Message from Carol
Dear Colleagues:
Over the last year and a half, I have had many conversations with area, division, and science leaders at the Lab about how to build on our already impressive strengths to remain at the forefront of research a decade from now. As a result of these conversations, in February, we announced a set of five strategic research themes that characterize research across the Lab, and identified several specific objectives within each of these themes that will unlock the greatest scientific opportunities available to us over the next decade.
Our scientists are already conducting research that could potentially offer such opportunities. In this issue of Research News, you’ll read about how Setsuko Wakao and her multidisciplinary research team are investigating a group of algae called diatoms and exploring whether they could be engineered for a variety of applications. You will also read about two geologic hydrogen projects at the Lab recently funded by ARPA-E. Ben Gilbert and Mengsu Hu are leading projects that could potentially have a significant impact on our transition to sustainable fuels. Such projects not only leverage our current skill set and capabilities but potentially open doors to new growth opportunities for research at the Lab and in the scientific community.
Having identified these themes, we want to develop a vision for their stewardship and evolution. Over the next months, we will be reaching out to you for your input. I will share more about this soon, and look forward to hearing your ideas.
Sincerely,
Carol Burns
Deputy Laboratory Director for Research
Chief Research Officer
Research on Diatoms Explores New Paths to Support Sustainability
One of the five strategic research themes at the Lab focuses on “discovering materials, chemical processes, and biological systems for energy and the environment.”
Setsuko Wakao’s team in the Biosciences Area’s Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging (MBIB) Division, working with scientists in the Energy Sciences Area’s Molecular Foundry and Materials Sciences Division, is conducting cross-area research that exemplifies this theme. The team is working to deliver a deeper understanding of a group of algae, called diatoms, and potential applications. They are taking an established field in new directions, while building new tools to enable multidisciplinary research among biologists, chemists, materials scientists, and physicists.
Hear from Setsuko about the potential as well as the challenges for this research.
Geologic Hydrogen: A New Source of Carbon-Free Fuel for the World, New Opportunities for the Lab
Other examples of projects at the Lab that could make a significant contribution to the world, while also potentially providing growth opportunities for research at the Lab, are two Earth and Environmental Sciences Area research projects recently funded by ARPA-E to explore the use of geologic hydrogen as a new source of fuel. The projects relate to the strategic research themes “discovering materials, chemical processes, and biological systems for energy and the environment” and “dramatically accelerating clean energy technologies.” Ben Gilbert is studying the chemical mechanisms responsible for producing geologic hydrogen and then investigating ways to accelerate this process, while Mengsu Hu’s research explores seismically safe ways to create fractures in rock, stimulate geologic hydrogen production, and ultimately transport the hydrogen back to the surface.
Hear from Mengsu and Ben about why geologic hydrogen is potentially a game changer for the world and the new research opportunities that it offers.
Berkeley Lab Welcomes Summer Interns
Summer at the Lab brings a new cohort of interns. This year, through the Workforce Development & Education (WD&E) program, 150 interns are working across all the research areas at the Lab. Read more about the WD&E internship programs and how to apply to be an intern mentor this fall.
GOOD TO KNOW
Human and Animal Regulatory Committees (HARC) Moves to Research Compliance Office in the Lab Directorate
The Human and Animal Regulatory Committees (HARC), formerly part of the Environment, Health, and Safety Division, have moved to the Research Compliance Office within the Office of the Deputy Lab Director for Research. HARC’s work is vital to the Lab’s ability to conduct ethical research. HARC staff are available to assist researchers in reviewing projects and, where necessary, in designing protocols.
Visit the HARC website for information about their services and how to contact them.
Elemental Composition: UC Berkeley Microanalytic Facility Available to Lab Researchers
Researchers at Berkeley Lab can use the analytical facilities in the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley, including the Microanalytic Facility (MAF), to speed up obtaining research data and increase collaboration. The elemental analysis provided by the MAF includes information on elemental composition, purity, elemental ratio, and empirical formula of chemical compounds.
Technology Commercialization Fund Open Voucher Call: Support for Technical Assistance from DOE National Labs
Spread the word to your collaborators and potential collaborators: a select number of innovators seeking to advance breakthrough technologies will receive $100,000 vouchers to obtain assistance from national laboratory facilities and resources, including Berkeley Lab. Applications for the Technology Commercialization Fund Open Voucher Call are due on October 3.
Read about the DOE’s Open Voucher Call.
