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John I. Sackett was recently appointed associate laboratory director for Engineering Research. He succeeds Yoon Chang, who serves as associate laboratory director at large.
Sackett has been serving as deputy associate laboratory director for Argonne-West. In his new role, Sackett will lead Argonne's entire nuclear program by determining the future direction of the program, serving as the primary contact with the U.S. Department of Energy and managing the employees who work in the program.
"John has provided outstanding leadership at Argonne-West, and we look forward to his continued work as our engineering research ALD," said Hermann Grunder, Argonne director.
Sackett has spent most of his career at Argonne. Following short stints at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge national laboratories, he joined Argonne in 1970 as an assistant nuclear engineer. His responsibilities were soon expanded as he took on the planning and execution of experiments in Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II). He later became director of the Integral Fast Reactor Division. He was a key participant to the watershed inherent safety demonstrations at EBR-II in 1986, and is known worldwide for his contributions to inherent safety concepts and designs for power reactors.
A native Idahoan, Sackett is an active and respected leader in the Idaho Falls area. He is completing a term as chairman of the board of the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, is chairman of the board of directors of the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and is a member of the board of directors for the CHC Foundation, the area's premier philanthropic granting organization.
Sackett completed a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Idaho, and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at the University of Arizona.
By Hermann A. Grunder, Argonne Director
This coming Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the horrendous terrorist attack that took so many lives in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. It is a day to mark solemnly, and here at Argonne we will observe one minute of silence at 11 a.m. in honor of the victims of that tragic day.
One of the inevitable results of Sept. 11 has been the sharpened focus on homeland security. Throughout the past year, I have been very gratified by Argonne's many contributions to that effort. We have seen a great outpouring of ideas, most of them drawing on the substantial reservoir of outstanding science and technology that our scientists and engineers have built up through the decades. This underlying research was done to advance fundamental knowledge or to solve diverse technical problems, but was readily applied to the challenge at hand. In fact, every division had something to offer.
Our mission is to serve DOE and the nation by advancing the frontiers of knowledge, creating and operating forefront user facilities, and providing innovative and effective approaches and solutions to energy, environmental and security challenges. While much of our effort is targeted, much is broad. But it always produces value. As Argonne's founding director, Enrico Fermi, said, "The history of science and technology has constantly taught us that scientific advances in basic understanding have sooner or later led to technical and industrial applications that have revolutionized our way of life."
As we pause to remember the infamy of last September and the senseless massacre of so many innocents, we can all take comfort from the effort we are making to reduce the likelihood that any future attack planned by our enemies will succeed.
A briefcase recently left in the lobby of Argonne-East's Building 203 turned out to contain nothing dangerous -- but until that could be determined, work in the building, and traffic on Inner Circle was disrupted for more than an hour. Employees and visitors need to be careful with their belongings, said Fire Department Chief Gordon Veerman.
"People do an innocent act that may seem very clear to them," Veerman said about leaving an unmarked box or brief case in a public area. "The problem is, to others this innocent act is suspicious. People are much more aware of this than they were before Sept. 11."
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Argonne Fire Department has received 32 calls about suspicious packages.
Veerman said people should be more aware of their actions, and if a box or briefcase must be left unattended, it should be labeled with the owner's name and contact information. People who find a suspicious package should first try to find the owner and then contact the building's Area Emergency Officer or dial 911.
To show support for those who lost their lives in last year's terrorist attacks, and their families, Marge Brockman (OCF) will lead employees in the pledge of allegiance at noon, Wednesday, Sept. 11, on the lawn of Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.
Brockman, recently elected president of the Ladies Auxiliary of Darien Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2838, said the VFW's national leadership has declared Sept. 11 "Patriot's Day."
"On that day, everyone is asked to wear red, white and blue to show support for those who lost their lives on Sept. 11," Brockman said. "It also honors those who worked so hard to save them, and the families left behind."
Brockman asked those who can't come to the cafeteria on that day to give remembrance by placing their hands on their hearts and saying the Pledge of Allegiance -- out loud or silently -- wherever they are.
"Let us all remember that we live in the greatest country in the world," Brockman said. "Let's show the world we stand united."
Professional and amateur musicians from metropolitan Chicago -- among them several Argonne employees and a University of Chicago employee -- will extend a gesture of compassion to the families of victims of last year's terrorist attacks with a memorial concert at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Chapel.
The concert is free, but the audience may donate to hunger programs operated by the Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council.
Peter Lipari will conduct the Hinsdale-based West Suburban Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mozart's "Requiem in D Minor," the classical composer's final piece. Joining the WSSO will be the Bach Chamber Choir of Rockford and the Downers Grove Choral Society. The concert is part of a "rolling requiem" in which orchestras and choruses will perform this Mozart piece in every time zone throughout the day.
Scott Filer (DIS) has been selected to participate in a special leadership-cultivation program sponsored by Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC). LGC is a not-for-profit organization that builds relationships among individuals and organizations to cultivate, maintain and mobilize a diverse leadership pool for greater Chicago.
"Mr. Filer exemplifies the kind of individual who isn't going to wait to see if things change for the better. He is going to take the helm and proactively work to improve the quality of life in the region," said Ron Daly, president of LGC and of R.R. Donnelley Print Solutions. "Our fellows program is going to help make him an even more effective catalyst and leader."
Filer was selected to be part of the 2003 Leadership Fellows class based on his demonstrated leadership ability and commitment to civic and community affairs. He is one of 36 leaders competitively selected from 90 candidates.
Filer is biomedical advisor for a system that combines detection, communication and quick-response strategies to protect subways against chemical attacks. "Response Options and Technology Enhancements for Chemical/Biological Terrorism," or PROTECT, was developed with Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories.
Q. While I don't take public transportation to the Laboratory regularly, I try to do so when I don't have schedule conflicts. Each morning, the Pace bus stops outside the Argonne-East main gate or in the turnaround area just inside the gate, leaving the handful of riders to walk to their respective buildings. The process is reversed in the evening with riders walking to the bus stop at the main gate. Even when traffic obeys site speed limits, visibility can be poor (as the bus may arrive and leave in the dark in the winter months) and pedestrian traffic is often unexpected. It seems that there should be a sidewalk from the visitor's center to the core of the Laboratory for the safety of employees and visitors who enter the laboratory on foot rather than by car.
A. The idea of installing a pedestrian path at Argonne-East's North Gate is very timely. Currently, plans are underway for renovations and improvements to both the North Gate entrance and the West Gate entrance. A pedestrian/bike path will be incorporated into the designs.
The path at North Gate will extend west from the entrance to connect with the existing sidewalk at Building 222.
The path at West Gate will begin at the end of the sidewalk near Outer Circle Drive and will extend to link with the existing Forest Preserve path outside West Gate. Confirmation/concurrence with the Forest Preserve District is still required to complete this installation.
These paths will serve to give pedestrians a safer place to travel from the gates to their offices, and will also enhance safety as employees enter the nearby Forest Preserve trails for exercise.
"Ask the Directorate" gives employees a way 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.
More information appears on the Ask the Directorate Web site.
Employees at Argonne-East may see some unusual activity at multiple areas on site during a lab-wide emergency exercise on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Emergency responders from Argonne and surrounding communities will take part in the exercise.
The exercise is being held jointly by Argonne and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne Area Office and Chicago Operations Office.
Argonne's Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Advisory Committee is seeking Spirit Award Nominees for Fall 2002.
Spirit Awards recognize enthusiastic and beneficial efforts to conserve resources and preserve the environment, rather than those based on monetary benefits.
The Spirit Award was established in March 1998 by the advisory committee to recognize and show appreciation to individuals or small groups that exhibit exceptional efforts to incorporate waste minimization and pollution prevention into their daily work.
Spirit Award winners receive a certificate, wall plaque, glass globe paper weight and well-deserved recognition.
A description of the Spirit Awards and a nomination form is online.
For more information about the award, or to suggest a candidate, call Keith Trychta (PFS-WMO) at ext. 2-1476 or Dave Peterson (ER) at ext. 2-3924.
The Center for Integrating Statistical and Environmental Science (CISES) will hold its inaugural meeting at the University of Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 19, and Friday, Sept. 20.
The center encourages interactions between statisticians and other scientists interested in environmental problems.
This two-day workshop will offer six consecutive sessions, each including ample time for discussion. Speakers will be drawn from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists, center investigators and other researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne working on environmental problems.
Space is limited; early registration is encouraged. More information can be found on the workshop's Web site.
"The Al-Qaeda Threat as Viewed from Outside the USA" will be the topic of a talk on Monday, Sept. 16, at 3 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 203 Auditorium.
Speaker Gordon Woo, a catastrophe risk analyst with Risk Management Solutions Inc., will review al-Qaeda strategy and its implications for safeguarding nuclear facilities and radiological material in the United States. Risk Management Solutions is the leading provider of risk management tools for the U.S. insurance industry.
The seminar is sponsored by Energy and Environmental Science and Technology.
John Bahcall, a world leader in the field of neutrino astrophysics, will present Argonne's second annual Enrico Fermi Lecture at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 12, in Argonne-East's Building 362 Auditorium.
Bahcall will summarize developments that led to theories of how the sun produces energy and implications of recent discoveries about neutrinos from the sun.
Argonne's Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals will hold its monthly dinner at Bohemian Gardens, 980 75th St., Downers Grove, on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Bob Swale (PFS-ERP) will present "The Present and Future Automated Office."
All employees are invited to attend. To make reservations, call Elaine London (PFS-ERP) at ext. 2-3180.
Social Security Representative George Cutwright will be available in Argonne-East's Human Resources office, Building 201, Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Cutwright will be available to:
Enroll employees in Social Security.
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, call Fran Perri (HR) at ext. 2-2989.