READY, SET — Megan Arnold of Wilmington High School sets her team’s Rube Goldberg Machine in motion.

Morgan Park wins Goldberg machine contest

By Donna Jones Pelkie

Forget the intricacies of caucuses, primaries, delegates and superdelegates. Chicago area high school students have found a way to make voting really difficult.

As part of Argonne's ninth annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest for high schools, student teams created machines that take at least 20 steps to select, mark and cast an election ballot.

Morgan Park Academy took first place in the contest held Feb. 13 at the Chicago Children's Museum. Their machine, called "The Voting Computer," took 40 intricate steps involving ball bearings, pulleys, pipes and levers to select one of eight choices on a ballot and slide it into a ballot box. "It looks like a cross between a sewer and a loom," said the team's faculty advisor, Larry Brown.

The team started working on their creation right after Christmas, according to Brown. "These kids were determined to win," he said.

Successfully building a Rube Goldberg Machine is nothing new to these students. The same team won first place in last year's Rube Goldberg contest when they built a machine to select and crush an empty 12-oz. aluminum soft drink can and move it into a recycling bin.

As part of their first-place win, team members Daniel Cullina, Joseph Gradle, Kevin Larson, Steven Marovitch, Ryan Rasmussen and Rohini Srinivasan will tour Argonne and demonstrate their machine at the laboratory.

The team will advance to the Illinois State championship Rube Goldberg Contest scheduled for Saturday, April 17, at the Chicago Children's Museum. They will compete against Glenbrook South and Wilmington high schools — who took second and third in the Argonne contest — as well as the top three teams from the March 12 high school Rube Goldberg Machine Contest at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign's Engineering Open House.

The top two teams in the Illinois State Championship will have the opportunity to compete in the new National Championship Rube Goldberg Machine Contest for High Schools Friday, April 30, at the Wisconsin Exhibition Center, State Fair Park, Wisc. The winning national championship team will receive $1,000, and each student team member will receive a $2,000 college scholarship. The second place national team will receive $500, and each student team member will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

More information about the national contest and the Argonne contest is online.

The Division of Educational Programs and Communications and Public Affairs sponsor the February event in collaboration with Chicago Children's Museum, and the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, held annually at Purdue University.

The event is licensed by Rube Goldberg, Inc.

DOE releases draft request
for Idaho Lab proposals

The U.S. Department of Energy has released two draft requests for proposals for missions related to the new Idaho National Laboratory (INL) near Idaho Falls.

The first draft request for proposals (RFP) focuses on the establishment of the new Idaho National Laboratory, which will combine Argonne-West and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The second draft RFP, termed the Idaho Clean-up Project, establishes a scope of work for accelerating the environmental remediation activities at the Idaho site.

"The new Idaho National Laboratory will be the epicenter of our efforts to expand the use of nuclear energy as a reliable, affordable and clean energy source for our nation's energy future and establish opportunities for Idaho businesses, its people and universities," said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. "The technologies that will be born at this lab will help us realize our far-reaching energy and environmental goals of reducing our dependency on foreign sources of energy, while still allowing for vibrant economic growth."

The draft RFP for the laboratory contract anticipates a five-year base term with options for up to an additional five years. However, the department also is reviewing the recommendations of a recent Blue Ribbon Commission on competing the contracts for the management of DOE laboratories, which suggests a framework for retaining an incumbent contractor for as long as 20 years, so long as its performance meets or exceeds DOE expectations.

The draft RFP for the new lab mission on nuclear energy outlines DOE's requirements and goals for the management of the Idaho National Laboratory after contracts to manage the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Argonne-West expire. The new laboratory will begin operation Jan. 31, 2005. DOE expects that the laboratory will be the world's leading nuclear energy technology center within 10 years.

A key element of the draft RFP for the Idaho National Laboratory is for the successful contractor to assume a prominent role in the research, development, design and exploration of Next Generation Nuclear Plant technologies at the site. Such a facility would bring together the best expertise from all over the United States and from other interested nations to demonstrate the use of ultra-safe, proliferation-resistant Generation IV nuclear energy technologies to produce clean and efficient electricity while producing large quantities of hydrogen for transportation and other industrial uses.

Other important work of the laboratory outlined in the draft Idaho National Laboratory RFP includes:

The INL will become a leader in science and technology for nuclear nonproliferation and in protecting U.S. critical infrastructure systems.

The Idaho laboratory will build on its lead role in the Generation IV Nuclear Systems Initiative.

The Idaho laboratory will also build on its role as the center for assuring readiness of DOE spent fuel shipments to the repository for the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.

In partnership with local universities, the INL will become a world center for nuclear technology education.

The INL will play a leading role in the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative, a research initiative to develop a better, more efficient and proliferation-resistant nuclear fuel cycle while reducing the amount and toxicity of nuclear waste requiring geologic disposal.

The successful INL offeror will be responsible for safe, efficient operations, reduce overhead cost through greater efficiency, manage the revitalization of laboratory infrastructure and ensure the lab has the world-class scientific and technical talent necessary to sustain its missions.

Comments on the draft RFP will be accepted until Wednesday, March 3. DOE anticipates issuing a final RFP in early April.

The draft RFP, No. DE-RP07-031D14517, may be found at the solicitation Web site.

Seminar to highlight new LDRD work

A mini-symposium on the results of Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) projects will be held from 2 - 4 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Argonne-East's Building 201, Conference Rooms 190A and B. The mini-symposium is open to all interested employees whose schedules permit.

The topics covered will be:

"Damping Rings for Linear Colliders" by Louis Emery (AOD)

"Advanced Carbon Coatings for Invasive and Implantable Medical Devices" by Ali Erdemir (ET)

"High-Sensitivity Infrared Imagers" by Valentyn Novosad (MSD)

"Lightweight and Robust Hydrogen Storage Materials for Automotive Fuel Cells" by Robert Klingler (CMT)

"Quantized Magneto-Catalysis of Electron Transfer Reactions" by Gary Wiederrecht (CHM)

"Functional Genomics of Endothelial Cell Tube Formation" by Diane Rodi (BIO)

"Structural Genomics of Pathogens" by Andrzej Joachimiak (BIO)

Statement of benefits to be sent in April

All employees who are eligible for benefits will receive their annual Personal Benefits Statement at their homes in April. The statements now include the March 1 merit increases.

Upon receiving the statement, please take a moment to review the statement for accuracy and call Human Resources to report any discrepancies or for more information. Argonne-East employees whose last names begin with A though L should call Marge Vaught (HR) at ext. 2-2985. Those whose last names begin with M though Z should call Julie Losinski (HR) at ext. 2-2992. Argonne-West employees can call Gaye Grant (NPS) at ext. 3-7361.

Chemical, life science products to be shown

Sigma-Aldrich, an Argonne Materials Ordering System (AMOS) supplier, will hold a product show at Argonne-East Thursday, Feb. 26.

Sigma-Aldrich is a leading chemical and life science product manufacturer. The company's technical specialists will be available to answer questions and demonstrate the latest products.

The show will be held in Building 202, Room B169, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and in the Building 200 Lobby from noon to 2 p.m.

More information is online.

Do you know …

Each week during Black History Month, "Do You Know?" will focus on the contributions of African-American scientists and engineers.

Joycelyn S. Harrison, a chemical engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center, is helping to develop new uses for electro-active polymers. The polymers move or change shape when exposed to voltage.

"We're working on shaping reflectors, solar sails and satellites," Harrison said. "Sometimes you need to be able to change a satellite's position or get a wrinkle off of its surface to produce a better image."

Satellites with the polymers on their surface could be repaired remotely, Harrison said. The technology also has potential uses as synthetic muscles in robotics.

We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.

— Carter Woodson

Applications accepted for
executive MBA program

Applications are now being accepted for the 2004 University of Chicago Executive MBA Program. This year Argonne management will select one employee to participate in this high-caliber program offered through the university's Graduate School of Business.

Applications may be obtained online or by calling the Human Resources Performance Development section at ext. 2-3410. The deadline for returning completed applications to Human Resources is Friday, March 26.

This program is designed for middle and upper-level managers who are expected to retain full job responsibilities while attending classes in advanced studies in management every other Friday and Saturday beginning in July. The entire program spans twenty months.

Each applicant is asked to have one of their reference letters be from their current division director. Call Geralyn Becker (HR) at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

Ask the Directorate

Q: Would the lab consider operating a shuttle bus between the lab and the nearest Metra station? It would certainly alleviate the driving that many of us have to do. I would guess that such a shuttle would be more useful than the daily University of Chicago route and might even be more economical to the lab.

A: After investigating shuttle options between Argonne and the nearest Metra station with PACE, we determined that PACE Route 715, which concludes its route at the laboratory, provides service in the Central DuPage area including a stop at the Metra Station in Westmont. The current schedule provides service southbound to the laboratory twice in the morning and once northbound in the evening. This schedule is online at www.pacebus.com.

"Ask the Directorate" gives employees an opportunity to ask senior Argonne management direct questions about the laboratory's operations, policy, strategy, mission, budget and goals. Employees should continue to refer job- or workplace-specific questions to their immediate supervisors. Submit questions to askthedirectorate@anl.gov or fax them to 2-5274. Only questions that include the name of the questioner and contact information, such as e-mail address, office extension or fax number, will be answered.

CIS classes

Classes offered by Computing and Instrumentation Solutions are held in Argonne-East's Building 201, Room 167.

Classes are limited to eight participants and cost $215. Complete computer class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms are available online.

For information about enrollment, contact Diane Cavazos (CIS) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos @anl.gov.

March classes include:

"Advanced Word 2000" (CIS108) —Monday, March 1, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Advanced Excel 2000" (CIS109) — Tuesday, March 2, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Advanced Access 2000" (CIS110) — Wednesday, March 3, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Introduction to PowerPoint 2000" (CIS106) — Thursday, March 4, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Advanced PowerPoint 2000" (CIS107) — Friday, March 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Mathworks group license now available

A new group license program is available at Argonne for all MathWorks products, such as MATLAB, Simulink and a host of others. This site-licensing agreement involves a transition from the MathWorks "individual" licensing to "group" licensing. No changes are required to the workstation.

All MathWorks licenses are perpetual. The new MathWorks site-license program involves annual maintenance, upgrades, technical support and customer service. Advantages include:

A 10 percent discount on all new MathWorks software license purchases, which includes one year of maintenance.

Anyone with an Argonne badge can participate at any time.

A single license allows for home, lab and laptop use

This license applies to all types of computers, so everyone may participate.

All maintenance renewals will be pro-rated to expire Jan. 1, so that all maintenance at the laboratory renews yearly.

By adopting this site licensing and maintenance program, MathWorks has agreed to provide the laboratory with one day of free training on MathWorks tools Monday, June 7. This training will be in conjunction with MathWorks Day, scheduled for June 8. MathWorks Day will include a "boot camp" to familiarize users with MathWorks terminology and concepts. MathWorks engineers will present specific examples and demonstrations using MATLAB products.

More information on the existing site-licensing programs at Argonne is online, or contact the CIS Help Desk at ext. 2-9999. For details on MathWorks products and licensing, see the company's Web page.

Ar'Gang

NEW ARRIVALS

A boy, Joseph William, born Dec. 8 to Janet and Norm Rendon (OCF-ACT); a girl, Leah, born Jan. 22 to Cristina and Malcolm Guthrie (IPNS); a girl, Amanda, born Jan. 22 to Susan Lopykinski (CMT). Proud grandparents: a grandson, Abram, born Jan. 20 to Sharon and Tom Worlton (IPNS); a grandson, Ryan James, born Nov. 8 to Don and Eddi Langenberg (EQO-TR).

ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations to David Thommes, son of Mike Thommes (CIS), who won the Bradley University Collegiate Sales Competition and will be going to Nationals. Mary Jo Koelbl (IPD) on receiving her Bachelor's degree in history, Summa Cum Laude.

ENGAGEMENTS/WEDDINGS

Congratulations to Justin Kern (ES) on his engagement to Melissa Kegley. Munidhar Biruduganti (ES) on his Jan. 24 wedding to Esther Christina Ranjan.

WELCOME

PFS-CU welcomes Mary Kowalczyk, Bruce Ende, Anna Mikos, and Courtney Blasier. EAD welcomes Brad Parks.

TRANSFERS

Good luck to Ernest Johnson who transferred from PFS-CU to PFS-GR.

FAREWELL

Good luck to John Kupar (EAD) who has left the laboratory.

PROMOTIONS

Promotions reported to Ar'Gang this month include: Anthony Sendra (PFS) promoted to Operations Supervisor.

CONDOLENCES

Condolences to Virginia Brown (PFS-CU) on the death of her grandmother; Cindy Wilkinson (C&PA) on the death of her mother; Eric Wilkinson (PFS-WMO) on the death of his grandmother; Dave Roth (PFS-CU) on the death of his grandmother; Michael Duoba (ES) on the death of his father; Patrick McPartlin (ES) on the death of his sister; Steve McConnell (ES) on the death of his father-in-law; Matt Lagessie (ES) on the death of his mother; Bill Gasper (EAD) and John Gasper (EAD) on the death of their father; Darlyn Mishur (OCF-PRO) on the death of her grandmother; Chick Macal (DIS) on the death of his mother; Kathy Macal (IPD) on the death of her mother-in-law; Dave Tomasko (EAD) on the death of his mother; Kim Tomasko (ES) on the death of her mother-in-law; Dan Pruess (CMT) on the death of his grandmother.

CONTRIBUTORS

Thanks to this issue's contributors: Lori Greenwood (EAD), Diana L. Grygiel (EQO), Georgianne Lamb (PFS), Cathy Nelson (IPD), Carolyn Peters (IPNS), Sally Peters (OCF-PRO), Faith Ruppert (CMT), Tina Joy Stanton-Piersanti (CIS), and Kim Tomasko (ES).