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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Difference between revisions
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{{Organization | |||
|OrganizationName=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | |||
|OrganizationType=Research and Development Agencies (Sub-organization) | |||
|Mission=LBNL conducts unclassified scientific research over a wide range of scientific disciplines with the goal of advancing scientific knowledge and addressing some of society's most pressing challenges, including energy, environmental, and health sciences. | |||
|OrganizationExecutive=Director | |||
|Employees=4000 | |||
|Budget=Not publicly detailed for specific years, part of DOE's budget for national labs. | |||
|Website=https://www.lbl.gov/ | |||
|Services=Materials science; Physics; Environmental science; Life sciences; Computing science; Energy efficiency | |||
|ParentOrganization=Department of Energy | |||
|TopOrganization=Department of Energy | |||
|CreationLegislation=Established in 1931 by Ernest O. Lawrence, formally recognized as a national lab by the Atomic Energy Commission in 1947 | |||
|Regulations= | |||
|HeadquartersLocation=37.874908, -122.247051 | |||
|HeadquartersAddress=1 Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA | |||
}} | |||
{{short description|National laboratory located near Berkeley, California, U.S.}} | {{short description|National laboratory located near Berkeley, California, U.S.}} | ||
'''Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory''' ('''LBNL''', '''Berkeley Lab''') is a [[Federally funded research and development centers|federally funded research and development center]] in the hills of Berkeley, [[California]], [[United States]]. Established in 1931 by the [[University of California]] (UC), the laboratory is sponsored by the [[United States Department of Energy]] and administered by the UC system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Master Government List of Federally Funded R&D Centers {{!}} NCSES {{!}} NSF |url=https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/ |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=nsf.gov |archive-date=August 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820205437/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Ernest Lawrence, who won the Nobel prize for inventing the cyclotron, founded the lab and served as its director until his death in 1958. Located in the Berkeley Hills, the lab overlooks the campus of the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. | |||
'''Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory''' ('''LBNL''', '''Berkeley Lab''') is a [[Federally funded research and development centers|federally funded research and development center]] in the | |||
==Scientific research== | ==Scientific research== | ||
The mission of Berkeley Lab is to bring science solutions to the world. The research at Berkeley Lab has four main themes: discovery science, clean energy, healthy earth and ecological systems, and the future of science.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lbl.gov/research/ |title=Research |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225170509/https://www.lbl.gov/research/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Laboratory's 22 scientific divisions are organized within six areas of research: Computing Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biosciences, Energy Sciences, and Energy Technologies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lbl.gov/about/organization |title=Organization |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055612/https://www.lbl.gov/about/organization/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Lab founder | The mission of Berkeley Lab is to bring science solutions to the world. The research at Berkeley Lab has four main themes: discovery science, clean energy, healthy earth and ecological systems, and the future of science.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lbl.gov/research/ |title=Research |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225170509/https://www.lbl.gov/research/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Laboratory's 22 scientific divisions are organized within six areas of research: Computing Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biosciences, Energy Sciences, and Energy Technologies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lbl.gov/about/organization |title=Organization |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055612/https://www.lbl.gov/about/organization/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Lab founder Ernest Lawrence believed that scientific research is best done through teams of individuals with different fields of expertise, working together, and his laboratory still considers that a guiding principle today.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lbl.gov/history/ |title=History |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821120826/http://www.lbl.gov/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
===Research impact=== | ===Research impact=== | ||
Berkeley Lab scientists have won fifteen Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry, and each one has a street named after them on the Lab campus.<ref name="nobel"/> 23 Berkeley Lab employees were contributors to reports by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the [[Nobel Peace Prize]]. Fifteen Lab scientists have also won the [[National Medal of Science]], and two have won the [[National Medal of Technology and Innovation]].<ref name=medals>{{cite web |url=https://www.lbl.gov/people/excellence/national-medal/ |title=National Medal |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055859/https://www.lbl.gov/people/excellence/national-medal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 82 Berkeley Lab researchers have been elected to membership in the [[National Academy of Sciences]] or the [[National Academy of Engineering]].<ref name=About>{{cite web |url=https://www.lbl.gov/about/ |title=About the Lab |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=August 2, 2024 |archive-date=August 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802180904/https://www.lbl.gov/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | Berkeley Lab scientists have won fifteen Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry, and each one has a street named after them on the Lab campus.<ref name="nobel"/> 23 Berkeley Lab employees were contributors to reports by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the [[Nobel Peace Prize]]. Fifteen Lab scientists have also won the [[National Medal of Science]], and two have won the [[National Medal of Technology and Innovation]].<ref name=medals>{{cite web |url=https://www.lbl.gov/people/excellence/national-medal/ |title=National Medal |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226055859/https://www.lbl.gov/people/excellence/national-medal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 82 Berkeley Lab researchers have been elected to membership in the [[National Academy of Sciences]] or the [[National Academy of Engineering]].<ref name=About>{{cite web |url=https://www.lbl.gov/about/ |title=About the Lab |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=August 2, 2024 |archive-date=August 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802180904/https://www.lbl.gov/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
Berkeley Lab has the greatest research publication impact of any single government laboratory in the world in physical sciences and chemistry, as measured by | Berkeley Lab has the greatest research publication impact of any single government laboratory in the world in physical sciences and chemistry, as measured by Nature Index.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/annual-tables/2022/institution/government/physical-sciences/global |title=2022 tables: Institutions-physical sciences-government |publisher=Nature Index |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226172143/https://www.nature.com/nature-index/annual-tables/2022/institution/government/physical-sciences/global |url-status=live }} {{cite web |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/annual-tables/2022/institution/government/chemistry/global |title=2022 tables: Institutions-chemistry-government |publisher=Nature Index |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226172143/https://www.nature.com/nature-index/annual-tables/2022/institution/government/chemistry/global |url-status=live }}</ref> The only institutions with higher ranking are the entire national government research agencies for China, France, and Italy, each of which is comparable to the complete network of 17 [[United States Department of Energy National Laboratories]]. Using the same metric, the Lab is the second-ranking laboratory in the area of earth and environmental sciences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/annual-tables/2022/institution/government/earth-and-environmental/global |title=2022 tables: Institutions-Earth & environmental sciences-government |publisher=Nature Index |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226172144/https://www.nature.com/nature-index/annual-tables/2022/institution/government/earth-and-environmental/global |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
=== Scientific user facilities === | === Scientific user facilities === | ||
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Berkeley Lab operates five major National User Facilities for the DOE Office of Science: | Berkeley Lab operates five major National User Facilities for the DOE Office of Science: | ||
==== Advanced Light Source ==== | |||
The [[Advanced Light Source]] (ALS) is a synchrotron light source with 41 beamlines providing ultraviolet, soft x-ray, and hard x-ray light to scientific experiments in a wide variety of fields, including materials science, biology, chemistry, physics, and the environmental sciences. | |||
The ALS is supported by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://als.lbl.gov/ |title=The Advanced Light Source |website=Berkeley Lab |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224221534/https://als.lbl.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://science.osti.gov/bes/suf/User-Facilities/X-Ray-Light-Sources/ALS |title=The Advanced Light Source |date=April 29, 2022 |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225230549/https://science.osti.gov/bes/suf/User-Facilities/X-Ray-Light-Sources/ALS |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==== Joint Genome Institute ==== | |||
The [[Joint Genome Institute]] (JGI) is a scientific user facility for integrative genomic science, with particular emphasis on the DOE missions of energy and the environment. The JGI provides over 2,000 scientific users with access to the latest generation of genome sequencing and analysis capabilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://science.osti.gov/ber/Facilities/User-Facilities/JGI |title=Joint Genome Institute |website=U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science |date=April 29, 2022 |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220212926/https://science.osti.gov/ber/Facilities/User-Facilities/JGI |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://jgi.doe.gov/our-projects/statistics/ |title=DOE metrics/statistics |website=Joint Genome Institute |access-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220212925/https://jgi.doe.gov/our-projects/statistics/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==== Molecular Foundry ==== | |||
The [[Molecular Foundry]] is a multidisciplinary nanoscience research facility. Its seven research facilities focus on Imaging and Manipulation of Nanostructures, Nanofabrication, Theory of Nanostructured Materials, Inorganic Nanostructures, Biological Nanostructures, Organic and Macromolecular Synthesis, and Electron Microscopy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://foundry.lbl.gov/facilities/ |title=Scientific facilities and infrastructure |website=Molecular Foundry |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=July 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716183129/http://foundry.lbl.gov/facilities/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://foundry.lbl.gov/ |title=The Molecular Foundry |website=Berkeley Lab |access-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219215232/https://foundry.lbl.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==== National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center ==== | |||
The [[National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center]] (NERSC) is the scientific computing facility that provides high performance computing for over 9,000 scientists working on the basic and applied research programs supported by the DOE.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nersc.gov/ |title=National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center |website=NERSC.gov |access-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215063353/https://www.nersc.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Perlmutter system at NERSC is the 8th-ranked supercomputer system in the Top500 rankings from November 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.top500.org/lists/top500/2022/11/ |title=November 2022 list |website=Top500 |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116115309/https://top500.org/lists/top500/2022/11/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==== Energy Sciences Network ==== | |||
The [[Energy Sciences Network]] (ESnet) is a high-speed research network serving DOE scientists with their experimental facilities and collaborators worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.es.net/about |title=About ESnet |website=Energy Sciences Network |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215060347/https://www.es.net/about |url-status=live }}</ref> The upgraded network infrastructure launched in 2022 is optimized for very large scientific data flows, and the network transports roughly 35 petabytes of traffic each month.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.es.net/news-and-publications/esnet-news/2022/esnet-launches-next-generation-network-to-enhance-collaborative-science/ |title=ESnet launches next generation network to enhance collaborative science |website=Energy Sciences Network |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215061851/https://www.es.net/news-and-publications/esnet-news/2022/esnet-launches-next-generation-network-to-enhance-collaborative-science/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
=== Team science === | === Team science === | ||
Much of the research at Berkeley Lab is done by researchers from several disciplines and multiple institutions working together as a large team focused on shared scientific goals. Berkeley is either the lead partner or one of the leads in several research institutes and hubs, including the following: | Much of the research at Berkeley Lab is done by researchers from several disciplines and multiple institutions working together as a large team focused on shared scientific goals. Berkeley is either the lead partner or one of the leads in several research institutes and hubs, including the following: | ||
==== Joint BioEnergy Institute ==== | |||
The [[Joint BioEnergy Institute]] (JBEI)'s mission is to establish the scientific knowledge and new technologies needed to transform the maximum amount of carbon available in bioenergy crops into biofuels and bioproducts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jbei.org/about/ |title=About JBEI |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226002958/https://www.jbei.org/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> JBEI is one of four U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) [[Bioenergy Research Centers]] (BRCs).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genomicscience.energy.gov/bioenergy-research-centers/ |title=Bioenergy Research Centers |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220215113/https://genomicscience.energy.gov/bioenergy-research-centers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2023, the DOE announced the commitment of $590M to support the BRCs for the next five years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-590-million-increase-bioenergy-research |title=DOE Announces $590 million to Increase Bioenergy Research |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317182304/https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-590-million-increase-bioenergy-research |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==== National Alliance for Water Innovation ==== | |||
The [[National Alliance for Water Innovation]] (NAWI)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nawihub.org/ |title=National Alliance for Water Innovation |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226004450/https://www.nawihub.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> aims to secure an affordable, energy-efficient, and resilient water supply for the US economy through decentralized, fit-for-purpose processing. NAWI is supported primarily by the [[Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy]], partnering with the California Department of Water Resources, the California State Water Resources Control Board. Berkeley Lab is the lead partner, with founding partners [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] (ORNL) and the [[National Renewable Energy Laboratory]] (NREL). | |||
==== Liquid Sunlight Alliance ==== | |||
The [[Liquid Sunlight Alliance]] (LiSA)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.liquidsunlightalliance.org/ |title=DOE Energy Innovation Hubs |website=Liquid Sunlight Alliance |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226002956/https://www.liquidsunlightalliance.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>'s Mission is to establish the science principles by which durable coupled microenvironments can be co-designed to efficiently and selectively generate liquid fuels from sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. The lead institution for LiSA is the [[California Institute of Technology]] and Berkeley Lab is a major partner. | |||
==== Joint Center for Energy Storage Research ==== | |||
The [[Joint Center for Energy Storage Research]] (JCESR).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jcesr.org/ |title=Joint Center for Energy Storage Research |website=JCESR |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226003004/https://www.jcesr.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> JCESR's mission is to deliver transformational new concepts and materials for electrodes, electrolytes and interfaces that will enable a diversity of high performance next-generation batteries for transportation and the grid. [[Argonne National Laboratory]] leads JCESR and Berkeley Lab is a major partner. | |||
=== Cyclotron Road === | === Cyclotron Road === | ||
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After the war, the Radiation Laboratory became one of the first laboratories to be incorporated into the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC) (now Department of Energy, DOE). In 1952, the Laboratory established a branch in Livermore focused on nuclear security work, which developed into [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]]. Some classified research continued at Berkeley Lab until the 1970s, when it became a laboratory dedicated only to unclassified scientific research. Much of the Laboratory's scientific leadership during this period were also faculty members in the Physics and Chemistry Departments at the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. | After the war, the Radiation Laboratory became one of the first laboratories to be incorporated into the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC) (now Department of Energy, DOE). In 1952, the Laboratory established a branch in Livermore focused on nuclear security work, which developed into [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]]. Some classified research continued at Berkeley Lab until the 1970s, when it became a laboratory dedicated only to unclassified scientific research. Much of the Laboratory's scientific leadership during this period were also faculty members in the Physics and Chemistry Departments at the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. | ||
The scientists and engineers at Berkeley Lab continued to build ambitious large projects to accelerate the advance of science. Lawrence's original cyclotron design did not work for particles near the speed of light, so a new approach was needed. | The scientists and engineers at Berkeley Lab continued to build ambitious large projects to accelerate the advance of science. Lawrence's original cyclotron design did not work for particles near the speed of light, so a new approach was needed. Edwin McMillan co-invented the [[synchrotron]] with Vladimir Veksler to address the problem. McMillan built an electron synchrotron capable of accelerating electrons to 300 million electron volts (300 MeV), which was operated from 1948 to 1960.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=McMillan |first=Edwin |date=February 1984 |title=A History of the Synchrotron |magazine=Physics Today |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=31–37 |publisher=The American Institute of Physics |doi=10.1063/1.2916080 |url=https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2916080 |access-date=February 27, 2023}}</ref> | ||
The Berkeley accelerator team built the [[Bevatron]], a proton synchrotron capable of accelerating protons to an energy of 6.5 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), an energy chosen to be just above the threshold for producing antiprotons. In 1955, during the Bevatron's first full year of operation, Physicists Emilio Segrè and Owen Chamberlain won the competition to observe the antiprotons for the first time. They won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1959 for this discovery.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bock |first=Nicholas |date=October 1, 2009 |title=Antiproton Discovery |url=https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/october-2009/antiproton-discovery |magazine=Symmetry |publisher=Fermilab/SLAC |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227194008/https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/october-2009/antiproton-discovery |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1959/summary/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1959 |publisher=The Nobel Prize organization |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522211428/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1959/summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Bevatron remained the highest energy accelerator until the CERN [[Proton Synchrotron]] started accelerating protons to 25 GeV in 1959. | The Berkeley accelerator team built the [[Bevatron]], a proton synchrotron capable of accelerating protons to an energy of 6.5 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), an energy chosen to be just above the threshold for producing antiprotons. In 1955, during the Bevatron's first full year of operation, Physicists Emilio Segrè and Owen Chamberlain won the competition to observe the antiprotons for the first time. They won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1959 for this discovery.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bock |first=Nicholas |date=October 1, 2009 |title=Antiproton Discovery |url=https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/october-2009/antiproton-discovery |magazine=Symmetry |publisher=Fermilab/SLAC |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227194008/https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/october-2009/antiproton-discovery |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1959/summary/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1959 |publisher=The Nobel Prize organization |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522211428/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1959/summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Bevatron remained the highest energy accelerator until the CERN [[Proton Synchrotron]] started accelerating protons to 25 GeV in 1959. | ||
Luis Alvarez led the design and construction of several liquid hydrogen bubble chambers, which were used to discover a large number of new elementary particles using Bevatron beams. His group also developed measuring systems to record the millions of photographs of particle tracks in the bubble chamber and computer systems to analyze the data. Alvarez won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968 for the discovery of many elementary particles using this technique.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1968/summary/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1968 |publisher=The Nobel Prize organization |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522211614/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1968/summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The Alvarez Physics Memos are a set of informal | The Alvarez Physics Memos are a set of informal working papers of the large group of physicists, engineers, computer programmers, and technicians led by Luis W. Alvarez from the early 1950s until his death in 1988. Over 1700 memos are available on-line, hosted by the Laboratory.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://alvarezphysicsmemos.lbl.gov/ |title=Alvarez Physics Memos |website=alvarezphysicsmemos.lbl.gov |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302230616/https://alvarezphysicsmemos.lbl.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
Berkeley Lab is credited with the discovery of 16 elements on the periodic table, more than any other institution, over the period 1940 to 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/01/28/16-elements-berkeley-labs-contributions-to-the-periodic-table/ |title=16 Elements: Berkeley Lab's Contributions to the Periodic Table |last1=Chao |first1=Julie |last2=Roberts Jr. |first2=Glenn |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |date=January 28, 2019 |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226213634/https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/01/28/16-elements-berkeley-labs-contributions-to-the-periodic-table/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The American Chemical Society has established a National Historical Chemical Landmark at the Lab to memorialize this accomplishment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/transuranium-elements-at-berkeley-lab.html |title=Discovery of Transuranium Elements at Berkeley Lab |publisher=American Chemical Society |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202081029/https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/transuranium-elements-at-berkeley-lab.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | Berkeley Lab is credited with the discovery of 16 elements on the periodic table, more than any other institution, over the period 1940 to 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/01/28/16-elements-berkeley-labs-contributions-to-the-periodic-table/ |title=16 Elements: Berkeley Lab's Contributions to the Periodic Table |last1=Chao |first1=Julie |last2=Roberts Jr. |first2=Glenn |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |date=January 28, 2019 |access-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226213634/https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/01/28/16-elements-berkeley-labs-contributions-to-the-periodic-table/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The American Chemical Society has established a National Historical Chemical Landmark at the Lab to memorialize this accomplishment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/transuranium-elements-at-berkeley-lab.html |title=Discovery of Transuranium Elements at Berkeley Lab |publisher=American Chemical Society |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202081029/https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/transuranium-elements-at-berkeley-lab.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Glenn Seaborg was personally involved in discovering nine of these new elements, and he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1951 with McMillan.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1951/summary/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1951 |publisher=The Nobel Prize organization |access-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521194256/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1951/summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
Founding Laboratory Director Lawrence died in 1958 at the age of 57. McMillan became the second Director, serving in that role until 1972. | Founding Laboratory Director Lawrence died in 1958 at the age of 57. McMillan became the second Director, serving in that role until 1972. | ||
=== From 1973 to 1989: new capabilities in energy and environmental research === | === From 1973 to 1989: new capabilities in energy and environmental research === | ||
The University of California appointed | The University of California appointed Andrew Sessler as the Laboratory Director in 1973, during the 1973 oil crisis. He established the Energy and Environment Division at the Lab, expanding for the first time into applied research that addressed the energy and environmental challenges the country faced.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/updates/andrewsessler.cfm |title=Andrew Sessler 1928-2014 |publisher=American Physical Society |date=April 21, 2014 |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228183825/https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/updates/andrewsessler.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref> Sessler also joined with other Berkeley physicists to form an organization called Scientists for Sakharov, Orlov, Sharansky (SOS), which led an international protest movement calling attention to the plight of three Soviet scientists who were being persecuted by the U.S.S.R. government.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/199510/human-rights.cfm |title=Physicists and the Eternal Struggle for Human Rights |last=Sessler |first=Andrew M. |date=October 1995 |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228183824/https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/199510/human-rights.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
Arthur Rosenfeld led the campaign to build up applied energy research at Berkeley Lab. He became widely known as the father of energy efficiency and the person who convinced the nation to adopt energy standards for appliances and buildings.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/science/arthur-rosenfeld-dead-energy-efficiency.html |title=Arthur Rosenfeld, Zealous Champion of Energy Efficiency, Dies at 90 |last=Galbraith |first=Kate |work=New York Times |date=January 27, 2017 |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164518/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/science/arthur-rosenfeld-dead-energy-efficiency.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Inspired by the 1973 oil crisis, he started up large team efforts that developed several technologies that radically improved energy efficiency. These included compact fluorescent lamps, low-energy refrigerators, and windows that trap heat. He developed the first energy-efficiency standards for buildings and appliances in California, which helped the state to sustain constant electricity use per capita from 1973 to 2006, while it rose by 50% in the rest of the country. This phenomenon is called the [[Rosenfeld Effect]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/energy-efficiency-godfather-art-rosenfeld-1926-2017/ |title=Energy Efficiency "Godfather" Art Rosenfeld (1926-2017) |publisher=Scientific American |last=Lott |first=Melissa C. |date=April 30, 2017 |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164522/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/energy-efficiency-godfather-art-rosenfeld-1926-2017/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sheryl-carter/legacy-art-rosenfeld-future-energy-efficiency |title=Legacy of Art Rosenfeld is the Future of Energy Efficiency |last=Carter |first=Sheryl |date=February 3, 2017 |access-date=February 28, 2023 |publisher=National Resources Defense Council |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228174844/https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sheryl-carter/legacy-art-rosenfeld-future-energy-efficiency |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
By 1980, George Smoot had built up a strong experimental group in Berkeley, building instruments to measure the [[cosmic microwave background]] (CMB) in order to study the early universe. He became the principal investigator for the Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) instrument that was launched in 1989 as part of the [[Cosmic Background Explorer]] (COBE) mission. The full sky maps taken by the DMR made it possible for COBE scientists to discover the anisotropy of the CMB, and Smoot shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2006 with John Mather.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/smoot_lecture.pdf |title=Smoot Lecture |publisher=Nobel Prize organization |date=December 8, 2006 |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303213600/https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/smoot_lecture.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2006/summary/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 2006 |publisher=The Nobel Prize organization |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522211826/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2006/summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | By 1980, George Smoot had built up a strong experimental group in Berkeley, building instruments to measure the [[cosmic microwave background]] (CMB) in order to study the early universe. He became the principal investigator for the Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) instrument that was launched in 1989 as part of the [[Cosmic Background Explorer]] (COBE) mission. The full sky maps taken by the DMR made it possible for COBE scientists to discover the anisotropy of the CMB, and Smoot shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2006 with John Mather.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/smoot_lecture.pdf |title=Smoot Lecture |publisher=Nobel Prize organization |date=December 8, 2006 |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303213600/https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/smoot_lecture.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2006/summary/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 2006 |publisher=The Nobel Prize organization |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522211826/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2006/summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
=== From 1990 to 2004: new facilities for chemistry and materials, nanotechnology, scientific computing, and genomics === | === From 1990 to 2004: new facilities for chemistry and materials, nanotechnology, scientific computing, and genomics === | ||
Charles V. Shank left [[Bell Labs]] to become Director of Berkeley Lab in 1989, a position he held for 15 years. During his tenure, four of the five national scientific user facilities started operations at Berkeley, and the fifth started construction.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interactions.org/press-release/charles-shank-step-down-berkeley-lab-director |title=Charles Shank to Step Down as Berkeley Lab Director |website=Interactions.org |date=February 9, 2004 |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301232048/https://www.interactions.org/press-release/charles-shank-step-down-berkeley-lab-director |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
On October 5, 1993, the new [[Advanced Light Source]] produced its first beams of x-ray light.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://als.lbl.gov/about/history/ |title=A Brief History of the ALS |website=Advanced Light Source |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301004327/https://als.lbl.gov/about/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> David Shirley had proposed in the early 1990s building this new synchrotron source specializing in imaging materials using extreme ultraviolet to soft x-rays. In fall 2001, a major upgrade added "superbends" to produce harder x-rays for beamlines devoted to protein crystallography. | On October 5, 1993, the new [[Advanced Light Source]] produced its first beams of x-ray light.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://als.lbl.gov/about/history/ |title=A Brief History of the ALS |website=Advanced Light Source |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301004327/https://als.lbl.gov/about/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> David Shirley had proposed in the early 1990s building this new synchrotron source specializing in imaging materials using extreme ultraviolet to soft x-rays. In fall 2001, a major upgrade added "superbends" to produce harder x-rays for beamlines devoted to protein crystallography. | ||
In 1996, both the [[National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center]] (NERSC) and the [[Energy Sciences Network]] (ESnet) were moved from [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]] to their new home at Berkeley Lab.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/1996/10/25/nersc-iii-president-clinton-hails-ontime-launch/ |title=NERSC III President Clinton Hails Ontime Launch |publisher=HPCwire |date=October 25, 1996 |last=Smith |first=Norris Parker |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301195349/https://www.hpcwire.com/1996/10/25/nersc-iii-president-clinton-hails-ontime-launch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> To reestablish NERSC at Berkeley required moving a | In 1996, both the [[National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center]] (NERSC) and the [[Energy Sciences Network]] (ESnet) were moved from [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]] to their new home at Berkeley Lab.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/1996/10/25/nersc-iii-president-clinton-hails-ontime-launch/ |title=NERSC III President Clinton Hails Ontime Launch |publisher=HPCwire |date=October 25, 1996 |last=Smith |first=Norris Parker |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301195349/https://www.hpcwire.com/1996/10/25/nersc-iii-president-clinton-hails-ontime-launch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> To reestablish NERSC at Berkeley required moving a Cray C90, a first-generation vector processor supercomputer of 1991 vintage, and installing a new [[Cray T3E]], the second-generation (1995) model. The NERSC computing capacity was 350 GFlop/s, representing 1/200,000 of the Perlmutter's speed in 2022. Horst Simon was brought to Berkeley as the first Director of NERSC, and he soon became one of the co-editors who managed the [[Top500]] list of supercomputers, a position he has held ever since.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.top500.org/project/authors/horst-simon/ |title=Top500 authors: Horst Simon |website=Top500 |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301195339/https://www.top500.org/project/authors/horst-simon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
The Joint Genome Institute (JGI) was created in 1997 to unite the expertise and resources in genome mapping, DNA sequencing, technology development, and information sciences that had developed at the DOE genome centers at Berkeley Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The JGI was originally established to work on the Human Genome Project (HGP), and generated the complete sequences of Chromosomes 5, 16 and 19. In 2004, the JGI established itself as a national user facility managed by Berkeley Lab, focusing on the broad genomic needs of biology and biotechnology, especially those related to the environment and carbon management.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://jgi.doe.gov/about-us/history/ |website=Joint Genome Institute |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303203549/https://jgi.doe.gov/about-us/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.genome.gov/Pages/About/Understanding_Our_Genetic_Inheritance_1st_5years_HGP.pdf |title=Understanding Our Genetic Inheritance |publisher=National Human Genome Research Institute |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=November 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123171250/https://www.genome.gov/Pages/About/Understanding_Our_Genetic_Inheritance_1st_5years_HGP.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | The Joint Genome Institute (JGI) was created in 1997 to unite the expertise and resources in genome mapping, DNA sequencing, technology development, and information sciences that had developed at the DOE genome centers at Berkeley Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The JGI was originally established to work on the Human Genome Project (HGP), and generated the complete sequences of Chromosomes 5, 16 and 19. In 2004, the JGI established itself as a national user facility managed by Berkeley Lab, focusing on the broad genomic needs of biology and biotechnology, especially those related to the environment and carbon management.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://jgi.doe.gov/about-us/history/ |website=Joint Genome Institute |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303203549/https://jgi.doe.gov/about-us/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.genome.gov/Pages/About/Understanding_Our_Genetic_Inheritance_1st_5years_HGP.pdf |title=Understanding Our Genetic Inheritance |publisher=National Human Genome Research Institute |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=November 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123171250/https://www.genome.gov/Pages/About/Understanding_Our_Genetic_Inheritance_1st_5years_HGP.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
Laboratory Director Shank brought Daniel Chemla from Bell Labs to Berkeley Lab in 1991 to lead the newly formed Division of Materials Science and Engineering. In 1998 Chemla was appointed director of the Advanced Light Source to build it into a world-class scientific user facility.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www2.lbl.gov/Publications/Currents/archive/#2 |title=Daniel Chemla (1940-2008): A Remembrance of His Career |last=Yarris |first=Lynn |work=Currents |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304175324/https://www2.lbl.gov/Publications/Currents/archive/#2 |url-status=live }}</ref> | Laboratory Director Shank brought Daniel Chemla from Bell Labs to Berkeley Lab in 1991 to lead the newly formed Division of Materials Science and Engineering. In 1998 Chemla was appointed director of the Advanced Light Source to build it into a world-class scientific user facility.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www2.lbl.gov/Publications/Currents/archive/#2 |title=Daniel Chemla (1940-2008): A Remembrance of His Career |last=Yarris |first=Lynn |work=Currents |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304175324/https://www2.lbl.gov/Publications/Currents/archive/#2 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
In 2001, Chemla proposed the establishment of the [[Molecular Foundry]], to make cutting-edge instruments and expertise for | In 2001, Chemla proposed the establishment of the [[Molecular Foundry]], to make cutting-edge instruments and expertise for nanotechnology accessible to a broad research community. Paul Alivisatos as founding director, and the founding directors of the facilities were Carolyn Bertozzi, Jean Frechet, Steven Gwon Sheng Louie, Jeffrey Bokor, and Miquel Salmeron.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://10th-anniversary.foundry.lbl.gov/milestones.html |title=The History of the Molecular Foundry |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304175341/https://10th-anniversary.foundry.lbl.gov/milestones.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Molecular Foundry building was dedicated in 2006, with Bertozzi as Foundry Director and Steven Chu as Laboratory Director.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/MSD-Foundry-dedication.html |title=Berkeley Lab Dedicates the Molecular Foundry |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |last=Yarris |first=Lynn |date=March 29, 2006 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304175324/https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/MSD-Foundry-dedication.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
In the 1990s, | In the 1990s, Saul Perlmutter led the [[Supernova Cosmology Project]] (SCP), which used a certain type of supernovas as standard candles to study the expansion of the universe.<ref>{{cite conference |url=https://www.slac.stanford.edu/econf/C990809/docs/perlmutter.pdf |title=Supernovae, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Universe: The Status of the Cosmological Parameters |last=Perlmutter |first=Saul |conference=XIX International Conference on Lepton and Photon Interactions at High Energies (Lepton-Photon 99) |date=August 1999 |publisher=SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123004730/https://www.slac.stanford.edu/econf/C990809/docs/perlmutter.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The SCP team co-discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe, leading to the concept of dark energy, an unknown form of energy that drives this acceleration. Perlmutter shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011 for this discovery.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2011/summary/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 |publisher=The Nobel Prize organization |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523014430/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2011/summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
=== From 2005 to 2015: addressing climate change and the future of energy === | === From 2005 to 2015: addressing climate change and the future of energy === | ||
On August 1, 2004, Nobel-winning physicist Steven Chu was named the sixth Director of Berkeley Lab.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Feder |first=Toni |url=https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.1801864 |title=Chu Named Berkeley Lab Director |magazine=Physics Today |date=August 2004 |volume=57 |issue=8 |page=36 |doi=10.1063/1.1801864 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210932/https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.1801864 |url-status=live }}</ref> The DOE was preparing to compete the management and operations (M&O) contract for Berkeley Lab for the first time, and Chu's first task was to lead the University of California's team that successfully bid for that contract.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://science.osti.gov/Science-Features/News-Archive/Science-Headlines/2005/04-19-05 |title=Energy Department Awards Contract to the University of California to Manage and Operate Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |date=April 2005 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210930/https://science.osti.gov/Science-Features/News-Archive/Science-Headlines/2005/04-19-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> The initial term of the contract was from June 1, 2005, to May 31, 2010, with possible phased extensions for superior management performance up to a total contract term of 20 years.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/energy-department-awards-contract-uc-lawrence-berkeley-lab |title=Energy Department Awards Contract to UC for Lawrence Berkeley Lab |date=April 21, 2005 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210929/https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/energy-department-awards-contract-uc-lawrence-berkeley-lab |url-status=live }}</ref> | On August 1, 2004, Nobel-winning physicist Steven Chu was named the sixth Director of Berkeley Lab.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Feder |first=Toni |url=https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.1801864 |title=Chu Named Berkeley Lab Director |magazine=Physics Today |date=August 2004 |volume=57 |issue=8 |page=36 |doi=10.1063/1.1801864 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210932/https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.1801864 |url-status=live }}</ref> The DOE was preparing to compete the management and operations (M&O) contract for Berkeley Lab for the first time, and Chu's first task was to lead the University of California's team that successfully bid for that contract.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://science.osti.gov/Science-Features/News-Archive/Science-Headlines/2005/04-19-05 |title=Energy Department Awards Contract to the University of California to Manage and Operate Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |date=April 2005 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210930/https://science.osti.gov/Science-Features/News-Archive/Science-Headlines/2005/04-19-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> The initial term of the contract was from June 1, 2005, to May 31, 2010, with possible phased extensions for superior management performance up to a total contract term of 20 years.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/energy-department-awards-contract-uc-lawrence-berkeley-lab |title=Energy Department Awards Contract to UC for Lawrence Berkeley Lab |date=April 21, 2005 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210929/https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/energy-department-awards-contract-uc-lawrence-berkeley-lab |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
In 2007, Berkeley Lab launched the [[Joint BioEnergy Institute]], one of three Bioenergy Research Centers to receive funding from the Genomic Science Program of DOE's Office for Biological and Environmental Research (BER).<ref>{{cite journal |title=The DOE Bioenergy Research Centers: History, Operations, and Scientific Output |journal=BioEnergy Research |volume=8 |pages=881–896 |date=2015 |last1=Slater |first1=S.C. |last2=Simmons |first2=B.A. |last3=Rogers |first3=T.S. |last4=Phillips |first4=M.F. |issue=3 |doi=10.1007/s12155-015-9660-8 |s2cid=255510342 |display-authors=3 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2015BioER...8..881S}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://genomicscience.energy.gov/about/ |title=Genomic Science Program |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305164224/https://genomicscience.energy.gov/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> JBEI's Chief Executive Officer is | In 2007, Berkeley Lab launched the [[Joint BioEnergy Institute]], one of three Bioenergy Research Centers to receive funding from the Genomic Science Program of DOE's Office for Biological and Environmental Research (BER).<ref>{{cite journal |title=The DOE Bioenergy Research Centers: History, Operations, and Scientific Output |journal=BioEnergy Research |volume=8 |pages=881–896 |date=2015 |last1=Slater |first1=S.C. |last2=Simmons |first2=B.A. |last3=Rogers |first3=T.S. |last4=Phillips |first4=M.F. |issue=3 |doi=10.1007/s12155-015-9660-8 |s2cid=255510342 |display-authors=3 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2015BioER...8..881S}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://genomicscience.energy.gov/about/ |title=Genomic Science Program |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305164224/https://genomicscience.energy.gov/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> JBEI's Chief Executive Officer is Jay Keasling, who was elected a member of the [[National Academy of Engineering]] for developing synthetic biology tools needed to engineer the antimalarial drug artemisinin. The DOE Office of Science named Keasling a Distinguished Scientist Fellow in 2021 for advancing the DOE's strategy in renewable energy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genomicscience.energy.gov/jbeis-jay-keasling-named-office-of-science-distinguished-scientist-fellow/ |title=JBEI's Jay Keasling named SC Distinguished Scientist Fellow |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305164224/https://genomicscience.energy.gov/jbeis-jay-keasling-named-office-of-science-distinguished-scientist-fellow/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
On December 15, 2008, newly elected President Barack Obama nominated Steven Chu to be the Secretary of Energy.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/press-release-president-elect-barack-obama-announces-key-members-energy-and-environment |title=President-Elect Barack Obama Announces Key Members of Energy and Environment Team |date=December 15, 2008 |website=The American Presidency Project |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305194339/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/press-release-president-elect-barack-obama-announces-key-members-energy-and-environment |url-status=live }}</ref> The University of California chose the Lab's Deputy Director, | On December 15, 2008, newly elected President Barack Obama nominated Steven Chu to be the Secretary of Energy.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/press-release-president-elect-barack-obama-announces-key-members-energy-and-environment |title=President-Elect Barack Obama Announces Key Members of Energy and Environment Team |date=December 15, 2008 |website=The American Presidency Project |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305194339/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/press-release-president-elect-barack-obama-announces-key-members-energy-and-environment |url-status=live }}</ref> The University of California chose the Lab's Deputy Director, Paul Alivisatos, as the new director.<ref>{{YouTube|id=i5Ratwwuwwg| title ="UC President Mark Yudof Announces Appointment of Paul Alivisatos as Berkeley Lab Director}} November 20, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2023.</ref> Alivisatos is a materials chemist who won the National Medal of Science for his pioneering work in developing nanomaterials.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Award Recipient Citations |url=http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/awards/national/2014-recipient-citations.html |website=www.acs.org |publisher=American Chemical Society |access-date=June 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903041600/http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/awards/national/2014-recipient-citations.html |archive-date=September 3, 2014}}</ref> He continued the Lab's focus on renewable energy and climate change.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=E. |title=Paul Alivisatos: LBNL's new director focuses on renewable energy, climate |journal=Chemical and Engineering News |date=February 8, 2010 |volume=88 |issue=6 |page=55 |doi=10.1021/cen-v088n006.p055}}</ref> | ||
The DOE established the [[Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis]] (JCAP) as an Energy Innovation Hub in 2010,<ref name=hubs>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/hubs |title=Hubs |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304171330/https://www.energy.gov/hubs |url-status=live }}</ref> | The DOE established the [[Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis]] (JCAP) as an Energy Innovation Hub in 2010,<ref name=hubs>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/hubs |title=Hubs |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304171330/https://www.energy.gov/hubs |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
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with [[Argonne National Laboratory]] as the lead institution.<ref name=hubs/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jcesr.org/ |title=Joint Center for Energy Storage Research |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305185537/https://www.jcesr.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Lab built a new facility, the General Purpose Laboratory, to house energy storage laboratories and associated research space, which Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz inaugurated in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2014/10/23/doe-secretary-helps-usher-in-new-era-of-energy-research-at-berkeley-lab/ |title=The DOE Secretary Helps Usher in a New Era of Energy Research at Berkeley Lab |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=March 5, 2023 |date=October 23, 2014 |last=Weiner |first=Jon |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305185539/https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2014/10/23/doe-secretary-helps-usher-in-new-era-of-energy-research-at-berkeley-lab/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The mission of JCESR is to deliver transformational new concepts and materials that will enable a diversity of high performance next-generation batteries for transportation and the grid. | with [[Argonne National Laboratory]] as the lead institution.<ref name=hubs/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jcesr.org/ |title=Joint Center for Energy Storage Research |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305185537/https://www.jcesr.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Lab built a new facility, the General Purpose Laboratory, to house energy storage laboratories and associated research space, which Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz inaugurated in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2014/10/23/doe-secretary-helps-usher-in-new-era-of-energy-research-at-berkeley-lab/ |title=The DOE Secretary Helps Usher in a New Era of Energy Research at Berkeley Lab |publisher=Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=March 5, 2023 |date=October 23, 2014 |last=Weiner |first=Jon |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305185539/https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2014/10/23/doe-secretary-helps-usher-in-new-era-of-energy-research-at-berkeley-lab/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The mission of JCESR is to deliver transformational new concepts and materials that will enable a diversity of high performance next-generation batteries for transportation and the grid. | ||
On November 12, 2015, Laboratory Director Paul Alivisatos and Deputy Director Horst Simon were joined by University of California President | On November 12, 2015, Laboratory Director Paul Alivisatos and Deputy Director Horst Simon were joined by University of California President Janet Napolitano, UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks, and the head of DOE's ASCR program Barb Helland to dedicate a [[Shyh Wang Hall]], a facility designed to host the NERSC supercomputers and staff, the ESnet staff, and the research divisions in the Computing Sciences area.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/2015/11/13/berkeley-lab-celebrates-new-home-of-nersc-esnet/ |magazine=HPCwire |last=Trader |first=Tiffany |date=November 13, 2015 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |title=Berkeley Lab celebrates new home of NERSC, ESnet |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305223208/https://www.hpcwire.com/2015/11/13/berkeley-lab-celebrates-new-home-of-nersc-esnet/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The building was designed with a novel seismic floor for the 20,000 square foot machine room in addition to features that take advantage of the coastal climate to provide energy-efficient air conditioning for the computing systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nersc.gov/news-publications/nersc-news/nersc-center-news/2015/berkeley-lab-s-new-computing-sciences-facility-features-first-of-its-kind-seismic-floor/ |title=Berkeley Lab's New Computing Sciences Facility Features First-of-its-kind Seismic Floor |last=Kincade |first=Kathy |date=November 9, 2015 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305223202/https://www.nersc.gov/news-publications/nersc-news/nersc-center-news/2015/berkeley-lab-s-new-computing-sciences-facility-features-first-of-its-kind-seismic-floor/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/11/12/facility-for-computational-science/ |title=Berkeley Lab Opens State-of-the-Art Facility for Computational Science |last=Weiner |first=Jon |date=November 12, 2015 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305223158/https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/11/12/facility-for-computational-science/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
=== From 2016 to the present: building new facilities and accelerating decarbonization === | === From 2016 to the present: building new facilities and accelerating decarbonization === | ||
In 2015 Paul Alivisatos announced that he was stepping down from his role as Laboratory Director. He took two leadership positions at the University of California, Berkeley, before becoming President of the University of Chicago in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://president.uchicago.edu/biography |title=About President Alivisatos |publisher=University of Chicago |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305225307/https://president.uchicago.edu/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> The University of California selected | In 2015 Paul Alivisatos announced that he was stepping down from his role as Laboratory Director. He took two leadership positions at the University of California, Berkeley, before becoming President of the University of Chicago in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://president.uchicago.edu/biography |title=About President Alivisatos |publisher=University of Chicago |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305225307/https://president.uchicago.edu/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> The University of California selected Michael Witherell, formerly the Director of Fermilab and Vice Chancellor for Research at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] as the eighth director of Berkeley Lab starting on March 1, 2016.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-names-michael-witherell-head-lawrence-berkeley-national-laboratory |title=UC names Michael Witherell to head Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305225311/https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-names-michael-witherell-head-lawrence-berkeley-national-laboratory |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, the Laboratory entered a period of intensive modernization: an unprecedented number of major projects to upgrade existing scientific facilities and to build new ones. | ||
Berkeley Lab physicists led the construction of the [[Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument]], which is designed to create three-dimensional maps of the distribution of matter covering an unprecedented volume of the universe with unparalleled detail.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/robot-detector-map-cosmos-clues-dark-energy |title=Robot to map cosmos for clues to dark energy |journal=Science |date=September 11, 2019 |last=Clery |first=Daniel |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306012331/https://www.science.org/content/article/robot-detector-map-cosmos-clues-dark-energy |url-status=live }}</ref> The new instrument was installed on the retrofitted Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in 2019. The five-year mission started in 2021, and the map assembled with data taken in the first seven months already included more galaxies than any previous survey.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/story/astrophysicists-release-the-biggest-map-of-the-universe-yet/ |title=Astrophysicists Release the Biggest Map of the Universe Yet |date=January 13, 2022 |last=Skibba |first=Ramin |magazine=Wired |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306012334/https://www.wired.com/story/astrophysicists-release-the-biggest-map-of-the-universe-yet/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | Berkeley Lab physicists led the construction of the [[Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument]], which is designed to create three-dimensional maps of the distribution of matter covering an unprecedented volume of the universe with unparalleled detail.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/robot-detector-map-cosmos-clues-dark-energy |title=Robot to map cosmos for clues to dark energy |journal=Science |date=September 11, 2019 |last=Clery |first=Daniel |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306012331/https://www.science.org/content/article/robot-detector-map-cosmos-clues-dark-energy |url-status=live }}</ref> The new instrument was installed on the retrofitted Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in 2019. The five-year mission started in 2021, and the map assembled with data taken in the first seven months already included more galaxies than any previous survey.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/story/astrophysicists-release-the-biggest-map-of-the-universe-yet/ |title=Astrophysicists Release the Biggest Map of the Universe Yet |date=January 13, 2022 |last=Skibba |first=Ramin |magazine=Wired |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306012334/https://www.wired.com/story/astrophysicists-release-the-biggest-map-of-the-universe-yet/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
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== Laboratory directors == | == Laboratory directors == | ||
*(1931–1958): | *(1931–1958): Ernest Lawrence | ||
*(1958–1972): | *(1958–1972): Edwin McMillan | ||
*(1973–1980): | *(1973–1980): Andrew Sessler | ||
*(1980–1989): | *(1980–1989): David Shirley | ||
*(1989–2004): | *(1989–2004): Charles V. Shank | ||
*(2004–2008): | *(2004–2008): Steven Chu | ||
*(2009–2016): | *(2009–2016): Paul Alivisatos | ||
*(2016–present): | *(2016–present): Michael Witherell | ||
==Operations and governance== | ==Operations and governance== | ||
The University of California operates Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under a contract with the Department of Energy. The site consists of 76 buildings (owned by the [[U.S. Department of Energy]]) located on {{convert|200|acre|km2}} owned by the university in the Berkeley Hills. Altogether, the Lab has 3,663 UC employees, of whom about 800 are students or postdocs, and each year it hosts more than 3,000 participating guest scientists. There are approximately two dozen DOE employees stationed at the laboratory to provide federal oversight of Berkeley Lab's work for the DOE. The laboratory director, Michael Witherell, is appointed by the | The University of California operates Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under a contract with the Department of Energy. The site consists of 76 buildings (owned by the [[U.S. Department of Energy]]) located on {{convert|200|acre|km2}} owned by the university in the Berkeley Hills. Altogether, the Lab has 3,663 UC employees, of whom about 800 are students or postdocs, and each year it hosts more than 3,000 participating guest scientists. | ||
There are approximately two dozen DOE employees stationed at the laboratory to provide federal oversight of Berkeley Lab's work for the DOE. The laboratory director, Michael Witherell, is appointed by the university regents and reports to the university president. Although Berkeley Lab is governed by UC independently of the Berkeley campus, the two entities are closely interconnected:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/excellence/uc-berkeley-and-berkeley-lab |title=UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306181932/https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/excellence/uc-berkeley-and-berkeley-lab |url-status=live }}</ref> more than 200 Berkeley Lab researchers hold joint appointments as UC Berkeley faculty. | |||
The laboratory budget was $1.495 billion dollars in fiscal year 2023, while the total obligations were $1.395 billion.<ref name="annualreport">{{cite web |title=Annual Report |url=https://cfo.lbl.gov/annual-financial-report/ |website=Office of the Chief Financial Officer |publisher=LBNL |access-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626060111/https://cfo.lbl.gov/annual-financial-report/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | The laboratory budget was $1.495 billion dollars in fiscal year 2023, while the total obligations were $1.395 billion.<ref name="annualreport">{{cite web |title=Annual Report |url=https://cfo.lbl.gov/annual-financial-report/ |website=Office of the Chief Financial Officer |publisher=LBNL |access-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626060111/https://cfo.lbl.gov/annual-financial-report/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||