Caution Advised Regarding Swine Flu Outbreak

by Shawne Workman

National Public Radio this morning reported that there have been 50 cases of swine flu in the United States, with no fatalities. Thirteen of the cases were reported in California, most in San Diego, with three in Northern California—all at one Sacramento school. As of yesterday, no Stanford faculty, staff or students had reported symptoms of concern. Stanford officials are advising students, faculty and staff to avoid travel to Mexico.

Swine flu cases in the U.S. have so far proven milder than those in Mexico. But as a precaution, on Monday Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a public health emergency to allow federal and state governments easier access to flu tests and medications in case a public health response is needed.

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

The CDC provides some simple tips for staying healthy during any flu season:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you feel unwell, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Stanford University is closely monitoring developments in the potential spread of swine flu. For information and updates see "Information About Pandemic Influenza." See also the university's Emergency Information page.

Additional recommendations and information are available on the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control Web sites.

SLAC Summer Institute to Highlight Upcoming Physics Experiments

by Michael Wall

Registration is now open for the 2009 SLAC Summer Institute, to be held August 3-14 at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The theme for this year, "Revolutions on the Horizon: A Decade of New Experiments," focuses on the theory and experimental techniques that will lead to exciting physics discoveries for generations to come.

Eminent physicists will lecture on a variety of topics, from the search for dark matter to Large Hadron Collider technology. These talks will alternate with discussion sessions, social events and a tour of SLAC.

Attendees will "get to expand their physics horizons and learn new things," said SLAC theoretical physicist JoAnne Hewett, one of the Institute’s program directors. "They get to meet their future colleagues, and they get to meet leaders in their fields."

Early registration—on or before July 13—costs $235 for students and $375 for non-students. From July 14 on, the price rises to $285 for students and $450 for non-students.

Everyone attending is encouraged to present his or her own research—whether or not it fits well with the "Revolutions" theme—at one of three poster sessions. The deadline for submitting an abstract is July 20.

For more details and online registration, see the 2009 SLAC Summer Institute Web site.

In the News:
Obama Says 3% of GDP for R&D

from the AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News

President Barack Obama addressed an overflow audience at the 146th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences on April 27. In his expansive speech, the President called for greater investments in research and development, and science education. Read more in the AIP Bulletin...

The White House yesterday released a fact sheet to accompany the president's talk, outlining research and education initiatives including the launch of a new DOE organization, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Also announced yesterday are 46 new Energy Frontier Research Centers, among them a Center on Nanostructuring for Efficient Energy Conversion at Stanford University. See the DOE news release for links and additional details.

Public Lecture Tonight: Black Holes

Don't miss tonight's SLAC Public Lecture featuring astrophysicist Jonathan McKinney of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, with "Black Holes, the Brightest Objects in the Universe."

McKinney will discuss how black holes form, outline how we detect them, and show movies that illustrate how they work according to Einstein and state-of-the-art computer simulations. Come see that these blackest of all objects in the Universe actually shine the brightest. The talk will take place 7:30-8:30 p.m. in Panofsky Auditorium, and is free and open to all.

Events (see all | submit)

Today (4:15 p.m.) Stanford Physics Colloquium: Mechanics and Dynamics of Cell Movement
Today (7:30 p.m.) Public Lecture: Black Holes, the Brightest Objects in the Universe
Apr 29 (12:30 p.m.) SASS: Beyond Zero Resistance—Superconductivity

Access (see all)

Underground Piping Work near Building 28

Announcements
(see all | submit)

Lab Announcements

Dymo LabelWriter or Desktop Mailing Solution Product Recall: Power Adaptor Failures

Community Bulletin Board

Training

Lab Training (calendar | register)

Today (7:30 a.m.) Permit Required Confined Space
Today (11:00 a.m.) Procurement Power Briefing: ARRA Purchases Made Easy
Today (1:00 p.m.) Pressure Safety Training

Upcoming Workshops & Classes

MS Office 2007 Classes
May 6 (8:30 a.m.) Excel Transition from Office 2003 to 2007
May 6 (1:00 p.m.) Word Transition from Office 2003 to 2007

News (submit)

Swift: New Gamma-Ray Burst Smashes Cosmic Distance Record Science Daily
Scientists Make First Observation of Unique Rydberg Molecule Physorg
Particle Physics study Finds New Data for Extra Z-bosons and Potential Fifth Force Physorg
NOvA: Officials to Break Ground on Cutting-edge International Physics Lab in Northern Minnesota U. of Minnesota news release

<% Response.AddHeader "Last-modified", getArticleDate() 'Response.AddHeader "Last-modified","Mon, 01 Sep 1997 01:03:33 GMT" 'Monday, December 06, 2010 %>

View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.

Caution Advised Regarding Swine Flu Outbreak by Shawne Workman National Public Radio this morning reported that there have been 50 cases of swine flu in the United States, with no fatalities. Thirteen of the cases were reported in California, most in San Diego, with three in Northern California—all at one Sacramento school. As of yesterday, no Stanford faculty, staff or students had reported symptoms of concern. Stanford officials are advising students, faculty and staff to avoid travel to Mexico. Swine flu cases in the U.S. have so far proven milder than those in Mexico. But as a precaution, on Monday Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a public health emergency to allow federal and state governments easier access to flu tests and medications in case a public health response is needed. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. The CDC provides some simple tips for staying healthy during any flu season: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you feel unwell, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Stanford University is closely monitoring developments in the potential spread of swine flu. For information and updates see "Information About Pandemic Influenza." See also the university's Emergency Information page. Additional recommendations and information are available on the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control Web sites. SLAC Summer Institute to Highlight Upcoming Physics Experiments by Michael Wall Registration is now open for the 2009 SLAC Summer Institute, to be held August 3-14 at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The theme for this year, "Revolutions on the Horizon: A Decade of New Experiments," focuses on the theory and experimental techniques that will lead to exciting physics discoveries for generations to come. Eminent physicists will lecture on a variety of topics, from the search for dark matter to Large Hadron Collider technology. These talks will alternate with discussion sessions, social events and a tour of SLAC. Attendees will "get to expand their physics horizons and learn new things," said SLAC theoretical physicist JoAnne Hewett, one of the Institute’s program directors. "They get to meet their future colleagues, and they get to meet leaders in their fields." Early registration—on or before July 13—costs $235 for students and $375 for non-students. From July 14 on, the price rises to $285 for students and $450 for non-students. Everyone attending is encouraged to present his or her own research—whether or not it fits well with the "Revolutions" theme—at one of three poster sessions. The deadline for submitting an abstract is July 20. For more details and online registration, see the 2009 SLAC Summer Institute Web site. In the News: Obama Says 3% of GDP for R&D from the AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News President Barack Obama addressed an overflow audience at the 146th Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences on April 27. In his expansive speech, the President called for greater investments in research and development, and science education. Read more in the AIP Bulletin... The White House yesterday released a fact sheet to accompany the president's talk, outlining research and education initiatives including the launch of a new DOE organization, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Also announced yesterday are 46 new Energy Frontier Research Centers, among them a Center on Nanostructuring for Efficient Energy Conversion at Stanford University. See the DOE news release for links and additional details. Public Lecture Tonight: Black Holes Don't miss tonight's SLAC Public Lecture featuring astrophysicist Jonathan McKinney of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, with "Black Holes, the Brightest Objects in the Universe." McKinney will discuss how black holes form, outline how we detect them, and show movies that illustrate how they work according to Einstein and state-of-the-art computer simulations. Come see that these blackest of all objects in the Universe actually shine the brightest. The talk will take place 7:30-8:30 p.m. in Panofsky Auditorium, and is free and open to all.	Events (see all \| submit) Today (4:15 p.m.) Stanford Physics Colloquium: Mechanics and Dynamics of Cell Movement Today (7:30 p.m.) Public Lecture: Black Holes, the Brightest Objects in the Universe Apr 29 (12:30 p.m.) SASS: Beyond Zero Resistance—Superconductivity Access (see all) Underground Piping Work near Building 28 Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements Dymo LabelWriter or Desktop Mailing Solution Product Recall: Power Adaptor Failures Community Bulletin Board SuperB Workshop Registration Open Registration Open: Ultrafast X-ray Summer School 2009 Training Lab Training (calendar \| register) Today (7:30 a.m.) Permit Required Confined Space Today (11:00 a.m.) Procurement Power Briefing: ARRA Purchases Made Easy Today (1:00 p.m.) Pressure Safety Training Upcoming Workshops & Classes MS Office 2007 Classes May 6 (8:30 a.m.) Excel Transition from Office 2003 to 2007 May 6 (1:00 p.m.) Word Transition from Office 2003 to 2007 News (submit) Swift: New Gamma-Ray Burst Smashes Cosmic Distance Record Science Daily Scientists Make First Observation of Unique Rydberg Molecule Physorg Particle Physics study Finds New Data for Extra Z-bosons and Potential Fifth Force Physorg NOvA: Officials to Break Ground on Cutting-edge International Physics Lab in Northern Minnesota U. of Minnesota news release
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	Tuesday - April 28, 2009