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by Donna Jones Pelkie
In today's challenging world of new and complex threats, emergency responders at all levels need to find ways to effectively create and coordinate response plans. Researchers at Argonne have developed a powerful new tool to help those on the front lines plan for and carry out their duties in the event of a large scale emergency.
The Emergency Response Synchronization Matrix (ERSM) is a software tool that helps emergency managers develop crisis plans that coordinate actions across jurisdictions over an extended period of time. Designed by researchers in the Decision and Information Sciences Division, the ERSM process also includes custom-designed analytical tools to aid in data collection, analysis, reports and displays.
"Today, more and more emergency response is regional instead of just local," said Paul Hewett (DIS), one of the ERSM developers. Responders from one area are not necessarily familiar with the emergency plans of other agencies, yet they must work together to effectively handle a crisis.
For example, if County A evacuates to County B, what needs to be done before evacuees can be accommodated? How many shelters need to be created? How long will it take to set them up? What types of traffic control are needed on the evacuation route? The ERSM helps planners and responders think through these types of problems.
Running on a PC, the ERSM provides a graphic display of the relationships among all of the response activities of each jurisdiction. This is accomplished through software that organizes and displays the activities by jurisdiction, function and time for easy review and analysis. This helps outside responders assimilate into a community's response efforts because it enables them to quickly assess where they fit into the ongoing operation and to understand the progression of the response.
Another important facet of the ERSM process is that it allows emergency managers to consider "what if" scenarios before and during a response -- an important capability for decision making. "What responders do in the first hour of an emergency is going to affect what happens in eight hours," said Hewett.
Besides emergency planning and response, the ERSM can be used to develop and run emergency exercises. This portion of the program includes a design tool to structure a robust, simulated event allowing for realistic participant response; a control tool to ensure that implementing messages are injected at the appropriate time based on player actions and not an artificially determined time; and a tool to assist exercise evaluators in analyzing activities in relationship to participants' emergency plans and procedures.
The ERSM grew out of work Argonne researchers conducted for the U.S. Army's and Federal Emergency Management Agency's Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program. It has been implemented at five army installations and more than 25 counties throughout the United States. "We're able to give back to the community a very valuable tool," said Jacques Mitrani (DIS), one of the software's developers.
Science issues raised in the past by the Department of Energy's review committee for the Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) have been resolved, and the project is on track for construction to begin this year.
"Science questions won't figure in any future reviews," said Beverly Hartline, acting director of the CNM, following a recent review in Washington. "It's all resolved.
"The review validated the importance, quality and appropriateness of CNM science, the nanoprobe, and instrument suite; endorsed our outreach plans and user program; and was highly complimentary of the management team and its approach," Hartline said.
The approach, which brings in funding from the State of Illinois for construction of the building and from DOE for instrumentation, is unique among the centers moving forward at five DOE laboratories (including Argonne).
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich confirmed the state's support for nanotechnology in his State of the State address, and the $17 million scheduled to be appropriated for CNM this year remained in the budget he presented early this month.
Sam Bader, CNM scientific director, said it looks like construction could begin at Argonne before other centers that have been moving forward longer. He said groundbreaking is currently expected for autumn, possibly as early as October.
The center, which will cost more than $70 million to build and equip, and will have an ongoing operating budget estimated at $18 million a year, will be built adjacent to the Advanced Photon Source.
The center will include a broad range of advanced facilities for fabricating nanomaterials and for measuring structural, physical and chemical properties on the nanoscale. A goal is to determine the behavior of nanostructures as they are formed or processed. The CNM builds on the unique brilliance of Argonne's APS and on Argonne's strengths in materials science, chemistry, physics, biology and engineering.
The preliminary plan incorporates tools for making and studying materials on the micro- and nanoscales. These include X-rays, electron microscopy, micro- and nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS), micro- and nanofabrication, high-throughput methods and computation.
William G. Ruzicka has been appointed Director of the Advanced Photon Source Operations Division (AOD).
Ruzicka has served for 11 years as operations manager for the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS). He fills the position vacated by the unexpected death of Antanas V. Rauchas in November 2002.
AOD's staff of about 110 employees operates the Advanced Photon Source (APS) and provides direction, guidance, coordination and assistance to the facility's users. The division is also responsible for the safety of users, visitors and other personnel.
"Bill has more than 30 years of professional engineering and facility operation experience," said Murray Gibson, associate laboratory director for the Advanced Photon Source. "He brings extensive expertise in operation of accelerator-based user facilities from the IPNS. His time at IPNS engendered an excellent perspective on national user facilities operations and operations management. We were all particularly impressed by Bill's open and effective leadership style, his decisiveness and his'customer orientation' towards users."
AOD Interim Director Roger Klaffky will return to his position as associate division director.
Earth Day Forum activities at Argonne-East will include exhibits, giveaways and information about Argonne's pollution prevention and waste minimization programs.
The laboratory's 7th Annual Earth Day Forum will be held at Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria Thursday, April 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Exhibits will provide information on:
Environmentally preferable products
available for use at Argonne
The Battery Recycling Pilot
Program
The Land Management and Habitat
Restoration Committee, which overseees native and natural landscaping techniques and strategies at
Argonne-East
Groen Waste Services, the laboratory's
sanitary waste and recycling vendor.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve District will be on hand to promote its "Parent-A-Tree" program. For $5, employees can purchase two oak or serviceberry seedlings for planting at home. One remains in the yard; the other is returned to a forest preserve after four years. The program's goal is to replenish the oak population in DuPage County preserves.
For more information, call ext. 2-6778. The forum is sponsored by Argonne's Pollution Prevention Program and Pollution Prevention Advisory Committee.
David K. Garman, the U.S. Department of Energy's assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, toured Argonne's facilities in the Energy and Environmental Science and Technology area March 21.
The major focus on the tour was the laboratory's role in developing hydrogen as a FreedomFuel, the FreedomCar facilities, biomass opportunities and the laboratory's extensive recycling facilities. Garman learned about the laboratory's commitment to support the president's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative and Argonne's extensive collaboration with private industry.
Garman toured the Advanced Powertrain Research Facility, fuel cell test facilities, the Electromotive Diesel Engine facility, the Industrial Process Recycle Facilities, the Reformer Laboratory, and the battery test facilities. Garman received the Argonne "Virtual Vehicle Driving License" after completing the four-wheel-drive dynometer course, driving a simulated fuel cell vehicle.
An Argonne team is being put together to compete in the first annual Literacy Volunteers of DuPage Trivia Bee at National-Louis University, Wheaton, Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m.
The teams will be tested on their knowledge in categories such as people and places, arts and entertainment, history and science and technology.
Registration deadline is Friday, April 25. For more information, contact Pat Canaday (OPA) at ext. 2-5562.
Service Award dinner portraits are now on display in the Building 213 Cafeteria Lobby, and are available for purchase from the Information and Publishing Division.
The first 4X6-inch color print is free. Additional prints in 4X6-inch format are $10. 5X7s are $12 and 8X10s are $15.
Proof sheets from the Service Awards Dinner will be posted through Thursday, May 1, along with order forms. Completed order forms can be left in the drop box or mailed to Debra Ritchie (IPD), Building 222.
For more information, call ext. 2-7451 or ext. 2-3771.
Argonne Park will reopen Thursday, May 1. Park hours will be from 8 a.m. to dusk.
The park can be reserved for picnics, volleyball or softball by all employees and retires. Playground equipment and bathrooms are available.
For reservations, call ext. 2-2582.
The winners of this year's Argonne Rube Goldberg Machine contest, a team of students from Morgan Park Academy, Chicago, will demonstrate their contraption at Argonne-East Friday, April 25, in the Building 213 Cafeteria during lunchtime.
At 12:15 p.m., the team will be presented with a traveling trophy to display until the 2004 contest. Demonstrations will begin at 12:20 p.m. The team will be given a tour of the site, and will have lunch with Argonne scientists.
The machine built by the seven-member team defeated nine other Chicago-area high schools by building a complex machine to select and crush an empty 12-oz. aluminum soft drink can and move it into a recycling bin. The machine had to complete its task in 20 or more steps. The contest was held at Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier March 7.
Rube Goldberg machine contests are inspired by Reuben Lucius Goldberg, whose cartoons combined simple household items into complex devices to perform trivial tasks. The machines combine the principles of physics and engineering, using common objects such as marbles, mousetraps, stuffed animals, electric mixers, vacuum cleaners, rubber tubes, bicycle parts and anything else that happens to be on hand.
Argonne's Division of Educational Programs and Office of Public Affairs sponsor the March event in collaboration with Chicago Children's Museum, and the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, held annually at Purdue University. The event is licensed by Rube Goldberg, Inc.
A brush fire in Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve resulted in an ominous-looking cloud of smoke over the southern reaches of the Argonne-East site April 14. The fire did note spread to the laboratory site.
Rita M. Beaver (EQO) retired March 28 with 45 years of service.
Sarah L. Ettinger (OCF) retired March 17 with 23 years of service.
Bruce Massow (PFS) retired March 7 with 11 years of service.
George Ostrowski (IPNS) retired March 21 with 39 years of service.
Philip A. Pizzica (RAE) retired March 31 with 33 years of service.
Ronald A. Scharping (ERD) retired March 31 with 39 years of service.
To enroll, contact a Training Management System Representative. For more information, call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 or for complete course descriptions visit the HR Web site.
"Fitness for Duty" (HR226) --
Wednesday, May 28. 1-5 p.m. in Building 212, Conference Room A157. Register by Monday, April
28.
"Conflict and Communication Skills in
the Workplace" (HR 269) -- Thursday, May 29. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Building 201, Conference Room
190. Register by Monday, April 28.
"Effective Business Writing" (HR 283)
-- Wednesday, June 4, 1-5 p.m., in Building 212, Conference Room A157. Register by Monday, May
5.
Argonne-East will celebrate the contributions of its administrative professionals Wednesday, April 23, in the Building 213 Cafeteria.
Speaker Mary Kay Slowikowski will discuss "Productivity Improvement -- How to Get More Accomplished with Less Energy and Stress."
A free buffet breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. and the program will start at 8:45 a.m. All secretaries and clerical employees are invited to attend.