23 May 2013
Today's Categories: PNNL in the News / DOE around the U.S. / Energy/Science Policy / National/International Science and Technology / Security / Workforce - Health and Safety / Other /
PNNL in the News
Enthought Awarded 1M [dollar] DOE SBIR Grant to Develop Python HPC Framework
Austin, TX-Enthought, Inc. today announced that the company has been awarded a 1M [dollar] Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to expand the capabilities of Python and NumPy for high-performance distributed computing. Computational scientist Jeff Daily, who leads GAIN development at PNNL, will help in this effort.
PRWEB23 May 2013
Gettysburg College honors local distinguished alum
GETTYSBURG, PA (readMedia) - As part of Spring Honors Day on May 18, 2013, Allison Campbell of Kennewick was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award by Gettysburg College. Campbell, a 1985 graduate of Gettysburg College is the Associate Laboratory Director of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
readMedia22 May 2013
Travelling: Here, there and everywhere
Scientists in both academia and business find themselves hopping between time zones and learning to feel at home on two or more continents. Johannes Lercher works on the fundamental understanding of catalysis as a chemist at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany. But he is also director of the Institute for Integrated Catalysis at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, where he explores catalysis as a means of turning biomass into fuel.
Nature22 May 2013
DOE around the U.S.
Secretary Moniz Leads DOE Town Hall
"I have a lot of hope and aspirations for what we're going to accomplish here together." So began Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz as he led a town hall discussion with Energy Department employees on his second day in office. (w/video)
ENERGY.GOV22 May 2013
Energy/Science Policy
Moniz: Tesla Repayment Shows the Strength of Energy Department's Overall Loan Portfolio
WASHINGTON - Today, Tesla Motors repaid the entire remaining balance on a 465 million [dollar] loan from the Department of Energy nine years earlier than originally required. U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz made the following statement: "When you're talking about cutting-edge clean energy technologies, not every investment will succeed - but today's repayment is the latest indication that the Energy Department's portfolio of more than 30 loans is delivering big results for the American economy while costing far less than anticipated."
ENERGY.GOV23 May 2013
Better Buildings Challenge Reports First Year's Savings; Partners on Track to Meet 2020 Goal
WASHINGTON - Today, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz recognized the Administration's Better Buildings Challenge partners for the first year's progress toward our goal of making American commercial and industrial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020. Today's announcement builds upon Secretary Moniz's first speech as Secretary at the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum yesterday which focused on his commitment to saving energy.
ENERGY.GOV22 May 2013
National/International Science and Technology
Chlorine, Swimming Pool Helper, Has a Checkered Past
Over the next few months, chlorine will ensure that countless swimming pools don't turn into microbe-choked petri dishes. That's only one of many uses we've found for the element. According to a study recently published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the entire planet was poisoned with the stuff. Fortunately, the planet got rid of most of its chlorine. If it hadn't, we might not be here today. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.03.005)
The New York Times (may require a paid subscription)23 May 2013
NASA reveals groundbreaking topographical map of Saturn's moon, Titan
Utilizing the Cassini spacecraft, scientists have compiled the first topographical map of Titan, helping them improve their understanding of Saturn's moon and its weather patterns.
Science Recorder23 May 2013
Carbon Dioxide Levels Pass 400 PPM Level-Highest Levels in Human History
For the first time in human history, concentrations of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, CO2, have risen above 400 parts per million, ppm. Many climate scientists warn that 350 ppm is the safe upper limit for CO2 in the atmosphere.
Living Green Mag22 May 2013
Irish potato famine pathogen identified
A plant pest that causes potato blight spread to Ireland in 1845 triggering a famine that killed one million people. DNA extracted from museum specimens shows the strain that changed history is different from modern day epidemics, and is probably now extinct. Other strains continue to attack potato and tomato crops around the world.
BBC News (UK)20 May 2013
Security
Obama speech to outline counterterrorism policy
President Obama will outline new policies for overseas drone strikes and discuss renewed steps to close the terrorism prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during a major national security speech Thursday. He also will "lay out the framework for U.S. counterterrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan, and as he looks forward to the rest of his second term," said a White House statement on the address, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET at National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
USA Today23 May 2013
Workforce - Health and Safety
5 Things You Should Know About Sleep Health in the Workplace
We've known for some time that sleep deprivation is associated with decreased productivity and a lack of focus, but that's not the end of the story: Insufficient sleep is also linked with less innovation, lower job satisfaction and unethical behavior in the workplace.
Huffington Post23 May 2013
5 Grisly Decades of Workplace Safety Posters
Worker compensation is a fairly new thing, dating only back to the Labor Movement in the early 1900s. Before that, injuries on the job were usually treated with either indifference or cheap payoff-after all, the average factory worker was making mere cents a day, so half a year's pay was chump change for large companies.
GIZMODO22 May 2013
Other
Finding Love at 17, Staten Island Cicadas Come of Age
After weeks of anticipation, Staten Island has seen some of the first of a brood of cicadas that has matured underground for 17 years, and which will be continuing to emerge in the coming days to begin the last, amorous and clamorous stage of its life cycle.
The New York Times (may require a paid subscription)22 May 2013
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