Philadelphia-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Informatics bike team fights multiple sclerosis (MS)

On Saturday, September 29, 2007 the Informatics bike team participated in the "Bike to the Bay" MS-150 charity ride to benefit the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The one-day, 77-mile tour took riders on a winding route from Dover to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

This year's Informatics bike team consisted of two veteran riders and two rookies, all of whom successfully crossed the finish line. As a result of this year's ride, the team raised more than $2300 towards MS research.

After successfully finishing the event, first-time participant Keith Hughes (ITD) said, "For me the challenges we faced on the way might have given us a little insight to what it is like for the people that have suffered with MS."

Team captain Dr. Scott Savett (ITD) related the bike tour to his daily responsibilities as an implementation analyst. "Our job in Informatics is to help pharmaceutical companies manage laboratory data to fight diseases like MS. The MS-150 is an opportunity for us to help fight a disease from a completely different angle."

The team wishes to thank Dave Champagne, Vice President / General Manager – Informatics for his encouragement and support.

Gavin Blake's Bris

Kate and I headed to Bethesda, Maryland for Gavin's bris on Sunday. The little guy was so cute. He took the "procedure" like a champ.



Emily and Adam have named me Gavin's God father. Emily's sister, Shari, is the God mother.

Welcome Gavin Blake Savett

On Saturday, September 15, 2007, we welcomed Gavin Blake Savett into the world. He is the newest addition to the Savett family, and has made me an uncle.

Weighing in at 7 pounds, and measuring 19.5 inches, he's a beautiful baby! Mother, father, and baby are doing well.

Hydrogen-powered cars?

I found an interview of Dr. Lars Peter Thiesen, Manager Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Development for GM Europe, about fuel cell-powered vehicles. Apparently GM has been working on a fuel cell vehicle since 1997, which is the time I was working on fuel cells for the Department of Energy at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The key facts about this "Hydrogen 4" car (it's GM's 4th generation fuel cell car):
180 miles per fill-up
3-5 minutes to refill 4.2 kg of hydrogen at 10,000 psi
Reportedly meets all US regulations for crash worthiness