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Monday, March 10
2:30 p.m.
Particle Astrophysics Seminar - Curia II
Speaker: B. Robertson, University of Chicago
Title: A Physical Model for Molecular Gas, Interstellar Radiation,
and the Scale-Dependency of Star Formation in Galaxies
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
All Experimenters' Meeting - Curia II
Special Topic: Switchyard 120/MTest Beam Upgrades
Tuesday, Mar. 11
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
THERE WILL BE NO ACCELERATOR PHYSICS AND TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR TODAY
4 p.m.
Budker Seminar - Snake Pit
Speaker: T. Koeth, Rutgers University
Titles: SC Cavity as a Diagnostic for a High-Brightness Electron Beam
Speaker: A. Paytyan, Yerevan University
Title: Control System for Superconducting RF Cavities
Click here for NALCAL,
a weekly calendar with links to additional information. |
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Monday, Mar. 10
- Wisconsin cheese
- Corned beef reuben
- Stuffed chicken breast
- Vegetable lasagna
- Chicken oriental wrap pineapple
- Assorted slice pizza
- Pacific Rim rice bowl
Wilson Hall Cafe Menu |
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Wednesday, March 12
Dinner
- Moussaka
- Greek salad
- Baklava
Thursday, March 13
Dinner
- Closed
Chez Leon Menu
Call x4598 to make your reservation. |
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New users' organization helps U.S. LHC scientists
Members of the USLUO executive committee include: Back, from left: Peter
Limon, Mike Albrow. Front, from left: Dan Green and Greg Landsberg.
The users' organizations at Fermilab and SLAC have always served as support networks for the thousands of researchers at the two laboratories. Now as the start up of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN quickly approaches, a need exists for a new type of users' organization in the United States.
More than 1,000 scientists from 93 U.S. universities and laboratories are participating in the construction and operation of the LHC and its experiments. Although some of these scientists work at either Fermilab or SLAC, the majority come from institutions not represented by the laboratories' users' organizations.
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| USLUO chair Michael Barnett |
"We are not attached to any single lab, and U.S. users at CERN have special needs," said Michael Barnett, a physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and chair of the U.S. LHC Users' Organization.
The USLUO provides a forum for discussion on participation in the research program. It also aids those U.S. scientists who make the move overseas to work at CERN. "We focus on putting up information for users who are moving there," Barnett said. "Housing, visas, medical needs and putting your kids in school are just some of the issues that U.S. scientists face when moving to CERN. We aim to help these users adapt."
The group also focuses on the importance of science education. This week, USLUO representatives will join Fermilab and SLAC users in Washington, DC to advocate for support for the physical sciences and emphasize the significance of training future generations of scientists. "We have a big impact on inspiring young people to study and appreciate science," Barnett said. "These students apply their skills in many fields, including science, education, industry, finance and public policy."
Barnett added that the group will hold its first users' meeting this summer, most likely at Fermilab.
--Elizabeth Clements
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Build and fly a delta dart
on Wednesday, March 12
A child flies a delta dart during the 2007 Delta Dart Night in Kuhn Barn.
Delta darts are small, rubber band-powered airplanes that can be built in less than an hour.
Next Wednesday, March 12, Fermilab's model airplane club, the Barnstormers, invites everyone to the Kuhn Barn for a delta dart making party and flying contest. The club will provide all required materials, and the Users' Center will have available refreshments.
Competition for the longest time of flight starts at 7 p.m. sharp; if you plan to compete, please arrive no later than 6 p.m. to start construction on your airplane. Prizes will be given in two categories: adults and children, l2 and under.
Learn more about the Barnstormers here.
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Foster wins 14th District special election
From the Beacon News, March 9, 2008
Democrat wins Valley Congressional seat for first time since Watergate era
Just before 9 p.m. Saturday, the crowd gathered at Long Island Sound Banquets in Aurora erupted in cheers as staffers for Democrat Bill Foster shouted about the race being called in Foster's favor.
"We made history," one campaign worker yelled.
Foster's two teary-eyed children - Christine and Billy - hugged each other in a sea of cameras and flash bulbs.
"I'd just hug him," Billy said of his father, who had not arrived for the celebration by the time the announcement came.
Foster won handily over Republican Jim Oberweis in the 14th Congressional District race to fill out the remainder of the term of retired former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
In a district stretching from Aurora to the Mississippi River, Foster, a former Fermilab scientist and businessman, unofficially was topped Oberweis by 4,000 votes - with a 3,000-vote margin in the city of Aurora, and both traditionally Republican Kendall and DuPage counties casting their ballots in favor of the Democrat.
Read more
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Work within your limits
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| "We must learn our limits. We are all something, but none of us are everything." --Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher. |
During the past year, some of our most serious injuries occurred when employees attempted to perform tasks that were slightly beyond their normal knowledge, skills or abilities. The reduction in staff created by furloughs might make those at work feel the need to fill in on tasks that they do not normally perform. Here are some suggestions for dealing with increased demands.
Perform tasks correctly and safely. Many people may receive requests to perform unfamiliar tasks while their colleagues are on furlough. If you are taking on unfamiliar work, make sure you understand the task and associated hazards. Complete any necessary training related to that task. Check with a member of your division/section ES&H organization to determine the training associated with each task. Also, you may want to check with a medical professional before performing any unfamiliar task that requires greater physical effort than you are certain you can safely handle. Before performing the task, watch an expert to see if there are any tricks to make it easier.
Pace yourself. With 10 percent fewer staff, workers may feel pressure to meet schedules. Avoid the temptation to rush through tasks at the expense of quality and safety. If you have too much to do, get help and/or prioritize your assignments.
Maintain focus on the task. Inattentiveness is a factor in most accidents. Fatigue, poor health, medications or major life events can affect vigilance. Too much or too little mental workload can be bad: too much work can tax abilities, while too little can create complacency.
Safety Tip of the Week Archive
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Bright hopes pervade dark matter
From the nature.com, March 6, 2008
Physicists unperturbed as Soudain mine detector draws a blank.
Physicists have again returned empty-handed from a search for the 'dark matter' that is thought to fill the cosmos. But the latest null result hasn't dimmed their enthusiasm - or their plans for a new generation of detectors.
Since the 1970s, theorists have predicted the existence of massive particles that rarely, if ever, interact with normal matter. This dark matter is believed to be responsible for slowing the rotation of galaxies and makes up about 85% of matter in the Universe. Physicists have devised a host of experiments to find dark matter, but to date, nobody has been able to detect it directly.
The latest non-findings met with spontaneous applause at a conference on 22 February in Marina del Rey, California. The results came from Cryogenic Dark Matter Search II (CDMSII) - one of the world's most advanced dark-matter detectors, located in the Soudan mine in Minnesota. CDMSII uses giant crystals of germanium and silicon that physicists hope will ring out when struck by a dark-matter particle.
Read more
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Have a safe day!
U of C tuition remission program deadline March 10
The deadline for applying for the tuition remission program at The
University of Chicago for the Spring 2008 quarter is March 10.
See the Web site for more information or contact Karen Karlix, x4365 with questions.
Computing Techniques Seminar
On March 12 at 3 p.m. in Curia II, Fermilab will offer C++: New and Improved!, a Computing Techniques Seminar that will present an overview of changes forthcoming in the next C++ standard.
Walter Brown, who participates on Fermilab's behalf in the international C++ standardization effort, is the presenter. He is a member of the Computing Division's LSC department.
DreamWeaver CS3: Advanced
An advanced course on DreamWeaver CS3 is offered. This course is targeted to Web site developers, Web site designers, marketing managers, Web graphic artists and Web site administrators. Learn more and enroll
Excel 2003 Intermediate
An intermediate class on Excel 2003 is offered. Learn how to create templates, sort and filter data, import and export data,
analyze data and work with Excel on the Web. Learn more and enroll
Going to CERN?
Take your camera! Have your photos featured in the Fermilab Remote
Operations Center online gallery. Contact Elizabeth Clements
for details.
Additional Activities
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