Ronald J. Martinez, left, of Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (C-PCS), and his son, Ronald K. Martinez of Advanced Chemical Diagnostics (C-ACI), hold plaques they received during Monday's Laboratory Patent and Licensing awards ceremony in the Otowi Building. At right is Tom Meyer, associate Laboratory director for strategic and supporting research. Some 260 current and former employees were honored at the reception for work resulting in patents, copyrights or license royalties. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez
Lab honors year 2000 innovators
Researchers at the Laboratory who received patents or copyrights in 2000 were honored at a ceremony Monday night. The Laboratory's Patent and Licensing Awards ceremony also honored employees whose inventions generated license royalties. Awards were given to employees in three categories -- Distinguished Patent, Distinguished Copyright and Distinguished Licensing.
Approximately 260 current and former employees were honored at the reception for work resulting in patents, copyrights or license royalties. In fiscal year 2000, 57 United States patents were issued for Laboratory inventions, 30 commercial licenses were approved and $1.3 million in license income was generated. The Laboratory's license portfolio now contains more than 600 noncommercial licenses with academia, government entities and other nonprofit organizations, and more than 100 active commercial licenses. Since its inception in 1988, the licensing program has generated more than $4.5 million in royalties. Approximately two-thirds of this income goes to fund research, education and technology transfer activities at Los Alamos. The remainder goes to the innovators.
The Distinguished Patent Award recognizes inventors whose patented invention exhibits outstanding innovation. The award recognizes a premier patent that exemplifies a significant technical advancement, adaptability to public use or a noteworthy value to the mission of the Laboratory.
This year's recipient of the 2000 Distinguished Patent Award is Gary Selwyn of Plasma Physics (P-24) for his Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet technology, which produces a stream of reactive chemical species plasma that can clean, decontaminate, etch or coat surfaces at atmospheric pressure and low temperature. This plasma-jet technology quickly converts a vast range of organic residues or toxins into water vapor, carbon dioxide and other nontoxic gases. The technology, which represents a significant improvement over existing technologies, received R&D Magazine's R&D 100 award in 1999 and other notable national recognition. The plasma-jet patent currently is under negotiation for an exclusive license.
The Distinguished Copyright Award honors authors of copyrighted materials that are considered extraordinary creations. Copyrights nominated for this award demonstrate a breadth of commercial applications, the potential to create economic value and the highest level of technical excellence. These works represent vital contributions to the Laboratory's mission and provide reciprocal benefits to the Los Alamos programs from which they were developed.
This year's recipients of the 2000 Distinguished Copyright Award are Lloyd Young and Jim Billen of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Division for development of the Phase and Radial Motion in Electron Linear Accelerators, or PARMELA, computer code, which simulates the performance of electron and ion accelerators and beam-transport lines. PARMELA is currently licensed to Sumitomo Heavy Industries Inc., Physics Institute, Bonn University and the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute along with numerous noncommercial licenses.
The Distinguished Licensing Award recognizes an innovator who has had a positive impact on the Los Alamos Licensing Program. This individual demonstrates, by example, outstanding success in transferring Los Alamos-developed technologies to the public and private sectors and is recognized for her/his role in confirming the benefits of technology commercialization activities.
The recipient of the 2000 Distinguished Licensing Award is Mahlon S. Wilson of Electronic and Electrochemical Materials and Devices (MST-11) whose work in fuel cell technology is widely recognized by industry and researchers around the world. Wilson's work on hydrogen fuel cells has led to collaborative agreements with industry in support of the technology. He has been extremely effective in educating companies about his fuel cell work, and in many cases set the groundwork for attracting licensees. His dedication to this field has resulted in 15 patent applications being filed, from which the Laboratory has received 10 patents, and his work has resulted in seven commercial license agreements.
Innovators and the institution share income from patents and licenses, according to University of California policy. Collectively, last year's innovators received $494,000 in income generated by their participation in licensing and commercialization activities. The Laboratory received $554,000 for scientific research and development, technology transfer activities and education programs at the Lab.
--Todd Hanson
Laboratory announces organizational support
series job documentation study
Many changes have occurred at the Laboratory over the past decade that have brought a number of unintended consequences. Like outdated technology, standards developed to support the working environment of 10 years ago may no longer make sense for the Laboratory of 2001.
Laboratory management has identified the organizational support (OS) series as an area that needs re-evaluation in light of present realities.
The OS series, a classification and pay structure to support the Lab's clerical and administrative work established in 1991, is currently based on a hierarchical approach: the OS level assigned to a position is in most, but not all, cases based on the hierarchical level of the organization.
"When the Laboratory established the OS series, job levels 4 through 7 were predicated -- for the most part -- on the level of the manager to whom OS employees reported," Human Resources (HR) Director Helga Christopherson wrote in a memo to OS series employees. "Based on substantial employee and management input, it is time to review whether a hierarchical approach to job leveling in the OS series is responsive to current Laboratory needs."
To address this issue and realign support work with the rest of the Laboratory's mission, HR will begin the process of collecting up-to-date job content information from staff in the OS series.
A team of OS series employees and their managers will review a proposed Job Documentation Survey for relevance, clarity and effectiveness. In its final form, it will be distributed to a representative sample of current OS employees to complete. (Anyone not included in the representative sample can participate upon request.)
Follow-up interviews with employees and their managers also will be conducted to clarify responses. The results will be analyzed and job descriptions based on those results will be drafted. Once the job descriptions are established, all other OS series personnel who have not yet participated will be asked to complete the survey to validate the initial results.
While project organizers can't yet say what a new structure might look like, they want to reassure OS employees that their current job status will be protected.
"[OS series employees] may have their job levels increased as a result of this update, or levels may stay the same," Christopherson said, "but no one will be downgraded. Everyone currently working in the OS series will either be grandfathered into their current levels or upgraded."
HR staff will begin analyzing the proposed survey immediately, and the division hopes to complete the project by the end of the summer.
"Other concerns related to the OS series such as turnover, availability of qualified applicants, training requirements and career-development issues also will be examined in connection with the job documentation exercise," Christopherson said. "This is a massive project and the support of the Lab's current OS staff will be vital to its success."
Questions or comments about the project can be addressed to Ronnie Cohen of Compensation and Benefits (HR-1) at 5-6949 or rcohen@lanl.gov by electronic mail. Frequently asked questions are posted at http://www.hr.lanl.gov/Benefits/PositionClassification/index.stm online.
--Kay Roybal
Expanded access rules to take effect in March
Beginning March 5, the Protection Technology Los Alamos guard force will begin swiping security badges using newly installed badge readers at 15 manned guard stations to ensure cleared employees meet all security access requirements. The addition of these badge readers completes an enhanced access controls system that began in September 1999 with the Labwide rebadging program.
Start-up of badge swiping at the new badge readers will be staggered in four phases during the month of March, according to the Security (S) Division. This phased approach provides an opportunity to fine-tune the access control system as greater demands are placed on it. Technical areas 16 and 69 will be the first areas implemented, with a new phase added each week thereafter. The four phases are:
| March 5 | Phase 1 |
TA-16 TA-69 |
Post 439 Post 431 |
| March 12 | Phase 2 |
TA-55 TA-55 TA-64 |
Post 111-115 Gate 61 Post 104 |
| March 19 | Phase 3 | TA-18 | Post 211 |
| March 26 | Phase 4 |
TA-3 TA-3 TA-3 TA-3 TA-3 TA-3 TA-3 |
Post 412 Post 411 Post 415 Post 336 Post 341 Post 414 Post 335 |
As with all automated access control stations throughout the Laboratory, access through PTLA manned guard stations will be denied if critical security information is not current. This includes maintaining an active security clearance, ensuring security training is current and that clearances are properly transferred as subcontractors change employers.
Cleared visitors who hold a Department of Energy standard badge from another DOE site will be allowed access to security areas upon a physical check of their badge by a PTLA guard. Visitors who return to the Laboratory on a frequent basis may have their clearance information and hand geometry template entered into the Laboratory badging system in order to allow them access through unmanned access control points.
The main reason workers might be denied access is the expiration of security training. Besides an initial comprehensive briefing required when a worker gets a clearance for the first time, an annual security refresher also is required. Refresher training is available through the Laboratory's training page on the World WideWeb, and workers are encouraged to check their training status to ensure it is kept up to date. It could take up to five days to receive credit after taking the training, so workers should keep that in mind and plan accordingly in order to avoid any delays in their access. Electronic notifications are sent to remind workers of upcoming training expirations.
The Badge Office has set up a Web site to allow employees to check their access status. The Web site allows employees to review the status of their security training, clearance, employment and badge status. To use the system, employees must have a Token Card (Cryptocard or Smartcard) to access their information. If any of the status conditions are not "active," employees will be denied access by PTLA.
If employees experience access problems during regular business hours, they should first check their access status using the Web site, or contact their group office, and try to resolve the problem. If a problem still persists, employees may contact the Security Help Desk at 5-2002 or the Badge Office at 7-6901 for assistance. After hours, employees may call the PTLA Central Alarm Station at 7-4437 for assistance.
The process for entering automated access control stations, such as turnstiles, remains unchanged. Additionally, any security badge that works in automated access control stations will work with the badge readers at the PTLA manned guard stations.
Those employees who regularly enter via a PTLA guard station, may want to swipe their badge as a test at one of the automated access control stations before the implementation date. This should minimize problems after March 5.
For more information about the new procedures, call the Security Help Desk at 5-2002 or write to security@lanl.gov by electronic mail.
--Kevin N. Roark
Lab names new space center leader
Physicist Herb Funsten is the new director of the Center for Space Science and Exploration at the Laboratory.
Funsten, a Laboratory employee since 1990, is active in developing instrumentation for measurement of the near-Earth and interplanetary space environment. He is a member of the Lab team that developed mass spectrometers for NASA's Cassini and Deep Space 1 missions. He led the development of the neutral atom imaging spectrometers on NASA's TWINS mission and the plasma spectrometer on the Department of Defense's SAVE mission.
In addition to space physics, his other research interests include detector physics and the study of the interaction of energetic ions in solids (better known as particle-solid interaction physics). Funsten has more than 60 publications, three patents and two patents pending.
"Los Alamos offers tremendous resources for new science in the civilian space programs. I greatly look forward to the challenges of developing these exciting scientific opportunities for the Lab," said Funsten, who most recently worked in Space and Atmospheric Sciences (NIS-1)
The Center for Space Science and Exploration was formed in 1999 under the Nonproliferation and International Security (NIS) Division to enhance the civilian space efforts across the Laboratory. CSSE has begun an enhanced program-development effort, which has served to expand Los Alamos' position in its core areas of space physics, astrophysics and planetary science and also to expand activities into areas such as astrobiology/exobiology, advanced space materials, space nuclear power and propulsion, Earth remote sensing and space resource utilization.
CSSE also serves as the program office for all nondefense space activities at the Laboratory, which include NASA, National Science Foundation, and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration space programs.
CSSE identifies and promotes interdisciplinary research to develop and enhance coordination and synergy between space science and exploration programs and capabilities from across the Laboratory. The center has four staff who manage 70 externally funded projects, and CSSE leads a Laboratory Directed Research and Development thrust area with 12 activities. CSSE manages an annual budget of approximately $15 million, of which the majority comes from NASA.
CSSE was initially led by David McComas, who took a position as the executive director, Space Science and Engineering Division with Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
Information about CSSE is on the Web at http://www.lanl.gov/csse/.
--Nancy Ambrosiano
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