January 2019 – July 2022
Future BioEPIC tenant, Microbial Community Analysis and Functional Evaluation in Soils (m-CAFEs), aims to understand and control the microbes that live on plant roots to support sustainable bioenergy. Data gathered about these interactions will enable prediction of community responses to change. https://arcg.is/0D1eLr0
The Lab’s research, researchers, and expertise are highlighted in news stories worldwide, including direct air capture of carbon dioxide and that climate change fueled extreme rainfall in 2020 hurricanes. Check out the top media mentions in the News Center’s “In the News” section. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/#text-7
Scientists at the Lab are working on new approaches to achieve direct air capture of carbon dioxide. Andrew Haddad, a researcher in the Energy Technologies Area, talks about how a Nobel Prize-winning concept from more than a century ago inspired his idea for efficiently capturing CO2. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2022/04/20/using-hundred-year-old-chemistry-to-capture-carbon-directly-from-air/
Ladan Khandel, EHS Industrial Hygienist, appears in a new documentary about the beauty industry. She did her undergraduate research at the Lab on the chemicals produced in a gel manicure. The documentary is part of a four-part series on HBO this month. https://youtu.be/cDcs6N44Aok
Belowground Biogeochemistry postdoctoral researcher Ricardo Eloy Alves focuses on the microbial dynamics, physiology, and functional traits that determine the properties of soil ecosystems. This work is at the heart of Earth Week, ‘Investing in our Planet.’ https://youtu.be/4SkG7BSgUZc
Scientists from the Belowground Biogeochemistry Scientific Focus Area are studying how soils interact with and impact the soil–plant–climate system to increase the accuracy of terrestrial ecosystem prediction models. Related research will be housed in the BioEPIC building, now under construction. https://arcg.is/1qyumC0
In 1992, Arab American heritage was first recognized with a National Arab-American Day. In 2021, the White House recognized April as Arab American Heritage Month. Read more about the month, the history of Arab Americans in the United States, and upcoming events at UC Berkeley. https://diversity.lbl.gov/2022/04/13/april-is-arab-american-heritage-month/
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm met at Berkeley Lab this week with the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB). On Tuesday, she and several Board members took a tour of FLEXLAB® and received briefings from Lab experts on energy-efficient building and integrated grid technologies. https://youtu.be/0u2f6J79-Lg
As more and more people return to working onsite, it’s time to start thinking about how to build an inclusive hybrid team environment for you and your coworkers. The IDEAs In Action website has a list of resources and toolkits to get you started. https://ideas-in-action.lbl.gov/inclusion/inclusive-virtual-hybrid-teams
Join the Sustainable Berkeley Lab team and Fidelity Investments on Tuesday, April 26, at 11 a.m. for a seminar on Socially Responsible investing. Make the commitment to learn how to invest for your best future . . . and the best future of the Earth. https://calendar.google.com/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=MnIwdWdrOXVmaXNmZmlwaXZjZmdhNmhmYWcgbGJsLmdvdl80czRycmcxMmw2ZXFnNm5jbWMya3QwdmNnZ0Bn&tmsrc=lbl.gov_4s4rrg12l6eqg6ncmc2kt0vcgg%40group.calendar.google.com