Lab's public lecture series explores anthrax and AIDS
The Frontiers in Science Public Lecture Series resumes on Tuesday with a talk on Bacillus anthracis, the organism that causes anthrax disease. The series is intended to inform the public about the diversity of research being conducted at the Laboratory.
"We want to make people aware that the Lab researches global warming, AIDS, astrophysics and a number of important issues facing the world in addition to nuclear weapons research," said Joe Ginocchio of Nuclear Physics (T-16), coordinator of the lecture series and a Laboratory Fellow.
Three free lectures series on deadly organisms are scheduled for January and February as part of the series sponsored by Laboratory Fellows. The lectures will be presented in Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Española and Taos to ensure that Northern New Mexico residents can attend. All lectures are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Paul Jackson of McClintock Resource (B-1) will present a talk titled "DNA-Based Forensic Analysis of Anthrax Samples." He will discuss his work related to the anthrax disease causing organism B. anthracis. The talk is in the James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe. He will repeat his discussion on Wednesday (Jan. 16) in the Center for the Arts Theater at Northern New Mexico Community College in Española, Jan. 17 in the Duane W. Smith Auditorium at Los Alamos High School and Jan. 24 in the Taos Convention Center.
Jackson's presentation will focus on different methods of DNA-based forensic analysis and how they are applied to better understand an anthrax outbreak and the bacterial pathogen causing it using several real-world examples. He also will discuss the importance of determining the characteristics of disease causing organisms and the history of anthrax cases throughout the world.
According to Jackson, "DNA-based analyses can rapidly identify a pathogen. The analyses can determine which strain is responsible for a particular outbreak and its characteristics. Rapid characterization of the particular strain based on the DNA tests allows more immediate and effective treatment of infected individuals. Identifying the source of the disease can help put in place public health measures that reduce or eliminate the chances of further infections," he added.
On Jan. 23, Bette Korber and Alan Perelson of Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-10) and Rajan Gupta of Elementary Particles and Field Theory (T-8), along with Trevor Hawkins of Southwest CARE Center in Santa Fe will present "HIV: The Science of a Pandemic: Evolution, Dynamics, Epidemiology and Medicine" that will include four short lectures followed by a panel discussion. The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in the James A. Little Theater in Santa Fe.
This lecture is designed to shed some light on the AIDS epidemic. Korber will discuss where the virus came from and where it is going; Perelson will give insight on how the human immunodeficiency virus causes AIDS; Gupta will present the global aspects of the virus; and Hawkins will discuss present and future treatment and prevention of the disease.
Beginning Feb. 7 in the Center for the Arts Theater in Española, Korber will present a series of talks titled "AIDS: A History of a Global Pandemic." She will speak again Feb. 21 at Los Alamos High School and Feb. 28 at the Taos Convention Center.
Korber's talk will cover a spectrum of topics related to HIV/AIDS, including facts and speculation about the origin of HIV in humans, the extent of the global epidemic and basic information on the human immune system, how the virus attacks and how the body fights back.
Korber also will discuss the Laboratory's international HIV database that is used to help scientists understand the global diversity of HIV and vaccine design and the promising vaccine approaches in development.
Charles Keller of the Los Alamos branch of the University of California's Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) was the first speaker in the free lecture series and talked about his global warming research.
William Feldman of Space and Atmospheric Sciences (NIS-1) presented the second series "The Lunar Prospector and the Mars Odyssey Mission: The Search for Water on the Moon and Mars."
For more information visit the public lecture series Web site at http://stb.lanl.gov/fellows.html online. Directions to the lecture locations also are available on the Web site.
--Shelley Thompson
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New Mexico Congressman Tom Udall will give his first town hall meeting for Laboratory workers at 3:15 next Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 16) in the Physics Building Auditorium at Technical Area 3. Preceding the talk, which is open to the Laboratory work force, Udall will receive overviews on Laboratory threat reduction, security and small business office initiatives. Udall, D-N.M., represents New Mexico's third congressional district, which includes the Laboratory and Northern New Mexico. The half-day visit is being coordinated by the Director's and Government Relations offices at the Lab. Udall's talk in the Physics Building Auditorium won't be shown on Labnet. |
Representatives of the 13 Los Alamos winners of the National Nuclear Security Administration's Defense Programs Awards of Excellence for 2000 showed off their hardware on Thursday after a ceremony honoring their achievements in the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center at Technical Area 3. Joining Deputy Director for National Security John Immele and Brig, Gen. Ronald Haeckel, acting deputy administrator of NNSA, front row, left to right, are John Morrison, CCN-DO; Roberta Day Idzorek, AD-WEM; and Ben Laake, ESA-WSE (behind Day Idzorek). Standing left to right are Joe Pyun, X-4; Steve Abeln, MST-6 (partially hidden); Babs Marrone, B-2; Michael Garcia, ESA-WSE; Ron Nelson, LANSCE-3; Rodger Hall, DX-7; Paul Dunn, MST-6; Dave Scudder, P-22; Bob Kares, X-1; and Sharif Heger, ESA-WR. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Public Affairs
Laboratory teams recognized with defense programs awards of excellence
More than 500 staff working in Los Alamos' nuclear weapons program and supporting divisions have been honored with the National Nuclear Security Administration's Defense Programs Awards of Excellence for 2000, one of the agency's most prestigious awards.
Brig. Gen. Ronald J. Haeckel, NNSA's acting deputy administrator for Defense Programs, presented the awards to representatives of the teams and toured several Laboratory facilities on Thursday.
The one individual and 12 teams who received the awards are listed below, followed by the representatives who accepted the awards on behalf of the teams.
--Jim Danneskiold
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The Laboratory's Seaborg Institute is once again looking for students for its summer research fellowships. Glenn T. Seaborg founded the Institute, which promotes transactinide science and serves as a center to aid in education and training for young scientists. The deadline to submit an application is March 1. This search will be national, according to Web Keogh of Actinide, Catalysis and Separations Chemistry (C-SIC). The Institute, he said, is encouraging highly motivated graduate and undergraduate (junior or senior) students with a background in chemistry, f-element chemistry, nuclear and radiochemistry, spectroscopy, surface science and high explosives to apply for the summer research fellowships. The goal of the program is to give young scientists a greater appreciation of the diverse role of actinide materials in nuclear energy, national defense and legacy waste. The fellowships and activities were put together in hopes that students will become more interested in careers in nuclear science, said Keogh. Seaborg, who discovered plutonium and won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, died in February 1999. He formerly headed the Atomic Energy Commission and was a chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. To apply or for more information, contact Keogh at 5-4622 or go to http://pearl1.lanl.gov/seaborg/default.htm online. --Lecole Trujillo |
DOE Pulse highlights Energy Department laboratories
The latest issue of DOE Pulse is available online. Pulse is an online newsletter about accomplishments at the Department of Energy's national laboratories.
In addition to the highlights, each issue features two longer articles -- one about a researcher and one about a multilabcollaborative effort.
Some of the headlines in this issue are "Coal-munching
microbes yield cleaner fuel" from Brookhaven National Laboratory,
"Magnetic fridge tested" from Ames Laboratory, "Improving
gas turbine reliability" from Argonne National Laboratory
and" Collider Run II on Web" from Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory.
There also is a feature on Pacific Northwest Labs' virtual lung
models and a profile of Idaho's James Jones and his smuggler foiling
research.
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The Laboratory's Public Affairs (PAO) Office has a new home today. It's offices and staff have relocated to the Central Park Square building downtown from its offices at Technical Area 3, Building 100. The move downtown was prompted by construction of the nearby Strategic Computing Complex and Nonproliferation and International Security Center. Public Affairs' new office address is 135 B Central Park Square. Its Mail Stop, C177, and main telephone number, 667-7000, remain the same. And the telephone numbers of individual PAO staffers also remain the same. During the move, which is continuing today, PAO staff members may not have access to electronic mail or telephones for a short period. However, access to voice mail shouldn't be affected. The Lab's Protocol Office, part of Public Affairs, isn't affected by the move. The Protocol Office is located on the second floor of the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center at TA-3. --Steve Sandoval |
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Operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration, of the US Department of Energy. |
Udall to visit Laboratory, deliver town
hall meeting Wednesday afternoon in Physics Building Auditorium
Seaborg Institute wants students for
summer research fellowships
Public Affairs Office moving to new
downtown location
Los Alamos
Little Theatre presents "The Spoilers"
