COLLOQUIUM -- “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Nuclear and Renewable Power Plants” will be the topic of a Director’s Special Colloquium Friday, Sept. 24, by Gerald L. Kulcinski, associate dean for research for the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sept. 6 , 2004 -- Some of this week's stories:

Nuclear, renewables and greenhouse topic of talk

Although nuclear and renewable power sources don't emit greenhouse gases during the actual production of electricity, a considerable amount of fossil fuel is used to construct the power plants, mine and transport the fuel, and dispose of the waste.

Gerald L. Kulcinski, associate dean for research for the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will examine "Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Nuclear and Renewable Power Plants" at a Director's Special Colloquium Friday, Sept. 24, at Argonne-East's Building 362 Auditorium. Kulcinski's talk will begin at 2 p.m.

Kulcinski is also the Grainger professor of nuclear engineering and director of the Fusion Technology Institute. His current research interests lie with the assessment of technological and environmental aspects of the production of electricity from renewable, fossil and nuclear energy sources.

Kulcinski conducted and directed research on the effects of radiation in metals while serving as a senior research scientist at the Battelle Northwest Laboratories from 1965 to 1971 and worked on the Nuclear Rocket Program at Los Alamos in 1963. From 1965 to 1971 he was a lecturer at the Center for Graduate Study in Richland, Washington. He joined the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin in 1972.

His major awards and honors include the NASA Public Service Medal, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Controlled Thermonuclear Division of the American Nuclear Society and the John Randle Grumman Achievement Award from the Grumman Aircraft Corporation. He was awarded the 1992 Leadership Award in Fusion by Fusion Power Associates. In 1993, he was elected to Phi Kappa Phi. In 1994, he was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award by the Wisconsin Alumni Foundation, and in 1995 he received the Wisconsin Big 10 Centennial Award.

Kulcinski has served on review panels for the National Academy of Sciences, the Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and Argonne.

He has published more than 210 scientific articles and more than 270 additional reports and articles in conference proceedings, and is a co-author or contributor to four books.

Argonne News
going biweekly

Due to the success of the Argonne Today e-mail broadcast, combined with an effort to reduce costs, Argonne News will be published every two weeks starting with the Sept. 27 issue.

Argonne News will continue to publish news, classified ads and seminar listings, but employees should check the Argonne News Web site (www.anl.gov/ news.html) often for updates. News items and seminars will be posted to the Web site as they are received, and listed in the Argonne Today e-mail broadcast the day they occur.

The Argonne News publishing schedule through the end of the calendar year will be:

Sept. 27 (deadline Monday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m.)

Oct. 11 (deadline Monday, Oct. 4, at 5 p.m.)

Oct. 25 (deadline Monday, Oct. 18, at 5 p.m.)

Nov. 8 (deadline Monday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m.)

Nov. 22 (deadline Monday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m.)

Dec. 6 (deadline Monday, Nov. 29, at 5 p.m.)

Wellness program offers tips for overseas travel ...

"Health Information for Airline and International Travel" will be the topic of a talk at Argonne-East Tuesday, Sept. 21, by Sena Blumensaadt, acting officer in charge of the Centers for Disease Control Quarantine Station at O'Hare Airport.

Blumensaadt will discuss ways travelers can protect themselves from infectious diseases while traveling and CDC recommendations for vaccinations and other protective measures that can be taken prior to traveling. She will also discuss signs and symptoms of illness that might occur after travelers return home.

The free, one-hour talk will begin at noon in the Building 213 Cafeteria, Dining Rooms A and B. For more information, call the Medical Department at ext. 2-2803.

... and heart, diabetes tests at `Health Fair 2004'

"Health Fair 2004" will be held at Argonne-East Tuesday, Sept. 14, giving employees a chance to meet with representatives from Argonne's health-care vendors and companies providing health care services.

The Health Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Building 213 Cafeteria. Services include chair massage, body fat measurement, computerized spinal test, carbon monoxide testing, information on exercise programs and more.

Cardiovascular and diabetes screening will be available for a nominal charge. Preregistration is necesary; call ext. 2-2800.

The Health Fair is sponsored by Human Resources.

'Invisible' hazards range from lasers to interruptions

By Adam Cohen,
Director, ESH and QA Oversight

Recently, a 20-year-old intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory was assisting with a series of experiments involving a class-4 pulsed laser. When the experiments were over, she remained for a time in the lab, thinking the laser — which produces light invisible to the naked eye — was turned off. In fact, the laser was still operating. The intern suffered a severe eye injury and was taken to Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore for treatment to save her vision.

What can we learn from this event? Sometimes safety problems aren't immediately obvious. The intern had no way to tell the laser was still turned on until it was too late.

There are other invisible hazards that can cause accidents and injuries. Like the laser, they may not be immediately obvious but can lead to serious trouble:

Repetitive, monotonous work

Unclear goals, roles and responsibilities

Unfamiliarity with the task

Distractions and interruptions

Changes and departures from routine

Imprecise communication

Lack of proficiency or inexperience

Illness, stress or fatigue

Complacency or overconfidence

Following the Integrated Safety Management cycle is the best defense against these invisible safety hazards. Define the scope of the work and analyze potential safety issues. Make sure hazard controls are in place, such as lockout-tagout procedures, personal protective equipment and support personnel.

It's also important to perform the work within controls. That means if something unexpected happens, you should know when to stop, how to get help, and whom to call before restarting the work. All Argonne employees have the authority to stop potentially unsafe work at any time.

Feedback is important, too. Once the job is completed, ask yourself: was there adequate training and planning? Were there any surprises? How can the job be done better or more safely in the future? The answers to these questions should be communicated to your co-workers and supervisor. Safety information not shared is another invisible hazard.

Editor's Note: The Argonne-East Environment, Safety and Health Manual section on laser safety (6.2) has been revised.

Service Awards

Service Awards for September include:

40 Years

Arnetta A. Bryant (PFS).

35 Years

David S. Ayres (HEP), Edmond L. Berger (HEP), Kathleen A. Pesavento (DIS), Midge A. Urban (ES).

30 Years

Jeffrey N. Brooks (ET), Frank D. Clark (FAC), Kenneth Evans, Jr. (ASD), James W. Lang (ASD), Kerry Lee Nisson (NPS), Daniel J. Prokop (NE), William K. Soppet (ET), Shiu-Wing Tam (ET), Brian L. Wartchow (NPS).

25 Years

Floyd Carse Bennett, Jr. (IPD), Joann Brown (XFD), Larry R. Johnson (EST), Robert P. Larsen (ES), Kevin L. Milligan (SCD).

20 Years

Esen E. Alp (XFD), Megan Daryl A. Felicione (FAC), Donald K. Sinclair (HEP), Colleen E. Tobolic (PHY).

15 Years

James A. Bulka (HEP), Lin X. Chen (CHM), Frank A. DePaola (PFS), Jeffrey W. Emery (CMT), Rodney D. Fletcher (PFS), Charles W. Keyser, Jr. (ES), Mike Layng (FAC), James M. Minich (CIS), Michael J. Polowinczak (PFS), Richelle E. Walker (NPS), Cheong-Yip Ron Yuen (EA).

10 Years

Terrence Disz (MCS), Nancy L. Erdmann (IPD), Mary L. Fitzpartick (IPD), John Grimmer (XFD), Torben Lauritsen (PHY), Dongqi Li (MSD), Donna Jones Pelkie (C&PA), L. Dean Peters (IPNS), David H. Potterveld (PHY), Tracy Rager (DIS), Beverly A. Ryan (PFS), Waleria J. Sendra (PFS), Vicki L. Skonicki (IPD), Thomas N. Taxon, Jr. (DIS), Robert A. Van Lonkhuyzen (EA), Judy A. Walden (APS).

5 Years

Patrick M. De Lurgio (HEP), Thomas L. Fors (ASD), Daniel S. Harden (PFS), Naomi E. Leach (PFS).

Music, dance
set for Hispanic
Heritage month

To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Argonne Hispanic/Latino Club will host performances at Argonne-East by Sones De Mexico and the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater from Northeastern Illinois University.

Sones De Mexico will perform Wednesday, Sept. 15, from noon to 1 p.m., in the Building 362 Auditorium. The Chicago-based folk music ensemble plays many regional styles, including huapango, gustos, chilenas, son jarocho and the roots of Mariachi music, using a collection of more than 25 string, percussion and wind instruments
     The Ensemble Espaņol Spanish Dance Theater from Northeastern Illinois University will perform Thursday, Sept. 30, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Advanced Photon Source Auditorium. The ensemble is one of the leading exponents of Spanish dance in the world.

'Chromic'

For years, Richard Lee's microphotographs helped illustrate technical reports and scientific papers written by Argonne scientists and engineers, and graced the pages of Argonne News. Now retired, Lee spends his time "babysitting, fixing up the house or writing my book," and creating Web sites featuring his favorite scientific microphotos. This one, called "Chromic," originally in color, shows evaporated chromic acid at about 25X magnification. Some of his work is also on display at Artful Gatherings, a gallery in downtown Lemont.

Retirees

Vinson L. Baledge (FAC) retired July 30 with 26 years of service.

Roger B. Blackman (IPNS) retired Aug. 20 with 39 years of service.

Ira H. Bresof (IPNS) retired Aug. 20 with 39 years of service.

Walter S. Czyz (IPNS) retired Aug. 20 with 41 years of service.

Marsha S. Goldberg (EA) retired Aug. 31 with 18 years of service.

Arthur Gordon (PFS) retired Aug. 13 with 13 years of service.

Donald B. Knight (OTT) retired Aug. 13 with 10 years of service.

Darrell G. Long (FAC) retired Aug. 2 with 7 years of service.

Jim R. Mason (NT) retired Aug. 20 with 19 years of service.

Claude Nielsen (NPS) retired Aug. 20 with 15 years of service.

Edwin D. Pentecost (EA) retired Aug. 16 with 23 years of service.

Donald J. Piatak (IPNS) retired Aug. 20 with 43 years of service.

Donald A. Sandberg (PFS) retired Aug. 13 with 34 years of service.

Janice Stefka (HR-MD) retired Aug. 2 with 10 years of service.

In memoriam

Daniel S. Giroux, a retired staff assistant with 37 years of service in the Office of Public Affairs Division, died July 25. His wife, Phyllis, survives him.

Patricia D. Walsh, a retired scientific assistant with 45 years of service in the Chemistry Division, died in July.

Philip Yuster, a retired senior chemist with 30 years of service in the Chemistry Division, died Oct. 14, 2003. His son, Thomas, survives him.

Retirement vendors
to visit ANL-East

The laboratory's retirement vendors will send representatives to Argonne-East during September to meet to answer employees' questions about retirement plans and retirement plan assets.

To schedule an appointment with these representatives, call the number listed. Appointments are for one-half hour each.

Fidelity -- Tuesday, Sept. 7 and Tuesday, Sept. 21. Call the appointment desk at (800) 642-7131.

TIAA-CREF -- Tuesday, Sept. 7, and Wednesday, Sept. 8. Call the appointment desk at (800) 842-2005 or visit the web site at www.tiaa-cref/moc.

Prudential -- Wednesday, Sept. 15. Mornings only. Call Cheryl at (847) 619-3519.

Questions about
Social Security
can be answered

A Social Security representative will be available to meet with employees in Argonne-East's Human Resources office in Building 201 Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon.

The representative will be able to help with earnings posting problems and answer general questions about the Social Security program. He can also take applications for lost or stolen Social Security cards, replacement Social Security cards or corrected cards due to name changes.

To schedule a meeting, call ext. 2-2989.