Fermilab Today Wednesday, December 19, 2007
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Wednesday, Dec. 19
THERE WILL BE NO FERMILAB ILC R&D MEETING THIS WEEK
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
Fermilab Colloquium - One West
Speaker: R. Barry, University of Colorado, Boulder
Title: The Role of Snow and Ice in the Climate System

Thursday, Dec. 20
11 a.m.
All Hands meeting - Ramsey Auditorium
1 p.m.
ALCPG ILC Physics and Detector R&D Seminar - WH-10NW, West Wing
Speaker: A. Para, Fermilab
Title: High Resolution Hadron Calorimetry; Is it the Season for Miracles?
THERE WILL BE NO THEORETICAL PHYSICS SEMINAR THIS WEEK
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
THERE WILL BE NO ACCELERATOR PHYSICS AND TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR TODAY

Click here for NALCAL,
a weekly calendar with links to additional information.

Weather

Weather

Mostly sunny 32°/20°

Extended Forecast
Weather at Fermilab

Current Security Status

Secon Level 3

Wilson Hall Cafe
Wednesday, Dec. 19
- Italian wedding w/meatballs
- Diner style patty melt
- Chicken w/Yucatan sauce
- Mongolian beef
- Greek chicken panini w/feta cheese
- Assorted slice pizza
- Chicken w/pesto cream

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, Dec. 19
Lunch
- Salmon and spinach Wellington
- Mixed greens w/radishes and raspberry vinaigrette
- Almond butter cake

Thursday, Dec. 20
Dinner
- Chestnut soup w/cognac cream
- Medallion of lobster w/champagne butter sauce
- Steamed spaghetti squash
- Sautéed pea pods & red pepper
- Spinach pomegranate salad
- Raspberry parfait w/assortment of Christmas cookies

Chez Leon Menu
Call x4598 to make your reservation.

Archives

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Info

Fermilab Today
is online at:
www.fnal.gov/today/

Send comments and suggestions to:
today@fnal.gov

In the News

Federal budget impact on Fermilab and HEP

Editor's note: The FY08 federal budget, which is expected to pass later this week, eliminates $90 million in funding for High Energy Physics. As outlined in Tuesday's Director's Corner, the diminished funds will have a powerful impact on Fermilab.

Included in the budget cuts are funding for R&D on the International Linear Collider and the R&D on Super Conducting Radio Frequency as well as funding for NOvA. More information on the cuts and their impact will be discussed at the All Hands meeting Thursday morning at 11 a.m. in Ramsey Auditorium. Below is a selection of today's In the News stories that reflect the impact that the budget could have on Fermilab.

A Budget Too Small
From Science Magazine, Dec. 19, 2007
Read More

Lab fiscal 'disaster' feared
From Chicago Tribune,
Dec. 19, 2007
Read More

Fermi faces funding crisis
From Beacon News,
Dec. 19, 2007
Read More

Fermi layoffs possible
From Kane County Chronicle,
Dec. 19, 2007
Read More

Federal budget so far not good for Fermilab
From Daily Herald,
Dec. 19, 2007
Read More

US Budget Spells New Troubles For Next-Gen Particle Accelerator
From Wired,
Dec. 19, 2007
Read More

In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Paul Reardon


Paul Reardon

Paul Reardon used charisma to navigate among scientists, politicians and business people to drive Fermilab toward some of its largest research projects. Reardon, who passed away Dec. 12 at the age of 76, played a key role in building the Tevatron and in designing what could have been Fermilab's next big project: the Superconducting Super Collider. Reardon died in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where he moved following his retirement as a physicist in the early 1990s. He worked at Fermilab from 1968 to 1975 as the laboratory was taking shape, and held several roles including head of the business management section, booster division and accelerator division. He was badge #553.

In the business division, Reardon was instrumental in working with vendors to get parts to build the Tevatron, the world's highest-energy accelerator. An accelerator of its size had never been build before, requiring Reardon to buy material, including the metal niobium, in bulks 100 to 1,000 times greater than venders were used to supplying. Later while working at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Reardon helped create, along with Dick Lundy, of Fermilab, a compromise design for the SSC, before its demise. "He was very outgoing, often joking, a very good communicator," Lundy said. "He liked to surround himself with a lot of people and worked well with them."

During his career, he became an international authority in the design and construction of subatomic particle accelerators and superconducting magnet systems. He holds two patents in the production of superconducting wire and cable.

His two most cherished accomplishments were his contributions in the development of the magnet technology universally used in MRI's today, and the development and construction of proton therapy clinical accelerators for cancer treatment, according to his granddaughter Janine Anderson. Reardon is survived by seven children, 21 grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia or The American Heart association.To view his obituary and sign a guestbook, visit www.wilsonapple.com, and click on the obituaries button near the top of the page.

--Tona Kunz

Feature

New Wilson exhibit chronicles founder's years at Los Alamos


Robert Wilson's badge photo from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

A new exhibit in the Fermilab Library chronicles the years that Robert Wilson spent at Los Alamos National Laboratory working on the atomic bomb. The exhibit is meant to complement Dr. Atomic, a current Lyric Opera of Chicago production about the lives of Wilson and his counterparts as they worked on the atomic bomb.

Wilson began working on the Manhattan Project in 1943 at Los Alamos. Although initial intentions were good, after the bomb was tested in 1945, Wilson vowed to spend the rest of his life working on peaceful atomic energy. He was chosen to create National Accelerator Laboratory, which would later be called Fermilab, in 1967.

The exhibit, which spans a few cases in the Fermilab Library, includes materials from the Fermilab History archives. Showcased are Los Alamos bulletins describing the work of Wilson and his colleagues and photographs of Wilson and the group who worked on the atomic bomb. More on Wilson and the history of the laboratory can be found in the History and Archives Web site. Dr. Atomic runs through Jan. 19 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. For more information or tickets visit the Lyric Opera Web site.

-- Rhianna Wisniewski

From the Business Services Section

To prevent accidents:
ask why

Today's column is written by Randy Ortgiesen, head of the Facilities Engineering Services Section.

Randy Ortgiesen

Learning from our mistakes is important, but learning why mistakes occur in the first place can be critical to preventing them from happening at all.

One way that FESS and Fermilab are working toward reducing safety incidents is by implementing the Human Performance Improvement process. I, along with several Senior Safety Officers and other laboratory employees, had the opportunity attend a course last fall on the fundamentals of Human Performance Improvement, hosted by the ES&H Section. One of the core principles of HPI is to recognize that people are fallible and even the best make mistakes. Incidents can be avoided by understanding the reasons mistakes occur and by applying lessons learned from past incidents to fix organizational weaknesses.

During the course, we learned that most accidents were not just due to human behavior. Many years of industry data showed that 68 percent of all incidents were caused by organizational weaknesses that lead to specific human behavior.

This course directly applies to our line of work. FESS is integrating the HPI process into the investigation of FESS incidents to prevent future incidents. In order to thoroughly review an incident, a detailed causal analysis of applicable error precursors, variable factors that may have contributed to the incident, must be applied in the context of existing conditions at the time of the event. Potential precursors include the introduction of new techniques, inaccurate communication, incorrect interpretation of the requirements, departures from the routine and distractions.

The new approach has already had some success in FESS. In the review of two FESS safety incidents, the HPI process identified organizational weakness that contributed to the incidents. These have since been corrected. One change involved including a formal assessment of weather conditions before outdoor work begins. Another improvement resulted in a lifting moratorium for certain equipment until a new lifting technique could be identified and implemented. We are now using a list of error precursors to more thoroughly think through various tasks prior to performing the work.

It was enlightening to clearly see the opportunities for improvement that were identified using the HPI process. You will hear more about the process in training sessions or from your managers and supervisors. Don't just listen. Take your new knowledge to your workplace and act. It can make a difference!

Milestones

New hire

No new hires

Correction: Last week, we said that Kevin Klepper was an audit specialist with DZero. That should have read DO or Directorate.


Safety Update

ES&H weekly report, Dec. 18

This week's safety report, compiled by the Fermilab ES&H section, includes no recordable injuries. The full report is here.

Safety report archive


Announcements

Have a safe day!

All Hands meeting Thursday
There will be an All Hands meeting Thursday at 11 a.m. in Ramsey Auditorium. There will be live streaming video of the meeting.

Lederman Science Center closings
Lederman Science Center will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24, through Tuesday, Jan. 1. It will reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 2, at 8:30 a.m.

Project X physics workshop Jan. 25-26
Fermilab will host a second users' workshop Jan. 25-26 to discuss the physics of Project X. The workshop will focus on the details of the experiments that might be proposed to take advantage of a high-intensity proton source, their physics impact and the development of the overall experimental strategy. Information about the workshop, working groups and ongoing efforts is available online.

FNALU cluster meeting Dec. 19
There will be a general meeting for experimenters using the FNALU cluster on Dec. 19, in Wilson Hall One West from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is get input from experiments on what resources are needed and to identify experiments using FNALU. Also the status of support and other changes to FNALU will be discussed.

New IT job descriptions
Open meetings for questions and answers will be held in Wilson Hall One West for employees affected by this process:
Wednesday, Dec. 19, 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Before attending, please review the presentation

Fermi Kyuki-Do Class begins Jan. 7
Want to start the New Year out right with practical exercise? Kyuki-Do is a practical method of selfdefense that will teach you three important things: balance, power and grace. Classes are held for six weeks on Monday and Wednesday from 5 - 6 p.m. at the Recreation Facility in the Village. You need to register through the Recreation Office and also be a member of the Recreation Facility.

Blood Drive Dec. 19
Mark your calendars. Heartland Blood Centers will be here for the Fermilab Blood Drive on Dec. 19 from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. in the Wilson Hall Ground Floor NE Training Room. Appointments can be scheduled on the Web or by calling Diana at x3771 or Margie at x5680. More information can be found here.

Additional Activities

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