The the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program gathers huge amounts of weather data in three locations. Thanks to the installation of a satellite-based communications network by Argonne scientists, real-time data from locations around the world are available to researchers quickly — and free.

Weather data available in real time, worldwide

By Donna Jones Pelkie

Thanks to the installation of a satellite-based communications network by Argonne scientists, real time meteorological data from locations around the world are available to researchers quickly -- and free -- through the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program.

The goal of the ARM Program is to provide quality data for the improvement of computer models used for climate forecasting. To accomplish this, data are continuously gathered at six observation facilities around the world. In July 2003, these sites were collectively designated as a national user facility by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

The ARM Program gathers huge amounts of data at climate research sites in three locales. The Southern Great Plains site extends across 55,000 square miles of Kansas and Oklahoma and is centered near Billings, Okla. The North Slope of Alaska site is centered in Barrow and has a second facility at Atqausk. The Tropical Western Pacific site has facilities on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea; at Darwin, Australia; and on the island Republic of Nauru.

"Until recently, users had no continuous, reliable communications with sites in the Tropical Western Pacific," said Dick Eagan (DIS), who coordinated the communications network's installation. While data from the North Slope and the Southern Great Plains were processed daily and sent to the Data Management Facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory each night, data from the Tropical Western Pacific sites were sent monthly on disks via regular mail. Consequently, Eagan said, observations could be six weeks old by the time the data became available to users. Now, raw data from all sites are sent via satellite to the Data Management Facility every hour.

Having data available in real time was always a goal of the program, said Doug Sisterson (ER), ARM operations manager. "Now affordable technology has caught up. This is a major accomplishment."

The ARM climate research sites are the world's largest collection of surface-based remote sensing instruments studying climate change. The 264 instrument systems at the combined sites contain more than 1,500 separate instrument sensors.

These sensors measure a variety of meteorological conditions from temperature and humidity to water vapor and the altitude of clouds. Several instruments are the only or the first of their kind. Among the instruments gathering data are:

The Microwave Water Radiometer estimates the cloud liquid water path over a five-minute interval. This instrument is tuned to measure the microwave emissions of water molecules, liquid and vapor, in the atmosphere at specific frequencies.

The Micropulse Lidar is a ground-based optical sensing system that determines the altitude of clouds. Pulses of energy are transmitted to the cloud, and the time delay between the transmission of energy and the reception of the backscattered signal determines the altitude.

The Millimeter Wave Cloud Radar locates cloud bases and tops.

"We have an incredible task keeping these instruments, scattered around the world, up and running 24 hours a day," said Sisterson.

Data from the ARM climate research sites are sent not only to the Data Management Facility but also to the ARM Data Archive at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The ARM External Data Center at Brookhaven National Laboratory acquires additional data from other sources, such as the National Weather Service. The Data Management Facility receives more than 20 gigabytes of data per day. Approximately 500 gigabytes of data are requested each month.

Users can access ARM data for free. "The ARM Program is one of the few organizations in the world that does this," said Sisterson. It's all part of the program's mission. "DOE's Office of Science funds the ARM Program to provide the best quality data for scientists to improve models that are used to develop consensus on the issue of global warming. We're not taking sides," said Sisterson.

Since ARM's inception in 1992, the ARM climate research sites have hosted more than 4,500 visitors and conducted more than 125 experiments. These facilities have become an important part of international collaborations and of U.S. government research programs sponsored by agencies such as NASA, the Department of Defense and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Employees pledge $420,000
during 2003 Appeal

By Margret Chang

Argonne employees pledged to give more than $420,000 to charitable and health agencies through the Argonne's 2003 Argonne Combined Appeal (ACA).

This result marks the third year that contributions to the annual campaign have totaled more than $400,000 -- a trend described by ACA co-chairman Bryan Schmidt as something that "we definitely should be proud of."

"We held onto substantial gains from previous years, and there was a slight increase in contributions per employee," said Schmidt. "These are excellent numbers considering that this is a time when charitable donations have declined nationally due to economic concerns."

Almost two out of every three regular Argonne employees participates in the ACA -- a campaign that has raised money for local and national agencies for the past two decades. In the past eight years alone, the ACA has raised more than $2 million through employee donations. Employees can donate money to one or more agencies through payroll deductions or one-time cash contributions.

This year, the three agencies receiving the most donations are United Way of Metro Chicago, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. Argonne employees pledged more than $160,000 to these agencies.

Other accomplishments for this year included the introduction of a new agency, Community Health Charities of Illinois, into the campaign without taking significant support away from the other ACA charities.

Though there was much success during the 2003 Argonne Combined Appeal, Schmidt still emphasizes a need for improvement. Among his concerns is the slight decrease in the percentage of regular contributing employees, from 64 percent to 63.5 percent, as compared to the 2002 campaign.

"The key to increased giving seems to be increased participation, and that's where we fell short," explained Schmidt. "Motivating people is more art than science, and the ACA committee will continue to look for new ways to communicate, to every employee, our communities' needs and the opportunities for giving to every employee."

Details about donations to all of the agencies are online.

PFS pursues its goal of zero accidents

Although the number of injuries in Argonne's Plant Facilities and Services Division (PFS) is falling -- the division recently went more than 120 days without a lost-time injury -- the organization has undertaken a series of initiatives aimed at reaching its goal of zero injuries.

"The workforce in PFS is diverse, from lunchboxes to briefcases, hard hats to handheld computers," said PFS Director Gwendolyn Morrison. "Our approach to reducing the recordable frequency and severity rates as measured by the Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration (OSHA) had to be one that was meaningful and applicable to a variety of work environments."

The first step was to review the division's injury experience over a 10-year period. PFS line management then met with Morrison in February 2003 to develop solutions and new strategies in striving for zero workplace injuries. Some of those strategies included:

A field review of individual incidents.

A poster for PFS work areas stating the safety and security goals of Argonne Director Hermann Grunder, Chief Operations Officer Mike Derbidge and the PFS director.

A new peer-review process at the PFS director's monthly line managers meeting. Managers whose operation incurred an OSHA recordable injury or illness were required to report on the incident and the corrective actions taken. The PFS director and line management team assess the thoroughness of the review, offer suggestions and share ideas in a "lessons learned" format.

PFS line managers met to learn about the newest safety procedures and policies.

A pocket-sized reference card was distributed to supervisory personnel to assist them in conducting Integrated Safety Management core functions of hazard identification, analysis and control of non-experimental work processes. Plans are afoot to make this reference document available to PFS employees in the field through wireless technology.

Representatives of the DuPont Corp., a leader in workplace safety, were recently invited to conduct an assessment of the PFS safety program. The assessment process included discussions with laboratory senior management, PFS managers and a cross section of PFS supervisors and employees. Their report helped set safety targets for fiscal year 2004. DuPont also provided seminars for line management.

An online standardized orientation program is under development for all new PFS employees, emphasizing safety roles, responsibilities and expectations.

Results

PFS is beginning to see the results from the safety program. In 2003, the number of injuries that had to be reported to OSHA dropped from 40 to 27. This reduction helped reduce the Total Recordable Incident (TRI) case rate for the laboratory as a whole by almost 40 percent, from 2.6 to 1.6. The TRI rate is one of the measures used by OSHA to make accurate inter-industry comparisons, analyze trends over time and make comparisons among firms independent of their size. It is one of the laboratory's Integrated Safety Management performance measures.

The TRI case rate for the Plant Facilities and Services Division decreased from 7.2 in fiscal year 2002 to 5.2 in fiscal year 2003, a 28 percent improvement. The case rate of incidents resulting in days away from work, restricted work or transferrals decreased from 4.8 to 3.5, a 27 percent improvement. The case rate of incidents resulting in days away from work remained fairly consistent, from 2.2 to 2.3.

In fiscal year 2004, DuPont recommendations will be put into action. PFS employees will continue to take part in extensive environment, safety and health training programs that equip them to perform their jobs safely and without injury. Communication will be increased with all work groups to share the progress the division and each department is making in working without injuries.

Line management and supervisors will focus on field audits of work in progress, increase communication of lessons learned and evaluate near-miss incidents. This may slightly delay the completion of some jobs, due to more thorough job planning and hazard analysis. But as PFS employees become more experienced at the new procedures, safer operations will prevent injuries and increase efficiency.

Tickets for `Winterreise' performance go on sale

Tenor Peter Schreier and pianist Stéphane Lemelin will perform at Argonne-East's Building 402 Conference Center Sunday, March 7, at 3 p.m.

Schreier and Lemelin will perform the complete song cycle of "Winterreise," with text by Wilhelm Mueller and music by Franz Schubert.

The concert is open to the public. Visitors who are U.S. citizens need photo identification to enter the site, and should call to register before the concert. Non-U.S. citizens must register before the event by calling (630) 252-3751 during business hours.

Sponsored by Arts at Argonne, the program is partially supported by the University of Chicago and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Admission is $25. To order tickets, call ext. 2-3751 or mail a request using the online ticket request form. Remaining tickets will be available the week of March 1 in the Building 213 Cafeteria between noon and 1 p.m.

New washer is easy on
environment, mechanics

Plant Facilities and Services auto mechanics at Argonne-East's Building 46 recently volunteered to participate in a pilot program to test a new device that provides an environmentally friendly way to degrease and clean automotive parts.

This device, manufactured by Enviroclean and showcased by Solvent Systems, Inc. uses a proprietary non-solvent based cleaning agent and water. "The only thing we had to do was add water," said Barb Markwenas (PFS).

Use of this parts washer is anticipated to lower the cost of degreasing parts, reduce volatile organic emissions (VOCs), and lower the waste disposal volume and cost. Waste oil is separated and can be recycled using this system.

The pilot program was sponsored by the Argonne-East Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Program in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Waste Management Research Center (WMRC) as part of the laboratory's continuing effort to reduce harmful VOC pollutants released into the atmosphere.

Representatives from 22 public and private organizations interested in the technology, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attended a demonstration of the device in Building 46.

Cardiologist to speak on heart health

Jerome L. Hines president of West Suburban Cardiologists, will speak on "Your Healthy Heart" from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria, following the FitForums HeartCheck Health Fair and cardiovascular screening.

Hines and a nurse will be available to explain results of cardiovascular screening and answer questions about heart disease at the fair from 8 a.m. to noon in the cafeteria.

Health fair

The FitForums Heart-Check Health Fair will be conducted from 8 a.m. to noon in the Building 213 Cafeteria and Building 362 Auditorium. A finger-stick cholesterol profile, fasting glucose, body mass index measurement, blood pressure check and heart attack risk assessment will be available for a $5 fee. Brochures and giveaways will also be available.

Registration for the blood test is available online. For more information or to register, call ext. 2-2800.

Tax seminar offered by credit union

A tax seminar sponsored by the Argonne Credit Union will be held at the Lisle Hyatt Hotel's Willow Room, 1400 Corporetum Drive, Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m.

Tax expert Robert Dylla, Sr. will discuss new tax laws, review tax-saving opportunities and answer tax-related questions.

The seminar is free but seating is limited. To reserve a seat, contact the credit union at ext. 2-5800 or (630) 810-9600.

Volunteers are needed for
science careers lunch

Volunteers are needed to have lunch with students at the annual Science Careers in Search of Women Conference at Argonne-East Friday, March 12. Argonne women scientists, engineers, mathematicians, lawyers and other professionals who may be working or are trained in a scientific or technical area are needed

The luncheon will be held at the Building 213 Cafeteria from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. It provides high school girls with an opportunity to talk to women in technical or scientific careers.  Lunch will be provided for all volunteers. Anyone interested should contact Jean Sloboda (PBC) at ext. 2-1282, or jsloboda@anl.gov by Friday, Feb. 20.

Hundreds of young women from Chicago area high schools attend the annual event, which features a keynote address, focused career question- and-answer panels, career booth exhibits, selected laboratory tours and the scientist-student luncheon.

Do you know...

Anna-Maria McGowan, a scientist at NASA, manages the Morphing Program at NASA's Langley Research Center. She directs, advocates, and plans the $12 million NASA program that envisions cutting-edge design for air vehicles of the future. McGowan also serves as one of NASA's key leaders on smart and biomimetic technologies for aerospace vehicles.

McGowan was the recipient of the 2000 Lawrence Sperry Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics -- a prestigious award given to a young engineer who has made a significant contribution to the field of aeronautics or astronautics.

U.S. Bank card holders targeted by e-mail scam

E-mail scammers are targeting U.S. Bank credit-card holders, which include many Argonne employees who have been issued credit cards for travel use.

Some cardholders have received e-mail that appears to come from U.S. Bank, claiming that the recipient's accounts have been blocked.

The message asks the recipient to send his or her account number and other personal information.

U.S. Bank will not contact cardholders directly by e-mail or telephone to verify account numbers or personal information. Cardholders should not respond to requests like this, or click the link in the e-mail.

The U.S. Bank Fraud Department asks that fraudulent e-mail requests for information be forwarded to fraud_help@usbank.com.

Argonne IAAP Chapter to
host retirement seminar

Matt Blackburn will present "Plan to Pay Yourself Back for a Lifetime of Work" Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the Bohemian Gardens restaurant, 980 75th St., Downers Grove.

Blackburn is a financial advisor at American Express Financial Advisors. He will discuss:

How expenses will change in retirement and how to meet them

How to take advantage of tax-free retirement income

How to provide a stream of income during retirement

The Argonne Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals is hosting the talk.

To reserve a seat, or for more information, contact Elaine London (EQO) at ext. 2-3180 or elondon@anl.gov.

Yoga classes begin March 2

Certified yoga instructor Diana Coats will begin a six-week session on Tuesday, March 2.

Classes will take place in Argonne-East's Building 212, Conference Room A157 at 11:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Cost is $27. Each class must have a minimum of 20 students or it will be cancelled.

For more information or to register, contact the Medical Department at ext. 2-2800.

Communication is subject of HR workshop

"How to become a Better Communicator" (HR349) is the topic of a Performance Development workshop Thursday, April 1, at 9 a.m. in Argonne-East's Building 401, Conference Room E1100.

The workshop will help participants improve their communication skills. Cost is $160.

To enroll, contact a Training Management System Representative. For more information, call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410. A complete course description is online.

MetLife to offer quotes at ANL-E

A representative from MetLife Auto and Home will visit Argonne-East Tuesday, Feb. 24, to meet with individual employees for insurance comparisons and quotes for the "METPAY" group automobile and homeowner insurance program.

To schedule an appointment, call Craig Riddick at (630) 810-0346, ext. 143. Employees can also receive a quote over the phone by calling 1-800-438-6388.