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In this issue:
Richter Chairs Energy Efficiency Study
Colloquium Monday: Biofuels and Agriculture
symmetry: Painting with the Flow
Roosevelt Robinson Passes Away
Grief Counseling Available at Help Center

SLAC Today

Monday - October 29, 2007

Richter Chairs Energy Efficiency Study

(Photo - Burt Richter)
Burt Richter

Burton Richter made his name in high-energy physics—he won the Nobel Prize for discovering a particle made up of a new kind of quark, and directed SLAC for 15 years. For the past decade, he's turned his formidable attention to energy issues of a different, but no less important, nature.

Richter is now chairing a new study group on energy efficiency formed by the American Physical Society (APS). The group's goal is to identify research efforts and policy changes that will reduce carbon emissions linked to global warming and increase energy security.

Members of the group are gathering at SLAC today and tomorrow (October 29 through 30) to kick off their work, which will focus on energy efficiency in buildings and transportation. Those two areas account for 70 percent of U.S. carbon emissions.

"First on everyone's list, whether you're concerned about global warming or energy supply security, should be conservation and efficiency," Richter said.  Read more...

Colloquium Monday

Biofuels and Agriculture

In this afternoon's colloquium, Rosamond Lee Naylor, the Wrigley Senior Fellow in Environmental Science and Policy at Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment, will present The Ripple Effects of Biofuels on Global Food Security and the Environment.

Naylor will address the rapid rise in crop-based biofuels production in the U.S. and other countries and its implications for global food security and the environment. In particular, she will explore the linkages between biofuels demand, crop prices and the ability of poor households to purchase staple food commodities. She will also examine the effects of biofuels development on the livestock sector and on the environment through land expansion and intensification. Finally, she will discuss some key policies that are relevant for future growth in biofuels in the U.S. and abroad.

The colloquium will take place at 4:15 p.m. today in Panofsky Auditorium. All are invited to attend.

symmetry:
Painting with the Flow


Amy Lee Segami's Probability of Certainty, 20 × 32 inches, 1996. (Acrylic on museum board.)

To artist and engineer Amy Lee Segami, water is no ordinary substance—it is her canvas. Using her knowledge of fluid mechanics, Segami paints on water in a contemporary version of the ancient Asian art form of Suminagashi.

"Ever since I was a kid, I was very much drawn to the creativity and expression in drawing and painting," Segami says. But her father insisted that she train in a technical field, so she got a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in mechanical aerospace engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.  Read more...

Memorial Services Tomorrow for
Robbie Robinson

(Photo - Roosevelt Robinson)
Roosevelt Robinson

Last week, SLAC said goodbye to a dear colleague and friend—Roosevelt "Robbie" Robinson, who had worked for the Labor Pool for more than 30 years, died in his home on Thursday.

"He was such a great guy, very professional," said Kenneth Rubino, who leads the Facilities Support Group and was Robinson's supervisor. "He had a reputation for attention to detail. He'll definitely be missed."

Robinson was a familiar, hard-working presence at SLAC, and was widely revered for his sense of quiet dignity. With his departure the lab mourns the loss of a dear friend, and we extend our most heart-felt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. We are all deeply affected by his death.

Memorial services will held at Jones Mortuary on Tuesday, October 30. More information...


Grief Counseling Available at Help Center

Our SLAC community has experienced the unexpected and untimely death of two employees this week. Such events can be very difficult to handle. On Monday, the Faculty Staff Help Center will offer a presentation on what to expect when a loss is suffered and, for any employees who would like a chance to discuss their feelings of loss and grief, the counselor will remain onsite to answer questions and give people a chance to talk if they wish. This presentation will take place on Monday, October 29th from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Orange Room.

The Faculty Staff Help Center is always available to meet with individual employees as well. Appointments can be made by calling the SLAC Medical Department at x2281 or the Help Center at 650-723-4577.


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