Transitioning to one's preferred identity can be challenging on its own – the Name Change Initiative aims to make the logistical hurdles to accomplish this as simple as possible so we can build a fully inclusive STEM culture. The Name Change Initiative is a coordinated effort among US National Labs and publishing institutions, led by Berkeley Lab, that focuses on making it easier for transgender scientists to change their name on published works. In this interview, two initiative leaders and a transgender scientist, who has faced the difficulties of transitioning openly and changing her name on past work, share their stories.

Check out the official Berkeley Lab podcast, A Day in the Half-Life at www.buzzsprout.com/1434640 or by searching for A Day in the Half-Life using your preferred podcast provider.

Name Change Initiative: An interview with two initiative leaders and a transgender scientist

Berkeley Lab's Jessica Granderson talks about her research into building energy efficiencies and the promise of a "sensor suitcase." To learn more about her work and the "sensor suitcase," visit: http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2017/06/01/expert-suitcase-cuts-power-bills-10-small-commercial-buildings/

Jessica Granderson: Motivation for a Sensor Suitcase

Berkeley Lab researcher Ethan Crumlin at the Advanced Light Source is using an X-ray technique to reveal the mysteries behind the early stages of a chemical process that can reformulate carbon dioxide into more useful compounds. To read more on his work, go to: https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2017/06/12/new-surprise-chemical-reaction-copper-co2

Ethan Crumlin: Studying Interfaces

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and Michigan State University are providing the clearest view yet of an intact bacterial microcompartment, revealing at atomic-level resolution the structure and assembly of the organelle's protein shell. This work can help provide important information for research in bioenergy, pathogenesis, and biotechnology.

Cheryl Kerfeld: New Insights Into Bacterial Microcompartments

What roles do microbes play in our world? Can they be used to help combat climate change, or, help mitigate the damage from oil spills? Berkeley Lab's Gary Andersen says microbes fascinate him. Hear why.

Gary Andersen: Probing the Mysteries of Microbes

A team led by Berkeley Lab’s Eva Nogales marks another win for a new imaging technology that is yielding remarkably detailed 3-D models of complex biomolecules critical to DNA function. Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), Nogales and her colleagues have resolved the structure at near-atomic resolutions of a human transcription factor used in gene expression and DNA repair. Here she talks about her work and the technology’s promise in improving human health. Full story » http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2017/09/13/dna-protein-complex-map-near-atomic-resolution/

Eva Nogales: At the Forefront of Cryo-EM

Spencer Klein: Searching for Neutrinos with IceCube

On Aug. 17, scientists around the globe were treated to near-simultaneous observations by separate instruments: One set of Earth-based detectors measured the signature of a cataclysmic event sending ripples through the fabric of space-time, and another detected the gamma-ray signature of a high-energy outburst emanating from the same region of the sky.
 
These parallel detections led astronomers and astrophysicists on an all-out hunt for more detailed measurements explaining this confluence of signals, which would ultimately be confirmed as the first measurement of the merger of two neutron stars and its explosive aftermath.

Peter Nugent, a senior staff scientist in the Computational Research Division at Berkeley Lab and an adjunct professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley, was one of the  scientists who closely followed the alerts related to the Aug. 17 observations.

Nugent shares insights about his inspiration and work in this audio interview.

See the related story here: https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2017/10/16/scientists-decode-signature-neutron-star-merger

Peter Nugent: Cosmic Hunting with Supercomputers

In a special Armistice Day broadcast on Nov. 11, 1945 of the "Quiz Kids" radio program, Berkeley Lab's Glenn Seaborg revealed to the public the discovery of two new elements – 95 and 96 – in a response to a question by one of the children on the show.

(Credit: Quiz Kids/CBS, Nov. 11, 1945)  
(The segment was taped by the Atomic Energy Commission in 1953, and a digitally mastered copy is preserved by the Niels Bohr Library.)

'Quiz Kids' Radio Program Gets the Scoop on 2 New Elements

As we wind down a yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, Berkeley Lab pays homage to Dmitri Mendeleev's discovery in this imagined reenactment of how this scientific concept was dreamed up. Though it is based on a true story of Mendeleev's nighttime epiphany, we took some liberties.

To read more about Mendeleev's nighttime epiphany visit  http://digitalcollections.library.cmu.edu/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=33706

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'Twas The Night Before The Periodic Table

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes.

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