Fermilab Today Wednesday, June 14, 2006  
Calendar

Wednesday, June 14
11:00 a.m. Fermilab ILC R&D Meeting - (NOTE LOCATION) Curia II
Speaker: C. Boffo, Fermilab
Title: Reaching High Gradients: EP on ILC Cavities
1:00 p.m. Secretary Bodman's address (broadcast) - Auditorium
3:30 p.m. DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK 2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 p.m. Fermilab Colloquium (NOTE LOCATION) Curia II
Speaker: L. Hoddeson, University of Illinois
Title: Megascience and the Powers and Paradoxes of Pushing Frontiers at Fermilab

Thursday, June 15
2:30 p.m. Theoretical Physics Seminar - Curia II
Speaker: C. Aubin, Columbia University
Title: Muon g - 2: Reclaiming the Theoretical Calculation of the Leading QCD Contribution
3:30 p.m. DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 p.m. Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar - Curia II
Speaker: V. Lebedev, Fermilab
Title: Coherent Instabilities at the FNAL Booster

Click here for a full calendar with links to additional information.

Weather
WeatherChance of T-Storms 59º/79º

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Secon Level 3

Cafeteria
Wednesday, June 14
-Portabello Harvest Grain
-Santa Fe Chicken Quesadilla
-Garlic Herb Roasted Pork
-Beef Stroganoff
-Triple Decker Club
-Meatlover's Pizza
-Pesto Shrimp Linguini w/Leeks & Tomatoes

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

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Cafeteria

Wednesday, June 14
Lunch
-Wild Mushroom and Three Cheese Calzone
-Chopped Fennel, Olive and Romaine Salad
-Cherry Almond Cake

Thursday, June 16
Dinner
-Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Feta
-Fig and Pork Brochettes
-Parsleyed Rice w/Lemon Zest
-Buttered French Beans
-Pear Almond Turnovers

Chez Leon Menu
Call x4598 to make your reservation.

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Bodman speaks at 1:00 p.m.
Energy Secretary Bodman will address all
Bodman
Samuel Bodman
DOE federal and contractor employees to discuss the department's recent accomplishments, challenges and opportunities today at 1:00 p.m. The broadcast will be shown in Ramsey Auditorium; everyone is encouraged to attend.

Fermilab one of "101 Best And Brightest Companies"
award
Fermilab is a winner of the 2006 award for "Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For." The plaque will be displayed on the wall of awards between One North and One West. (Click on image for larger version.)
Fermilab has been selected as one of Chicago's "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" in a competition run by the National Association for Business Resources. The award recognizes institutions in the Chicago area for their outstanding human resources policies and practices. Kay Van Vreede, Head of Laboratory Services, accepted the award at a banquet in Oak Brook last Friday night. "This is a big award for us to win," Van Vreede said. "Something like this helps us to show that we are an employer of choice."

Fermilab was nominated by the Valley Industrial Association, which sent Van Vreede an e-mail asking whether her department would like to submit an application. Van Vreede filled out an extensive questionaire that included "practically every possible thing you could ask about the lab," Van Vreede said. In addition, eighty-five percent of Fermilab employees were asked to complete an annonymous survey about their work environment.

This is the first year Fermilab has been nominated for the award. Other 2006 winners include Verizon Wireless in Schaumburg, Office Concepts in Chicago, and Argonne National Laboratory. A volunteer panel of judges selected the winners based on a point system developed by the NABR's market research firm. Van Vreede says Fermilab has permission to use the official "101 Best and Brightest" award logo for recruitment purposes.
--Jennifer Lauren Lee

New committee plans blood drive at Fermilab, June 27-28
blood drive
From left: Margie Bruce, Diana Topalski, Carol Angarola, Lori Limberg and Tim Doody (not pictured) are organizing the upcoming blood drives. (Click on image for larger version.)
We asked for help organizing Fermilab blood drives in late May, and our call was heard. Carol Angarola, Diana Topalski, Margie Bruce, and Tim Doody have stepped forward to form a new blood drive committee under supervisor and six-year veteran Lori Limberg.

Limberg says the next drive will take place June 27 and 28. Those planning to donate should eat a healthy breakfast and drink plenty of non-caffeinated beverages (preferably water), then meet in the north-east training room of the ground floor between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm to register.

Heartland blood center will provide snacks and refreshments, as well as duffel bags for each person who donates. Stay tuned for more announcements in Fermilab Today.
--Siri Steiner

In the News
Physical Review Focus,
June 9, 2006:

Testing a Universal Symmetry
The laws of physics show many symmetries. No matter what direction you toss a ball, for example, its interactions with Earth's gravity follow the same rules. But theorists looking for ways to connect quantum theory with relativity have suggested that a fundamental symmetry known as CPT might be violated, even though it underlies all of modern physics. In the 9 June PRL, researchers describe a new way to test this basic principle using measurements of the microwave glow leftover from the big bang. Their analysis shows a small CPT violation, although it is statistically consistent with no violation. Still, experts say the paper shows a new way to test fundamental symmetries, and it will continue to be useful as better data become available.
Read More
NERP study: Prairie buries greenhouse gas component
Roser Matamala's team uses CO2 gas analyzers, sonic anemometers (measures wind speed), and other meteorological instrumentation to study carbon, energy and water exchange in the ecosystem.
Of all plants in the world, which one gulps down the most carbon? The answer is important. Global warming is caused by carbon-based gasses released to the atmosphere from terrestrial sources like petroleum or coal, so plants that put carbon back into the earth can help fight global warming.

This idea, called "carbon sequestration," is the subject of a DOE-funded study being conducted by biologist Roser Matamala and her collaborators at Argonne National Laboratory. As a part of the National Environmental Research Park program, they are using crops grown at Fermilab to monitor and compare carbon intake. "We study how much carbon different kinds of plants grab from the atmosphere and return to the soil," she said. Matamala's study is two-pronged: she looks at the amount of carbon harnessed, or sequestered, by examining soil composition, and she uses CO2 gas analyzers, sonic anemometers (measures wind speed), and other meteorological instrumentation to study carbon, energy and water exchange in the ecosystem. Her group compares carbon sequestration in corn and soybean crops to that of the restored prairie. "One application would be to instruct farmers on the best shrubs to use as groundcover," she said.

According to Matamala, prairie grasses sequester about half a ton of carbon per hectare per year while the cultivated crops she studies put as much carbon into the atmosphere as they absorb. Why? For starters, cultivation activities, like tilling, make more land-carbon airborne. Even at Fermilab, where tilling losses are lower because cultivation has occurred for over a century, the net carbon exchange is slightly negative.

Also, the way the plant stores carbon makes a big difference. Matamala says prairies sequester more carbon than cultivated crops; they even sequester more carbon than other natural terrains like pine forests. The variety of perennials on the prairie performs photosynthesis for a larger portion of the year than homogenized greenery in corn crops or pine stands. And most of the prairie exists as a dense web of underground roots, while crops and trees hold carbon above ground in woody flesh, kernels, and leaves where it can easily cycle back into the atmosphere. "The richness of carbon buried in prairie earth is obvious when you think of the crops that flourish there," she said. "The fact that corn grows so well on the prairie holds testament to the large amount of carbon harnessed in the soil." For more information about Matamala's study, visit this website.
--Siri Steiner

Accelerator Update
June 5 - 6
- MI's orbit shift discovered
- Pbar begins stacking
- MiniBooNE beam established
- MI conducts mixed mode stacking study
- Machine Reports

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

Announcements

International Folk Dancing
International Folk Dancing will meet Thursday, June 15, in Ramsey Auditorium in Wilson Hall. Dancing begins at 7:30 p.m. with teaching earlier in the evening and request dancing later on. Newcomers are welcome and you do not need to come with a partner. Dancing will continue in the Auditorium through the summer. Info at 630-584-0825 or 630-840-8194 or folkdance@fnal.gov.

Batavia Road will close again
for one day next Saturday

The Batavia Road entrance will close at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, and re-open on Sunday, June 18 between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. The brief closure is required to seal the paving. For more information, contact Tom Prosapio at prosapio@fnal.gov

2004 Particle Physics Data Group
Anyone interested in donating copies of the 2004 Particle Data Group booklet can contact Heath O'Connell in the Library at hoc@fnal.gov or x6017.

Interior window washing
Window washing inside Wilson Hall began Monday, starting from the top of the building and working down over the course of the week. Floors 7 and 8 will be washed today, 4-6 on Thursday and 1-3 on Friday. If you wish to have the full interior of windows in your area washed, it is your responsibility to clear the area ahead of time. Washers will not move furniture to clean the windows.

Professional Development
New classes are always being added to the professional development schedule. For the most up-to-date course offerings, go to the web page.

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