Fermilab's newest lab helps to prevent pain, injury

Try out ergonomic office equipment at the Ergo Lab on the fifth floor crossover.

If you've got a crick in your neck, a pain in your wrist or an ache in your back, you might need to visit the Ergo lab, Fermilab's newest laboratory.

The Ergo lab, which sits on Wilson Hall's sunny south fifth floor crossover, is a test-ready grouping of ergonomic office equipment aimed at making your work life as pain-free as possible.

"This new area provides an opportunity for employees to try out the equipment that they need to prevent discomfort and workplace injury from strain," said Lisa Carrigan, a FESS interior designer, who runs the Ergo lab as part of the Ergonomics Subcommittee.

Employees can test out chairs, keyboard trays, monitor arms, foot rests, document holders and several ergonomically designed office products. Carrigan, who has served as the liaison between employees and ergonomic furniture vendors for 20 years, hosts an Ergo lab event every Monday from 10-11:30 a.m. when she can demonstrate equipment and answer questions. An appointment is not necessary.

Currently, some of the chairs in the Ergo lab are rated on a point system. The points indicate the level of the product's certification according to BIFMA, the trade association for the commercial furniture industry. BIFMA's fairly new level program is a sustainability standard that certifies office furniture based on the sustainability of the material used to make the product, the environmental impact of the manufacturing process, the effect the product has on the health of both people and the environment, and the social responsibility of its maker, in addition to product performance. The ES&H section hopes to institute a system to promote procurement of environmentally friendly products.

Employees, with approval of their supervisor, can purchase ergonomic equipment through their group's Procard holder, or a purchase order through Procurement. To request a formal ergonomic workstation evaluation contact your division, section or center ergonomics subcommittee safety officer.

New report explains 'Why So Few' women in science

From Science Insider, March 24, 2010

Anyone familiar with the cultural and environmental factors that make it harder for women to become scientists and engineers may not learn much from reading a new report, "Why So Few?" by the American Association of University Women. That's because the report, out today, summarizes the findings of eight major gender equity studies of the past decade.

The repetition is OK with the National Science Foundation, which traditionally supports researchers trying to create new knowledge. That's because its $250,000 grant to AAUW was aimed at sharing that knowledge with people who can make a difference, says Jolene Jesse, who runs NSF's Research on Gender in Science and Engineering program.

"We want to get what we know into the hands of the practitioners," Jesse explains. "And our definition of practitioner includes teachers and faculty members, guidance counselors, parents, and anybody who can have an impact on a girl's choice of a career in science."

Read more

How black holes gobble dark matter

From Space.com, March 23, 2010

To better understand the inexplicable dark matter that seems to dominate the universe, scientists have modeled how supermassive black holes gobble up this strange brand of cosmic stuff.

Dark matter does not reflect light or interact with ordinary matter except through gravity. So when dark matter is swallowed by a black hole, it behaves somewhat differently than normal matter, the new study found.

For example, as normal matter falls toward a black hole, it heats up and radiates light. The radiation can be so intense that it actually halts the accretion of matter onto the black hole at what scientists call the Eddington limit. But because dark matter doesn't emit light, this effect doesn't apply to it.

Read more