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Argonne's newest supercomputer, a Linux cluster capable of performing more than one trillion calculations per second (1 teraFLOP), will soon be available for use by the laboratory's entire research community.
The Linux NetworX Evolocity II (E2), called "Jazz," is designed to provide optimum performance for multiple disciplines such as chemistry, physics and reactor engineering. The computer ranks among the fastest in the world, and is the first supercomputer to provide sustained teraFLOP speed to Argonne.
"The Jazz cluster designed and built by Linux NetworX is both highly reliable and extremely configurable, which is essential since every division at Argonne will be using this system," said Rémy Evard (MCS), director of the Laboratory Computing Resource Center.
"We selected Linux NetworX because they offered the ideal hardware configuration, unparalleled expertise in Linux clusters and the respect of our industry peers."
"This new computer will enable the rapid development of computational science at the laboratory," said Argonne Director Hermann Grunder. "The flexibility and power of Jazz will open up new opportunities for discovery in many fields."
The Linux NetworX cluster will be part of the Laboratory Computing Resource Center at Argonne and is designed for multiple application domains including genomic sequencing analysis, turbulence modeling, molecular electronic structure and climate simulation.
To facilitate multiple uses, the cluster has two separate disk arrays, offering 10 terabytes of disk space for parallel input and output and another 10 terabytes of disk space for programs and permanent data. Each node uses the Linux NetworX E2 node design, LinuxBIOS and ICE™ cluster management tools.
"The production cluster built for Argonne demonstrates the performance and flexibility of Linux NetworX clusters," said Stephen Hill, president of Linux NetworX. "This is another teraFLOP system for Linux NetworX, showing our commitment to leading Linux clusters into the next era of supercomputing."
Medical imaging expert Peter Dawson will speak on "21st Century Medical Imaging: Form and Function" at a Director's Special Colloquium Thursday, Dec. 5.
Dawson's talk will begin at 3 p.m. in Argonne-Illinois' Building 402 Conference Center Auditorium. He will present a general survey of medical imaging, with an emphasis on computed tomography (CT) and its applications to functional, physiological and anatomical imaging. CT is a diagnostic procedure that uses X-ray equipment to obtain cross-sectional pictures of areas inside the body. A computer then assembles these pictures into detailed images of organs, bones and other tissues.
Dawson is professor of medical imaging at the University of London and consultant radiologist at the University College Hospitals, London. He has written 250 papers and books on aspects of medical imaging. His special interests are cross-sectional imaging, contrast-enhancing agent chemistry, physiological imaging and pharmacology and pharmacokinetics.
Dawson is a past president of the British Institute of Radiology and a current council member of the Royal College of Radiologists.
He has been visiting professor at many institutions worldwide, serves on several editorial boards and in a variety of capacities in numerous scientific and professional societies.
He is a winner of both the British Institute of Radiology Barclay Prize and Medal.
Three Argonne-led research projects recently received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI). Argonne is also a collaborating organization for three other projects that received funding.
Of the nearly 200 proposals submitted, 24 were funded.
NERI was developed to address and overcome the technical and scientific issues affecting the future use of nuclear energy in the United States, to help preserve the nuclear science and engineering infrastructure, and to keep the state of nuclear energy technology competitive worldwide.
"Argonne will continue to drive the advances in sustainability, safety, reliability, and economics that will move nuclear fission beyond the first generation of commercial plants," said John Sackett, associate laboratory director for engineering research. "The selection of these NERI projects is clear indication of the talent Argonne continues to deploy toward achieving major advances in nuclear energy performance."
Argonne-West's Todd Allen (NT) is the principal investigator for the project "Design of Radiation-Tolerant Structural Alloys for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems." The project will develop technologies that make reactor structural materials more resistant to radiation. The team, which includes Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Michigan, was awarded nearly $650,000.
The second project, led by Dave Bartels (CHM), is called "Neutron and Beta/Gamma Radiolysis of Supercritical Water." The researchers will model the radiation chemistry of cooling loops in existing commercial nuclear reactors and in higher-temperature, more efficient water-cooled reactors proposed for the future. This should allow engineers to select the best chemical conditions to minimize corrosion and insure long life and effective heat transport. Argonne is working with the University of Wisconsin on the project, which will receive $450,000 a year for three years.
The final Argonne-led project is called "Coupling of High Temperature Lead-Cooled Closed Fuel Cycle Fast Reactors to Advanced Energy Converters." The project's principal investigator is James Sienicki (RAE).
The project will develop modular nuclear plant designs, using two key concepts. The first is an innovative core design that provides a sustainable fuel cycle, proliferation resistance, safety, cost savings and simplification. The second is a system that converts reactor power into electricity using a gas turbine that provides higher efficiencies and lower costs than standard steam systems. Argonne's collaborators are Oregon State University and Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe in Germany. They were awarded $450,000 for the first of three years.
Argonne researchers collaborate on three other projects awarded NERI funding.
Led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Argonne is collaborating on "Engineering and Physics Optimization of Breed and Burn Fast Reactor Systems."
Researchers at Argonne are also collaborating with the University of Florida on the "Advanced Extraction Methods for Actinide/Lanthanide Separations," and Oak Ridge National Laboratory on "Improving the Integrity of Coated Fuel Particles: Measurement of Constituent Properties of SiC and ZrC, Effects of Irradiation, and Modeling."
For more information, visit the NERI Web site (See "On the Web," below).
— Katie Williams
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered that using bacteria to remediate uranium-contaminated groundwater may not be as simple as originally thought. Their work was reported in a recent issue of Nature.
Actinide contamination of soils, sediments and water is a problem around the globe, especially at many Department of Energy sites. One approach is to convert the radionuclides to an insoluble form. This can be done through bioreduction — using bacteria to chemically reduce the contaminants, drastically hindering their further migration through the soil.
Researchers from Argonne's Environmental Research Division and the University of Wisconsin-Madison studied uranium-contaminated sediments and water from the Midnite Mine in Washington state. Researchers stimulated the growth of natural bacteria in the water and after one month found the concentration of uranium had been reduced by almost 99 percent.
Using the powerful X-rays of Argonne's Advanced Photon Source to study the materials, researchers found that bioreduction had converted the uranium to highly insoluble uraninite mineral particles only one to three nanometers across.
"In some instances, particles this small can still be transported through water and porous sediments," said Argonne researcher Ken Kemner. "Our results indicate that precipitation of uranium as uraninite cannot be presumed to immobilize the uranium. We intend to perform further studies to investigate the extent and impact of the movement of uraninite nanoparticles through a variety of porous media."
"Without the high brilliance X-ray beams provided by the APS, we never would have been able to study these small particles," Kemner added.
The group's work was funded by the Department of Energy's Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation program and Argonne's Laboratory Directed Research and Development program.
— Donna Jones Pelkie
Employees will receive their 2002 W-2 and Earnings Summary by mail to their home addresses in January 2003. To prepare for the distribution of the W-2's, each employee should verify the accuracy of the information that currently appears on his or her check stub, including name, address and Social Security number.
Send corrections to the Payroll Department as soon as possible, but no later than Wednesday, Dec. 11, to avoid W-2 errors and delivery delay. Division Human Resources representatives should also be notified of address changes. HR representatives' names and telephone numbers are listed on page 6-9 of the Argonne telephone directory.
The Payroll Department has recently notified affected employees about name and Social Security number discrepancies that exist between the Social Security Administration and laboratory records. These discrepancies should be resolved with the Payroll Department or Social Security Administration by Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Review W-4s, too
It's also time for employees to review their W-4 status and file a new W-4, if necessary, to avoid penalties on their 2002 personal tax return for not having enough income tax deducted from their pay checks.
Penalties apply when taxpayer withholding and estimated tax payments total less than 90 percent of the year's tax liability. Tax status changes may be needed for those who have been married, divorced, had the birth or adoption of a child, purchased or sold a home, took a second job and for other reasons. Immediate action is needed to affect 2002 taxes.
To encourage the development of young researchers with promising careers, the laboratory has begun a program of named postdoctoral fellowships.
Candidates for these fellowships must display superb ability in scientific or engineering research and must show definite promise of becoming outstanding leaders in their fields of research.
Fellowships will be awarded for a two-year term, with a possible renewal for a third year, and carry a stipend of $70,000 per year with an additional allocation of up to $20,000 per year for research support and travel. Fellows will be competitively selected by a special committee. The laboratory intends to award four fellowships in 2003.
The fellowships are named after scientific and technical luminaries who have been associated with Argonne, its predecessors and the University of Chicago since the 1940s. These include George W. Beadle (biologist); Arthur Holly Compton (high energy physicist); Ugo Fano (atomic physicist); Nicholas Metropolis (computational physicist); Willard Frank Libby (nuclear chemist); Glenn Seaborg (chemist); Harold Urey (nuclear chemist); Eugene Wigner (theoretical physicist) and Walter H. Zinn (nuclear reactor physicist). These fellowships complement the existing Enrico Fermi and Maria Goeppert Mayer fellowships at Argonne.
"The program was developed to attract the best recent Ph.D. recipients to work at Argonne," said Beverly Hartline, deputy laboratory director. "Their ideas and efforts will contribute to research here, while their experience here will help launch them on to great scientific or engineering careers."
"Excellent young scientists constitute the lifeblood of any vital research enterprise and form the foundation upon which a successful research institution builds it future," said Robert Rosner, Argonne's chief scientist. "And, of course they're just great fun to have around! This fellowship program can help us significantly in bringing such people to Argonne."
How to Apply
One application will enable applicants to be considered for all fellowships. The first fellowships may start as early as March 2003. To apply, a letter of nomination is required for each candidate. Candidates also must supply the following materials to Argonne's Office of the Director by Tuesday, Dec. 31:
Curriculum vitae
Bibliography of publications and preprints
Description of research interests to be pursued at the
laboratory. Applicants are encouraged to contact Argonne staff in their areas
of interest to explore possible areas of research.
The names of two scientists, other than the original
nominator, whom the candidate has asked to supply letters of
recommendation.
It is a candidate's responsibility to arrange for the two letters of recommendation to be sent to the laboratory before Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Laboratory management expects the selection process to be complete by early February 2003.
All correspondence should be sent to: Argonne National Laboratory Fellowship Program, Office of the Director, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439. The fax number is (630) 252-7923, and the e-mail address is: Fellowship-Program@anl.gov.
Argonne-East employees, including DOE, are invited to fill out a survey questionnaire to register their opinions on the programs and services offered at the Argonne Child Development Center.
The survey will determine if the site's child care needs have changed in the 10 years the center has been managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Copies of the survey will be available in the cafeteria. Employees may also complete the survey online.
The survey will help the laboratory understand how the center affects the DOE and Argonne workforce, what programs or services the center could offer to better meet employees' needs, and how the center can help maintain Argonne and DOE as employers of choice, said PFS Director Gwendolyn Morrison.
"It is important that all employees, whether or not they have children, complete the survey so we can accurately evaluate the center's impact on the total site population," Morrison said. "Not only is each employee's response important to us, but the validity of the survey will increase as more employees complete this survey. You can assist us by urging your co-workers to complete the questionnaire."
Bright Horizons Family Solutions will analyze the survey results. The survey will be strictly confidential.
Employees should complete the survey and return it by intra office mail no later than Wednesday, Dec. 11, to Jack Logue, PFS, Building 214. Employees with internet access may complete the survey online (See "On the Web,"page 2).
For more information, contact Jenny Sproull, Bright Horizons research analyst, at (630) 724-8301 or Jack Logue (PFS) at ext. 2-6190.
The Argonne-East chapter of International Association of Administration Professionals (IAAP) will sell "Entertainment 2003" coupon books.
Books cost $25. Proceeds benefit the high school scholarship program sponsored by IAAP. For more information, or to purchase a book, contact Pat Frankovich at ext. 2-5700 or frankovich@anl.gov.
Santa Claus will visit Argonne-East Saturday, Dec. 7, for Argonne Club's annual "Breakfast with Santa" holiday party.
Tickets are $2 per child and go on sale on Monday, Nov. 25 - Wednesday, Nov. 27 and Monday, Dec. 2, in the Building 213 Cafeteria from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tickets are good for one of three sessions for visiting with Santa: from 9-11 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1-3 p.m.
There is a limited number of tickets available. For more information, contact Loretta Phillips at ext. 2-6934 or lmphillips@anl.gov.
Argonne's retirement vendors will send representatives to Argonne-East to meet individually with employees to answer their questions about retirement plans and assets.
Appointments last a half-hour.
Fidelity — Tuesday, Dec. 3, and Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Call (800) 642-7131.
TIAA-CREF — Monday, Dec. 9, and Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Call (800) 842-2005.
ment, call the number listed.
Prudential will not offer appointments in
December.
The Argonne Guest House Restaurant will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28, Friday, Nov. 29, Saturday, Nov. 30 and Sunday, Dec. 1.
Grill will be open
The 401 Grill will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28. It will be open Friday, Nov. 29, Saturday, Nov. 30 and Sunday, Dec. 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
HMO Illinois (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois) has reached a new two-year contract agreement with hospitals and physicians of Advocate Health Care. Since a new contract will be in place by Jan. 1, 2003, there will not be a special open enrollment period in December.
Advocate hospitals include Bethany, Christ, Good Shepherd, Good Samaritan, Hope Children's, Illinois Masonic, Lutheran General, Lutheran General Children's, South Suburban and Trinity.
For more information, call ext. 2-2989 or ext. 2-2991.