TRIVIA BEE CHAMPS —The winners of this year’s DuPage Literacy Volunteers’ Trivia Bee are, from left, Rob Huff (ET), Liz Stefanski (OTD) and Jim Miller (CMT). Presenting the award is Mark Wilson, a representative from Dale Carnegie Training.

$2M awarded for electron beam source R&D

The Defense Department's Joint Technology Office (JTO) has awarded Argonne a two-year, $2 million project to design four new electron beam sources as part of the laboratory's national security initiative.

Electron beam sources produce and accelerate electrons for a variety of uses, from forming an image on a TV screen to making X-rays in the Advanced Photon Source (APS). There are many types of sources to meet the wide range of performance requirements.

The project will focus on the design of two normal-conducting and two superconducting electron beam sources. The work will include manufacturing and cold-testing the two normal-conducting versions, analytical cathode investigations, collaboration with other active JTO-funded researchers and outreach to educational institutions.

Solving thermal-management issues in both normal conducting and superconducting high-average-power accelerator systems spans many research disciplines. The results of this funded research will be applicable to many accelerator facilities, such as the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator, and for defense applications and medical technologies. The results may also be of use at other Argonne accelerators, such as the APS, the Low-Energy Undulator Test Line, the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator and the Linac Coherent Light Source.

"This is the type of research that cuts across the laboratory expertise and diversity and poses exciting new challenges to the Argonne staff," said project leader Sandra Biedron (ES). "No other laboratory offers so many on-site resources and opportunities of cross-disciplinary collaborations."

ES team members working on the project include John Schneider, Laura Skubal and Patrick Wilkey. Efforts to assemble the team of ES staff, along with other laboratory scientists and engineers, are supported by William Schertz, Energy Systems Division Director; Alan Foley, associate laboratory director for national security; and Harvey Drucker, associate laboratory director for energy and environmental science and technology.

Biedron will team with John Lewellen of the APS Accelerator Systems Division and John Power and Zikri Yusof of the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator program in the High Energy Physics Division. Active collaborations have been established with other JTO-funded research teams at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Advanced Energy Systems, Inc., Science Applications International Corp., the Naval Postgraduate School, University of Maryland, and Brookhaven and Los Alamos national laboratories. The project manager for this effort in the Defense Department is Quentin E. Saulter of the Office of Naval Research.

The High-Energy Laser Joint Technology Office was established to advocate and execute a high-energy laser technology investment strategy for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Argonne fellowships help
boost 4 promising careers

2004 Argonne Named Fellowships have been awarded to four doctoral scientists and engineers who are at early points in promising careers.

The Argonne Director's Office initiated the special postdoctoral fellowships in 2003. They are named after scientific and technical luminaries associated with the laboratory, its predecessors and the University of Chicago since the 1940s. Recipients were selected from a group of more than 140 applicants.

Jeffrey G. Catalano, Ph.D. from Stanford University, was awarded the Harold Urey Postdoctoral Fellowship. Catalano will join the Environmental Research Division.

Jeffrey R. Guest, Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, was awarded the Arthur Holly Compton Postdoctoral Fellowship. Guest will join the Physics Division.

John J. Socha, Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, was awarded the Ugo Fano Postdoctoral Fellowship. Socha joined the Experimental Facilities Division.

Michael P. Zach, Ph.D. from the University of California at Irvine, was awarded the Glenn Seaborg Postdoctoral Fellowship. Zach will join the Materials Science Division.

`Everyday excellence' topic of talk

Sue Thoma, assistant to the president of the University of Chicago, will deliver a talk titled "Everyday Excellence" at Argonne-East's 20th annual Administrative Professionals Day celebration.

Thoma brings a wealth of administrative experience to her current position at the University of Chicago, having served as a senior account executive for Golin/Harris Communications and as a promotions manager for United Airlines.

The event will take place Wednesday, April 21, in the Building 213 Cafeteria. A free buffet breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. and the program will start at 8:45 a.m. All secretaries and clerical employees are invited to attend.

Glass shop reduces rates

Rates for glassblowing services at Argonne-East have been reduced by 34 percent. Custom fabrication of scientific and laboratory glassware is now $155 per hour.

Reduced priority service rates are available for emergencies that require immediate attention and for jobs that require completion within two or three days. The cost of design consultation has also been reduced to $75 per hour.

The Chemistry Division operates a state-of-the-art scientific glassblowing facility, staffed by fourth-generation Scientific Glassblower Joseph Gregar (CHM). A world-renowned craftsman, Gregar has 38 years of industrial and research glassblowing experience and is a member of the American Scientific Glassblowers Society.

More information is online.

Argonne team wins DuPage
Literacy trivia contest

A team of Argonne trivia aficionados took first place at the 2004 DuPage Literacy Volunteers' Trivia Bee fundraiser, held April 4 at the Community House in Hinsdale.

Rob Hoff (ET), Jim Miller (CMT) and Liz Stefanski (OTD) beat out 24 other teams to become new Trivia Bee champions. Together, the team outscored their competition by correctly answering a diverse array of questions from categories such as people and places, arts and entertainment, history, and science and nature.

Among the questions asked were:

What do you call the type of cap Sherlock Holmes wore?

On what date did the Battle of Fort Sumter begin?

What is the name for the process by which a solid turns directly into a gas?

In addition to their first-place trophy, Hoff, Miller and Stefanski won several certificates for one-day courses offered by Dale Carnegie Training — a performance-based training organization specializing in professional development. The team will donate the certificates to any Argonne employee with an interest in improving leadership and management skills.

Argonne employees have a legacy of success when it comes to the Literacy Volunteers' annual contests. Last year, the team of Hoff, Christopher Saricks (ES) and Stefanski took third place in the Trivia Bee, and in years past, Argonne has consistently placed in the top three teams in the "Great Grown-up Spelling Bee."

The Literacy Volunteers of America-DuPage, Inc. is a community-based organization that helps adults acquire English literacy skills to improve the quality of their lives and their ability to function independently in the community. Companies competing in the trivia bee contributed $400 per team to help raise funds and promote public awareness.

For more information about the Dale Carnegie Training certificates, contact Pat Canaday (C&PA) at ext. 2-5562.

(The answers are "deerstalker hat," April 12-13, 1861, and "sublimation.")

Service Awards Dinner photo
prints are now available

Employees honored at the Service Awards Dinner can order photo prints from that evening.

One 4x6 - inch color print is complimentary. Additional prints in 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10-inch formats are $10, $15 and $20, respectively.

Proof sheets from the Service Awards Dinner will be posted in the Building 213 Cafeteria through Monday, May 3, along with order forms. Completed order forms can be left in the drop box or mailed to Debra Ritchie (IPD), Building 222, Room C127.

For more information, call ext. 2-7451 or ext. 2-3771

Ask the Directorate

Q. I'm concerned about the practice of posting the number of consecutive hours worked without a lost-time injury. While the lab is rightly proud of its safety record, my experience in industry is that publicizing such a record is counterproductive. As the streak grows, real pressure mounts on individuals to avoid being the person who breaks it. The result is that injuries go unreported.

In eight years in industry I witnessed many minor injuries that people treated themselves rather than reporting. One of my colleagues sustained a serious injury for which he was treated at the company medical department, but rather than going home to rest as he was told, he returned to work so the injury would not be of the "lost time" variety. Then there was a friend who discovered a trail of blood drops leading from the lab to the parking lot, apparently because an injured person had sought off-site treatment rather than report to the medical department. Management eventually dropped the record-posting practice, and then they had to work hard to remove the stigma associated with reporting injuries. While injuries are to be avoided, they must be treated properly when they do happen.

A. Argonne's management believes safety is important, and the justifiable celebration of a significant accomplishment — such as 2.2 million hours without a lost-time accident — provides us with an opportunity to underscore that. At the same time, such accomplishments should be duly noted but not trumpeted forever. In fact, the string was already ended when we celebrated, and we have had three incidents with lost-time reported since then.

Certainly, any message we offer on safety, such as the signs about the record, needs to be balanced with our continuing message that we expect everyone to observe all safety precautions and to report all incidents so we can monitor and enhance conditions. While we desire zero injuries (who would not?), we expect that, if an injury does occur, it will be reported promptly and evaluated, and that appropriate corrective actions will be taken. 

Correction

A recent "Ask the Directorate" listed e-mail addresses instead of the Web addresses for the laboratory's equipment-exchange programs. The correct web addresses are:

Argonne Equipment and Material Exchange (AEM-X):  p2.pfs.anl.gov/AEM-X/AEM-X.htm

Surplus Office Supplies (SOSX): p2.pfs.anl.gov/sosx.htm

Pollution Prevention: p2.pfs.anl.gov

Help sought for Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement is looking for Argonne volunteers to help educate and inspire students about the world of work, economics and the free enterprise system.

The nonprofit organization looks for volunteers to teach a pre-designated curriculum. There is no cost, and a one-hour training session will be provided at Argonne-East.

Volunteers will present the program at Oakwood Elementary School, Lemont, once a week for five weeks; each session is about 45 minutes long. Another option is the "JA in a Day" program — a one-time visit for three hours. A teacher will always be in the classroom with the volunteer.

For more information, call Pat Canaday (C&PA) at ext. 2-5562.

Technology expo to show new products

A technology expo at Argonne-East Tuesday, April 27, will showcase new products from many vendors.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., exhibitors in the Building 213 Cafeteria Lobby and Dining Rooms will display products in biometrics, LCD technology, authentication, wireless technology, encryption, firewalls, information protection, Public Key Infrastructure and security software. A complete list of exhibitors and a pre-registration form are available online.

The expo is free and open to all interested employees. A complimentary lunch will be served to all pre-registered attendees. Complimentary refreshments will be served to all visitors. For more information, contact Kevin Glatstein at (800) 878-2940, ext. 220, or kevin@bcdb.com.

The expo is sponsored by the Department of Energy Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Southwest, JetBlue added to GetThere

Southwest and JetBlue Airlines have been added to the available flights on the GetThere online travel booking tool. Available flights with these two airlines will now show as options.

For more information, contact Travel Department Manager Rich Crowley at ext. 2-7111.

Zeiss 'scopes to be shown in mobile lab

The "Mat Mobile," an 18-wheel microscopy laboratory from Carl Zeiss, Inc., will visit Argonne-East Wednesday, May 19.

The Mat Mobile will exhibit materials microscopes in the Building 212 parking lot, just south of the Building 213 Cafeteria, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Retirement interest rates

Staff and Non-Staff Retirement plan interest rates for the 2nd quarter 2004 are:

* No longer excepting contributions

CIS Classes

Classes offered by Computing and Instrumentation Solutions are held in Argonne-East's Building 201, Room 167.

Unless otherwise specified, class sizes are limited to eight participants and cost $215. Complete computer class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms are available online. For information about enrollment, contact Diane Cavazos (CIS) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos @anl.gov.

"Beginning Unix" (CIS564) — Tuesday, April 27, 9 a.m. _ noon and Thursday, April 29, 9 a.m. - noon.

"vi Editor in Unix" (CIS567) — Friday, April 30, 9 a.m. - noon.

May classes:

"Intermediate Word 2000" (CIS103) — Monday, May 3, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Intermediate Excel 2000" (CIS104) — Tuesday, May 4, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Intermediate Access 2000" (CIS105) — Wednesday, May 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Introduction to PowerPoint 2000" (CIS106) — Thursday, May 6, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

"Advanced PowerPoint 2000" (CIS107) — Friday, May 7, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Landscaping with native plants focus of Earth Day

Argonne's Pollution Prevention Program will mark Earth Day 2004 with activities and exhibits in the Argonne-East Building 213 Cafeteria Thursday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, when an estimated 20 million Americans demonstrated in support of a cleaner environment. The theme for this year's forum is "Sustainable Design — Landscaping with Native Plants."

Exhibitors will include:

Chicago Wilderness Society

Natural Gardens

Possibility Places

Argonne's Center for Transportation Research

For more information contact Barb Markwenas (PFS-WMO) at ext. 2-8306.

Yoga offered

The Argonne Wellness Program's next session of yoga starts Thursday, April 22, at 12:30 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 200, and Tuesday, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. in Building 212.

The cost is $27 per session; there are six classes in a session. A minimum of 20 people must register for a session, or it will be canceled.

Call Roslyn at ext. 2-2803 for more information.

Trainer to show safe use of gym equipment

Bob Perkins, a Certified Wellness Trainer from Total Body Fitness Center, will demonstrate the safe and proper use of all the fitness equipment in the exercise facility in Building 402 Tuesday, April 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Perkins will also answer questions about personal fitness program.

The exercise facility is located behind the Advanced Photon Source Gallery.

Working and pregnancy topic of talk

"Working while pregnant and beyond" is the subject of a talk of a one-hour telephone seminar by Jeff Vanpelt of CIGNA Behavioral Health Employee Assistance Program.

The talk will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 21. Employees can pre-register online or by calling (888) 747-3493 15 minutes prior to the event.

Retirees

Cyrus H. Adams (NE) retired March 19 with 32 years of service.

Michael D. Atella (HR-MD) retired March 24 with 14 years of service.

Natalia K. Meshkov (ES) retired March 4 with 19 years of service.

Pauline Ordanez (PFS) retired March 19 with 12 years of service.

Ralph A. C. Swanson (NE) retired March 31 with 13 years of service.