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Fiscal year 2002 saw the State of Illinois providing more funding for Argonne programs, making major contributions to such cutting-edge projects as the Nanotechnology Research Institute (NRI), the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) and I-WIRE.
"The state government believes this is money well invested in its own economic development," said Argonne Director Hermann Grunder. "It's all tied to science and technology, which eventually creates jobs in the private sector."
Projects funded by Illinois include:
The NRI, expected to enable major
advances in manufacturing, communications, health and agriculture. Illinois contributed $2 million
to the NRI this year.
RIA, which would create beams of
short-lived isotopes for nuclear research. RIA also received $2 million in design funding from
Illinois in FY '02, up from $1.65 million in FY '01.
I-WIRE, which will link Illinois
research institutions with an advanced optical network for next-generation Internet and computing
research. The state has contributed $6.5 million over the last three years to I-WIRE's development.
Over the past several years, the state has also contributed about $19 million to the Argonne Guest House, a facility where Advanced Photon Source users can stay.
"The APS has brought over $1 billion into Illinois," Grunder said. "By contributing to the Guest House, the state is assisting researchers who come to use our facilities. This benefits everyone."
-- Chad Boutin
Robert Rosner has been appointed chief scientist at Argonne, a new position designed to enhance the laboratory's scientific programs, research planning activities and collaborative relationships with the University of Chicago.
Rosner is distinguished service professor in the University of Chicago's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Department of Physics, and the Enrico Fermi Institute; director of the Center for Astrophysical Thermonuclear Flashes; and senior fellow in the Computation Institute.
Before joining the University of Chicago in 1987, he was a member of the Harvard University faculty and an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. He is internationally recognized for his work in plasma astrophysics and other fields, and his many honors include fellowships in the American Physical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The winner of Argonne's Rube Goldberg Machine contest for Chicago-area high schools will receive their first-place trophy and demonstrate their winning machine at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 25, in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.
Plainfield High School defeated 10 other Chicago-area high schools Feb. 15 at Navy Pier by building the best, most-reliable machine to secure, raise and wave a national flag in 20 or more steps.
Plainfield will compete for the 2002 Illinois state championship against five other Illinois high schools Saturday, May 4, at the Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier. Plainfield was Illinois state champion in 2000 and 2001.
Argonne's Division of Educational Programs and Office of Public Affairs sponsored the February contest in collaboration with Chicago Children's Museum, and the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, held annually at Purdue University.
The Illinois state championship is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois, Urbana. Both contests are licensed by Rube Goldberg Inc.
A Director's Special Colloquium in memory of Joseph Asbury, former deputy to the Argonne director, will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in Argonne-East's Building 402 Auditorium.
Speaker will be John H. (Jack) Gibbons, president of Resource Strategies and former science advisor to the president. He will speak on "Global Science and Technology Challenges for the 21st Century."
Gibbons has been special advisor to the U.S. undersecretary of state for global affairs, assistant to the president for science and technology, and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He began his career as a physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
His most recent book is "This Gifted Age: Science and Technology at the Millennium."
Q: Current site access requires spouses to go through the same process as anyone else who needs access to the site. Is it possible to provide "permanent" access for spouses so one does not have to arrange in advance site access each time for banking or dining privileges? If not every spouse requires this type of access can it be made available on a case by case basis?
A: Prior to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the means for spouses to access the Argonne-East site were satisfied via the windshield sticker program. While the windshield sticker program is currently being held in abeyance, we hope it may be resumed at some point in the future. You may however, make prior arrangements for such visits for a "modified/extended" period of time through the Argonne Information Center.
Editor's note: The Argonne Information Center advises that passes good for up to five days can be arranged by an employee for U.S. citizens. Passes good for longer periods (up to a year) or permitting off-hour access (weekends and weekdays between 7 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.) require approval through a division director's office.
"Ask the Directorate" is a new way for employees 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.
Employees may 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.
An appropriate member of the Argonne Directorate will answer each question, and the answer will be sent directly to the employee. Argonne News will periodically print selected responses, and all answers will be posted on the Argonne News Web site.
Questioners will remain anonymous in the Argonne News and on the Web.
Employees honored at the recent Service Awards Dinner can order photo prints from that evening.
The first 4X6-inch color print is free. Additional prints in 4X6, 5X7 or 8X10-inch formats are $8 each.
Proof sheets from the Service Awards Dinner will be posted in the Building 213 Cafeteria through Wednesday, April 24, along with order forms. Completed order forms can be left in the drop box or mailed to Gail Farmer (IPD), Building 222.
For more information, call ext. 7451 or ext. 3771.
Rethinking and restructuring the evaluation process and the reward system in science, engineering and technology will attract a more diverse work force, particularly one that includes women, said Chemist Debra Rolison, the latest speaker sponsored by the Women in Science and Technology (WIST) Program.
Rolison, head of the Advanced Electrochemical Materials Section at the Naval Research Laboratory, spoke at Argonne-East April 2 before an audience of more than 50 men and women.
Because "like attracts like," people's inherent human nature leads them, often subconsciously, to prefer others who are most similar to themselves, Rolison said. And because most scientists are men, they continue to maintain the status quo when they recruit other men over women into career openings in science and technology.
Rolison stated that 10 percent or less of chemistry faculty applicants are women, resulting in the female-scarce departments among the nation's top research universities today. Yet women receive 33 percent of the Ph.D.s granted in chemistry.
The lack of women scientists does not stem from a lack of trained women. There is a shortage of mentoring, informal networks and access to professional opportunities that are necessary to make science a successful and rewarding career, according to Rolison.
Rolison recommends women act as their own advocates by discussing their work with colleagues. Ultimately men and women must work together to improve science by reflecting the diversity of the people trained within the scientific work force.
"The title of Rolison's talk, `Isn't a Millennium of Affirmative Action for White Males Sufficient?' was provocative and perhaps inflammatory, but the content and message of her talk were worth hearing and backed-up by statistics and logical arguments," said Maryka Bhattacharyya (APS), WIST Program Initiator. "It echoed points made by previous Argonne speakers."
-- Quynh Tran
Electronics and Computing Technologies and the Cyber Security Program Manager (CSPM) offer two options to ensure that no sensitive data leave the laboratory when excessing a personal computer or returning a hard drive to the vendor: "disk sanitization" via software and shredding.
Professional Help Computing Service's "Disk Amnesia Pro" is available for routine disk sanitization. The software can clean IDE and SCSI drives up to two terabytes in size, independent of operating system, and meets U.S. Department of Defense standards. To take advantage of this free service, take disks to the ECT Help Desk in Argonne-East's Building 222, Room A253. Drives are usually returned the next day. Users may perform the sanitization themselves by borrowing a Disk Amnesia diskette free of charge.
For drives that will not be recycled, ECT Client Computing has arranged for a disk shredding service through Energy Systems Division. There is no cost to laboratory users. Drives to be shredded must be deposited at the ECT Help Desk. Users can arrange with ECT to ship large quantities of drives directly to ES. Tapes, floppies, and other media can also be shredded.
For warranty PC drive replacements, ECT Client Computing has negotiated the return of the drive top platter to Gateway and completion of a Return Authorization Statement of Destroyed Materials Form to Dell, rather than the entire drive.
For more information call ECT's Help Desk at ext. 2-6969.
Fidelity has a new Web site to provide enhanced service, education and support. Those who visit fidelity.com/non-profits will be redirected to the new site.
Participants will have quick login access to NetBenefits, access to their workplace savings plan account, retirement planning tools, such as a life-events checklist, and links to information useful for getting started financially, building wealth and preparing for retirement.
CIGNA is offering a new, secure, online Internet tool called "Medical Self-Service" to Argonne employees.
New features include the ability to conveniently access claim status for any covered family member, review and track benefit information, and for Argonne-East employees, replace lost or stolen medical ID cards.
CIGNA is sending a temporary ID and password for this service to all its members. Employees who do not receive one can call CIGNA Customer Service at 1-800-853-2713.
Argonne is working with AdvancePCS to have new prescription cards issued to all members in response to recent changes in regulations about information that must be shown on cards.
Some group numbers were updated a number of years ago, but new cards were not issued at that time. Recently, inactive group numbers were purged from the system. This does not mean that coverage was terminated. Employees who experience a problem getting a prescription filled or refilled at a local pharmacy should notify Human Resources-Employee Benefits. Corrected information will be given to the pharmacy.
These changes do not affect HMO members.
For more information, call ext. 2-2991 or 1-800-234-5265, ext. 2991.
In celebration of Earth Day 2002, Argonne's Pollution Prevention Program and Advisory Committee are sponsoring the 6th Annual Earth Day Forum at Argonne-East.
Activities will include exhibits like "Ask the Native Landscape Expert," giveaways and information on the Argonne Chemical Exchange System and the new Battery Recycling Pilot Program.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve District will promote its "Parent-A-Tree" program. For $5, two oak or serviceberry seedlings can be purchased for planting. After four years, one tree is returned to a forest preserve for replanting. The program's goal is to replenish the oak population in DuPage County preserves.
The forum will be held in the Building 213 Cafeteria Thursday, April 25, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information, call the Pollution Prevention Hotline at ext. 2-6778.
Argonne will celebrate the contributions of its administrative professionals with events at both Argonne-West and Argonne-East.
At Argonne-West, Secretaries Day activities will be held Monday, April 22, when that site's administrative professionals can attend a breakfast in Idaho Falls at the Shilo Inn.
At Argonne-East, Suzanne Benson will present "Communication: Steps That Can Be Taken to Make You Even More Effective" Wednesday, April 24, in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.
A free buffet breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. and the program will start at 8:45 a.m. All Argonne-East secretaries and clerical employees are invited to attend.
Argonne Guest House Executive Chef Chris Kaminski will teach a course on Asian cooking Thursday, May 2, and again Friday, May 3, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Argonne Guest House.
Kaminski will prepare salmon sushi, sweet and sour fried noodles, chicken with lemon grass, mushu chicken with pancakes and lemon tart. Participants can taste the results.
The course costs $25. Class size is limited, so early registration is recommended. Final registration cutoffs are Friday, April 26, for the May 2 session and Monday, April 29, for May 3.
Sign up at the Argonne Guest House, or mail payment along with name, session date, division, building number and phone extension to Kathy at the Argonne Guest House, Building 460. For more information, call ext. 5-2006.
An exhibition of confocal microscopes will be held Tuesday, April 23, from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. in the Advanced Photon Source Ground Floor Gallery, Building 401.
The exhibition is sponsored by Carl Zeiss Microimaging Inc. of Germany. The company will have representatives on hand to discuss their special microscopes, which produce three-dimensional images of crystals and porous materials for research in nanoscience, microbiology, lithography and other fields.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a presentation on "What's New in Confocal and Materials Microscopy" from 2-4 p.m. in Building 401, Conference Rooms A and B.
For more information, call host Mike Moldovan at ext. 2-6263.