Bill Bardeen, Pushpa Bhat named AAAS fellows

Pushpa Bhat

Members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science will recognize Fermilab particle physicists Bill Bardeen and Pushpa Bhat as AAAS Fellows at the organization's annual meeting in Chicago on Feb. 14.

Bill Bardeen

AAAS defines a Fellow as a member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. Six other Fermilab employees, including former Fermilab directors Leon Lederman and John Peoples, have been elected as AAAS Fellows in the past.

In November, the AAAS Council elected as Fellows 486 of its members, 32 of whom have made contributions to the field of physics. They will receive a certificate and a blue and gold rosette.

Kay Campbell to retire

Kay Campbell

Kay Campbell has been there for Fermilab employees for 18 years. Birth, death, marriage, retirement - during each life-changing milestone, the human resources assistant has helped employees navigate the benefits process.

Campbell reaches her own milestone Dec. 31: retirement. Today is her last day at the laboratory.

"Kay will be taking with her history and knowledge of the laboratory that those of us remaining don't have," said Scott Lindsey, a human resources administrator in the Benefits Office. "At least several times a month a question or situation comes up that I have never heard of. Kay knows."

Campbell joined the Fermilab Benefits Office in 1991 after working secretarial jobs and customer service positions for an insurance company.

"I really enjoy helping people," Campbell said. "We assist so many people. I learned to listen and communicate with them to help them better understand their benefits and help them with their problems. I feel that I've treated everyone with the same respect."

Lindsey, who has worked with Campbell for the past seven years, said he'll miss her thoughtfulness and knowledge.

"Kay is virtually unflappable. She is calm and reflective in most chaotic situations," he said.

During her time at the laboratory, Campbell has helped employees understand the changes in their benefits, such as a new life insurance plan and adding new benefits. She has helped foreign employees figure out the benefits they need, and has handled delicate, personal situations for employees, such as wage garnishments.

Campbell plans to garden, do floral design and spend time with her grandson when she retires. Although Campbell said she'll miss the people at Fermilab, she is happy to have helped so many people over the years.

"Helping people was my biggest contribution," she said.

Weather permitting, please stop by and say farewell to Campbell from 1-5 p.m. today in the Benefits Office, WH15W.

-- Rhianna Wisniewski

Strange dark energy acts as galactic diet enforcer

From Associated Press, Dec. 17, 2008

Mysterious dark energy, which likely causes the universe to keep expanding, seems to have another effect: It prevents the biggest clusters of galaxies from getting too fat. Astronomers used X-rays to study the formation of galactic clusters billions of years ago. Their research supports the hard-to-fathom concept of dark energy as a potent force that governs the growth of the universe.

It also means Albert Einstein's century-old theory of general relativity passes another crucial, but not conclusive, real-world test.

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