Fermilab TodayMonday, February 2, 2004  
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Monday, February 2
3:30 Director's Coffee Break - 2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 All Experimenters' Meeting
Special Topic: Linear Collider at Fermilab
THERE WILL BE NO THEORETICAL ASTROPHYSICS SEMINAR THIS WEEK

Tuesday, February 3
Noon Wellness Works - Brown Bag Seminar - 1 West
Speaker: G. Lawrence and J. Foxen, M.D. - Fermilab
Title: Eating to Live - Choosing a Diet to Achieve a Healthy Weight and Good Health
3:30 p.m. DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 p.m. Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar - 1 West
Speaker: Y. Zhang, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Title: Computational Studies of ISOL Targets for Generation of Radioactive Ion Beams

Cafeteria
Monday, February 2
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A Special Message from the Director
Mike Witherell
Friday afternoon, the Department of Energy announced its extension and competition decisions for the contracts to operate ten of its national laboratories. The press release says about Fermilab: "The Department will compete the management contract for this facility to accommodate an award coincident with the completion of the current contract on December 31, 2006."

Since this is a decision that is of interest to everyone who works at Fermilab, I want to take the opportunity to answer some of the questions that I know you may have.

What is the management contract for Fermilab? Fermilab is a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) national laboratory. The federal government owns the laboratory assets, and in our case the land, but negotiates with another organization the management and operation (M&O) contract for the laboratory. For Fermilab, the M&O contractor is Universities Research Association, while other laboratories are managed by universities, for profit corporations, or other non- profit entities.

What does it mean to "compete the contract"? Every five years the DOE either negotiates an extension of the Fermilab contract or decides to award it through a competitive bidding process. The Fermilab contract has always been extended, as is the case for many other national laboratories. The press release announces competition dates for eight laboratories. Certain other laboratories went through a competitive bidding process in recent years.

Was this announcement a surprise? Not in light of statements by public officials and legislative language in recent years, although the timing of such an announcement was not known. It does represent a change of policy, but the new policy has been developing for some time. Secretary Abraham said in the press release that, "a competitive environment is generally desirable for the effective and efficient operation of our labs." He was acting on the recommendations of a Blue Ribbon Commission on the Use of Competitive Procedures for DOE laboratories. In addition, Congress has encouraged competition with language in the Energy and Water Development and Appropriations Act of 2004 directed the Department to use competitive bidding for five laboratory contracts up for renewal in 2004 and 2005.

Did the decision to compete the URA contract represent a judgment about Fermilab? No. The DOE has made it clear in public and private statements that the recent set of decisions is based on applying a general policy and does not reflect a specific concern about Fermilab or the other laboratories named.

What would it mean to the people who work here if the management contract changed? Based on experience at other laboratories, personnel changes in connection with contract competition were confined to the upper management of the laboratory. Of course, the scientific direction of every laboratory evolves with time, based on changes in science and in government priorities. But there were no sharp programmatic changes at the laboratories that have recently changed contractors. Meanwhile, URA President Fred Bernthal has asked me to convey to you that this decision by DOE does not, of course, affect URA's search for a new director a process about to begin under the chairmanship of Dr. Neal Lane.

The success of Fermilab has been based on the quality of the science done here and on the ability of the laboratory to build and operate large facilities that make it possible to do forefront particle physics. This will continue to be true in the future.

Correction
On January 30, Fermilab Today ran an article, "Fermilab Playgroup Invites Parents and Children to Join." The Fermilab playgroup is a NALWO sponsored activity and provides the space in the Users' Center.

In the News
DOE Press Release, January 30, 2004
Department of Energy Announces Extension and Competition Decisions for Laboratory Contracts
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy today announced extensions and competitions for the management and operating contracts for several of the Department’s science and national defense laboratories.

...The Department will compete the management contract for Fermilab to accommodate an award coincident with the completion of the current contract on December 31, 2006.
Read more

Director's Corner
Safety on Ice: Little Steps Go a Long Way
Snow removal
Fermilab's Roads & Grounds Department is responsible for snow removal, and works with building managers on priorities for clearing pathways.
Fermilab's overall rate of occupational injuries remains fairly constant over the year, but the rate for slip accidents doubles during the colder months-and we're facing yet another week with forecasts of icy conditions and sub-zero temperatures.

Out of 22 cases involving employees slipping on ice in the last five years, the 10 reportable cases resulted in 55 off-duty days and 191 limited duty days. Let's review a couple of important safety measures for icy conditions:

1-Take short, flat steps to help sustain your balance. Use handrails wherever available. Wear boots with treads; add strap-on cleats if you spend a lot of time walking on ice. Leave high-heeled shoes at home. Stay on cleared walkways when you can, but remember these surfaces can refreeze. If you see a problem like this in a parking lot, walkway or road, please call Roads and Grounds at x3303.

2- If walkways and doorways in your area need cleaning, please help out. Fermilab's Roads & Grounds Department is responsible for snow removal, and works with building managers on priorities for clearing pathways. But plowing roads is always the top priority. In some cases, salt and/or shovels have been made available for your use. [WARNING! Avoid shoveling if you cannot do so safely.] Contact your building manager if you would like additional ice/snow removal equipment.

Have a great day and let's work safely all week!

Accelerator Update
January 28 - January 30
- During this period Operations established one store. That store along with an existing store provided approximately twenty-five hours and 13 minutes of luminosity to the experiments.
- 100 mA of antiprotons lost from stack on Thursday.
- The DZero experimenters discovered a water leak that required them to open their detector to make repairs.

View the current accelerator update
View the Tevatron Luminosity Charts

Announcements
Upcoming Classes
Feb. 5 - Word 2000 Intermediate
Feb. 10 - HTML, Level 1
Feb. 17 - HTML, Level 2
Feb. 19 & 20 - Oracle Database 10g: New Features Overview
Feb. 24 - Access 2000 Advanced
March 2 - Excel 2000 Intermediate
March 16 - Cascading Style Sheets
March 17 & 18 - Dreamweaver MX
more information

Prescription Safety Glass Program
The optician will be available Fridays from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM in the EOC (Ground Floor, Wilson Hall). This change is effective February 1, on a permanent basis.

Brown Bag Seminar
The next Brown Bag Seminar is on Feb. 3 from noon to 1:00 p.m. in One West. The Accelerator Division's Greg Lawrence will present "Eating to Live."

Scottish Country Dancing
Scottish Country Dancing will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Geneva American Legion Post. Newcomers are always welcome. Info at 630-584-0825 or 630-840-8194 or folkdance@fnal.gov.

Recreation Discount Valentines Day Specials
A dozen Belgian chocolate roses with personalized gift card for only $30.00!!! Each long stem milk chocolate rose is hand wrapped in red foil. Roses are packaged in an attractive display box with your personal message. You can order online or complete an order form available in the Recreation Office. All orders must be received by Monday, February 9th for guaranteed delivery by Valentine's Day.



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