News Briefs: November 21, 2008
Newsline takes a break
Newsline will take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday week, Nov. 24-28. The want ads will still appear online during the holiday week. Newsline will return to its regular schedule on Dec. 5.
News from HOME
The 2008 HOME (Helping Others More Effectively) Campaign is reaching the end of week three. Many employees have already participated. If you haven't yet, go to the Web link from the internal portal page and make your online donation to the agencies of your choice to help those in need in the community.
The HOME Campaign will run through Dec. 5. As of noon Thursday, Nov. 20, donations totaled $930,459.
Agencies that have joined the HOME Campaign this year include: Animal Friends Connection Humane Society; Arroyo Seco Elementary PTA; Belize Open Source — Sustainable Development; David Conrad Memorial Scholarship Fund; Faces of Hope Charitable Fund Inc.; Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp; Holy Cross Lutheran Church; Lodi Adopt-A-Child; Mammography Screening of Alameda Inc.; New Jerusalem Church of God; San Joaquin County Office of Education; San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF); St. Anne's Catholic Church; World of Wonders Science Museum Inc.; and Valley Community Church.
This year, the Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC Board of Governors is once again offering to match employee contributions up to $1 million. The goal of the HOME Campaign is to meet that match. If the campaign exceeds $1 million in donations, the matching funds will be pro-rated. Remember: When you donate to the HOME Campaign, the matching funds will increase the impact of your generosity.
Check out the Web link from the internal portal page for donation statistics by organization, articles and photos of this year's Run for HOME. Retirees and employees who do not have access to a LLNL computer can come to Trailer 6526, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-3 p.m. to make their HOME Campaign donations online or call Carrie Martin at 424-4175 to schedule an appointment.
The 2008 campaign is being managed by the Science and Technology Principal Directorate.
Carbon nanotube research tops PNAS cover
Research conducted by Livermore researchers on the use of carbon nanotubes for molecular transport is the cover story in the Nov. 11 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
Molecular transport across cellular membranes is essential to many of life's processes, for example electrical signaling in nerves, muscles and synapses.
In biological systems, the membranes often contain a slippery inner surface with selective filter regions made up of specialized protein channels of sub-nanometer size. These pores regulate cellular traffic, allowing some of the smallest molecules in the world to traverse the membrane extremely quickly, while at the same time rejecting other small molecules and ions.
Researchers at the Laboratory are mimicking that process with manmade carbon nanotube membranes, which have pores that are 100,000 times smaller than a human hair, and are able to determine the rejection mechanism within the pores.
To read more, go to the news article or the PNAS Website.
Ken Kulander wins APS Will Allis Prize
Ken Kulander is excited about receiving the 2008 Will Allis Prize for the study of ionized gases from the American Physical Society.
A theoretical physicist at the Laboratory from 1978 to 2001, he became a fellow of the society in 1989.
"I've always been interested in how quantum mechanics works fundamentally," he says. "This approach provides the mathematical framework that describes and predicts atomic and molecular behavior.
"I've been interested in looking at the interactions between electrons, atoms, molecules and light — most recently involving ultra-short laser pulses — to understand quantum mechanical processes occurring during collisions, trying to follow dynamics in time."
Kulander earned a bachelor's degree in math from Cornell College in 1965 before earning a doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Minnesota in 1972. He completed two post-doctoral fellowships before coming to the Laboratory's Lasers Program in 1978, joining the Theoretical Atomic and Molecular Physics Group. In 1986, he became the group leader and stayed with that group. He completed two sabbaticals that included a sojourn at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics until his retirement. He continues to collaborate with experimental groups in between time spent on reading, hiking and traveling.
During his career, Kulander published more than 100 research papers, mainly in the Physical Review, Physical Review Letters and the Journal of Chemical Physics.
