Wed., January 10
3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break - 2nd Floor Crossover
4:00 p.m. Fermilab Colloquium -
1 West
Speaker: K. Levin, University of Chicago
Title: What can Ultracold Fermi Gases Tell Us about High Tc
Superconductors and Vice Versa?
THERE WILL BE NO FERMILAB ILC R&D MEETING THIS WEEK
Thurs., January 11
2:30 p.m. Particle Astrophysics Seminar - (NOTE DATE)
Speaker: H. Seo, Arizona State University
Title: Probing Dark Energy with Baryon Acoustic Oscillations
from Future Large Galaxy Redshift Surveys
3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break - 2nd Floor Crossover
THERE WILL BE NO THEORETICAL PHYSICS SEMINAR THIS WEEK
THERE WILL BE NO ALCPG ILC PHYSICS AND DETECTOR SEMINAR THIS WEEK
THERE WILL BE NO ACCELERATOR PHYSICS AND TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR TODAY
Click here for NALCAL,
a weekly calendar with links to additional information. |
Wednesday, January 10
-Creamy Mushroom Chicken Soup
-Fish and Chips
-Texas Style Meatloaf Sandwich
-Chicken Wellington
-Italian Sausage with Peppers
-Smoked Turkey Panini Pesto Mayo
-Chicken Alfredo Fettuccine
Wilson Hall Cafe Menu |
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Wednesday, January 10
Lunch
Chicken Curry
Steamed Jasmine Rice
Sautéed Oriental Vegetables
Coconut Flan
Thursday, January 11
Dinner
Shrimp Chowder
Veal Saltimbocca
Steamed Green Beans with Red Onions
Tomato Risotto
Lemon Napoleons
Chez Leon Menu
Call x4598 to make your reservation. |
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Treat your spine right with a little slouch in a comfy chair
Fermilab interior designer Lisa Carrigan and her design intern Kristen Karas hold a chair show every Monday.
Sometimes a little slouching does a body good. That's according to a Scottish ergonomics research team who recently reported that leaning back in your chair is better for your back than sitting ramrod straight; it puts less stress on your lower-spine.
These are the kinds of findings that Fermilab's ergonomics committee discusses at monthly meetings, when they come up with strategies for maintaining a comfortable, healthy work environment. Current committee consensus says that it's best to tilt your thighs slightly downward (rather than a 90-degree angle). Arms should hang freely at your sides, and forearms should not slope upward from your elbows to the keyboard. For many people, that means setting the keyboard a bit lower than usual. "A lot of people think because there is an armrest I must use it...but the literature says no," said committee chair Greg Mitchell. "When you are using a keyboard, you should let your arms relax at your sides." (These principles were used in a recent upgrade for Fermilab's training center, which now includes adjustable monitors and keyboards, as well as small, medium and large chairs for different body types.)
To pick the right chair for your own workspace, you can slouch to your heart's content at Fermilab's weekly chair show. Every Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wilson Hall's mezzanine, interior designer Lisa Carrigan has a number of models on display. "No appointment is necessary," said Carrigan. "We will help you adjust the chairs to your body size, and are happy to help in selecting the fabric."
--Siri Steiner
For an ergonomics house call, contact the committee representative for your division or section--they will be happy to pay you a visit and evaluate your workspace. |
Meson Test Beam Facility Open House on January 12
This Friday, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., the newly renovated Meson Test Beam
Facility will be open to Fermilab employees for touring. Visitors will actually get to see the beamline as well as various small detectors. Visitors will also get to see how the recent upgrades turned out.
With the addition of
a primary
target closer to the user areas, reduced material in the beamline and
installation
of low current power supplies, the facility will be able to provide
several different
types of beam in the range of 1 to 120 GeV. The user areas
in the west
side of the Meson Detector Building have been renovated
with a new
floor, new control room, motion tables, a massive infrastructure of
cabling for
users and a suite of particle detectors including Cerenkov detection,
time-of-flight
and particle tracking chambers.
Just stop by
the west entrance of the Meson Detector Building during the open house. The facility manager, Erik Ramberg, will give tours. |
Catching a scam in action
Dear FT:
Here is a slide show on how to keep from getting ripped off at the ATM. It shows a scam artist in action, taped by an ATM security camera.
Regards,
Mark Leininger,
Computer Security Manager |
From Chicago Sun-Times,
January 9, 2007:
Fermilab closes in on 'God particle'
Fermilab scientists are inching closer to discovering the holy grail of physics -- "the God particle."
The subatomic particle is officially called the Higgs boson. Without it, the universe would have no mass.
According to theory, the God particle is linked to an invisible field that permeates the universe. As subatomic particles move about, the field clings to them like molasses. The particles become heavy, and this heaviness is what physicists call mass.
There's no way to detect the Higgs field directly. But Fermilab's accelerator, it's hoped, will shake loose the field's Higgs particles, which could be detected.
Read More |
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What's in a name?
This week's column is written by Kay Van Vreede, head of the Workforce Development and Resources Section (formerly Laboratory Services Section).
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| Kay Van Vreede |
Even ten days into the new year, we still seem to find Web pages and other places where we need to make name changes. Not only are all of us working for a new organization--Fermi Research Alliance--but the laboratory also changed the name of the section that I'm heading to Workforce Development and Resources Section.
For many of us changing from URA to FRA may have seemed like a non-event. For some of us it was a lot of work, definitely not just a name change. While Jack Kelly and his group were counting every bit of inventory at the lab, we were ensuring that all of our employees' benefits moved seamlessly over to FRA. The transition for our visa holders was a little scarier. Ultimately, the State Department granted our request and our foreign holiday travelers holding a visa sponsored by URA could return to the United States to work for FRA in January.
As you might remember, every employee received at home a letter about the transition, and we had to transition everyone's employment to FRA, filing proof of that transition into every single personnel folder. And just as if FRA were an outside company coming to take over the management of the laboratory, we had to write, write and write about our recruiting, compensation and benefits systems. We're glad to have the transition behind us and are looking forward to working for FRA.
Changing our section name was much less work. The toughest part will be remembering that we have a new name: bye-bye Laboratory Services Section, hello Workforce Development and Resources Section. The new name reflects much better what our group does. We provide services, programs, training and education for all Fermilab employees as well as students from outside the laboratory. Developing a skilled workforce is important for our nation, and the thousands of students visiting our Lederman Science Center and participating in our education programs will bring some of the skills they are learning here to the workforce many years from now.
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Register now for Kyuki-Do
Kyuki-Do is a Korean martial art based on Taekwondo, but it also includes Hapkido, Judo, and Jujitsu. The next session runs from January 15 to February 21; the registration deadline is January 12.
Find more information and registration forms on the recreation website.
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.
International Folk Dancing
International Folk Dancing will meet Thursday, January 11, at Kuhn Barn on the Fermilab site. Dancing begins at 7:30 p.m. with teaching and children's dances earlier in the evening and request dancing later on. Newcomers are welcome and you do not need to come with a partner. Info at 630-584-0825 or 630-840-8194 or folkdance@fnal.gov.
Fermilab Folk Club Barn Dance
There will be a Fermilab Folk Club Barn Dance Sunday, January 14, at 6:30 p.m. with music
by the Cosmic Otters and calling by Dan Saathoff.
More Information
More Dancing...
The Fermilab English and Scottish country dance groups are partial sponsors of a special English country dance on Sunday Jan. 14, at 1 p.m. at the Bethany United Church of Christ, 4250 N. Paulina in Chicago, with teaching by Jacqueline Schwab and live music by Jacqueline Schwab, Barbara McOwen and Anne Hooper, noted musicians from Boston. Jacqueline Schwab will also give a concert along with local flautist Susan Conant on Friday, Jan. 12, at the Unitarian Universlist Society of Geneva, 102-110 S. Second St. in Geneva. Please contact folkdance@fnal.gov or call 630-584-0825 or 630-840-8194. For concert information and tickets, go to the website.
New Computer Programming Courses
The first in a series of new computer programming courses will be given on January 16.
Presented in a single two-hour session, the first offering is "To Copy or Not to Copy: A Deeper Look at Values in C++." It is aimed at programmers with C++ experience, and will deal in depth with issues related to copying values in C++ programs. Attendees will learn to identify and take advantage of opportunities for improved performance, and will be prepared for related new techniques that will become available in the next C++ standard.
There is no cost to attend, and TRAIN credit will be awarded to participants.
Course registration is now open. Click here for course syllabus.
Upcoming Activities |
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Partly Cloudy 39°/25°
