Lab History – Page 7 – Elements Archive

April 25, 2019August 20, 2022

Podcast on Isolating the Heaviest Elements Includes Lab’s Historical Role

The C&EN podcast looks at what it takes to make a new superheavy element, starting a half century ago and tracking the making of new elements through time. Former Lab researcher William Lester is interviewed for the piece, and the contributions of the late Jim Harris and element 104 are discussed. https://cen.acs.org/physical-chemistry/periodic-table/IYPT-Podcast-Scientists-share-what-it-takes-to-make-a-superheavy-element/97/i17

April 2, 2019August 20, 2022

Then & Now: McMillan Road

A photo from 1962 that shows new roads along the hillside (with 184-inch cyclotron dome visible at upper right) transitions to 2018 and Buildings 46A and B, with ALS now occupying the domed facility. Click post to see more “Then & Now” images. https://history.lbl.gov/then-and-now/

April 1, 2019August 20, 2022

Share Your Favorite Periodic Table Element for Chance to Win Mug

Do you have a thing for manganese, molybdenum, or another element? We want to hear about it! It’s simple…post a video to social media telling us what element is your favorite and why.

March 28, 2019August 20, 2022

In Memoriam: Margaret Alston-Garnjost, Lab Bubble Chamber Researcher

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, a special shout-out to Lab physicist and bubble chamber researcher Margaret Alston-Garnjost, who collaborated with Lab Nobel Prize winners Luis Alvarez and Donald Glaser. She passed away Feb. 7. Stay tuned for a more in-depth profile next month. https://m.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-alston-garnjost&pid=191709331&referrer=0&preview=false

March 20, 2019August 20, 2022

Lab Research Pioneer Set a Gold Standard for Ultrasensitive Particle Detectors

Lab retiree Alan “Al” Smith blazed a trail in the development of ultrasensitive detectors that can see ever-fainter signatures of particle interactions. Click to read a retrospective of his research career. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/03/19/a-pioneer-in-ultrasensitive-particle-detectors/

March 18, 2019August 20, 2022

Why the “31” in the Elements Logo?

A number of employees have inquired about the number 31 that appears in the upper left corner of the Elements logo. Click post to find out the answer.

March 14, 2019August 20, 2022

What’s Your Favorite Element? Lee Bernstein Answers

Lee Bernstein, nuclear physicist and Nuclear Data Group Leader at Berkeley Lab, shares his favorite element: actinium. He is working with other researchers on a new process to produce a form of actinium that, when coupled with other compounds, can fight cancer in a highly targeted way.

March 4, 2019August 20, 2022

Ernest Lawrence’s Brilliant Failure

Lawrence, the creator of the cyclotron, also tried to bring the first color TV to American consumers. The story of his efforts reveals how the history of television was connected to physics and the military. https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.4162

February 27, 2019August 20, 2022

📷 Then and Now: The Bend on Cyclotron Road

A 1961 photo of a flywheel for the Bevatron accelerator being transported up Cyclotron Road transitions to a 2018 shot of a Lab shuttle making the same journey.

February 19, 2019August 20, 2022

What’s Your Favorite Element? Rebecca Abergel Answers

Abergel thinks plutonium is one of the more interesting of the heavy elements, despite its historical legacy.