The Material Control Department handles most of the TD materials that come into the lab. "We receive everything from the nuts and bolts for a project to finished magnets weighing more than 30,000 pounds," explained Les Peters, Operations Manager for Industrial Building 4. "We route all the materials through our inspection group, and then we can either store the material or deliver it," which means the department must routinely handle items multiple times. MC is also in charge of the pool of magnet spares for the accelerator complex, and employees are always on-call to move these large devices if a magnet fails. Even so, there has not been a lost or restricted workday in the department for over a decade.

"When it comes to safety, we always take one job at a time and analyze it to see what kinds of hazards are involved," explained technician Doug Kelley. "Everyone's always looking out for each other, and it helps to have a caring management."

A key member of the MC leadership is department head Gregg Kobliska. "My philosophy is to aim for zero injuries, because unless you aim for zero, you won't get anywhere close," he explained.

The leaders of the Technical Division are quick to praise the department for their achievement. "[MC] is proof that you can do physical work, stressful work, and work requiring focus and concentration, and still do it in a safe manner," said Rich Stanek, Associate Head of TD.
-Elizabeth Wade

The lecture series, titled “Einstein’s Revolutions,” began in June and commemorates the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s miracle year, 1905, when, while working as a patent clerk in Switzerland, he published a set of papers describing ideas that have influenced all of modern physics.
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