Feb. 16, 1998 -- Some of this week's stories
New 'Gammasphere' detector is on a roll
Gammasphere is up and running at Argonne's Physics
Division, and has already produced cutting-edge physics data.
The 12-ton gamma-ray detector saw its first beam from the
Argonne Tandem Linear Accelerator System (ATLAS) on Jan. 16. After a few
days of calibration and adjustments, the first experiment was conducted
on Jan. 23.
"The device is incredibly powerful," said Kim Lister (PHY).
"The first test was a standard reaction, an oxygen beam on a nickel
target. Even so, after 10 minutes of running, we could see new
nuclear states that had never been seen before."
Just one day's worth of work by scientists from the University
of Staffordshire, England, and 15 collaborators from around the
world produced new data on "isospin symmetry." The experiment
answered questions about the behavior of protons and neutrons inside
the atomic nucleus. The group took advantage of Gammasphere's
ability to detect extremely weak signals to confirm that nuclear forces
acting on protons and neutrons are equal, or symmetrical, for
large nuclei as well as the well-studied lighter nuclei, and are only
disturbed by the Coulomb force (akin to the like poles of a magnet
repelling each other) acting on the protons alone.
The $20 million instrument is a gamma-ray "microscope"
designed to help answer basic questions about the structure and behavior
of atomic nuclei -- especially those forms of isotopes that contain
large excesses of protons and neutrons.
At the heart of the 10-foot-tall device is a silvery machined
metal sphere about seven feet in diameter pierced by 116 holes.
Yard-long detectors fit through the holes, their blunted tips converging near
the center of the sphere. The detectors are cooled to -320 F (-196 C)
with liquid nitrogen to operate properly.
Gammasphere's 108 single-crystal detectors, cylinders of
high-purity germanium about the size of a coffee cup, intercept the
gamma rays given off by nuclei created when ATLAS beams strike
targets of various materials. The nuclei fly on for another 30 feet through
another detector called the Fragment Mass Analyzer (FMA), which
measures their mass and records their eventual decay.
The sensitive combination of Gammasphere and FMA should
be able to pick out one interesting nucleus from a "background"
of 10,000,000 less interesting ones.
Although the device has only been in operation for a short
time, physicists already are planning to upgrade the
Gammasphere-FMA detector system.
First on the agenda is the "Microball," a spherical
detector about the size of a basketball that will nestle in Gammasphere's
central cavity. Microball will intercept charged particles and provide a
"factor of 10 improvement" over the current arrangement, Lister said.
The FMA will be fitted with silicon detectors that will enable
physicists to probe the nuclear behavior of the heaviest elements, and
may provide hints at what lies beyond the known periodic table.
Return to Index
New statement to show value, cost of benefits
Each regular employee at both Argonne sites will soon receive
a personalized statement detailing the costs and values of
Argonne's benefits programs to both the laboratory and to the employee.
The new Employee Benefit Statement includes:
* Brief descriptions of the laboratory's various benefit
plans, including retirement, medical, dental and life insurance
coverage and the benefits options chosen by the employee.
* The amount of life insurance and disability protection
selected by the employee.
* The annual cost to the employee of the various plans
and the annual cost to Argonne of providing those benefits.
* The total value of both base pay and benefits.
Employee Benefit Statement information is based on plan
participation information and projected cost as of Jan. 1.
Salary adjustments or promotions during the year will affect the
costs and values shown on the statement.
Statements will be mailed to employees' homes.
Since this will be the first year for the Employee Benefit
Statement, employees should check the statement carefully for
accuracy. Contact Employee Benefits at ext. 2-2991 (at Argonne-East) or
ext. 3-7227 (at Argonne-West) to report errors or for more
information.
Return to Index
Lab has new home page and 'intranet'
Argonne unveils a newly designed home page and
a new "intranet" home page today on the World Wide Web.
The new home page was designed to load faster
than the previous page and to make it easier for outside users
to find information about Argonne's research programs. It can be found
at http://www.anl.gov/, the same URL as the old
home page.
The new "Argonnet" home page is aimed mainly at
Argonne employees.
Its goal is to provide employees with a starting
point to locate Argonne Web pages with information relevant
to their jobs, benefits and other aspects of working at
Argonne.
Return to Index
Argonne-West work requests are now online
Starting today, work requests for Argonne-West's Plant
Services may be submitted via a new page on the World Wide Web.
The work request on-screen form can be accessed through
the Maintenance Home Page. Employees
can also find the Maintenance Home Page by opening the
Argonne-West Home Page, then selecting ANL-W Intranet under "Additional
Information." Select "Divisions and Facilities," then scroll down
to Operations Division and select "maintenance."
To submit a work request select "Generate." For help
creating the request, open the "User
Guide." Frequent users should bookmark the address for future reference.
Return to Index
Newton's 'Ask-a-Scientist' moves to the Web
Has anyone ever seen an atom? What kinds of careers are
available in environmental science? Will an airplane become lighter if
2,000 pounds of pigeons start flying around inside it?
Students from around the world have found answers to more
than 15,000 questions like these via Newton, a service of Argonne's
Divison of Educational Programs now available on the World Wide Web.
Previously only accessible by Telnet, a text-based program,
Newton can now be searched via a database of thousands of question
and answers using standard Web browsers. Questions posed by students
are answered by scientists or engineers via electronic mail, then posted
to the "Ask a Scientist" database.
The move to the Web comes in response to changing
technology, said Harold Myron, DEP director. Telnet once gave the largest
number of students access to the service even if they didn't
have state-of-the-art equipment.
"Since Newton moved to the World Wide Web, the number
of questions has jumped dramatically," Myron said. "And so
far, nearly 100 percent of the questions receive an answer."
Newton was developed six years ago by DEP, in cooperation
with Chicago area science teachers. It provides K-12 science, math
and computer science teachers and their students a place to practice
telecommunications, to retrieve information on a wide variety of
subjects, to contact research scientists from all over the world and to open
communications between classroom teachers.
In addition to the "Ask a Scientist" feature, Newton provides
a variety of discussion areas, conferencing ("chat")
environments for teachers and scientists and Internet service for teachers.
Software for using these services is available on the Newton web site.
Newton also receives and stores information on world medical
concerns, Jet Propulsion Laboratory news, computer technical
assistance and Problem Based Learning listservers.
Links to Newton can be found on the Divison of Educational Programs home page.
Return to Index
Robert Larsen elected to SAE's board of directors
Robert P. Larsen (ES) has been elected to the board of directors
of the Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE).
SAE has 75,000 members from 30 countries. Larsen is the
first staff member from a federally funded facility to serve on the
SAE board in the organization's 75-year history.
Larsen is manager of the lab's fuels and vehicles system section
in the Transportation Technology Research and Development Center.
His responsibilities include developing components and systems for
hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and organizing advanced-technology,
engineering design competitions using new types of vehicles and fuels.
HEVs are propelled by two energy sources, most commonly
an electric motor and an internal combustion engine powered by
gasoline or an alternative fuel. These vehicles combine the efficiency
and low emissions of an electric vehicle with the power and distance of
a more conventional car or truck.
Larsen also manages all the laboratory's fuels-related
activities, including testing of one of the federal government's largest fleets
of alternative-fuel vehicles on site at Argonne.
Larsen has been an active member of SAE's Chicago Section,
serving as Advanced Technology Vice-Chair and a member of
the Governing Board since 1991.
He worked with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and SAE
to expand SAE's annual series of engineering design competitions to
include vehicle competitions. Begun in 1986, these DOE-sponsored
competitions focus on improving fuel economy, developing
advanced technologies for alternative-fuel vehicles, and reducing vehicle
emissions. Competitions now underway include the Ethanol Vehicle
Challenge and the FutureCar Challenge, an ongoing competition that is
cosponsored by the U.S. Council for Automotive Research and the
Big Three automakers.
Return to Index
Feb. 25 workshop to focus
on pollution prevention
"The Three P's of Pollution Prevention: Perspective, Purpose
and Passion," a pollution prevention awareness session, will be held
on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 1:30 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building
362 Auditorium.
Joe Estey of Prolepsis Training, Richland, Wash., will be the
featured speaker. Estey is a specialist in presenting workshops on
team dynamics, pollution prevention and cultural change in the work place.
The session is open to all Argonne employees and
contractors who would like to learn more about incorporating pollution
prevention into workplace activities. Argonne employees who have received
funding in the past under Argonne's Waste Management and
Pollution Prevention (WM&PP) Program are urged to attend.
The session is sponsored by the Waste Minimization and
Pollution Prevention Program and the WM&PP Advisory Committee.
For more information on the awareness session call Keith Trychta (EMO)
at ext. 2-1476.
Return to Index
HR offers management,
proposal writing classes
Human Resources
is offering classes in performance
management and writing research and development proposals.
"Writing R&D Proposals" (HR223) will present a
systematic approach to creating winning proposals and white papers.
Participants will learn to plan, schedule, package and manage their
proposals.
The class was custom-designed for Argonne.
Classes will be held Monday, March 23, and Tuesday, March
24, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 402,
Room E1100. Cost is $575. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, Feb. 18.
"Performance Management" (HR561) provides participants
with management skills to more effectively manage, document and
influence the performance of employees. The class addresses
all components of the performance appraisal and provides specific
instruction on assigning ratings and overall score.
Class will be held Thursday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to noon in
Argonne-East's Building 362, Room F108.
Return to Index
EAD web site featured by USA Today
A website developed by the Environmental
Assessment Division that makes it easier for the public to participate
in environmental decisions has received a "Hot Site"
award from USA Today.
The web site, developed by EAD for the U.S.
Department of Energy, provides information to the public for the
long-term management of depleted uranium hexafluoride
(UF6). The Draft Depleted UF6 Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and related documents are
presented for review and public comment.
"USA Today receives 50-100 applications per day
for the Hot Site award, so receiving this award indicates
that making this information available to the public is
important," said Bob Sullivan (EAD). "The 'Hot Sites' page will
be viewed by thousands of people and is good exposure for
the remainder of the public comment period."
The uranium data web site will be listed in the "Hot
Sites" archives for the next several months. USA Today's
"Hot Sites" can be accessed at
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/ch.htm. Click on the
link "Browse through previous days' Hot Site reviews" to find the
hot sites for Jan. 27.
Return to Index
Students invited to participate in research
The Divison of Educational Programs
will conduct an
eight-week summer program in which college-bound students participate in
laboratory research under the direction of Argonne scientists.
The summer program begins June 15 and ends Aug. 7.
Participants receive a stipend of $210 per week.
Students must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0
scale, be U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens, have graduated
from high school in 1998 and be enrolled to attend college in fall 1998.
The application deadline is Monday, April 6. For an application,
call Lisa Reed (DEP) at ext. 2-3366 or send e-mail to lreed@anl.gov.
Return to Index
Chess Club plans lunchtime speed-chess tourney
The Argonne Chess Club will hold lunchtime speed-chess
tournaments open to all employees Monday, Feb. 16 and 23,
and March 2 and 9 in Argonne-East's Building 362, Room E188.
Entry fee is $1. All entry fees will be returned as prizes.
The chess club will provide all necessary equipment.
All chess games will be timed at 5 minutes each. The
tournaments will use Swiss system pairings if more than six players
enter, otherwise pairings will be round robin.
Registration ends at noon. Games will start at 12:05 p.m.
For more information, call Dave Baurac (OPA) at ext. 2-5584
or Bob Hill (RA) at ext. 2-4865.
Return to Index
Go to Seminars
Go to Classified Ads
This page has been accessed *
times since Sept. 25, 1996.