Fermilab TodayMonday, August 30, 2004  
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Monday, August 30
THEORETICAL ASTROPHYSICS SEMINARS WILL RESUME IN THE FALL
3:30 p.m. DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
THERE WILL BE NO ALL EXPERIMENTERS' MEETING THIS WEEK

Tuesday, August 31
3:30 p.m. DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
THERE WILL BE NO ACCELERATOR PHYSICS AND TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR TODAY

Cafeteria
Monday, August 30
Wisconsin Cheese soup
Corned Beef Reuben $4.75
Chicken Provencale $3.75
Shepherd's Pie $3.50
BBQ Panini with Pepper Jack Cheese $4.75
Meat Lovers Pizza $2.75
Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts & Scallions $4.75
Wilson Hall Cafe Menu
Chez Leon
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WeatherPartly Cloudy 78º/56º

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New Online Computer Security Training Course Required for Fermilab Employees and Users
Feynman Computing Center
Feynman Computing Center
In an effort to make employees and users more aware of Fermilab's computer security policies, the Computing Division recently designed two new online computer security training courses. All employees and users will be required to take either the Basic Computing Security training course or the Security Essentials for Fermilab System Administrators course within the next year. New employees will automatically be registered to take the training course at the beginning of employment. "The Internet is becoming a less and less friendly place, and Fermilab has become an attractive target," said Irwin Gaines, a member of the Fermilab Computer Security team who helped develop the courses. "If you use a computer at Fermilab, you will need to take the new training course."

The Basic Computing Security course is based upon the Fermilab Policy on Computing. Fermilab computer users should make sure to read the complete policy before taking the test. A certain number of questions need to be answered correctly in order to pass, but the test may be taken multiple times if employees or users don't pass the test on the first try. "You're supposed to learn something from the test," said Gaines. "The questions are designed to make you think. Several people have already taken the test and supplied us with very thoughtful feedback." The Computing Division tested the training courses on a group of volunteers who have a range of computing skills, and approximately 100 employees have passed the test so far.

Accelerator Update
A Computer Bug
Praying Mantis
A Praying Mantis resting on the window of the Feynman Computing Center. (Photo courtesy of Dave Ritchie) (Click on image for larger version.)
In the News
From Science Magazine, August 27, 2004
Next Linear Collider:
Physicists Pick a Cold Road for Accelerator Project

by Charles Seife
Particle physicists are hot to trot with a cold linear collider. Although money and politics may prevent it from ever being built, the next big machine to explore the fundamental forces and particles in the universe should use "cold" superconducting technology rather than "warm" traditional conductors, scientists decided last week. "It's a very important point," says Jonathan Dorfan, director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). "We will all come together now, enthusiastically, to come to a design."

A more powerful linear collider is the next logical step in a 75-year sequence of building particle accelerators. In 2007 or 2008, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at Europe's CERN lab near Geneva, Switzerland, will begin to search for new particles. Most particle physicists have high hopes that the LHC will discover important exotica such as the Higgs boson and "supersymmetric partners" of known particles. But the LHC, which smashes complicated protons together, won't have the finesse to analyze those discoveries in detail. A linear collider, which smashes simple electrons and antielectrons together, can be used to figure out the properties of the new particles with greater precision.
read more

Safety Tip
3131
Fermilab Dispatchers
Fermilab dispatchers in the Communications Center in Wilson Hall (Click on image for larger version.)
"IN ANY EMERGENCY, DIAL 3131." This familiar instruction is posted all over the site and shows up repeatedly in safety training. What actually happens when you make that call?

All calls to x3131 are first routed to a dispatcher in the Communications Center located on the Ground Floor of Wilson Hall. The dispatcher is responsible for figuring out the caller's problem and providing assistance, usually by dispatching emergency response personnel. The lab's chief of security, Bill Flaherty, explained that x3131 gets called multiple times each day. The most common reasons are symptoms of heart attack, injuries, "autoaid" alarms with offsite fire departments, Wilson Hall elevator problems, and calls that are not really emergencies.

Jose Nevares and Stacey Lindeman, two of the lab's dispatchers, offered the following suggestions to improve the usefulness of the lab's emergency phone number.

  • If in doubt, call 3131. It's better to err on the side of safety. Besides, a few additional calls would not overload the system.
  • Stay on the line. The dispatcher will continue to collect information from you, usually until emergency responders arrive. In some cases you may be asked to "wave in" emergency vehicles. Even if you call by mistake, the dispatcher needs to verify that you are not in trouble.
  • Know your location. Emergency responders need to know where they are going. The more specific, the better. Look for building numbers or landmarks.

Until the emergency responders arrive, you are the eyes and ears for the people who can help.

Have a great day and let's work safely all week!
Safety Tip of the Week Archive

Announcements
Upcoming Classes
August 31 & Sept. 2 - Cascading Style Sheets (two half-days)
October 5 - Excel Intermediate
October 6 - Access Intermediate
October 19 - Word Advanced
more information

Tuesday Night Mixed Bowling League
The Fermilab Tuesday Night Mixed Bowling League will begin on September 7, 2004. It is a 30 week ABC/WIBC sanctioned league and meets at the new Funway Bowling Alley (lower floor near skating rink) in Batavia. The league is looking for a few more bowlers. Start time is 6:00 p.m. For information contact Dan Johnson (x2074) or Jackie Coleman (x3027).

Silk & Thistle Scottish Country Dancing
Silk & Thistle Scottish Country Dancing will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 31, at the Geneva American Legion Post. Newcomers are always welcome. Info at 630-584-0825 or 630-840-8194 or folkdance@fnal.gov.

2005 Recreation Facility Memberships
Memberships for 2005 go on sale in the Recreation Office on September 1. All new members that join in September receive 13 months for the price of 12. Rates will stay the same as 2004, $75.00 regular membership and $45.00 for a graduate student membership. Want to check out the facility before you join? Give us a call, and we will give you a one day pass to access the facility. 2004 memberships will expire October 1.

Fall Muscle Toning Class
The next Muscle Toning Class will be held in the Recreation Facility beginning September 7 and run until September 30. The cost for this 4 week session is $32.00. Classes are held in the Exercise Room on Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. You must be a current member to participate.

Wilson Hall Power Outages
- Power will be out September 13 for half an hour starting at approximately 7:00 a.m.
- Power will be out September 24 for half an hour starting at approximately 7:00 a.m.
For more information, contact Wilson Hall Building Manager Stan Boyson at x4753.

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