to manufacture, and almost impossible to recycle or biodegrade effectively. As a result, roughly 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced globally to date—three quarters of which exist as waste. What if, instead of persisting for eons, plastics could degrade away as easily as fallen leaves? Or, what if plastic could be recycled without losing the properties that make it so useful? In recognition of Earth Day, we’re presenting two researchers who are attempting to make these what-ifs a reality. Dr. Aaron Hall will explain how plastic-degrading enzymes may help break up plastic in soil as easily as food scraps. Berkeley Lab scientist Dr. Jeremy Demarteau is taking a different approach to the same monstrous problem. He and his colleagues are developing a new class of plastics which are infinitely recyclable. Both approaches could reshape the future of plastics.

Return to Lab Sites Town Hall

On Wednesday, April 13, 2022, a panel of Lab subject matter experts brought everyone up to speed on critical Lab topics such as safety, parking, transportation, gate and building access, food services, and emergency preparedness. Click the video icon to watch the town hall.

For more information, visit waywework@lbl.gov.

Lab Medical Director Discusses COVID

On Wednesday, March 23, 2022 the Lab’s medical director, Dr. Timur Durrani held a presentation with Q&A on COVID’s evolving state and how the Lab is calibrating its response to the pandemic.

Send your questions to covidinfo@lbl.gov.

The Groove Lounge - Black History Edition

Miles Green is a DJ, MC and event host from the IT Collaboration Services - Audio Visual group. Join him on a musical journey from Africa to the Caribbean, into the American deep south and beyond. The Lab's resident DJ takes us on a trip through the decades, showcasing genres, songs and artists that have impacted the history and culture of the United States.

Click here for the audio only version.

6th Annual Black History Month Celebration

Candace Doby is an Atlanta-based speaker, author and courage coach who works with universities and organizations to help emerging leaders activate their personal courage in order to perform to their potential in school, work and life.

Candace combines a decade of research on courage with her experiences leading marketing teams at Chipotle Mexican Grill, solo traveling to more than 20 countries, writing a book and starting a business. This unique combination equips her with the implementable strategies she shares with audiences to help them get out of their own way and put their mission in motion.

Midday Science Cafe: Into the Blue Again

Join us for our first Midday Science Cafe of 2022 as we take a look at Earth’s most valuable resource, water, stored beneath the Earth’s surface.

First, we’ll hear from Dr. Federico Munch, who will take us on a journey deep beneath the surface to learn about the “deep water cycle.” That is, how plate tectonics redistribute water over large distances and timescales via the Earth's crust and mantle. This phenomenon has implications for seismic activity and volcanism.

Next, we’ll hear from Dr. Bhavna Arora, who focuses on agricultural managed aquifer recharge, a strategy where farmers intentionally flood croplands to refill underlying pools of water. By studying the effects of varying flood frequency, duration between floods, amount of water, and different soil textures, Dr. Arora is looking into ways to reduce groundwater pollution.

Energy Storage Town Hall

On Wednesday, February 16, Dr Witherell and the associate lab directors presented highlights of the Lab’s multi-area contributions to energy storage research and technology.

Noël Bahktian, Executive Director of the Berkeley Lab Energy Storage Center, briefed the Lab on the Center’s goals and gave a sneak peek into the agenda for the National Energy Storage Summit on March 8-9, 2022.

Click here to register.

Stewardship Values Town Hall

Lab Director Mike Witherell and Chief Diversity Officer Aditi Chakravarty hosted a Stewardship Town Hall to discuss the Lab's values and provide examples of how Lab citizens have been living values and IDEA principles in their daily work.

• Director's slides - Stewardship Values Town Hall

Critical Minerals and Materials Town Hall

A Lab wide town hall was held on January 19th, 2022 to prepare LBNL for multiple upcoming funding calls likely to cover topics specified in the DOE Critical Mineral and Materials Strategy and the FCAB Battery Blueprint.

Topics included previous lab wide CMM efforts, new and emerging areas of interest in CMM, and sustaining an LBL vision for CMM.

Community Connections Lunch Hour

The Community Connections Lunch Hour, a monthly virtual series hosted by Berkeley Lab's Government and Community Relations Office, provides opportunities for Lab employees to learn how they can support outreach activities in our surrounding communities.

This month, the K-12 team is highlighting upcoming volunteer opportunities and information on working with minors.

Lab-wide COVID Info Session with Q&A

During this session, recorded January 11, Lab senior leaders and experts covered the current health and safety environment in the local community, reviewed the Lab’s evolving COVID-19 protocols, and answered questions submitted by employees.

• Director's slides - Alameda County Case Rate 1/11/22

• Dr. Durrani's slides - Covid Call 1/11/22

• A Berkeley Lab LDAP login is required to view the video.

A Toast to 2021 and a New Beginning

Lab senior leaders marked the end of 2021 and a new beginning with a fun holiday video, cute festive animals, and continuing a recent Lab tradition with a reading of 'Twas the Night Before the Periodic Table.

Click the links below to download the holiday virtual backgrounds.

• Snowy Background #1

• Snowy Background #2

COVID Research Spotlight Event

The COVID pandemic, difficult as it has been for the world, is an example of how the national labs are uniquely suited to solving national scientific challenges. A year and a half ago, Berkeley Lab and its five national user facilities leaped into action to help accelerate the global response to SARS-CoV-2. Many of these efforts went on to become part of the Department of Energy’s National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory (NVBL).

On Thursday, December 2, from noon to 1 p.m., we will be holding a special event to share highlights of this work with the Lab community.

Panelists:

• Rebecca Abergel, Faculty Scientist, Chemical Sciences Division

• Greg Hura, Interim Science Deputy, Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division

• Tom Kirchstetter, Director, Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division

• Nigel Mouncey, Facility Director, Joint Genome Institute

• Amalie Trewartha, Affiliate and former postdoc, Materials Sciences Division

• Dani Ushizima, Staff Scientist, Scientific Data Division

Moderator:

• Horst Simon, Scientific Advisor, Berkeley Lab

Director's Achievement Awards 2021

Click the image to the left to view the video for the virtual ceremony of the Lab's annual Director’s Awards. This ceremony is an important moment in the life of our Lab community where we have a chance to recognize some of the exceptional achievements of our dedicated and talented staff.

This year we honor Bob Glaeser, Howard Padmore, and Horst Simon with Lifetime Achievement awards. We are awarding Berkeley Lab Citations to Jeff Blair and Chris Lundell for Exceptional Achievement.

In addition, eleven individuals and five groups are being recognized for their contributions in a wide variety of areas including operations, science, service, and societal impact. You can read more about the laureates and their accomplishments.

Midday Science Cafe: Changing climates, changing landscapes: What does this mean for the future?

In this month’s Midday Science Cafe, we’ll speak to scientists who ask one of the most pressing questions in climate change: How does climate change alter landscapes and what are the downstream effects of these changes? First, we’ll hear from Dr. Erica Siirila-Woodburn, a Research Scientist at Berkeley Lab who will discuss how mountains -- which are known as nature’s water towers because they store, capture, and release water for downstream use -- are especially sensitive to climate change.

Dr. Kerri Johnson, a Postdoctoral Scholar at UC Berkeley, will then discuss how climate change is projected to make hillslope soils more vulnerable to erosion, a consequence that has far-reaching impacts on ecosystem health, downstream water resources, and global carbon distribution. We’ll also hear how both scientists use field sites to help them understand current conditions and model future scenarios. Dr. Siirila-Woodburn uses measurements from and models of a watershed located in the Upper Colorado River Basin, one of the most comprehensive watershed research projects in the world. And Dr. Johnson uses a well-controlled natural experiment on Santa Cruz Island, CA, to explore the influence of microclimate on patterns of hillslope soil erosion.

Bay Area Research SLAM

The Bay Area Research SLAM is a collaboration between the Bay Area's National Labs ( Berkeley Lab, Livermore Lab, Sandia Lab, and SLAC Lab). The SLAM is a competition where contestants are challenged to present a compelling three minute presentation of their research in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Click the image to the left to play the video. Select 1080p HD in the lower right corner for the best video playback quality.

44th Virtual LBNL Runaround

For 43 years, the Runaround brought hundreds of employees together to run, walk, bike, and even hula hoop, up and down the hills of the Lab’s main site. This year, pandemic safety precautions and teleworking will not enable the traditional race to take place.

This year, a new virtual approach will be used. Staff and their families are invited to participate in the Lab’s 44th Runaround via Zoom OR staff can exercise outside between Oct. 15 at 12:30 p.m. and Oct. 29, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Take part by doing any 30 minutes of movement like running, walking, dancing, or hula hooping. Take a picture to document your activity.

T-Shirts

Participants with an employee or affiliate ID number are eligible to receive a T-shirt with this year's design. Fill out the online T-shirt request form with your mail stop. The form can be completed between Oct. 15 at 12:30 p.m. and Oct. 29, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. If you have a photo of your participation, attach it to the online form.

You will also receive a t-shirt if you are willing to volunteer to stuff T-shirts into envelopes at LBNL (date TBD 2022), in compliance with all COVID-19 safety policies.

Future of Work Town Hall

During the pandemic, we quickly learned to work in entirely new and creative ways. Although we have faced a few challenges, we’ve been very successful. It’s clear that after this experience, the Lab and the professional world will never be the same.

We are getting ready to adopt new processes that formalize more flexible modes of work. We recognize that our former paradigm of everyone coming to work at Lab sites isn’t the only way to accomplish the Lab’s mission. While it’s true that many of our jobs can only be accomplished on site, others can be successfully completed by coming together several times a week or a few times per month. For some, working remotely accomplishes the mission and is the best option for the individual and the Lab.

This change in the way we work will require us to be innovative, flexible, and agile. We’ll learn as we go, and we will make changes as needed. People have asked if there is a specific date for this change. The conversations start now, but the changes we are discussing will not be fully implemented until the local pandemic safety measures are no longer needed.

Please take advantage of this time to read the information and talk with your colleagues about the best way to work while still delivering on the Lab’s mission.

Berkeley Lab Research SLAM 2021

The 2021 Berkeley Lab Research SLAM took place on Thursday, September 23, 2021 virtually through ZOOM. The culminating live event was co-hosted by David Gilbert, Senior Manager of Communications and Outreach at the Joint Genome Institute, and Sinead Griffin, Staff Scientist at the Material Sciences Division.

Twelve finalists took the stage to communicate their science in a clear and concise three minutes to impress the panel of esteemed judges. This year, the second place award recipient received the People's Choice Award. Lydia Rachbauer in Biosciences took the coveted grand prize this year!

Midday Science Cafe: How the Basic Elements of Life are Advancing the Frontiers of Research

The periodic table represents a chemical blueprint for organizing the elements of life. By analogy to an orchestra, each element can be thought of as an instrument with a unique sound and personality. In this month’s Midday Science Cafe, you’ll meet two chemical biologists who not only listen to the music that nature plays by studying the structure and properties of elements, but also actively compose music by developing new ways to harness elements to advance the frontiers of research.

Berkeley Lab scientist Kathy Shield will walk us through the f-elements, the elusive, and often dismissed, bottom two rows of the periodic table. These elements have truly amazing properties: some are radioactive, some glow, some help cure cancer, and some power your cell phone. UC Berkeley researcher Dr. Eva Ge will introduce us to the wonderful world of metals, which are essential for life and the function of all DNA, RNA, and one-third to one-half of all proteins. Additionally, unique properties of metals, such as spin or radioactivity, can be harnessed to create new diagnostics and therapeutics in medicine.

90th Anniversary Speaker Series: Founder's Day Celebration

Join us in a virtual celebration as we culminate the Lab's 90th anniversary. Featuring special guest Jennifer Granholm, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, plus brief remarks from Lab leaders about what the next 90 years may have in store, a conversation between Lab employees and young people about the importance of mentoring and how we can tackle climate change, and the announcement of the "Happy Birthday" video contest winners.

90th Anniversary Speaker Series: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe

Hear from Associate Lab Director Natalie Roe about the Lab's 90-year history conducting world-leading physics research, and learn about three cutting-edge cosmology experiments that will shed light on the interactions between matter and energy, how those interactions shape our world and the universe around us, and why applications of matter and energy are important to our day-to-day lives.

Click the image to the left to play the video. Select 1080p HD in the lower right corner for the best video playback quality.

90th Anniversary Speaker Series: Leveraging Machine Learning for Science

Machine learning – a branch of artificial intelligence – is a powerful scientific tool that can reveal profound insights hiding in ever-expanding datasets. This presentation will demonstrate how researchers are using machine learning to spur discovery and innovation in a diversity of fields, from energy and the environment to agriculture, novel materials, and beyond.

K-12 Education Live Science Series: Scratching the Surface

Discover how the art of DJing in Hip Hop culture and STEM intertwine in collaboration with MacArthur Fellow physicist, Dr. Carl Haber, Bay Area artist Jahi, and Berkeley Lab's own DJ Miles Green. Learn about the physics behind vinyl records and turntables, and the significance of them in the history and culture of Hip Hop. See live demonstrations on the turntables, an exploration on sound and sound restoration, along with various STEM connections to the turntable.

90th Anniversary Speaker Series: Tools that Enable Science Around the World

Berkeley Lab is home to a number of unique, large-scale, and advanced scientific research facilities that play an integral role in our nation's research enterprise. Researchers from across the country and around the world are leveraging these facilities to develop solutions to some of the most critical scientific challenges of our time, from tackling the climate crisis to probing the origins of our universe. Tune in to learn about three of these state-of-the-art facilities and how they are advancing fundamental science, driving innovation, and improving the world we live in.

NERSC Perlmutter Supercomputer Dedication

Our next supercomputer will be an HPE Cray system named “Perlmutter” in honor of Saul Perlmutter, an astrophysicist at Berkeley Lab who shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to research showing that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. Dr. Perlmutter will be present at the dedication. He has been a user of our National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) for many years and part of his Nobel Prize-winning work was carried out on NERSC machines. NERSC is available to researchers from around the nation and the world and assists some 7,000 scientists annually. The name reflects and highlights NERSC's commitment to advancing scientific research.

90th Anniversary Speaker Series: Game Changing Solutions in the Fight Against Climate Change

Tackling the climate crisis and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 are top priorities for the Biden Administration. How will the nation meet the ambitious plans the President has set forth? Key to the conversation is the deployment of negative emissions technologies (NETs), which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or other sources.

To meet this challenge, Berkeley Lab has launched the Carbon Negative Initiative, which will address the basic science required to scale these technologies, develop new life-cycle analyses for integrating NETs into future decarbonized energy and industrial systems, and identify the most promising directions for future NET research.

Operations Career Development & Networking Workshop

The inaugural Operations Career Development & Networking Workshop was held on Friday, April 23, 2:00-3:30p.m. The purpose of this event and future workshops is to highlight and serve the interests, talents, and professional development of current and future business operations staff at Berkeley Lab.

• Carolyn Charles, Senior HR Partner, Panel Consultant

• Jeremy Coyne, OCFO Indirect Budget Manager

• Ellen Ford, Deputy Chief Operating Officer

• Bill Johansen, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Laboratory Director for Research

• Janie Pinterits, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Manager

• Meg Rodriguez, Program Manager, Career Pathways Office

Basics2Breakthroughs: Deciphering the Plant Microbiome

Berkeley Lab Postdoc Researcher Jonelle Basso is getting to the root of plant-microbe interactions which can lead to more efficient and sustainable crops that produce food, plant-based biofuels, and bioproducts.

Research at Berkeley Lab starts with basic science which leads to innovative breakthroughs that have changed the world. The Basics2Breakthroughs video series focuses on early career scientists discussing their research and what they hope for the future in that research.

Credit: Marilyn Sargent - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Virtual Lab-wide Town Hall

On April 21, 2021 Director Mike Witherell presented a virtual tour of physical changes at the Lab in the past year, reviewed research highlights and discussed how the Lab's research ties into the current administration's goals. He also discussed the Lab's core values, stewardship and being a citizen of the Lab.

Click the play button to the left to watch the event. Before you begin, click the gear in the lower right corner to select 1080p HD video quality.

A valid Berkeley Lab LDAP credential is required to view the video.

Women @ The Lab Virtual Awards

Berkeley Lab and LBNL’s Women Scientists and Engineer’s Council (WSEC) are proud to honor an outstanding group of women Lab employees for its fourth Women @ The Lab event. Your attendance will reinforce your commitment to diversity and the development of effective scientific and operations staff at the Lab.

The celebration highlights Berkeley Lab women and their success stories - scientists, engineers, and operations staff who are working to change the world for the better. By promoting the achievements of these 15 brilliant women, we hope to continue to inspire a new generation of women to enter the STEM workforce, where their participation could lead to important breakthroughs.

Celebrating Berkeley Lab Royal T

A celebration of Berkeley Lab innovation honors Lab inventors and software developers whose contributions are helping to advance the industry. Honored guests include Vanessa Chan, the new Chief Commercialization Officer at the Department of Energy, Lab scientists and industry representatives whose inventions and businesses are making a difference.

The virtual event celebrates Lab inventors who have received a royalty check from the licensing of their invention or software in the last year, as well as new inventors and software developers. This event is hosted by the Intellectual Property Office at Berkeley Lab.

Justice40 and a Transformative Vision for Energy Justice at DOE

The Justice40 Initiative promises 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments, including investments in clean energy, to disadvantaged communities. On March 19, 2021 the Department of Energy’s first Deputy Director for Energy Justice, Shalanda H. Baker, discussed the Justice40 Initiative and her transformative vision for energy justice at the Department.

Click the image to the left to watch the video.

Berkeley Lab COVID-19 Safety Update

On March 8th, the Lab Directorate held a short webinar for all employees to review COVID-19 safety at the Lab. The Department of Energy asked all national labs to have an employee safety call to provide an opportunity to hear what the Lab has done to maintain a safe working environment in the past year.

Click the video to the left to learn more.

A Gentle Introduction to 5G Networks and Shared Spectrum

The first half of this talk will provide a brief introduction to key drivers and capabilities of 5G networks and highlight technologies that enable these capabilities. In the second half, we will discuss concept of shared spectrum - a key regulatory/policy innovation Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has advanced in recent years to release new high-quality spectrum needed to remove roadblocks to 5G deployments.

Berkeley Lab's 90th Anniversary Kickoff

In 2021, Berkeley Lab’s 90th year, we’re celebrating past achievements and imagining tomorrow’s solutions. Investment in discovery science takes patience, and the payoffs are profound and often surprising.

Join us as we continue this journey for the next 90.

Click the play button to the left to watch the event. Before you begin, click the gear in the lower right corner to select 1080p HD video quality.

For more information and upcoming events, click here.

Director's Achievement Awards Ceremony

The annual Director's Awards took place on Thursday, November 12th. The Director’s Awards program recognizes significant achievements of Lab employees.

Each year, these awards are given for accomplishments, leadership, collaboration, multi-disciplinary science, cross-divisional projects, and commitment to excellence in support of the Lab’s mission and strategic goals.

Click the image on the left to play the video.

LabTech 2020 Keynote Session

LabTech is a free, annual event created by and for Lab staff and friends that focuses on computing and technology for science and operations. LabTech features technical tutorials, discussion sessions, networking opportunities, demonstrations, and more.

Watch the keynote presented by IT Division Director, Adam Stone.

Click here to view all Lab tech session videos.

Conversation with UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May

Throughout his career, UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May has championed diversity and mentorship in higher education and the workplace. Chancellor May joined Lab Director Mike Witherell at a Lab-wide Town Hall on August 18, 2020 to discuss the challenges of achieving equity. ​

Click the play button to the left to watch the event. Before you begin, click the gear in the lower right corner to select 1080p HD video quality.