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Jan. 14, 2002 -- Some of this week's stories:
Argonne technology brings home Bell prize
Decisive action saves ANL-East steam system
Lab research to be featured on radio show
Shenoy named fellow of AAAS
Distinguished employees are wanted
Entries sought for R&D 100 |
Using Argonne technology to harness the power of multiple supercomputers -- and more than quadrupling the system's computing efficiency -- resulted in a prestigious Gordon Bell prize for a group of scientists from Argonne, the University of Chicago, Northern Illinois University and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Germany.
The award was presented in the "special" category, which emphasizes high-quality algorithms and software libraries. Honored were Ian Foster, Brian Toonen and Matei Ripeanu of Argonne's Mathematics and Computer Science Division and the University of Chicago; Gabrielle Allen, Thomas Dramlitsch and Ed Seidel of the Max Planck Institute and Nicholas Karonis of Northern Illinois University.
The team created a "virtual supercomputer" to simulate the evolution of gravitational waves according to Einstein's theory of general relativity. The supercomputer comprised 512 processors from three SGI Origin2000 machines at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in Illinois and a 1,024-processor IBM SP2 at the San Diego Supercomputing Center in California. The project was a major test of Grid computing -- an integrated environment where computational resources, information, instruments and displays are shared and managed over a high-speed network.
The research team used three software systems: MPICH-G2, a Grid-enabled version of the popular Message Passing Interface standard developed at Northern Illinois University and Argonne, and Argonne's Globus Toolkit, which supports grid computing across multiple computers.
The group also increased bandwidth between machines by enhancing the Cactus computational toolkit, an open-source software environment designed for scientists and engineers. Cactus was developed at the Max Planck Institute by a large international collaboration of physicists and computational scientists.
The unmodified setup performed calculations with 14 percent efficiency, meaning the supercomputer spent one-seventh of its time crunching numbers and the rest waiting for data to be processed. After modification, the team achieved 88 percent efficiency using 1,140 CPUs and 63 percent using 1,500 CPUs.
The experiments were the largest-ever simulations involving Einstein's General Relativity equations, and are of interest to astrophysicists who are looking for gravitational signals from celestial events like the collision and merger of black holes. Scientists can use the simulation results for comparison when the first large-scale gravity-wave detectors, now under construction, begin producing data.
The results are also significant for computer scientists, said Foster, MCS associate division director and senior scientist, and professor of computer science at the University of Chicago.
"The experiments underscore the potential of linking multiple, heterogeneous computers for large-scale simulations across a computational grid," Foster said. "We can merge all their computing power to focus on the most challenging problems of science."
The Gordon Bell Prize was awarded at SC2001, the premier technical and industrial conference for computational science and high-end networking and computing. The prize recognizes outstanding achievements in the application of parallel processing to practical scientific and engineering problems. The prize was established in 1988 by Gordon H. Bell, one of the designers of DEC Vax computer systems.
Many Argonne-East employees came to work Monday, Oct. 15, to find chilly conditions inside their buildings and no hot water in the bathrooms. Lunch in the Building 213 Cafeteria was served on disposable plates. For some, it was a couple of days before steam heat returned.
It could have been much, much worse.
Vigilance, quick thinking and decisive action in the predawn hours of Sunday, Oct. 14, probably saved millions of dollars in damage to the site's steam system, long-term disruption to site operations and may have prevented injuries. The U.S. Department of Energy has recognized the actions of the Plant Facilities and Services employees, holding their actions up as an example of the "importance of recognizing potentially hazardous situations and taking immediate action."
Saturday, Oct. 13, brought torrential rains to northern Illinois, the heaviest amounts centered like a bullseye on DuPage County. Up to five inches of rain fell onto soil already saturated by previous storms. There was widespread flooding and major roadways were closed.
At Argonne-East, about four inches of rain fell, some of which found its way into an access hole at Eastwood Drive and Inner Circle. The water began filling an underground vault holding an expansion joint for the Argonne-East steam system, which provides heat and hot water to most of the buildings on site.
Ken Larson was operating the boilers in the Boiler House Control Room. At about 10:30 p.m., the gauges showed steam flow and boiler loads varying erratically, indicating a potential problem somewhere in the steam lines. He throttled the main valves to maintain pressure in the Boiler House system.
Larson notified Off-Shift Foreman Ron Noble, who discovered water filling manhole number two, where the steam distribution pipes go below ground. Called at home, Gene Ulas, maintenance foreman for steam, water and natural gas distribution, responded immediately. He called in his crew -- Ed Schuda, Hugh Wheeler, Keith Knepper, and Bob McComb -- to pump the water from the steam vault under manhole number two.
"The team got out there right away, getting the water level down to try to assess the damage," said Jim Heine, PFS-Utility Systems manager. "But the heat coming out of the manhole was so intense it was impossible to assess anything. We knew something was drastically wrong."
After some additional checks around the inner circle, Heine made the decision to shut the system down at 3 a.m. With the water still coming in and cooling the steam line, condensate could have blocked the pipe -- pressurized to 200 psi -- and caused a catastrophic "water hammer."
"Any one of a thousand things could have happened," Heine said. "Condensate-induced water hammer caused three fatalities at DOE facilities in recent years. It also could have taken down the whole steam system and caused millions of dollars in damage that would have taken months to repair."
The shutdown limited the damage to a short ruptured section of pipe. After assessing the situation, employees from PFS-Utility Systems and PFS-Building Maintenance began routing steam around the break, slowly bringing heat back to the site almost one building at a time. "It's not like you can just turn a valve," Heine said. "It's a big, complex system and it takes time for the lines to heat up."
Heat and hot water were restored to all buildings by Wednesday.
Mike Derbidge, Argonne Chief Operations Officer, was quick to praise the actions of PFS on that rainy night and their recognition by DOE. "I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the hard work and diligence of PFS," he said. "This was a very serious situation."
Repairs stemming from the events of Oct. 13 continue, and employees are likely to see PFS-US employees and equipment at the intersection for quite some time as repairs and upgrades are made to prevent a recurrence of this problem. The repair effort is being fast-tracked by the Facilities, Engineering and Construction department of PFS.
-- Dave Jacqué
Argonne Director Hermann Grunder, Associate Laboratory Directors Harvey Drucker and Murray Gibson, and Biosciences Director Lee Makowski will visit with WGN radio talk-show host Milt Rosenberg on "Extension 720" Thursday, Jan. 17, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The program will focus on the laboratory's current programs.
WGN can be heard at AM 720.
Gopal Shenoy, senior scientific advisor at Argonne's Advanced Photon Source, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the organization's highest honor.
AAAS, the nation's largest scientific organization, awards the distinction of fellow to scientists at the top of their fields. Shenoy was recognized for his contributions in the development of scientific techniques in the fields of nuclear gamma-ray resonance and synchrotron radiation. He was also recognized for his "leadership in experimental facilities development at the Advanced Photon Source," the society said.
Nominations are being sought for the 2002 University of Chicago Awards for Distinguished Performance at Argonne.
The awards recognize outstanding technical or scientific achievement or a distinguished record of achievements by an Argonne employee.
Statements of 250 words or less citing the nominee's achievement or record should be submitted to the laboratory director. Fifteen copies are required.
Deadline for initial nominations is Monday, Feb. 4.
After internal review, the laboratory director will notify nominators of the acceptance of the nominations for submission to the University of Chicago, and additional support materials will be requested.
Argonne entries are wanted for the 2002 R&D 100 Awards.
Each year R&D magazine recognizes the 100 most industrially significant technologies in the world. Over the past 37 years, Argonne has won 76 of these prestigious awards.
This year Argonne's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) will pay the cost of entry preparation and costs associated with winning an award.
Draft entries are due Monday, Feb. 4. More information is available on OTT's Web site.
Human Resources has added four new classes for the first quarter of 2002.
To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative. For more information, call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 or visit the HR Web site.
All classes will be held in Argonne-East's Building 201, Room 190.
"Myers-Briggs: Style and Strengths in
the Workplace" (HR258). Wednesday, Feb. 6, 1-5 p.m. Registration deadline is Friday, Jan. 25.
"Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics for
Professionals" (HR262). Thursday, Feb. 28, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Registration deadline is Monday, Jan.
28.
"Effective Business Writing for Today"
(HR259). Friday, March 15, 1-5 p.m. Registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 15.
"Managing Communication" (HR263).
Friday, March 22, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 22.
Human Resources has begun a new session of the Russian Language class at Argonne-East, offering beginning and intermediate coverage of reading, writing and speaking Russian.
"Russian Language" (HR164) is held Tuesdays and Thursdays. Beginning instruction starts at 11 a.m. and intermediate instruction starts at 10 a.m. Classes are held in Building 208, Room A262 (Conference Room B).
Those interested in enrolling should contact a Training Management System representative. For more information, call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 or visit the HR Web site.
Weekly yoga classes will be offered at Argonne-East beginning the week of Jan. 14.
Three levels of yoga will be offered by Anita Scandurra, exercise physiologist and certified yoga teacher. All classes will meet in Building 212, Room A157.
"Yoga Basics" (for beginners): Tuesday
and Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. - noon.
"Gentle Yoga" (for all levels):
Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., and 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
"Yoga" (previous yoga experience
recommended): Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., and Thursday, 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Classes cost $35 for five weeks. To register, contact Anita Scandurra at wellfirst@aol.com or (847) 733-1417. The classes are sponsored by Argonne's Preventive Health and Wellness Program.
Electronics and Computing Technologies will offer several computer software classes in coming months.
Detailed class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms are available online (See "On the Web," page 3.) For more information about enrollment procedures, contact Diane Cavazos (ECT) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos@ anl.gov.
Unless otherwise noted, classes will be held in Argonne-East's Building 221, Room A142, and are limited to 10 participants. Proficiency with the Windows operating system is necessary.
"Introduction to Excel" 2000 (ECT370)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 15, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cost: $215.
"Introduction to Access Version 2000"
(ECT371) -- Wednesday Jan. 16, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Class size limited to eight. Cost: $215.
"Introduction to PowerPoint 2000"
(ECT372) -- Thursday, Jan. 17, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Cost: $140.
"Intermediate PowerPoint 2000"
(ECT373) -- Thursday, Jan. 17, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Cost: $140.
"Front Page 2000 (ECT383)" -- This
class is two full days, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, and Friday,
Feb. 22. Another class will be held Thursday, March 21, and Friday, March 22. Class
size limited to eight. Cost: $430.
Staff and non-staff retirement plan interest rates for the first quarter of 2002 are:
| Vendor | Rate | Contributions From | Earned Through |
| TIAA Traditional | 6.75% | 1/1/02 -- 2/28/02 | 2/28/02 |
| TIAA Supplemental | 6.25% | 1/1/02 -- 2/28/02 | 2/28/02 |
| Prudential Fixed Interest* | 6.16% | 7/1/01 -- 6/30/02 |
6/30/02 |
| Prudential Guaranteed | 4.70% | 1/1/02 -- 3/31/02 |
12/31/03 |
| Lincoln National (Old Account)** | 3.50% | Not applicable |
3/31/02 |
| Lincoln National (No Load)** | 5.40% | Not applicable | 3/31/02 |
(* Only Available to Non-Staff participants)
(** No longer accepting contributions)
A representative from MetLife will be available at Argonne-East Tuesday, Jan. 15, and Tuesday, Jan. 29, to meet with individual employees and provide insurance comparisons and quotes for the "METPAY" group automobile and homeowners insurance program.
To schedule an appointment, call Craig Riddick at (630) 810-0346, ext. 143.
Employees should fax their auto policy renewal statements to (630) 810-1628 before their appointments.