Fermilab Today Monday, December 19, 2005  
Calendar

Monday, December 19
2:30 p.m. Particle Astrophysics Seminar
- Curia II
Speaker: K. Zurek, University of Washington
Title: Uncovering Light Scalars in Cosmology
3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break -
2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 p.m. All Experimenters' Meeting -
Curia II

Tuesday, December 20
3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break -
2nd Flr X-Over
There will be no Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar today.

Weather
Weather Sunny  18º/9º

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Weather at Fermilab

Security

Secon Level 3

Cafeteria
Monday, December 19
- Wisconsin Cheese Soup
- Corned Beef Reuben
- Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Shepherd's Pie
- Turkey Craisins Wrap
- Meat Lover's Pizza

The Wilson Hall Cafe accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express at Cash Register #1.

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Cafeteria

Wednesday, December 21
Closed

Thursday, December 22
Closed

Chez Leon Menu
Call x4512 to make your reservation.

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Community Task Force Gets Report on Tritium at Fermilab
Community Task Force
The Community Task Force discussed tritium levels in Indian Creek at Wednesday's meeting. (Click image for larger version.)
Meeting with Fermilab's Community Task Force on Public Participation, lab Director Pier Oddone emphasized the importance of transparency in communication in dealing with the discovery of low levels of tritium in water leaving the site. "We are taking it very seriously," Oddone told the Task Force last Wednesday night (Dec. 14). "The seriousness of this kind of issue does not always correlate with the actual health hazard, but with the way the laboratory handles it."

Regular monitoring of Indian Creek in November revealed a low level of tritium, a form of hydrogen with an unstable nucleus. The tritium levels were far lower than the federal standards the lab is required to meet, and posed no health hazards. The discovery marked the first time in 30 years of monitoring that tritium reached detectable levels in surface water.

During the meeting in Wilson Hall, Oddone outlined the lab's immediate and successful efforts to stop tritiated water from entering Indian Creek, which leaves the site at the southwest corner near the Savannah subdivision. Then Oddone turned the meeting over to presentations by Bill Griffing, head of the lab's Environment, Safety and Health section; radiation expert Don Cossairt; and Associate Director for Accelerators Steve Holmes, who heads up the director's task force on water quality.
Read More
—Mike Perricone

RCT Billed As "Digital Camera" In Why Files
Last Thursday's Why Files spoof online shopping section,"Why Mart," featured the Regional Calorimeter Trigger from CERN's LHC. The calorimeter trigger was advertised as a "Super-Speed Digital Camera" and the photo caption read: "Plumbing-like object carries fast protons at Large Hadron Collider. Nifty electric bike not included." Confused? A picture is worth a thousand words: you can find the article and "product" image here.

Correction
Friday's story on the installation of the Q1, Q2 and Q3 magnets stated: "The Q2 and Q3 magnets were made at Fermilab, but Q1 was shipped from KEK." The Q1 and Q3 actually came from KEK to Fermilab for assembly into cryostats, and the Q2 was made fully at Fermilab. We regret the error.

In the News
House Comittee on Science Press Release
December 15, 2005:

Conference Agreement Reached on NASA Authroization Bill

WASHINGTON D.C.– The House Science Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today reached agreement on a bill to reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The House and Senate had passed differing versions of the bills (H.R. 3070/S.1281) this summer and fall. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) chaired the conference Committee, which approved the agreement today. The conference report will be filed Friday morning and passage is expected in both bodies on Friday and Saturday. The President is expected to sign the bill.
Read More

Safety Tip
Watch Out for Snow and Ice
maintenance
Watch out for snow and ice during the holidays. (Click image for larger version.)
Even though Fermilab has a very good program for dealing with snow and ice, it is simply impossible to immediately clear every surface that is intended for walking or driving. Dr. Foxen of Fermilab's Medical Office notes that a day with falling snow usually means that one or two people will show up in the Medical Department with slip injuries. In most cases, they are minor bumps and bruises, but sometimes we see fractures and dislocations.

Mike Becker, manager of Fermilab's Roads & Grounds, explains that the first priority of his group is to clear roads and parking lots. That leaves building managers initially responsible for attacking the stairs and walkways around their buildings using salt, shovels and (in some cases) snow blowers. After roads and parking lots are treated, Roads & Grounds helps with clearing around buildings and responding to special requests. Here are some steps you can take to minimize the risks of accidents from winter weather:

  • Pay attention. Both Mike Becker and Dr. Foxen offer that attentiveness is your first line of defense. Adjust your pace and balance to match conditions.

  • Toss some salt. A bucket of salt can be found at the entrances to many buildings. If you can do so safely, please spread some on nearby untreated surfaces - especially stairs and obviously slippery surfaces.

  • Call Roads & Grounds for help at X3303. Mike Becker would appreciate your help in identifying winter surface hazards, especially those that would go unnoticed or those that need special attention.

Safety Tip of the Week Archive

Accelerator Update
December 14 - 16
- Separator spark causes TeV quench.
- Pbar LCW leak found and fixed.

Read the Current Accelerator Update
Read the Early Bird Report
View the Tevatron Luminosity Charts

Announcements
Turn in Your Timesheet
Weekly Time Sheets for the week ending December 25, 2005 are due in Payroll by 10 a.m. on December 19, and revisions for week ending December 18 are due by 9 a.m. on December 19. The week ending December 25 will be paid on December 22. Don't forget, the Payroll Department will close at 4:30 pm on December 22 and reopen at 7:30 a.m. on January 3, 2006.

What are your plans for the holidays?
Traveling over seas? Have a family with weird traditions? Fermilab Today wants your stories. Send comments, quotes and tidbits about what you are going to do--and what your looking forward to most--to Dawn Stanton at dstanton@fnal.gov or call her at 2237.

Discounted Special Event Tickets
Order forms are available in the Recreation Office for discounted tickets for the following performances: Disney on Ice: The Incredibles at the Allstate Arena, Harlem Globetrotters 80th Anniversary at the United Center, Smuckers Stars on Ice at the AllState Arena, The Sound of Music at the Cahn Auditorium, and Murder Mystery Dinner Theater at the Milk Pail Restaurant. More information and order forms can be found on the Website.

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