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House defeats attempt
to kill electrorefiner

Had it passed, Markey's amendment to the House version of the Energy and Water Development Bill would have eliminated $45 million in funding and halted both Argonne's electrorefining program and the laboratory's efforts to safely shut down Experimental Breeder Reactor II.

Argonne is developing the electrorefining technology to safely treat and dispose of spent fuel from nearly 50 years of nuclear reactor research by the U.S. Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies. But Markey charged that the technology can separate pure plutonium from spent fuel and therefore increases the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation.

Defending the technology on the House floor, Fawell said it "locks up and makes inaccessible the plutonium that all spent fuel contains, thus eliminating the possibility of any proliferation of plutonium."

He said electrorefining has the potential to "greatly reduce the volume and toxicity of over 2,700 metric tons of more than 150 different types of spent nuclear fuel stored at the various Department of Energy sites around the nation."

Crapo said, "Plutonium is not and cannot be separated by this technology. The fact is that this technology blends down plutonium and binds it with other types of product so that it cannot be used in nuclear bombs."

He said, "We must not listen to those who continually throw up the false argument of proliferation against every aspect of our nuclear program in this country."

Sodium Processing Facility
marks milestone

On July 18, liquid sodium was injected into a reaction vessel at the SPF. The resulting hydrogen production verified that the sodium was changing into sodium hydroxide.

Testing on the film evaporator, which will convert the sodium hydroxide to sodium carbonate, is proceeding. The milestone required several weeks of intensive testing, including back shift and weekend work by Charlie Griffin, Reed Carlson, and Dave Braithwaite (all ED).

"This was an important first step in dealing with sodium stored at Argonne-West from the Fermi Nuclear Plant," said Pete Wells (ED), SPF Project Manager. "This validates much of the initial work performed by the project team."

Following completion of all testing, the SPF is scheduled to process 77,000 gallons of sodium from the Fermi-1 reactor in Monroe, Michigan. The sodium carbonate will be disposed of in a landfill at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

Instrumentation and Control and Critical Systems Maintenance groups provided extensive service to keep this testing flowing smoothly.

`Simon' shooting
is completed

Scenes shot at the lab featured star Alec Baldwin driving through the East Gate and the APS access tunnel, both of which were dressed up as entrances to the National Security Agency. The movie's other star, Bruce Willis, was not at Argonne-East.

The cast and crew will be filming in Chicago for about two or three more weeks and will then travel to Washington D.C. for more location shooting. After that, they will return to Los Angeles to finish up on a soundstage.

Employees may have heard about the film on local Chicago news stations when lanes on the Kennedy Expressway were shut down to film a car chase.

The movie is directed by Harold Becker, whose credits include "City Hall," "Malice," and "Sea of Love." Universal expects to release the film in 1998 as part of its crop of summer blockbusters.

Mihai Anitescu named
1997 Wilkinson Fellow

The selection committee cited Anitescu for his research insights into physical phenomena, particularly the friction that occurs between any two rigid bodies when they touch. He was also cited for his communication skills and broad background in electrical engineering, applied mathematics and computational sciences.

He joined MCS on June 16, 1997, for a one-year term appointment.

Anitescu will receive a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa during August. For his thesis, he developed a "computationally tractable" model (an equation easily solved by computer) for "multi-rigid-body dynamics with contacting surfaces and friction."

A model of this type has important applications in robotics -- the field concerned with the construction, maintenance and behavior of robots.

In addition, Anitescu has developed efficient algorithms (step-by-step methods for solving problems) for real-time interactive computer simulations using "virtual-reality" techniques.

His work has been published in Mechanics of Structures and Machines, Nonlinear Dynamics, Numerical Functional Analysis and Optimization, and Optimization Methods and Software.

MCS created the Wilkinson Fellowship in memory of Dr. James Hardy Wilkinson, F.R.S., who for many years acted as a consultant and guiding spirit for such efforts as the EISPACK and LINPACK projects. The fellowship is intended to assist a young scientist engaged in state-of-the-art research in scientific computing.

Weekends are high times
for aerobatic APS employee

Klick began flying in 1960, and started studying aerobatics shortly after he earned his pilots license. Now, he flies in five or six aerobatic competitions a summer, in places like Fond du Lac, Wisconsin or Mattoon, Illinois. Recently, he brought home a Third Place trophy from a contest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

These competitions are judged from the ground the same way gymnasts or figure skaters are rated. Pilots execute a series of maneuvers at altitudes of more than 1500 feet, over an area mapped out on the ground. "When you are supposed to fly in a vertical line, it has to be absolutely straight," Klick explains. "The judges look to see if your loops are perfectly round instead of egg shaped." Contestants are then given a score on a scale of one to ten.

"I love the competitions because the people are so neat," Klick said, "and they all value the sportsmanship aspect of flying." He remembers a contestant who loaned his plane to another pilot whose plane had been damaged. "It's possible to get beat by your own plane," Klick said, "but if you win, you don't want it to be because somebody else couldn't fly."

Acrobatic flight is safer than most people would think. In fact, there has never been a loss of life in contests in the United States. "Stunt pilots in air shows fly very close to the ground, which makes their maneuvers more dangerous," Klick said. "In acrobatic competitions, you are higher up, and there is room for error."

Still, aerobatic flight is hardly a dull hobby. Klick describes himself as an "adrenaline junkie," with flying as the ultimate thrill. "I don't remember when I didn't want to fly," he said. "And once you are flying, why not make the plane fly upside down?"

ANL-West picnic
set for Aug. 16

Activities will include children's games, softball, volleyball, water balloon volleyball, and horseshoes. Discounted tickets for carnival rides, and the zoo will be available.

Food will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu is barbecued hamburgers, "Horvath" dogs, salads, watermelon, pop, old-fashioned ice cream sundaes, cotton candy and popcorn.

Child Development Center
achieves national accreditation

To achieve accreditation the center had to conduct a self-study in which information was collected from parents, teachers, and classroom observations. Next, specially trained early childhood professionals made an on-site visit to validate the study results. The information was then reviewed by a national commission of recognized child care experts.

Accreditation will be valid until February 28, 2000.

The center is located in Argonne-East's Building 952. Children are enrolled from 12 weeks of age to five years. The staff consists of 15 full-time and one part-time care giver.

Draft institutional plan
now on the Web

The draft plan describes the activities and plans of Argonne as of about March 1997. Areas of interest can be quickly found by using the "Search" button on the draft plan's main display page.

The October 1996 Institutional Plan is on the World Wide Web at http://www.ipd.anl.gov/aim/instplan/. Web users can find the plan by following the link on the Argonne home page for "News, Views and Publications," then the "Institutional Plan" link.

Computer users
to discuss LINUX,
modem speeds

The agenda includes the following topics.

* "Why do 28.8 Modems Connect to ANL at Speeds Which Rarely Exceed 20-21 kbps?" by Paul Phillips (ECT).

* "LINUX as a Scientific and Everyday User Platform: It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore," by Dan Yocum, (IPNS).

* "Using LINUX as a Scientific Platform," by Peter Jemian, (APS User).

* "Using DCE to Access Oracle Databases," by Victor Tsien (ECT).

* "Transfer of Computer Protection Program Management Responsibilities," by Clarence Beck and Paul Krystosek both (ECT).

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

HR offers classes

Contact a division Training Management System representative for an enrollment form and/or to register.

* "English As A Second Language" (HR534) is designed to help non-native speakers improve their English language skills on the job. Individual language needs are addressed through a culturally interactive approach that combines practical listening, speaking and writing skills.

The class will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays, Aug. 6-0ct. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Building 201, Room 238. The cost is $250 plus $30 for textbooks and $30 for a pretest required for all new participants. Call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

* "Building High-Performance Teams Through Problem Solving" (HR134) provides a grounding in the basic principles of quality management and introduces team building through the application of a six-step problem-solving model using Argonne-specific case examples.

The class will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 12-13 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Building 212, Room A157. The cost is $25 for participant materials. For more information, call John Hyzer (HR) at ext. 2-3503.

* "Sharpening Your Business Writing Skills" (HR325) helps participants meet the challenge of writing effective and concise business documents that gain attention and get results. Participants practice organizing and expressing ideas and review the basic principles of readability, grammar and punctuation.

The course will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 12-Sept. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Building 201, Room 238. The cost is $210. Call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

* "Leadership & Motivation" (BR641) is designed to help participants develop an understanding of leadership as a process of influencing the behavior of others and learn how to create an atmosphere conducive to encouraging employee motivation.

The course will be held on Aug. 14 from noon-5 p.m. in Building 362, Room F108. The cost is $25 for participant materials. For more information, call John Hyzer (HR) at ext. 2-3503.

NEW ARRIVALS

A boy, Mark Robert, born June 19 to Chris and Ralph Bechtold (ASD); a girl, Rachel McKenzie, born May 30 to Tracie and Earl Welch (ECT); a boy, Edward Joseph, born May 28 to Staci and Eddie Wicklatz (EMO); a girl, Jacquelyn Rose, born July 23 to Konstance (EAD) and Jim Wescott (EMO); a girl, Katherine Joanna, born May 15 to Karen and Hubert Ley (RA). Proud grandparents: a granddaughter, Kirsten Marie, born June 22 for Janet Anderson (EAD); a granddaughter, Sierra Cheyenne, born May 29 for Ginger (ESH-IH) and David Warren (CMT).

WELCOME

OCF-PRO welcomes Beth Johnke and Sharon Juricic. RA welcomes Adrian Miron, Ben Volmert and QuocAnh NguyenLe.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Rich Pagel (PFS) received a bachelor of science degree from DePaul University's School of New Learning. Jim Podraza (PFS) received a bachelor of arts degree from St. Xavier University. Kathryn Bretscher, daughter of Miriam (IPD-MIS) and Manuel Bretscher (TD), recently received one of 20 "1996 3M Technology Excellence" awards for her research. Sue Webster (OCF-ACT) received a bachelor's degree in management from the University of Phoenix. Ellen Chappell (OD) made the Dean's List at Idaho State University for the spring 1997 semester.

WEDDINGS/ENGAGEMENTS

Congratulations to Terri Shearer (EMO) and William Bray on their July 3 wedding; to Andy Huttenga (EAD) and wife Sherry on their June 14 wedding ; to Terri and Kenny Gross (RA) on their May 24 wedding.

GET WELL

Get well wishes to Paulette Windsor (IPD-TIS) who had surgery; and to Jim Corsolini's (IPD-MED) wife, Karen, who had surgery

TRANSITIONS

P.J. Peterson transferred from PFS-Safety to PFS- Maintenance & Crafts

FAREWELL

Good luck to David Nadziejka (IPD-TCS); Carolyn Cockburn (OCF-PRO), Marlene Wallace (OCF-PRO); and Mike Kovas (RA) who have all left the laboratory.

CONDOLENCES

Condolences to Sharon Juricic (OCF-PRO) on the death of her brother; and to Kenny Gross (RA) on the death of his brother.

CONTRIBUTORS

Thanks to this issue's contributors: Barbara Burke (ECT); Nancy Ecklund (PFS-PMO); Bonnie Gianpetro (EMO); Gloria Griparis (IPD-TCS); Barbara Hall (ASD); Hazel Harris (OCF-ACT); Diana Hurst (IPD-MIS); Eileen Johnson (RA); Cathy Nelson (IPD-TIS); Sally Peters (OCF-PRO); Faith Ruppert (EAD); John Whennen (IPD-MED).

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