Fermilab Today

Monday, May 8, 2006

Monday, May 8
2:30 p.m. Particle Astrophysics Seminar - Curia II
Speaker: E. Komatsu, University of Texas
Title: WMAP
THERE WILL BE NO ALL EXPERIMENTERS' MEETING THIS WEEK

Tuesday, May 9
11:00 a.m. Academic Lecture Series - Curia II
Speaker: D. Green, Fermilab
Title: High-pt Hadron Collider Physics - Course 8 (1st Lecture)
3:30 p.m. DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 p.m. Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar - 1 West
Speaker: C-Y. Tan, Fermilab
Title: Tune and Chromaticity Tracking in the Tevatron

Partly Cloudy 71º/51º

Extended Forecast

Weather at Fermilab

Secon Level 3

Monday, May 8
-Wisconsin Cheese
-Corned Beef Reuben
-Stuffed Chicken Breast
-Mostaccoli Al Forno
-Chicken Oriental Wrap Pineapple
-Meatlover's Pizza
-Pacific Rim Rice Bowl

The Wilson Hall Cafe accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express.

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Wednesday, May 10
Lunch
-Curried Turkey Salad w/Cashews on Field Greens
-Melon with Greens

Thursday, May 11
Dinner
-Zucchini Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Yogurt Dill Sauce
-Veal Rib Chops with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Capers
-Fettuccini Alfredo
-Amaretto Soufflé with Frangelico Crème Anglais

Chez Leon Menu
Call x4598 to make your reservation.

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Forget the gas, give me 20 pounds of corn on pump 4

Hubert Kimmons-Mosby of Business Services fills up on Compressed Natural Gas, which is less popular than E85 at Fermilab.

Last July, Congress passed an energy bill requiring the U.S. to use 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2012. The site 38 gas station, where Fermilab taxis, trucks and farm equipment line up every morning to buy gas with a microchipped card, is already on its way. As part of a 1999 executive order that required federal agencies to reduce their dependence on petroleum by 20 percent, Fermilab diversified its fuel sources years ago.

Vehicles can fill up on E85 (mixture of ethanol from corn and gasoline), regular gasoline, diesel, and compressed natural gas (a compressed version of the stuff used to heat the house). "It all depends on the type of engine used," said Brian Niesman, Fermilab's assistant transportation manager. "Some of our vehicles have modified engines that can switch back and forth between compressed natural gas and regular gasoline." The CNG cylinder holds the gas at more than 3,000 pounds per square inch (that's greater than the pressure felt a mile underwater), and the modifications required to deal with all that pressure makes CNG a more expensive alternative than E85, even though the gas itself is cheaper. "E85 is the more popular alternative here," said Niesman. "It makes up about a fourth of the fuel we use." Each month, Fermilab uses about 5,787 gallons regular gas, 2,658 gallons diesel, 1,878 gallons E85, and 768 equivalent gasoline gallons CNG.

The fact that ethanol is homegrown gives it another advantage, and may be part of the reason headlines, advertising campaigns, and presidential speeches have promoted "going yellow" for months. "I suspect we'll be ordering a whole lot more ethanol this summer," said Niesman.
--Siri Steiner

In the Bowels of DZero: Wedged between a muon endcap on the left and a grey steel calorimeter on the right, one can just make out the beam pipe, a bluish glint in the center of the red. When the DZero detector is taking data, this endcap and calorimeter are pushed together until they nearly touch, leaving no room to stand. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Lauren Lee; click image for larger version.)

News Blaze,
May 4, 2006:
Department of Energy Issues Draft Request for Proposals

The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking comments on a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for the competitive selection of a management and operating (M&O) contractor for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), a major DOE Office of Science single program research facility located on 6,800 acres approximately 45 miles west of Chicago, Illinois.

Fermilab is a DOE Office of Science high-energy physics laboratory with an annual budget of about $315 million. Fermilab's mission is to advance the understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and energy by providing leadership and resources for qualified researchers to conduct research at the frontiers of high-energy physics and related disciplines. Approximately 2,500 scientists from 230 universities and laboratories in 35 states and 30 countries carry out research at the "energy frontier," the highest energy environment for discovery of particle physics in the world.
Read More

Back to backs

Galen of Pergamum (129-200 AD) was a Greek physician whose study of spinal anatomy and pathology remained the only systematic body of work on these subjects until recent centuries.

In a previous article, we examined hand injuries since they are the most common type occurring at Fermilab. In this article we review the second most frequent injury: those affecting the back. Of the 4661 total injuries that have occurred at Fermilab over the past 25 years, 12 percent have involved the back. Though this is not a large fraction, they have accounted for a disproportionate loss of the productivity: 38 percent of the days away from work and 25 percent of the restricted duty days. Overexertion and slipping are the most common causes at 75 percent and 17 percent, respectively. As expected, most of the overexertion injuries have been associated with manual material handling: lifting, moving, pushing and pulling.

Fermilab has employed a contract physical therapist to provide Back Works instruction for a number of years. ES&H Training Coordinator, Joel Kofron, notes that this course has routinely received high marks and the people who attend actually have fewer back injuries. If interested, you can use TRAIN to sign up for one of these classes. [Note that there is a first time class and a refresher class.] From a medical standpoint, the Lab's Site Occupational Medical Director, John Foxen, recommends that you keep your back flexible and strong. This helps to prevent an initial injury as well as speed recovery in case you get hurt. He further suggests that people search the internet using the phrase core strength to find specific guidance.

Safety Tip of the Week Archive

Fundraiser for John LaFleur
The City of Batavia will host a fundraising event for the family of John LaFleur on May 13 from 2-8 p.m. LaFleur was a Fermilab electrician who passed away March 26 as a result of complications from a brain tumor. He is survived by a wife and three children and had not worked at Fermilab long enough before his death to receive a pension. Tickets are available through Greg Gilbert, x6835 or gilbert@fnal.gov. Details about the event, including location, can be found here.

Main Ring Road, near A0, closed today-Friday
A section of Main Ring Road in front of the A0 storage building will be closed from 7:00 a.m. today, May 8, to 5:00 p.m. Friday, May 12. The emergency closure is necessary to replace an oil switch. People using the A0 lot should allow time for a 4-mile detour. Detour signs will be posted.

Road Paving on D Road
Asphalt repair work is underway on D Road from Eola to A-1. During the 5 or six days of repaving, drivers using D Road should expect short delays. Motorists are urged to slow down, obey signs, pay attention to traffic control personnel, and use caution when driving on grooved and uneven surfaces. The work area can be avoided by using a combination of North Eola, A-1, and C Roads.

Batavia Road entrance to close for cars and bicycles, beginning Tuesday
The Batavia Road entrance will be closed for renovation from 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 22. During this time, the City of Warrenville will also be repaving roadways and carrying out other construction work along Batavia Road. Delays are expected to continue until early June, even after the entrance re-opens. Drivers and bicyclists should use Pine and Wilson Street entrances until the work is completed. Pine Street entrance hours are 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the general public and 24 hrs for employees, 7 days a week. The Wilson Road entrance hours are 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Tom Prosapio at prosapio@fnal.gov

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