Governor Schwarzenegger Visits
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Hails the University of California and Labs' Research as Vital to State's Innovation and Economy
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today visited Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to focus attention on exciting new research and technologies that are driving California's innovation economy and making the state a global intellectual leader.
"California's intellectual capital is among its most important assets, and institutions like the University of California and the Berkeley Lab are the reason why," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "The research going on here is opening doors to new, clean sources of energy that will eventually replace carbon-based fuels, creating more effective pharmaceuticals for combating diseases and leading to faster, more efficient technologies for powering computers."
Governor Schwarzenegger toured the lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS) building with University of California President Robert Dynes, University of California, Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Berkeley Lab Director and Nobel Laureate Dr. Steven Chu. All three are world renowned physicists and educators. The massive, domed ALS building in the hills above the Berkeley campus is home to 35 individual, cutting-edge experiments involving energy, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology and materials science. The ALS is a form of particle accelerator that emits a beam of light 1 billion times brighter than the sun.
More than bright light and science, however, are coming out of the Berkeley Lab, which is one of three national laboratories that the University of California manages under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy.
New companies and new jobs are also flowing from the technologies and science being pursued there, at the University of California, Berkeley and at dozens of other public and private institutions of higher education and research throughout the state. The University of California, Berkeley alone has spun off 87 new companies - 48 since 2001 - and the Berkeley Lab has spun off 15 new companies that have created more than 650 jobs, according to university and lab officials. The University of California system estimates that it will help create 2.3 million California jobs from 2002 to 2011.
Dr. Chu pointed to the emerging potential of new fields of study, including synthetic biology, to advance California's rich tradition of discovery and contribute to the state's economic growth. Synthetic biology, which was pioneered at Berkeley Lab with faculty from the University of California, Berkeley, involves the genetic modification of plants, bacteria and other organic materials to create new fuels that Dr. Chu predicts will replace petroleum and new pharmaceuticals that will battle malaria in developing countries, among many other real-world applications.
In addition, California's many universities and research institutions participate in and play host to mutually beneficial partnerships with private industry. These partnerships enable companies to create new products, grow their business and create even more jobs. And they provide researchers with access to financial and other resources. At the Berkeley Lab, for example, dozens of companies participate in and contribute financially to many of the experiments at ALS. More than 1,100 California biotech, high-tech and other research and development companies benefit from University of California research.
"Making sure our universities and research institutions have the support and resources they need to thrive is vital to keeping our state at the forefront of scientific discovery and innovation and also to fueling our economy and making our businesses competitive," Governor Schwarzenegger said.
California's prominence in developing emerging technology is why Governor Schwarzenegger expressed his strong support for making sure the University of California maintains its management role over the national laboratories, including the Berkeley Lab. And he congratulated President Dynes for the university system's success earlier this year in winning an extension from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue its management of the Berkeley Lab.
"The success of our labs will ensure that California continues to be a leader in attracting investment dollars, luring the best and brightest minds and providing a favorable environment for companies to locate here," Governor Schwarzenegger said.
For additional information contact:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Ron Kolb (510-486-7586)
University of California, Berkeley: Marie Felde (510-642-0319)
California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth:Mark Mosher (415-812-7500)
