Some of this week's stories

Argonne scientist plays role
in confirming third life form

Archaea, some of which produce methane, grow at very high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. Although distinct, archaea share common traits with bacteria and the more complex "eukaryotes," which include plants and animals.

The project identified 1,738 protein-coding genes for the archaean Methanococcus jannaschii. Overbeek participated in the analysis that identified these genes along with estimates of their functions.

"This research gives scientists a deeper grasp of how life works. It's going to change the way we study life," Overbeek said. "It may turn out to be the most important science of the 20th century."

"It's a scientific dream come true," said principal investigator Carl Woese at an Aug. 22 press conference. Woese and fellow University of Illinois microbiologist Ralph Wolfe discovered archaea in 1977, challenging the long-held theory that life comes from only two lineages.

The M. jannaschii that was sequenced was originally isolated from near a hydrothermal vent 2,600 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Researchers identified the more than 1.6 million characters in the genome by copying the DNA strands and breaking them into fragments about 2,000 characters long. Computers compared the strands until all of the characters in the genome were identified.

This research may lead to biotechnological advances in medicine, renewable energy and environmental clean-up.

The entire genome is available on the Institute of Genomic Research's World Wide Web site.

OPA's Morgenthaler
does duty in Bosnia

Morgenthaler, who holds the rank of lieutenant colonel, was called up in early July and has been in Bosnia for about three weeks. She is deputy operations officer at the Implementation Force's Office of Public Affairs Operations, which escorts and provides information on the military operation for members of the press.

The Implementation Force is an international group of about 60,000 troops from 25 nations -- including some 20,000 U.S. troops -- helping to keep the peace in Bosnia and ensure humanitarian aid deliveries. The Sept. 14 elections are the first for the new nation, which was once part of Yugoslavia and was the scene of years of brutal ethnic warfare. Local elections have been postponed due to concerns over abuses of regulations. But on Sept. 14, voters will choose a three-member presidency, a national legislature and state legislatures in the two parts of Bosnia -- the Muslim-Croat federation and the Serb republic.

The peacekeeping force is definitely making its mark in Bosnia, Morgenthaler said. "Who else has ever insured free, democratic elections, delivered toys and clothing to orphans, rebuilt major bridges and highways while stationed among mountains as beautiful as Colorado's?" she asked. "Before my eyes, every day, something is improved. For a day, a week, or a year, we have made it safer for children to live and play. As I jog by the perimeter, I can hear their laughter while they play soccer."

Her new office, behind a sandbagged perimeter in Tuszla, is a far cry from her cubicle in Building 201, Morgenthaler said. The city was relatively undamaged by the brutal ethnic warfare - except for an infamous mortar attack on the marketplace in 1995 that killed 71. The town has returned almost to normal, she said.

Sarajevo is a different story. Morgenthaler got to see the town from the air. "Any tall corporate sky-rise was a skeleton of twisted metal," she said. "But the city is recovering. Many homes are repaired, and many more being worked on. Our presence has restored peace and life, if only temporarily."

Morgenthaler may return to Argonne in March, 1997.

Leading scientists to offer
preview of next 50 years

Part of Argonne's 50th anniversary celebration, the symposium will be held in the Advanced Photon Source Conference Center Auditorium (Building 402).

Argonne Director Dean Eastman will introduce the symposium at 8:30 a.m. Scheduled to speak are:

* 8:40 a.m. -- Nobel laureate J. Robert Schrieffer, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University: "Exotic Materials and Fundamental Concepts: Writing Volume II of Condensed Matter Physics."

* 9:40 a.m. -- Peter M. Eisenberger, Princeton Materials Institute: "Synchrotron Radiation Research: The APS and Beyond."

* 11 a.m. -- Chauncey Starr, Electric Power Research Institute (Emeritus): "The Future of Nuclear Reactor Power."

* 1:30 p.m. -- Nobel laureate Johann Deisenhofer, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: "Directions and Opportunities in Structural and Computational Biology."

* 2:30 p.m. -- Freeman Dyson, Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies (Emeritus): "Mathematics and Machines."

* 4 p.m. -- Harold (Hub) Hubbard, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Retired): "R&D for Sustainable Development! What is it?"

Recycling of research solvents benefits Argonne

By using filtration and distillation techniques, the scientists purified the waste stream and were able to reuse the material or use it in a less demanding applications.

"Many organic solvents are used and discarded at Argonne in research experiments," said Energy Systems' Robert Peters. "This research helped identify solvents that can be reused efficiently and perform the same or better."

According to Peters, waste stream studies indicate that many solvents are of very high quality, are used in relatively small quantities (less than several gallons per year per user), and contain easily separated contaminants.

By using the distillation technique, researchers successfully recovered high-quality ethanol from ethanol waste. Ethanol containing silver nitrate, used to stain biological samples, was distilled and reused as raw material.

"According to one user who generates about 150 gallons of ethanol waste per year, tests with the recycled ethanol solvent performed better than tests with virgin solvent," said Peters.

Successful results were also found with alcohols used in analytical procedures. These solvents were purified and reused to clean experimental equipment.

Argonne's Environmental Management Organization identified the quantity, waste generators, and types of waste solvents used at Argonne. Solvent users verified this information, and many supplied waste solvents for testing. The experiments conducted focused on filtration and distillation because of their ability to recover high-quality solvents.

For more information, call Robert Peters (ES) at 2-7773.

Undergrads seek employees
to chair symposium sessions

The event, organized by the Division of Educational Programs and the Argonne Chapter of Sigma Xi, brings undergraduates from colleges and universities throughout the Midwest to present papers in chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science, geology and biology. Last year 157 students participated.

Employees are needed to chair sessions in all fields. To apply, send an e-mail message to ettinger@dep.anl.gov or call Glenda Shelton-Williams (DEP) at ext. 2-3371. Applicants should provide name, field of expertise, and indication of availability on Friday, Nov. 1, Sat., Nov. 2 or both. Each volunteer will only be asked to chair one session, either in the morning or in the afternoon.

All session chairs will receive complimentary tickets to a banquet on Friday evening, Nov. 1.

Attorney to discuss
estate planning in the 90s

Attorney Kathleen T. Zellner will present the seminar at 11:30 a.m. in Argonne-East's Building 203 Auditorium. Prior registration is not necessary.

Zellner will outline recent changes in estate planning, including the "living trust" and other aspects of a sound estate plan including a durable power of attorney, durable power of health care, and living will.

For additional information, contact Rosemary Stanton at ext. 2-4114.

DEP Director honored
for contributions to
science education

The gathering marked Tolbert's having been honored at the Women's History Month luncheon and recognition ceremony at the White House earlier this year.

Tolbert also received a certificate of appreciation from the National Science Foundation's Committee on Education and Training, where she coordinated, along with others, the science and engineering education programs of 16 federal agencies, especially the National Science Foundation.

Tolbert also taught several biological science and chemistry courses, conducted research, and directed the Carver Research Foundation of Tuskegee University.

Running Club plans
`Open House Run'

The run will start at 7:30 a.m. near Argonne-East's old credit union building (Building 33).

Registration for the run is $13 before Sept. 16, and includes a long-sleeved shirt. Late registration is $8, but does not include the shirt. There will be a raffle for all participants after the run.

For more information, see the

Computer users
to meet Sept. 3

The agenda includes discussions of:

* The new ECT organization

* An update on microfiche service

* Public-private key technology

* UNIQUname: Plans for unique site-wide user IDs

The CUG usually meets at 3 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in Building 221, Room A216. Meetings are open to all interested Argonne and DOE employees.

To subscribe to the CUG mailing list, send "subscribe cuglist e_address" in the body of an email message to Majordomo@ra.anl.gov (replace "e_address" with your valid email address).

Additional CUG information is available in newsgroup anl.committees.cug and on the World Wide Web.

Seminar to highlight DEP's
research training for students

SIRT, which began this summer, gives students an opportunity to learn interdisciplinary research techniques at the frontiers of their fields of interest.

The program's objective is to "enhance the recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented minorities in fields of science," said Phaire-Washington (DEP). "Another goal is to diversify the pipeline of students accepted into the Science and Engineering Research Semester and Student Research Participation programs for the future."

This summer's students were selected from institutions across the country, including the University of Puerto Rico, Tuskegee, North Carolina AT&T, Loyola, Chicago State and others. Students participated in laboratory experiments, field trips, lectures and seminars during the 10-week program.

HR offers classes in
Internet, Access,
word processing

* HR166 - "The Internet," Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

* HR180 - "Word 6.0 Advanced Format and Editing," Sept. 12, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

* HR172 - "Microsoft Tools Integration," Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

* HR178 - "Word 6.0: Wizards, Styles, Forms, Templates," Sept. 17, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

* HR179 - "Word 6.0 Mail Merge," Sept. 17, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

* HR162 - "Access 2.0 Fundamentals," Sept. 18, 8:30 a.m. -4:30 a.m.

* HR163 - "Access 2.0 Intermediate," Sept. 26, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

* "Introduction to Windows 95," Sept. 24, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (No course number available).

All classes are in Argonne-East's Building 362, Room E188. Register with your Training Management System representative.

For more information, call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410.

HR offers
Mac classes

These classes will be on intermediate topics such as formatting and workbooks. Interested Mac users should call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410.

Valves, fittings
for fluid systems
to be displayed

Copies of `Agents of Change'
available at TIS libraries

The show, which aired Aug. 25 on CNBC, NBC's cable network, highlighted the cutting-edge research taking place at both Argonne sites, including advanced transportation technologies, the electrorefiner for treating nuclear waste, energy-efficient housing for the inner city, the virtual-reality "CAVE," and the Advanced Photon Source. The program is part of a series examining America's national research laboratories and their impact on American business and society.

Libraries are located in buildings 200, 202, 203, 205, 208, 212, 223, 362, 40 1 and 900.

Thursday, Sept. 5

Materials Science Division Seminar: "Superconductivity in the RE Ni2B2C Intermetallic Compounds" by Ruggero Vaglio, University of Naples, Italy. 11 a.m., Bldg. 223, Conference Room S105.

Physics Division Theoretical Physics Seminar: "Soft Pomeron Physics in Lattice QCD" by David Richards, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. 3 p.m., Bldg. 203, Conference Room B221.

Friday, Sept. 6

Argonne-West Technical Seminar: "Electrorefiner Modeling" by Rajesh Ahluwalia, (TD). 9 a.m., Bldg. 752, Conference Room L&O.

First Friday Forum: "Student Interdisciplinary Research Training (SIRT) Program" by Linda Washington, (DEP). Noon, Bldg. 201, Conference Room 190.

Monday, Sept. 9

Chemistry Division Monday Morning Seminar Series: "Supramolecular Aspects of Nanoscopic Dendrimers" by George R. Newkome, Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa. 11 a.m., Bldg. 200 Auditorium.

Physics Division Seminar: "Nuclear and Color Transparency" by Tom O'Neill, (PHY). 3:30 p.m., Bldg. 203, Conference Room R150.

Friday, Sept. 13

Argonne-West Technical Seminar: "FCF Electrorefiner Materials Control and Accountability" by Dee Vaden, (TD-AW). 9 a.m., Bldg. 752, Conference Room L&O.

Thursday, Sept. 19

Argonne Chapter of Professional Secretaries International Lunch(brown bag) Seminar: "Estate Planning" by Kathleen Zellner, Kathleen T. Zellner & Associates, P.C., Naperville, Ill. 11:30 a.m., Bldg. 203 Auditorium.

Materials Science Division Special Colloquium: "Computation and Recognition with DNA" by Albert Libchaber, Center for Studies in Physics & Biology, Rockefeller University, New York. 1:30 p.m., Bldg. 212, Conference Room A157.

Argonne-West employees are welcome to submit classified ads to Argonne News.

Request forms are available at the office of Argonne-West Correspondent Connie Hutchens, Building 752, Room D109. When completed, fax the request form to the Argonne News office at (630) 252-5274.

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Story ideas, comments and suggestions are welcome. The Argonne News office is in Building 201, room 2Q-02 (OPA-201). The fax number is ext. 2-5274. Send E-mail to Argonne News editor Dave Jacque.

Seminar listings: Send by inter-office mail to Evie Fagan, Building 201, room 2U-09 (OPA-201). Fax to ext. 2-5274, or send by E-mail.

Classified ads: Please limit ads to 25 words. Send by inter-office mail to Evelyn Fagan, Building 201, room 2U-09 (OPA-201). A drop box is located at the Argonne News office.

Classified Ads sent by electronic mail cannot be accepted!