A Better Catalyst for “Artificial Photosynthesis”

Etsuko Fujita

Scientists at DOE's Brookhaven Lab are studying transition-metal catalysts for possible use in "artificial photosynthesis" reactions. The goal is mimic plant chemistry to convert carbon dioxide (CO ₂) to carbon monoxide (CO)—a crucial step in transforming CO ₂ to useful organic compounds such as methanol. The scientists can't use chlorophyll, nature's catalyst, because it does not strongly bind to CO ₂. Also, outside the plant, chlorophyll decomposes quickly. So the Brookhaven scientists have turned to robust transition metal complexes as possible substitutes. By studying these catalysts' reactions, the scientists hope to improve their efficiency and potential for converting renewable solar energy into inexpensive fuels and raw materials.

[Karen McNulty Walsh, 631/344-8350;
kmcnulty@bnl.gov]

New W and Z precision in joint publication by CDF and DZero

Results on the mass of the W boson obtained at hadron and lepton colliders and comparison with the Standard Model prediction.

In the first joint publication by the CDF and DZero collaborations at the DOE's Fermilab, the two experiments have obtained the most precise W and Z boson measurements to date from the Tevatron, the world's highest-energy particle accelerator and currently the world's only source of W and Z bosons. The W mass, fundamental to the electroweak theory, is determined to better than one-in-a-thousand accuracy. The W mass is crucial in pinning down the mass of the as-yet unobserved Higgs boson, the centerpiece of the electroweak theory, affecting experiments at future accelerators.

[Matthew Hutson, 630/840-2237;
muhtson@fnal.gov]

A “camera” to pinpoint source of gamma rays

[Dave Jacqué, 630/252-5582;
info@anl.gov]

Nerve-gas fingerprints etched in light

In 1995 hundreds of Tokyo subway rescuers were exposed to the deadly nerve-gas sarin hours before police confirmed its identity. Earlier this year, soldiers in Iraq worried about a similar fate. Scientists at DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have now come up with a way to warn commuters, emergency crews and troops about a toxic gas release. A device called a high-resolution infrared spectrometer can be pointed at a suspect cloud to read light emitted and absorbed. Thanks to PNNL's highly precise catalog of chemical-agent spectral signatures, the instrument detects from the light the presence of sarin, soman, VX, mustard gas and other common nerve and blistering agents. National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers collaborated on recent tests of the PNNL system at Utah 's Dugway Proving Ground.

[Bill Cannon, 509/375-3732;
cannon@pnl.gov]

PNNL wins record $10.2 million NIH grant for proteomics center

DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has won a five-year, $10.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a center for basic research in proteomics. It is the largest NIH grant in the Department of Energy lab's 38-year history. The grant designates PNNL as an NIH research resource center and will establish PNNL as a base for proteomics research worldwide. It will fund the development of advanced instrumentation for studying the large and complex protein sets that constitute biological systems, which allow all living things to function. The ability to measure proteins—especially those present in trace amounts—and to observe changes in them is the key to understanding molecular-level cell function and disease progression, treatment and prevention.

[Bill Cannon, 509/375-3732;
cannon@pnl.gov]

Hallbert optimizes
human performance

Bruce Hallbert

Bruce Hallbert strives for better living through circuitry, a modern twist on the old DuPont motto.

Hallbert is department manager for the Human Factors, Robotics and Remote Systems group at DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The 37-person team uses computers and other intelligent systems to optimize human performance. The group's interests span Generation IV nuclear power reactors, future combat systems and domestic emergency responses.

“I've always been interested in both engineering and psychology,” Hallbert says, explaining how he was drawn to the field. In 1987, he earned a master's degree in psychology from Idaho State University . Since then, he has worked on human factors aspects of nuclear safety at the INEEL, Rocky Flats and in Halden , Norway .

Current work within Hallbert's department aims to develop and evaluate process control systems that will optimize human performance in Generation IV nuclear reactors. Other collaborative projects with the Army, the Department of Defense and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) focus on the human-robotics interface, future combat systems and testing of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.

Hallbert is currently completing his doctoral work on a one-year, LDRD-funded research project at Vanderbilt University in Nashville , Tenn. , where he is working with both the Engineering School and the Medical Center . He is exploring ways to improve coordination of responses to domestic catastrophes, such as natural disasters, human-caused disasters or failure of man-made structures.

“Many organizations will be potentially involved in a response, depending on the nature of the event itself,” Hallbert says.

“Fire services, police services, federal agencies, medical organizations—these are very distinct groups. Many of these groups are not accustomed to working with one another, in terms of command, control and communication.”

When he's not figuring out how to streamline organizational cooperation, Hallbert enjoys being outdoors, especially with his two pointing black labs, Duke and Daisy. However, the demands of his dissertation work, which Hallbert is determined to complete by July, leave the scientist with little leisure time. “Right now,” he says, “I have negative spare time.”

Submitted by DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory