Announcements

SUSAN SOLOMON RECEIVES "TIME" HONOR

Time magazine has named NOAA's Susan Solomon to its fifth annual list of 100 of the world's most influential people. In the Time piece describing Solomon, IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri wrote, "All scientists like to believe they will leave the world better than they found it. Susan Solomon of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration surely will. Having helped save the earth's atmosphere already, she is now playing a role in doing it again."  http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733754_1735701,00.html

POKER WALK WINNERS

A big and hearty THANK YOU to all the volunteers that gave their time and energy to this year's Poker Walk!  This event would not happen without your help! We'd also like to thank all the participants that came to play and our Health Insurance Reps for their booths, goody bags, and prizes. It was fun in the sun!

The top 15 winners of the May 21st Health and Fitness Day Poker Walk were: (In the order of best hand)

1.      Jean Tomkowicz        Cooler Bag
2.      Steven Peckham        Yoga Mat
3.      Kelly Pineda              Cooler Bag
4.      Kristin Keagle            Rechargeable Radio/Flashlight
5.      Bob Lipschulz            Rechargeable Radio/Flashlight
6.      Carolyn Ponsford       Gym Bag  
7.      Sonja Ringen             Fanny Pack
8.      Preston Wolfram        Rechargeable Radio/Flashlight
9.      Russ Schnell              Rechargeable Radio/Flashlight
10.    Nathan Skinner           Book Holder/Book Light
11.    Wenyu Zhang             Yoga Mat
12.    Kristen Anderson        Book Holder/Book Light
13.    Georgeanne Beck       Rechargeable Radio/Flashlight
14.    David Himes               Fanny Pack
15.    Laura Kistner              Laptop Bag

CIRCLE BOULDER BY BICYCLE, June 1

The city of Boulders Greenways Program hosts the Eleventh Annual Circle Boulder by Bicycle, B-360 (approx. 23 miles) or B-180 self-guided ride, on Sunday, June 1, rain or shine, 3 to 5 p.m. This non-competitive ride follows the citys bikeways beginning and ending at Scott Carpenter Park, 30th Street and Arapahoe Avenue, and is open to all ages. Registration for both rides is free and is available the day of the ride at Scott Carpenter Park. For more information, contact Mary Gorman, ext. 4384, or e-mail: mgorman@boulder.nist.gov.

HR4U - NEWS FROM THE NIST HR OFFICE

The Thrift Savings Board is offering an overview of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).  Designed for all NIST employees covered under the Federal Employees' Retirement System and Civil Service Retirement System, the overview will cover the advantages of TSP and provide information on the current features and future changes to the program.  A copy of the overview can be found at:  http://www-i.nist.gov/hr/retirement/tspbriefing.pdf

ISART: SYMPOSIUM ON ADVANCED RADIO TECHNOLOGIES, June 2-4

Propagation Modeling for Efficient Spectrum Management
June 2-4, 2008
Boulder, Colorado
Register Online Now: http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/isart/

The International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) brings together technical researchers, business leaders, government policy makers, and regulators for the purpose of forecasting the development and application of radio frequency technologies. This year the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) will conduct parallel sessions of ClimDiff 2008, June 3-4.  Clim Diff will cover topics in radio meteorological phenomena, e.g.) climate and diffraction effects.  Such effects are prominent in troposcatter, transhorizon and earth-space paths.  Also in conjunction with ISART and ClimDiff, ITS will be hosting block meetings for ITU-R Working Parties 3J, 3K, 3L & 3M, June 5-13.  Study Group 3 covers various aspects of radio propagation with 3J Propagation Fundamentals, 3K Point-to-Area Propagation, 3L Ionospheric Propagation and Radio Noise, and 3M Point-to-Point and Earth-Space Propagation June 5-13, 2008.
 
ISART Welcoming Address: Patricia Raush, General Chair, NTIA/ITS
Keynote: Karl Nebbia, Associate Administrator, NTIA/OSM
ESA Part I: Design, Anja Skrevervik, LEMA EPFL-STI, Switzerland
ESA, Part II: Measurement, Rainer Wansch, IIS, Fraunhofer, Germany
Session I: Topics in Spectrum Management, Alakananda Paul, NTIA/OSM
Session II: Communications in Various Noise Environments, Christopher Behm, NTIA/ITS
Session III: Propagation Prediction Models, Nicholas DeMinco, NTIA/ITS
Session IV: Wireless in Mobile Environments, Chris Haslett, OFCOM, UK
Session V: Emerging Wireless Technologies, Timothy Brown, University of Colorado
ClimDiff Session I: Measurement and Synthesis of Rain Parameters, Carol Wilson, CSIRO, Australia
ClimDiff Session II: Measurement and Modeling of Climatic Effect, Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg, European Space Agency
ClimDiff Session III: Effects Due to Buildings and Terrain, Merhala Thurai, Colorado State University

OBSERVING CLIMATE WITH SATELLITES: ARE WE ON THIN ICE?, June 6
NIST Colloquium Series

Compton Tucker, Goddard Fellow, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
8:30 a.m., 1-4550, DOC, Boulder

(Rescheduled from April 11, 2008) The Earth's climate is determined by irradiance from the Sun and by properties of the atmosphere, oceans, and land that determine the reflection, absorption, and emission of energy within our atmosphere and at the Earth's surface. Since the 1970s, Earth-viewing satellites have complemented non-satellite geophysical information and led to an unprecedented understanding of the Earth's coupled ocean-land-atmosphere system. I will describe the Earth's climate system, as understood from data from earth-viewing satellites and ground-based geophysical monitoring stations, review arguments against global warming, and show the unprecedented convergence of evidence for global warming in the past few years. I will also discuss recent concerns about warming-induced instabilities to the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica

NARFE: LARRY SCHLUNTZ, June 6

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees meets Friday, June 6, at the West Boulder Senior Center. Lunch at 11:30 or so is optional, you may buy lunch there, bring your own, or just join us to be sociable. The entertainment begins immediately following lunch, at about 12:20. This month, the program features Larry Schluntz, President of the Longmont NARFE, with a slide presentation about the People to People program in China. For more information call Winston Scott at 303-494-6752, or Jan Falcon at 303-499-9583.

NIST COMMITTEE FOR WOMEN EVENTS, June 3 & 4

NIST Boulder is forming a chapter of the NIST Committee for Women (NCW).  Gaithersburg's NWC President Karen Olsen (Physics Lab) and Elaine Chan (EEEL) plan to spend time with women in Boulder to share ideas and suggestions about how NCW participation might benefit NIST Boulder.  Two events are planned during their visit:

1.  Twilight Walk to Chautauqua on Tuesday evening, June 3rd. Meet at the West door of Building 1, 5 p.m. Round trip takes 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2.  Brown Bag Lunch with NIST's Committee for Women (NWC) president (from Gaithersburg), Karen Olsen (Physics Lab) and Elaine Chan (EEEL) who will be visiting Boulder on Wednesday, June 4th. Meet at the NIST Cafeteria, 12 noon. Drop in, casual.

To help plan for the meeting, please think about what activities or events you think would be interesting.  Specifically:
1. Types of activities that you may be interested in for Boulder. Please see some examples below.
2. Suggestions for activities Karen and Elaine to consider for their visit to Boulder, such as meetings, lab tours, etc.

Please Robin Wolf (rwolf@boulder.nist.gov) for further information.

POSTDOCTORAL POSTER SYMPOSIUM, June 18

Announcement:  The 2008 (5th) Boulder Laboratories Postdoctoral Poster Symposium will be held on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 from 1 to 4 p.m., in Radio Building Rooms 1103, 1105 and 1107 (lobby area of Building 1). In addition to an excellent networking opportunity for postdoctoral associates and students, this event fosters appreciation for the breadth, novelty and excitement of research in the Boulder Labs. A number of Outstanding Presentation awards will be presented during the symposium. The Boulder Laboratories Diversity Council (BLDC) is the event's sponsor, and BLDC members will furnish refreshments for all to enjoy. Please mark your calendars and plan to participate.

Call for abstracts:  Postdoctoral associates from NOAA, NIST, NTIA and each of their joint institutes are invited to contribute presentations. We are seeking broad participation by NRC, Guest Researchers, JILA, CIRES, CIRA, etc. affiliates who are within seven years of an earned doctorate. In addition, for 2008, both undergraduate and graduate student affiliates of the Boulder Labs are also invited to contribute. To be included in the program, please send titles and abstracts to the event chair - Joseph Magee by May 18.  Our intent is to be inclusive, so if you are not sure that you would qualify to present, ask the event chair. You are asked to send a text-only abstract of 100 to 250 words. An acceptance notice will be provided for each contribution. Collected abstracts will be printed in a Symposium Abstract Book. During the poster session, judges will listen to presentations and select those to receive awards. Outstanding Presentation awards will be displayed on the winning posters. Contact: Joe Magee (303) 497-3298, joe.magee@nist.gov .

BIKE TO WORK DAY CHALLENGE, June 25

The Competition has Begun!

204 Boulder businesses have signed up for the Bike To Work Day (BTWD) Business Challenge. NIST is in 66th place, with 27 people registered. Check out the Effort Index for more info on how teams are ranked and/or Click here to see how NIST stacks up against other companies in Boulder County.

Join NIST's team and register online today at http://www.drcog.org/btwd2008/. All you have to do is commit to using alternate transportation on BTWD by biking, unicycling, walking, busing, carpooling, skateboarding, or rollerblading to work on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. Just by registering you can win prizes, gear give-aways, and get a map of free food breakfast stops! Also, the Boulder Laboratories Employee Association, BLEA, has offered to help purchase yummy food and beverages for a second breakfast at 10:30 a.m. for BTWD participants.

Wanted: NOAA team coordinator for Bike to Work Day. Join or challenge the NIST team, and then we can all celebrate together on BTWD. Contact Mary Gorman, 303-497-4384 or email: mgorman@boulder.nist.gov.

LEAVING EMPLOYMENT AT DOC/BOULDER?
Please return your orientation notebook and its contents for recycling/re-use!

Please help save limited funds by returning the materials you received at your New Employee Orientation if (or when) you no longer need them. If you are exiting employment through either of the on-site Human Resources departments, you can give your orientation notebook to them and they will forward it or contact me, Rosemary O'Connor, at rosemary.oconnor@boulder.nist.gov or ext. 5238. If you are an affiliate (and, therefore, not meeting with Human Resources before you leave), please contact me directly. THANKS!!

NOAA GIFT SHOP MONTHLY SPECIAL

The NOAA Gift Shops monthly special for May: $2 off Womens Clothing. Normal hours are 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday. The shop is located in room 1C307 in the Skaggs building.

NIST GIFT SHOP

The NIST store is located under the lobby stairs near the Building 1 cafeteria.  If you would like to purchase any NIST merchandise, please call ext. 5453, ext. 3832, ext. 3988, or ext. 3378. See pictures of their NIST t-shirts, hats, post cards, and more at the BLEA web site by clicking "sales" - http://blea.doc.gov/

EMSS NEWS

WEEKLY NOTICE FROM EMSS: Week of May 27th
Contact for all other calls or requests for information: Gary Merlino, EMSS Service Desk, ext. 3191.

Building 1
Repair of sliding door at west entrance. Contact: Bill Seader, ext. 6314.

Saturday, May 31, 6 a.m.-3 p.m. the steam will be shut off to perform tie-ins to the new Site Utility Distribution System (SUDS). Work will be isolated to Room 1-1049. Contact: Joe Carbone, ext. 3114.

Continued road renovations. The new road around the south side of the front entry will begin with excavation, and the removal of the existing concrete curbs. Underground utilities are being located and disconnected, such as water lines and lighting circuits. Contact: Joe Carbone, ext. 3114.

Saturday, May 31, CUP Phase II work will require a water outage in between the hours of 8 a.m.-12 p.m. There will be no impact to vacuum interrupters or RUPS. Contact: Chris Colburn, ext. 4353.
 
Continued renovation, Room 1-3519, doors will be complete this week and painting is to begin. Contact: Jack Schneider, ext. 4676.

Roofing project will continue (weather permitting) all week for Building 1, Wing 4. This will include high pressure washing and laying down the top coat. Some parking may be affected and we will inform you as soon as information is available. Contact: Jack Schneider, ext. 4676.
 
Domestic cold water to be shut off to Bldg. 1, Wings 3 & 4, due to repairs to women's restroom, Bldg. 1-3061.
Contact: Roger Carmack, ext. 4935.

Central Utility Plant
Wednesday, May 28-Tuesday June 3, testing on the boilers will be performed. During this testing period there will be times when a large quantity of steam will be release to the atmosphere. There are not any hazards associated with this testing but there will be a noticeable sound. Contact: Joe Carbone, ext. 3114.

Building 2
Motor replacement and preventive maintenance on all exhaust fans will be completed by the contractor in the next two weeks. Several exhaust fans in Building 2 attached to fume hoods will be effected. The users will be contacted as to a time for shut down for service.  Contact: Leon Urbain, ext. 4586.

Roofing project will continue (weather permitting) all week for Building 2. This will include high pressure washing and laying down the top coat. Some parking may be affected and we will inform you as soon as information is available. Contact: Jack Schneider, ext. 4676.

CAFE NEWS

NIST CAFETERIA - Building One
6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays
ext. 5938

FAST & FRESH FOOD AT YOUR NIST CAFE NOW PRESENTS THE SNACK CART!

Daily Rounds will be made in each wing of NIST Bldg 1.  Listen for the Cart Attendants' Bell 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.  Delicious Refreshments Available on the Snack Cart Include - Coffee, Juice, Smoothies, Soda, Fresh Muffins, Pastries, Cookies, Brownies, Deli Sandwiches, Breakfast Burritos, and Fresh Fruit

NIST Cafe Menu, June 2-6

Monday:         Apricot Chicken over Couscous with Grilled Veggies
Tuesday:        Pad Thai with Chicken or Veggie
Wednesday:      Honey and Soy Grilled Pork Loin or Honey and Soy Grilled Chicken or Tofu
Thursday:       Jerk Chicken or Tofu with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Friday:         BBQ Chicken

SEE OUR SPECIALS BOARD FOR OUR DAILY $4.99 BLUE PLATE SPECIAL
Please see our menu at www.nistcafe.com for daily updates.

NOAA DELI - Skaggs Building
 
Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., daily
Info: ext. 5771

Menu not received by press time.