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The search for life on other planets will be the focus of a Director's Special Colloquium at Argonne-East Thursday, Oct. 3.
Jill C. Tarter will speak on "Life, the Universe, and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) in a Nutshell" at 3 p.m. in the Building 402 Auditorium.
Tarter is director of the SETI Institute's Center for SETI Research, and holds the institute's Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI. The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. The institute is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research, education and public outreach. Founded in 1984, the institute employs more than 100 scientists, educators and support staff.
As a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, Tarter became involved in SERENDIP, a small-scale search for radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations using the Hat Creek Observatory 85-foot telescope. After completing an associateship at NASA's Ames Research Center, Tarter joined the newly formed SETI Program Office at Ames. She served as the project scientist for NASA's SETI High Resolution Microwave Survey until 1993.
Tarter helped found the non-profit SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., in 1984. The institute's largest current project is the Allen Telescope Array, which will be the world's largest telescope devoted to SETI and among the largest radio telescopes in the world for any purpose. It will be comparable in signal collecting area to the Very Large Array in New Mexico, the premier imaging instrument in the world for radio astronomy.
Michael H. Derbidge has been named Argonne's new chief operations officer.
"Mike has performed in an exemplary fashion," Director Hermann Grunder said, "and has ably served the laboratory in a series of increasingly responsible positions."
Derbidge will supervise Electronics and Computing Technologies, Human Resources, Safeguards and Security, Information and Publishing, Public Affairs and Plant Facilities and Services. He also will oversee the chief information officer and the chief financial officer.
Derbidge joined Argonne-West in 1972 as a technical writer and operating technician. Since then, he has served as administrator of the Fuel Manufacturing Facility, executive assistant in the Experimental Breeder Reactor Division and director of the Engineering Research Program Control Office. Prior to his appointment, Derbidge directed the Reactor Program Services Division within Engineering Research.
He has also served on many laboratory-wide committees including those on travel oversight, compensation and benefits, review of technical employee promotions and hires and the Women in Science and Technology Steering Committee. Derbidge also is a member of the Eastern Idaho Development Council Technology Team.
Derbidge holds a bachelor's degree from Idaho State University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.
Director's awards for fiscal year 2001 were given to 17 Argonne employees at a luncheon Sept. 9 at Argonne-East.
Winners are selected from those who received Pacesetter awards during the year. Pacesetters honor extraordinary effort in meeting or exceeding difficult deadlines or other work demands, and outstanding innovations, discoveries, program development and cost-cutting suggestions.
The five awards went to:
John Attig, Christa Benson, Mark
Erdmann, Kevin Knoerzer, Russ Otto, Emil Trakhtenberg and Greg Wiemerslage of the Experimental
Facilities Division at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). This team produced highly innovative
diagnostics for the APS Low Energy Undulator Test Line. They made it possible to demonstrate
self-amplified, spontaneous emission (SASE) at 530 nanometers, a world record for shortest SASE
wavelength.
Mark Bragen of Decision and
Information Sciences. Bragen was honored for his contributions to enhancing and supporting the Port
Simulation Model (PORTSIM) for the Military Traffic Management Command of the Transportation
Engineering Agency. The model simulates the throughput processes of sea ports and their impact on
the U.S. highway and transportation systems.
Jerome Ballentine, Tom Beilfus, Bob
Bertrand, Lawrence Donley, Raymond Kucera, Don Piatak and Vern Stipp of the Intense Pulsed Neutron
Source. These senior technicians and engineers repaired and commissioned the IPNS pre-accelerator
high-voltage column without any rescheduling or lost time for facility users.
Ronette Stec from the Office of the
Chief Financial Officer. She negotiated a site-wide computer hardware and software maintenance
agreement between the laboratory, the University of Chicago, and Sun Microsystems. Because of the
agreement, the laboratory saved almost $300,000 in costs and obtained almost $200,000 worth of
software at no cost in fiscal year 2000.
John Kotek of Nuclear Technology.
Kotek's leadership in establishing the U.S. Generation IV Roadmapping Program involved identifying
the technologies for next generation nuclear energy systems and the technical development needed to
realize their benefits.
Undergraduate and graduate students who participated in the 2002 Global Change Education Program (GCEP) recently met at Argonne-East for an end-of-summer workshop.
The seminar gave students a chance to learn about environmental research opportunities and to share their summer research projects with their peers. Students spent 10 weeks conducting research on a wide range of global environmental issues, such as air pollution, carbon cycles, impacts of fire on ecosystems and soil chemistry.
"Every year, I am more impressed with the undergraduates," said Jeff Gaffney (ER), GCEP chief scientist.
Established in 1999 by the U.S. Department of Energy, GCEP gives students an opportunity to conduct research at national laboratories and universities. Each student is paired with a mentor who is involved in government research.
"GCEP encourages U.S. citizens to pursue graduate education and careers in global change," Gaffney said.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) and the Graduate Research Environmental Fellowship (GREF) are two components of the program.
"This program introduced me to different areas of global change and helped me network with scientists," said Erin Hokanson, a SURE participant who studied at Argonne. "Getting everyone to work together was fun."
-- Jodi Genshaft
Human Resources has scheduled briefings on the performance appraisal process for all employees and supervisors at Argonne-East, and added a performance management class.
The Performance Appraisal process and form will be explained in a free, one-hour session, "Performance Appraisal Briefings" (HR272). The briefing is designed for all employees and for supervisors who have previously attended HR561 but need to understand how the 2002 process has changed. There will be four sessions:
Thursday, Oct. 3, at 9 a.m. in
Building 203 Auditorium
Friday, Oct. 4, at 9 a.m. in Building
212, Room A157
Friday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. in Building
362 Auditorium
Thursday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m. in 402
Auditorium.
Class added
Another class on "Performance Management" (HR561) has been added to the schedule. It will be held Wednesday, Oct. 9, in Building 402, Room E1100. The course provides Argonne supervisors with essential communication tools to more effectively manage, document and influence the performance of employees. The new appraisal form will be discussed, but the focus will be on the implementation of the performance management process.
Supervisors will learn to develop employee performance objectives that are specific, consistent, timely and attainable, document performance, write performance appraisals based on specific, observable behaviors and conduct effective performance reviews. The cost is $25
To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative. Call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 for more information or for complete description of courses visit the HR-PD web-site.
October is here, bringing cooler weather, colorful tree tops and the annual giving campaign to Argonne-East employees.
The slogan for the 2002 Argonne Combined Appeal is "A day's pay goes a long way." The steering committee chose the slogan to encourage each employee to donate at least one day's pay to one or more of the 20 health and welfare agencies in the program.
Last year's campaign raised $419,975, a 16 percent increase from the previous year.
Employees should receive a package through interoffice mail at the beginning of October. The ACA form and envelope should be signed and returned to the division coordinator as soon as possible, even if the employee is not going to contribute. Every Friday, the coordinator will turn in the envelopes collected for the week to be entered into a drawing.
The first week, four envelopes will be drawn. The four winners will receive $25 each and their coordinators will receive $10 each. The next three weeks will follow the same guidelines, but the second week there will only be three winners, the third week two winners, and the fourth week one winner will be drawn.
To find out more information about the campaign and how to donate, visit the ACA Web site.
The Shostakovich String Quartet will perform at Argonne-East Saturday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. in the Advanced Photon Source Conference Center Auditorium.
The quartet's repertoire embraces the standard works by European composers -- including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms -- as well as works for the string quartet by the Russian composers Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Glazunov and Gretchaninov.
Tickets are $20 each. For more information, call ext. 2-3751 or see the Arts at Argonne Web site.
Arts at Argonne will host four more concerts in its 2002-2003 season:
Nov. 16 -- Sierra Winds with Mykola
Suk, piano
Feb. 2, 2003 -- Jacques Thibaud String
Trio with Eugenia Zukerman, flute
March 15, 2003 -- Trio Fontenay;
piano, violin, cello
April 5, 2003 -- Camerata Sweden,
chamber orchestra
Congress has mandated an interim electronic system to monitor aliens seeking to enter the United States under the F, M or J nonimmigrant visa categories. As a result, the Department of State has announced the immediate implementation of the Interim Student and Exchange Authentication System. This system allows for electronic monitoring of foreign students and exchange visitors.
As an Exchange Visitor Visa Program sponsor, Argonne is affected by this most recent ruling. Prior to J visa issuance, exchange sponsors must notify overseas consular officers that a visa applicant has been accepted to an exchange visitor program. This notification includes specific background data that must be provided for the foreign national entering the United States, as well as, for any dependent who will accompany or join the visa holder in the United States.
This electronic notification is in addition to the hard copy documentation that foreign nationals must personally bring to the overseas consulates.
This additional effort will probably result in more delays and possible postponement of some appointments. To help alleviate the delays, division and department offices should continue to provide as much advance notice as possible when planning to hire a foreign national from abroad.
Also, notifications and background data must be resubmitted each time an employee or the employee's dependents travel abroad and wish to re-enter the United States. Remind foreign personnel that before finalizing trips abroad, they should contact the laboratory's visa administrator, Nancy Griparis (HR) at ngriparis@anl.gov.
A new daily e-mail bulletin will begin publication Monday, Oct. 7. "Argonne Today" will list each day's events, activities and seminars at Argonne-East -- including those that arrive too late to be included in Argonne News.
Argonne Today will be sent to all Argonne-East employees each weekday morning.
To submit news items for Argonne Today -- and Argonne News -- contact Employee Publications Editor Dave Jacqué at info@ anl.gov, or send a fax to ext. 2-5274.
Argonne-East's Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) is selling Entertainment 2003 Coupon Books for $25.
Proceeds benefit the high school scholarship program offered by IAAP.
Books for the east, west and north regions of the Chicago area are available. Contact Pat Frankovich (EQO) at ext. 2-5700 or frankovich@anl.gov.
Information and images are now available on Argonne's Intranet to support laboratory employees who are called on to speak about Argonne and its work.
PowerPoint slide sets, a downloadable reference document and links to references are online. The document and links include current profiles of both Argonne-East and Argonne-West plus current data and historical information. The slides are on Argonne's slide template (also available at the site) and include background information or speaking notes as well as the slide image.
The initial slide sets, which users can modify to meet the needs of their audiences, provide overviews of Argonne and its history. Additional material will be added as it is developed. For more information about the materials, or to suggest additions, contact Richard Greb (OPA) at ext. 2-5565.
"Driving the Standards Based Enterprise" will be the topic of the next First Friday Forum meeting.
The speaker will be Mary McDowell, senior vice president and general manager for industry standard servers at Hewlett Packard. She was named one of the Top 20 Women in Technology in Houston in 2000.
The meeting will be held Friday, Oct. 4, at noon in Argonne-East's Building 401, Room B2100.
Human Resources has scheduled a variety of classes in October at Argonne-East. For complete descriptions, visit the HR Web site or call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410 for more information. To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative.
"Certified Professional Secretary
Review: Management" (HR261) -- Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 8 - Nov. 7, 11:30-1 p.m., Building 201,
Room 238.
"Russian Language" (HR164) -- Tuesday,
Oct. 15, in Building 208, Room A262. Intermediate and advanced instruction begins at 10 a.m.
Beginning classes start at 11 a.m.
"Brown Bag Lunch: Your Attitude is
Showing" (HR228) -- Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Building 201, Room 238.
"The Supervisory Role in Managing
Employee Issues" (HR643) -- Thursday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Building 402, Room
E1100.
"Health Fair 2002" will be held at Argonne-East, Tuesday, Oct. 1, which will give employees a chance to interact with representatives from the laboratory's health care vendors and companies who provide health care services.
The Health Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Building 213 Cafeteria.
Cardiovascular and diabetes screenings (for a nominal fee) will be offered as well as free eye exams, blood pressure readings, health risk assessments, body fat measurements, information on exercise programs, consultations with Medical Department physicians and psychologist, a Weight Watchers representative, and more.
The Argonne 8-Ball Pool League is seeking pool players for the 2002-2003 season, which continues through late April.
League matches are held Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. at Q Billiards, on Cass Avenue about one mile north of Argonne's North Gate. This is a handicap-based league. Male and female players of all skill levels, including beginners, are encouraged to join. Family members and friends of Argonne employees are also welcome.
Fully formed teams with some experienced players (usually six to eight members) can participate; individual players will be placed on existing teams. Individual players can enroll through Oct. 15.
For more information call Ron Shepard (CHM) at ext. 2-3584, Vic Maroni (CMT) at ext. 2-4547 or Bob Finch (CMT) at ext. 2-9829.