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Assistant Physicist Zheng-Tian Lu (PHY) has received the highest honor bestowed on young scientists and engineers at the outset of their independent research careers -- from both President Clinton and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
Lu won a DOE Office of Science Early Career Award in Science and Engineering and a 2000 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
The presidential awards, established in 1996, embody the high priority the administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers ready to contribute to all sectors of the economy. Eight federal departments and agencies join together annually to nominate the young scientists and engineers with high potential to broadly advance science and technology.
"These extraordinarily gifted young scientists and engineers represent the best in our country," President Clinton said. "Through their talent, ability, and dedication, they will quicken the pace of discovery and put science and technology to work advancing the human condition as never before." Awardees receive up to a five-year research grant to further their study in support of critical government missions.
Both awards recognize the Atom Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA) technique developed by Lu and his colleagues at Argonne. ATTA is a powerful new tool for ultra-sensitive trace isotopic analysis in fundamental research and technological applications. It is able to detect single atoms in a large sample, and holds promise for advancing the state of the art in many fields, from solar-neutrino research to groundwater studies.
Lu's work at Argonne has centered on ultrasensitive trace-isotope analysis, laser spectroscopy of exotic atoms and fundamental symmetries. Before he joined Argonne in 1997, Lu worked as a postdoc at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and as a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, where he helped pioneer the techniques of trapping radioactive atoms with laser light.
Fidelity Investments will present the workshop "Maximizing Your Income from Your Retirement Savings" Wednesday, Nov. 29, in Argonne-West's Building 752, Laboratory and Office Conference Room. Seating will be first-come, first-served.
Topics will include:
Evaluating
sources of retirement income
Making the
most of retirement savings
Assistance
with income planning
Next steps
To schedule a personal appointment with a retirement consultant on Thursday, Nov. 30, call ext. 3-7341.
Tickets for Breakfast with Santa, the Argonne Club's annual holiday party, go on sale the week of Nov. 27 from 11:30 a.m to 1 p.m. in the Argonne-East Building 213 Cafeteria until the 600 available tickets are sold out.
Breakfast with Santa will be held Saturday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the cafeteria. Tickets are $2 per child and are available in three time slots: 9 a.m. -11 a.m., 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Tickets are limited to 10 per customer.
Nuclear energy can have a future in the United States if four key issues are resolved, said former Oak Ridge National Laboratory director Alvin Weinberg, who spoke about nuclear energy at a Director's Special Colloquium Nov. 17.
Avoiding the use of nuclear weapons, incorporating nuclear power into the effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, making inherently safe reactors for the long term and educating the public about the health effects of low-dose radiation are what Weinberg sees as necessary conditions for the survival of nuclear energy.
Continuing the "tradition of non-use" of nuclear weapons since 1945 is the crucial issue, Weinberg said. He advocated what he called a "defense-protected build-down" to reduce the world's collective nuclear arsenal and reduce the chance for nuclear weapons to be used in war.
Climate change through global warming should be a worldwide priority, Weinberg said. Nuclear energy can be an effective way to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that many scientists believe contribute to global warming.
Designing inherently safe nuclear reactors that will be used over the long term will reduce the high costs inhibiting growth of nuclear energy in the short term, he said.
Weinberg, a member of the National Academy of Science, began his talk by mentioning that while 430 nuclear reactors currently supply 20 percent of the world's electricity, acceptance of nuclear energy depends on the public's consent, a sentiment expressed by Enrico Fermi in the infancy of the nuclear age.
-- Scott Jenkins
The Advanced Photon Source Conference Center was filled nearly to capacity for the fourth annual Veteran Recognition Day program, held Nov. 9 at Argonne-East.
"Argonne and DOE veterans were especially moved by the number of people in attendance," said Jill Morgenthaler (ECT), a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves who was master of ceremonies. "We had close to 500 in the auditorium, despite the awful weather on that day."
Fred Olivi, Lt. Col., U.S. Air Force (retired) spoke about his experiences during the mission to drop a nuclear bomb on Nagasaki. Soldiers from the 416th Engineer Command, U.S. Army Reserves, posted the colors at the start of the program.
A two-day course in "Successful Project Management" will be held at Argonne-East Thursday and Friday, Jan. 18-19, 2001.
This intensive seminar is designed to help employees develop the insights and skills necessary for the effective management of large and small projects, design efforts, field studies, laboratory investigations, major maintenance efforts, and software development.
Participants will learn how to define, plan and assign work; obtain meaningful commitments; manage risk; monitor and evaluate results; and correct mistakes within approved budgets and schedules. Conceptual models, practical applications and exercises are used to develop a solid basis for managing real world projects successfully.
The seminar will be presented by Arnold Ruskin in cooperation with the California Institute of Technology Industrial Relations Center. Ruskin has held senior management positions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and served as adjunct professor of engineering and director of the engineering executive program at UCLA. He is the author of two books and numerous articles.
The cost is $795 per person, based on an enrollment of 20 participants. Enroll through a division Training Management System representative; the course number is HR 241. The course will be offered at Argonne-East in a location to be determined.
For more information about this seminar, call Charlyne Robinson (HR) at ext. 2-3410.
A recycled toy drive will be held at Argonne-East through Dec. 13. Toys will be donated to local charities.
Toys will be collected at the Argonne Fire Station. Toy guns and toys in poor condition cannot be accepted.
Several styles of Bodybilt ergonomic chairs will be demonstrated Wednesday, Nov. 29, in Argonne-East's Building 202, Room E126. A Bodybilt representative will teach users or prospective users how to take advantage of the chairs' features.
All are welcome and no appointment is necessary. Employees who have a Bodybilt chair but want more information on its features and those in the market for a new chair are encouraged to attend. For more information, call Carol Giles (ESH) at ext. 2-3427.
Robert C. Wunderlich, a veteran of DOE as well as the Chicago Operations Office, has been appointed Argonne Group Manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Chicago Operations Office.
Wunderlich had been acting Argonne Group manager for several months.
The Argonne Group is responsible for managing Argonne's performance-based contract, for DOE line management of Argonne operations, for functioning as DOE's administrative contracting office, and for fostering and maintaining an environment that is conducive to cost-effective, world-class research and development.
Human Resources has scheduled the following classes in December at Argonne-East:
"Time
Management" (HR486) -- Participants will assess their current time management
habits, learn time-management techniques and improve self-management skills.
Tuesday, Dec. 5, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Building 201, Room 190.
"English as a
Second Language" (HR534) -- This course is designed to help non-native speakers
improve their English language skills on the job. The cost is $400 including
textbooks. A $30 pretest is required for all new participants. The class begins
Tuesday, Nov. 28, and will continue for 10 weeks each Tuesday and Thursday from
11:30-1 p.m. in Building 201, Room 238.
"Stop
Procrastinating" (HR233) -- This brown bag lunch seminar will teach
participants to recognize procrastination patterns and how to overcome them.
Thursday, Dec. 7, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. in Building 201, Room 238.
To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative. Call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 for more information or visit the HR web site.
Entries are being sought for the 2001 R&D 100, Discover, and Green Chemistry awards.
This year there is a brief online "intent to submit" form that is due to the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) by Monday, Nov. 27. Draft entries for Discover and Green Chemistry awards are due to OTT Friday, Dec. 8, and R&D 100 draft entries are due to OTT Wednesday, Jan. 17.
For more information or to submit an entry, visit the internal technology transfer Web site. For more information, contact Shari Zussman (OTT) at ext. 2-5936 or zussman@anl.gov.
The Argonne Club board will need three new members in 2001.
Officers serve three-year terms and help plan the Argonne Club's activities, like Breakfast with Santa, the Argonne-East employee picnic and group outings.
For more information, contact Jessie McHenry (OPA) at ext. 2-5545 or jessiemchenry@anl.gov; or Steve Hanuska (ASD) at ext. 2-4339 or hanuska@ aps.anl.gov.
Quality hardcover books will go on sale in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria Thursday, Nov. 30.
The book fair, sponsored by Sodexho Marriott, will feature books at 30 percent to 70 percent lower than retail prices. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.
