Changes to timecard system

A change is coming to the Fermilab Time and Labor electronic reporting system.

Once a week, beginning June 15, employees will need to report all hours worked by day on the electronic time card, including hours worked in excess of the standard 40 hours per week.

The change results from a recent Department of Energy review. The reviewers found deficiencies in Fermilab's implementation of the electronic reporting system. Particularly, DOE reviewers found that the electronic reporting system currently allows employees to report either hours worked on various tasks, or units which total 40 and are based on the percentage of an employee's time dedicated to each task.

Allowing the option to record units can prevent the laboratory from earning a recommendation for certification of FRA's Earned Value Management System as required by DOE Order 413.3A for large projects. In order to resolve the problem, management will modify the time keeping system to only accept actual hours worked.

On June 15, employees who normally report units will need to begin reporting the actual hours they worked by day on each weekly time card.

For more information, visit the Chief Financial Officer's Labor Capture and Distribution Policy on the Finance Web site.

Safe surfing

A new proxy Web server will help reduce the risk to computers surfing the net.

Fermilab plans to reduce the risk of compromise to our computer systems by implementing a proxy Web server.

The server will examine all inbound connections from Web sites for malicious content and content that is not consistent with the laboratory's Appropriate Use policy.

The vendor of this service updates the list of blocked or flagged sites several times a day. Users who find themselves blocked from a site they need to perform their work should contact their supervisor to discuss requesting to have the site unblocked. Line managers can then ask their General Computer Security Coordinator (GCSC) for their Division, Section or Experiment to request white listing the site to unblock it.

Learn more about the new proxy server on the frequently asked questions page .

Congressional staffer Jonathan Epstein tours lab

Fermilab Director Pier Oddone and Associate Director for Accelerators Steve Holmes give Congressional Staffer Jonathan Epstein a tour of Wilson Hall's 15th floor. Epstein is a staff memberin the office of U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).

Asian tea festival and art display 3-5 p.m. today

Resurgence by artist Sangita Kasturi. Katsuri's work will be displayed as part of the Asian tea festival and art display event from 3-5 p.m. today.

An art display and tea festival will take place from 3-5 p.m. today in the Wilson Hall atrium. Attendees can peruse the works of three international artists while tasting Asian snacks and sipping tea samples.

Artist Sangita Kasturi is inspired by her multi-cultural Indian-U.S. background. She experiments with color and shape using a variety of media, including acrylics, pastels and photography.

Ivan Yee-Gwan Lo, a documentary and travel photographer, will show his work, which documents educational and medical programs and everyday life in developing countries. He is a multilingual humanitarian who works with non-governmental organizations.

Revati Natesan, an accomplished artist, vocalist, musician and philatelist, strives to inspire peace through artistic expression.

Attendees can sample sweet and salty snacks as well as tea samples from Kazakhstan, Korea and other Asian countries. A chef will prepare sushi during the event.

Particle Physics - It Matters, say UK policy makers

From Physicsworld.com, May 28, 2009

A new report, "Particle Physics - It Matters," was released today through a collaboration between the UK Institute of Physics (IOP) and the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). CERN physicist and TV presenter Brian Cox was alongside STFC Director of Science Programmes, John Womersley, at the IOP headquarters in London to present the report to the UK media.

One of the key messages in the report is the imperative to continue investing public money in fundamental research, like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, despite the deepening recession. "Getting ourselves out of this mess will require a scientifically trained workforce," said Womersley.

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