The National Safety Council recognized the Argonne-West site for completing 12 consecutive months without a lost workday or restricted work activity. The award was presented to Robert Benedict (left), deputy associate laboratory director for Argonne-West, by William D. Magwood, IV, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology.

Argonne-West recognized for
safety performance

By Betsy Connell

The National Safety Council recognized Argonne-West for completing 12 consecutive months without a lost workday or restricted work activity. The award was presented to Robert Benedict, deputy associate laboratory director for Argonne-West, by the Department of Energy during its annual safety meeting.

"This remarkable achievement would not have occurred without the involvement and leadership of our employees in assuring their own safety and that of their colleagues," Benedict said.

The actual record achieved was 561 days without a lost workday and without a worker placed on work restrictions. This occurred between Oct. 15, 2002, and April 28, 2004. During this time, the recordable event rate also decreased significantly and was sustained at zero for 15 consecutive months, meaning no work-related injuries required treatment beyond first aid and no work-related illnesses required diagnosis by a health-care professional.

Argonne credits the improvements in site safety performance to improved communication and increased worker involvement in safety. Actions taken include new employee committees aimed at recommending safety improvements to address worker-identified weaknesses, a safety poster initiative by employees to foster attention on safety, periodic all-employee meetings for updates on performance, and employee awards for outstanding contributions to safety and quality at the site.

In 2003, the site launched a campaign to improve management attention and worker involvement in safety. Since then, worker committees have identified dozens of actions to further reduce injuries. Many of these actions are now complete. Actions that continue include improved snow and ice removal to reduce slip and fall injuries, reinvigorating the Facility Representative Program to foster worker involvement, improved road maintenance and repairing broken sidewalks.

PFS finds new ways to reduce
energy comsumption

By Dave Jacqué

To help the laboratory meet energy reduction targets and manage energy costs as effectively as possible, PFS has developed an energy management plan aimed at reducing energy consumption on site, including electricity, vehicle fuel, and coal and natural gas burned at the central heating plant.

The Department of Energy is helping the laboratory reduce energy consumption by sharing the cost of some energy-use reduction projects and through a third-party financing initiative. Under this initiative, an outside company completes an improvement project and is paid back with the savings.

The first project undertaken with third-party financing was the replacement of a constant-speed pump that provides water to cool experiments and equipment at the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source. With the new, 300 hp variable-speed drive, sensors vary the pump speed — and electricity use — according to demand.

"It's a simple technology, but very effective at conserving energy," said Nick Malik (PFS-FEC), Argonne energy coordinator. "Simple ideas are usually effective, easy to implement and produce good results."

Money to fund the pump design and installation — about $200,000 — was fronted by ComEd. Argonne is paying ComEd back with the savings: $41,650 per year. "This year we'll make the final payment," Malik said. For the remaining useful life of the improvement, the continuing savings come back to the laboratory.

PFS has negotiated with Johnson Controls for energy-management projects. One of these will be highly visible — wrapping the site's steam pipes in insulation. "What we want to do is wrap the insulation in inch-thick fiberglass insulation and an exterior aluminum jacket," Malik said. "This will reduce heat loss, contain the asbestos and protect the existing insulation from further deterioration."

Other upcoming PFS projects include:

n Lighting upgrades across the site, starting with Building 350, the 314-315-316 complex and in the 200 area. The use of energy-efficient electronic ballasts and T-8 fluorescent bulbs will reduce electricity consumption by about one-third. "If it were my house, that's what I'd use," Malik said.

n Upgraded heating, ventilating and air conditioning controls in Building 201.

n Phasing out old chillers that use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to new, more efficient models that don't use CFCs.

Everyone can contribute to meet the goal of lowering energy usage and lowering total fuel costs, Mailk said. Cutting energy costs can be as simple as shutting off unused lights and computer equipment. The IMPACT program can be used to submit energy-saving suggestions.

"All suggestions are welcome," Malik said.

University to honor lab's best

The University of Chicago Board of Governors Awards for Distinguished Performance and Outstanding Service will be presented at a ceremony Tuesday, June 15, at 2:30 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria. All employees whose schedules permit are invited to attend.

Lawrence Harding (CHM), Romesh Kumar (CMT), James Proudfoot (HEP) and Wolfgang Sturhahn and Thomas S. Toellner (both XFD) will receive Distinguished Performance Awards, which recognize outstanding scientific or technical achievements or a distinguished record of achievements.

Outstanding Performance Awards, the highest honor the university gives to Argonne employees in support positions, will be presented to John Greene (PHY), Vivian Kay Johnson (PFS), Marsha Mehaffey (NE) and Willis Ray (PFS-WMO).

Cafeteria to close early on June 15

Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria will close at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 15, for the University of Chicago Distinguished Performance and Outstanding Service awards ceremony. Lunch seating will be limited on that day.

University's operation of
Argonne is 'outstanding'

The University of Chicago has received an overall ranking of "Outstanding" from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its operation of Argonne during fiscal year 2003.

In a letter to Thomas Rosenbaum, university vice president for research and for Argonne, U.S. Department of Energy Argonne Area Office contracting officer Sergio Martinez and site manager Robert C. Wunderlich said that the rating "means that the University of Chicago significantly exceeds the standard of performance, including the achievement of noteworthy results."

Rosenbaum called the rating "a welcome recognition of the university's and Argonne's continuing efforts in management. We are pleased by the list of activities that DOE has termed outstanding, which is the agency's highest ranking for contractor operations. We also appreciate the areas DOE has identified as `opportunities for improvement,' and we will be working hard on those as well."

Specifically, DOE singled out as outstanding the areas of science and technology and contractor management. The report listed noteworthy scientific accomplishments, including the Nobel Prize in physics, and the high reliability and availability of the laboratory's key user facilities.

"ANL was the first SC (Office of Science) Multi-Program Laboratory to successfully complete its permitted Environmental Restoration Program. Based on external reviews, ANL's Cyber-Security and Counter-Intelligence Programs are very strong. The Community Relations Program is highly regarded, and the relationship between ANL and the State of Illinois has been exemplary, with the State of Illinois providing $36 million for a Center for Nanoscale Materials at the Advanced Photon Source facility, as well as supporting other ANL initiatives," according to the ratings document.

In addition, the report says:

"[Argonne] Director Hermann Grunder, ANL Deputy Director Dr. Don Joyce and other senior management positions, including the associate laboratory directors and the chief operating officer, continue to demonstrate clear and convincing leadership of the laboratory. In particular, both the ANL director and the deputy director have shown the necessary competence, aggressiveness, and responsiveness to DOE issues to support an `outstanding' rating."

Integrated Safety Management at Argonne was rated "Excellent." DOE praised the execution of the environmental restoration project, which, the report said, "continues to be a success story within the DOE complex." Delays in completing the Fire Safety Improvements Project were cited as an opportunity for improvement, and that project was completed early in FY 2004.

Diversity programs at Argonne were also cited as "outstanding" for increasing the number of women professionals and "excellent" for increasing the percentage of historically underrepresented minority professionals. Financial Management, Human Resources, Legal Management and Information Management also were ranked as "outstanding." Procurement was rated as "excellent" and Property Management as "good." Under stakeholder relations, Argonne programs in Communications and Trust and Technology Transfer were both rated as "outstanding."

Grad student wins award named
for Argonne physicist

By Dinesh Ramde

A Columbia University Ph.D. candidate has received the Luise Meyer-Schutzmeister Award, a prize named for an Argonne physicist who inspired generations of women to pursue careers in science.

The Chicago Area Chapter of the Association for Women in Science recognized student Christine Aidala as its 2004 recipient. With this award, Aidala received a $1,000 honorarium toward research expenses.

Aidala spent a year working on the PHENIX experiment in high-energy nuclear physics at Brookhaven National Laboratory before formally returning to her graduate studies. She is currently continuing her work on PHENIX, studying the spin structure of the proton for her Ph.D. thesis.

The Association for Women in Science is a non-profit group that works to promote women's activities in all scientific fields. It established the annual award to honor Meyer-Schutzmeister's lifetime of contributions to science. Meyer-Schutzmeister was an Argonne physicist from 1956 to 1981, whose research included measuring gamma rays produced in nuclear reactions and studying the behavior of nuclei.

The Luise Meyer-Schutzmeister Award is open to women who are graduate students in physics.

Home users should check virus software

Argonne employees who use Trend Antivirus software on their home computers need an update to guard against viruses.

Trend products now employ a file numbering format that displays six digits instead of three. If users do not update the software, they will be unable to continue downloading new pattern files and the most current virus protection.

Michael Wisniewski (CIS) said Argonne protects computers at both sites with Trend Antivirus software, which is updated from a central location. Home users and those who do not use CIS' OfficeScan antivirus server do not receive these automatic updates.

"We want to make sure that people's home machines aren't infecting Argonne with viruses," Wisniewski said.

He said home users who are not receiving the proper updates could connect with and infect the laboratory's computers.

In order to patch the program, users need to "hover" the pointer over the PC-Cillian icon on the computer screen's systems tray, in the lower-right corner of the screen. If the pattern version displayed reads "x.xxx.xx" (for example, 1.190.00) then the computer is patched. However, if the version reads "xxx" the computer needs to be updated.

The update is available online.

CIS Classes

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

July classes:

"Introduction to Access 2002" (CIS113) — Tuesday, July 6, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Introduction to PowerPoint 2002" (CIS114) — Wednesday, July 7, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Introduction to Word 2002" (CIS111) — Thursday, July 8, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Introduction to Excel 2002" (CIS112) — Friday, July 9, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Beginning Unix" (CIS564) — Tuesday, July 20, 9 a.m. - noon and Thursday, July 22, 9 a.m. - noon. No cost

"vi Editor in Unix" (CIS567) — Friday, July 23, 9 a.m. - noon. No cost.

Prostate screening offered
at Medical Department

A prostate cancer screening will be offered Wednesday, June 16, at the Argonne-East Medical Department in Building 201.

Screening will be performed by Laurence Levine, a board-certified urologist and professor of medicine at Rush Medical School. Levine is also director of the Male Sexual Function and Fertility Program at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center.

Screenings will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $70; checks should be made payable to Preventures. The receipt may be submitted to CIGNA insurance or a flexible spending account for reimbursement.

For more information or to register, call ext. 2-2800.

Managing stress is talk topic

R. Michael Trapp, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, will present "Stress Management 101" Thursday, June 24, in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.

Trapp's one-hour lecture will begin at noon. He will discuss ways to increase coping skills, manage stress, improve health, improve relationships and increase job satisfaction.

TIAA/CREF offers new mutual funds

Representatives from TIAA/CREF will visit both Argonne sites to give presentations on new mutual funds and answer employee questions.

At Argonne-East, presentations will be held Wednesday, June 16, at noon in the Building 362 Auditorium and at 2:30 p.m. in the Building 203 Auditorium.

At Argonne-West, presentations will be held Tuesday, June 22, at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in L&O Conference Room.

Appointments for individual meetings with TIAA/CREF representatives can be made online or by phone. Argonne-East employees can reserve appointments by calling 1-800-842-2005, ext. 5613; at Argonne-West, employees can call 1-800-842-2009, ext. 2-2360.

Survey will help improve vending

The Business Enterprise Program for the Blind (BEPB), which has provided vending machine service at Argonne-East since December 2003, plans to conduct a survey of laboratory employees from June 14 through July 2.

Survey forms can be found in vending locations of each building. After completing the a questionnaire, fold it and place it in the intra-laboratory mail. Questionnaires are pre-addressed.

Responses will provide valuable information to improve service.

TIAA revises interest rates for second quarter

TIAA has revised the interest rates for the second quarter of 2004.

All invited to club's 'picnic run'

The Argonne Running Club's Picnic Run will be held Tuesday, June 15, at noon.

The run will begin at the Waterfall Glen trailhead (in the parking lot at Cass and Northgate roads) and will follow the crushed limestone path in the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. There will be a four-mile route for runners and a two-mile route for walkers. Picnic food will be provided at the finish.

Argonne Running Club running events are informal, not timed, and free. All site employees and their guests are welcome.

Questions about Social Security
to be answered

A representative of the Social Security Administration's Joliet office will visit Argonne-East's Human Resources office Wednesday, June 16, from 8 a.m. to noon.

The representative will:

Take applications for new Social Security cards, including original cards for newborns, corrected cards due to marriage, or replacement cards.

Help with earnings posting problems.

Answer general questions about the Social Security program.

To schedule a meeting with the Social Security representative, call ext. 2-2989.

Service Awards

Service Awards for June include:

40 Years

William Basaraba (PFS), Rosalie L. Bottino (HR), William Haberichter (HEP), H. James Haupt (NE), Beverly A. Marzec (IPNS), Cedric C. Putnam (ASD).

35 Years

Jerry L. Gillette (DIS), Diane M. Kurtz (AIP).

30 Years

Bernard F. Cowan (ENT), Miriam M. Jacobsgaard (OCF), David S. Kupperman (ET), Donald R. Phillips (PHY), Apostolos C. Raptis (ET), Frank E. Tomazin, Jr. (FAC).

25 Years

James P. Bresnahan (PFS), Annette A. Edler (EA), Chandrakant B. Panchal (ES), John B. Rajan (CMT), Thomas Wiencek (ET), Richard S. Wisner (FAC).

20 Years

Gale A. Boyd (DIS), Monty L. Conley (FAC), Sami A. Kamal (NE), Dave J. Nobles (FAC), Charley Yu (EA).

15 Years

Alvin Baggett (PFS), Richard A. Chlapecka (PFS), Adrian M. Collins (NPS), Mark Gibson (ASD), Richard J. Goyette, Jr. (IPNS), Kelly Hodges (NPS), John C. Molburg (DIS), P. Todd Pettingill (NPS), Linda K. Zander (DIS).

10 Years

Samuel I. Baker (EQO), Terri Shearer Bray (ET), Gerald S. Czop (XFD), James Frego (PFS), Rodney E. Gerig (ASD), Marilyn M. Gliva (EA), B. Gaye Grant (NPS), Linda H. Hansen (NT), Dawn L. Howard (DIS), Rachel Mirelez (XFD), Timothy E. Nelson (CIS), Darlene O'Malley (AOD), Terri L. Patton (EA), Randall D. Scott (FAC), Barry F. Smith (MCS), Janice Stefka (HR).

5 Years

Eric S. Bond (PFS), Charles M. Cilek (DIS), Clayton A. Egbert (NPS), Charles Shawn French (NPS), Michelle Givens (ASD), James J. Grudzinski (HEP), Ernest L. Johnson (PFS), Beihai Ma (ET), John Power (HEP), Sylvia M. Rada (SCD), Harald Sinn (XFD), Eric M. Wilkinson (PFS), Ed J. Wrobel (XFD), Jiyong Zhao (XFD).