Some of this week's stories

Seven employees to receive
university's highest honor

The Distinguished Performance Award is the highest honor the university awards to an Argonne employee. It recognizes achievements or leadership by staff engaged in scientific and technical activities. Awardees will receive a certificate, a medal and a check for $3,000 at a ceremony on Thursday, July 25, at 3 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 213 cafeteria.

This year's recipients are:

* David S. Ayres (HEP), who was nominated for his longtime leadership of the physics program in the underground laboratory in the Tower-Soudan mine in Soudan, Minn. Since 1980, Ayres has been project manager for the program to build a 1,000-ton detector, called Soudan 2, to perform a variety of experiments that require a large detector shielded from cosmic radiation. He has played many key roles that made the detector and its accomplishments possible, including assembling a United States/United Kingdom collaboration, managing the project to design and build the detector, and organizing operation of the detector.

* Uthamalingam (Balu) Balachandran, for his consistent work in the ceramics section of the Advanced Photon Source accelerators. As a group, they influenced every accelerator component and subsystem in the entire facility and at all levels of detail -- the choice of materials, component test criteria, design goals for subsystems, quality control during manufacture, final system tests and the first operation of the accelerators.

Fuel Conditioning Facility
begins `hot' operations

The way was cleared when a U.S. District Court in San Francisco denied anti-nuclear groups a restraining order that would have delayed operations.

"This is a triumph for the laboratory, and a signal victory for (deputy associate laboratory director for Argonne-West) John Sackett and the others who persevered through the long regulatory process and the legal battles that followed," said Argonne Director Alan Schriesheim.

The FCF startup marks the beginning of a three-year demonstration of Argonne's electrorefining technology. The demonstration will prepare 125 fuel spent assemblies from Experimental Breeder Reactor Two for environmentally safe disposal. If successfully demonstrated, electrorefining could save taxpayers billions of dollars in disposing of DOE spent nuclear fuel.

DOE has some 3,000 tons and 150 different types of spent nuclear fuel at various sites around the nation. Some of it is seriously degraded, highly enriched with fissionable or chemically reactive materials, and lacks the chemical integrity to remain stable during long-term storage.

Laboratory's efforts highlighted
at DOE review of women's programs

However, almost all participants agreed that there was still much to be done to achieve equity, Reck said.

Several Argonne employees joined more than 100 representatives of 20 DOE fdacilities for the Fifth DOE Review of Laboratory Programs for Women at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Oral presentations and poster displays from DOE facilities and contractors highlighted successful programs, and focus groups considered recommendations for bringing similar programs to other sites.

Argonne's WIST program was one successful effort discussed at the conference. Bakul Banerjee (XFD) presented information on the program, in which women scientists meet regularly to discuss issues of importance to the laboratory. Other Argonne programs discussed were the Second Technical Women's Symposium, the 10th Careers Day for Women and the Argonne Child Care Center.

Other DOE facilities have begun mentoring programs for junior staff, established day-care centers on site, and created a mother-daughter science club.

Martha Krebs, director of DOE's Energy Research Division, gave the keynote address and emphasized the role of DOE in continuing to build on the basic sciences and the need for an informed public.

Along with Banerjee and Reck, Argonne was represented at the conference by Teresa Rodriguez (DPO), Linda Hansen (ANL-W) and Christopher Reilly (ER).

Argonne Credit Union
introduces Web page

The site contains general information about the credit union including current dividend and loan rates, the latest issue of the credit union's newsletter, CUbits, United Buying Service car reports and other services. Members can also help keep the credit union's files current by noting changes of address or other information on the web page's interactive form.

The credit union's web site is at http://www.argonnecu.org/.

More interactive features, perhaps including loan applications, may be added in the future.

CIGNA's supplemental
insurance rates to rise

The new premium rates shown below are monthly rates for $1,000 of coverage. For more information, call ext. 2-2991 (Argonne-East) or ext. 3-7227 (Argonne-West).

Coverage at one times annual earnings (includes accidental death and dismemberment coverage)

Age	Current rate	New Rate
Under 30	$ 0.08	$ 0.09
30-34	0.10	0.11
35-39	0.11	0.12
40-44	0.16	0.18
45-49	0.28	0.32
50-54	0.44	0.50
55-59	0.62	0.71
60-64	0.91	1.04
65-69	1.31	1.50
70-74	2.67	3.06
75-79	4.08	4.69

Coverage at two to five times annual earnings (no accidental death and dismemberment coverage)

Age	Current rate	New Rate
Under 30	$ 0.04	$ 0.05
30-34	0.06	0.07
35-39	0.07	0.08
40-44	0.12	0.14
45-49	0.24	0.28
50-54	0.40	0.46
55-59	0.58	0.67
60-64	0.87	1.00
65-69	1.27	1.46
70-74	2.63	3.02
75-79	4.04	4.65

Volunteers sought
for employee picnic

Volunteers must be more than 16 years old and will work three-hour shifts assisting with games, selling tickets, greeting picnickers and helping on the hayride.

Gates will open at 10 a.m. Events will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the picnic ends at 3 p.m.

All volunteers will receive a free T-shirt. Interested volunteers should call Fred Onesto (APO) at ext. 2-5260 or Kandi Smith (APO) at ext. 2-1680.

Running club seeks teams
for Chicago Distance Classic

The 20th Anniversary of the Chicago Distance Classic is sponsored by the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago (ALAMC), and features runs of five- and 20-kilometers and a five-mile walk.

Last year, Argonne placed 2nd out of 25 teams in the 5K, and 6th out of 26 in the 20K.

Team participants must be Argonne or U.S Department of Energy employees, including summer faculty and students. Students who run for the Argonne-DOE team will receive a free one-year membership to the Argonne Running Club.

Entry forms must be received by July 19. For entry forms or more information, call Aziz Uras (RE) at ext. 2-5847.

Late addition

Hewlett-Packard
plans demonstrations

Presentations and demonstrations will be held in Building 221, Conference Room A-216. Contact V. Worrell at ext. 2-7586 for more information.

The agenda includes:

June 18

*9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: "Computing Trends in the Industry," with information on a Hewlett-Packard-Intel Alliance and future directions for Unix.

* 10:30 a.m.- noon: Demonstrations of Windows NT server, video conferencing tools and the PA-8000 processor (HP's new 64-bit processor).

June 19

* 9 a.m.-4 p.m.: Demonstrations of Windows NT server, video conferencing tools and the PA-8000 processor.

Prudential's automated system
gives retirement account info

This system allows employees to review recent account activity, investment return information, loan modeling, retirement modeling and balances broken down by investment and contribution type. It also lets callers order account statements or prospectuses.

Those calling for information will need to know their plan numbers, which can be found on retirement account statements. The system is available 24 hours, including holidays and weekends.

Broadcast to cover
new technologies
in communication

The program covers new techologies like wireless, ATM, national ISDN, frame relay and residential broadband, and how these fast-changing technologies are changing communications. The program will also cover the implications of deregulation and merger activity, including the Telecom Act of 1996, and the role of the Internet.

The program is open to all interested employees.

Windows NT
demos planned

* Windows NT tutorial: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. June 27.

* Windows NT 4.0 features and product session: 9:40 a.m. - 11 a.m. June 27.

* Windows NT applications demonstrations: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., June 28.

Workshops to help
identify counterfeit,
suspect products

Maintenance and crafts persons, crane operators, riggers, purchasing agents, engineers, quality assurance personnel, and laboratory management can participate in the hands-on workshops, hosted by the Plant Facilities and Services Division and Human Resources.

The workshops were developed by the Quality Training Resource Center of the Westinghouse-Hanford Company.

To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative. Forward cost code information to Mary Ann Bludgen, PFS-PMO, Building 214, ext. 2-6484. Sessions will be held in the Exchange Club in Argonne-East's Building 617.

Tuesday, July 9

* 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. Overview of Suspect/Counterfeit Products (session 1). Participants: maintenance and crafts persons and technicians. Course EQ0110. Cost: $100.

* 10:30 - 12:30 p.m. Overview of Suspect/Counterfeit Prollucts module (session 2) Participants: maintenance and crafts persons and technicians Course Number: EQO110 Cost: $100.

* 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. Suspect/Counterfeit Fasteners in Cranes. Participants: PFS crane crew members and riggers. Course EQO111. Cost $150.

Wednesday, July 10

* 8:30 - noon. Awareness and Identification of Suspect/Counterfeit Items (session 1). Participants: general attendance. Course Number: EQO112. Cost: $150

* 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Engineering Design Specs, Procurement and Vendor Development. Participants: Design engineers, purchasing agents, QA personnel, management. Course EQ0113. Cost: $150

Thursday, July 11

* 8:30 a.m. - noon. Awareness and Identification of Suspect/Counterfeit Items (session 2). Participants: general attendance. Course EQ0112. Cost: $150

* 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Overview of Suspect/Counterfeit Products (session 3). Participants: maintenance and crafts persons and technicians. Course Number: EQO110. Cost: $100

* 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Overview of Suspect/Counterfeit Products (session 4). Participants: maintenance and crafts persons and technicians. Course: EQO110. Cost: $100.

Stella G. Dean, who retired in 1965 with 15 years of service, died March 17. She is survived by her grandson, Kenneth Dean.

William R. Galik, a stockroom foreman in Central Shops who retired in 1980 with 32 years of service, died May 2. He is survived by his wife, Stella.

George F. Klinker, a heavy equipment operator in the former Plant Operations Division who retired in 1972 with 22 years of service, died Jan. 12. He is survived by his wife, Mildred.

Donald A. Paul, a carpenter in the former Plant Operations Division who retired in 1976 with 20 years of service, died Feb. 11. He is survived by his wife, Florence.

Monday, June 17

High Energy Physics Division Seminar: "A LEP Forward: Results from the L3 Experiment at [[radical]]S = 130 GeV" by Thomas Ferguson, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa. 11 a.m., Bldg. 362, Conference Room F108.

Physics Division Seminar: "Progress with the Argonne Radioactive Beam Facility" by Jerry Nolen, (PHY). 3:30 p.m., Bldg. 203, Conference Room R150.

Tuesday, June 18

Physics Division Theoretical Physics Seminar: "Electromagnetic Form Factors in the Explicitly Covariant Light-Front Dynamics" by Vladimir Karmanov, Lebedev Institute, Moscow. 3 p.m., Bldg. 203, Conference Room B221.

Wednesday, June 19

Materials Science Division Seminar: "Grain Boundaries in High Temperature Superconductors: Microstructure-Property Relationships" by Dean Miller, (MSD). 11 a.m., Bldg. 212, Conference Room A157.

High Energy Physics Division Seminar: "Gauge Boson Studies at e⁺e^- Colliders" by Keith Riles, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 11 a.m., Bldg. 362, Conference Room F108.

Thursday, June 20

Joint Chemistry and Materials Science Divisions Seminar: "Fabrication and Characterization of Diamond Negative Electron Affinity Surfaces, Structures, and Devices" by Peter K. Baumann, Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. 11 a.m., Bldg. 200, Conference Room J183.

RESCHEDULED -- Experimental Facilities Division Seminar "Mössbauer Spectroscopy of Tin in Float Glass" by Charles Johnson, University of Liverpool/APS. 4 p.m., Bldg. 401, Conference Room A1100.

Friday, June 21

Chemistry Division Seminar: "Single Pulse and Multiple Pulse Femtosecond Spectroscopy" by Keith Nelson, Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. 10 a.m., Bldg. 200, Conference Room J183.

Tuesday, June 25

Joint Chemistry and Materials Science Divisions Seminar: "Ion Beam Assisted Film Growth by High Dose Implantation of Carbon into a Liquid Medium" by Rafael Manory, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. 11 a.m., Bldg. 200, Conference Room J183.

Physics Division Special Heavy Ion Discussion Group: "Fusion Barrier Distributions -- A Ringside View of Nuclear Collisions" by Mahananda Dasgupta, Australian National University, Canberra. 1:30 p.m., Bldg. 203, Conference Room R150.

Wednesday, June 26

Joint High Energy Physics & Physics Division Seminar: "How to Find Charm in Nuclear Collisions at RHIC and LHC" by Sean Gavin, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, LI, N.Y. 11 a.m., Bldg. 362, Conference Room F108.

Materials Science Division Seminar: "Universal Structure of High-Energy Grain Boundaries in Silicon" by Pawel Keblinski, (MSD). 11 a.m., Bldg. 212, Conference Room A157.

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