Nobel Prize winner Heeger to give Director's Colloquium Friday at the Lab

Materials that conduct electricity is the subject of a Director's Colloquium Friday, (Feb. 15) by Alan Heeger, a University of California, Santa Barbara professor.

His presentation, "Semiconducting and Metallic Polymers: The Fourth of Polymeric Materials," is scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m. in the Louis Rosen Auditorium at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center in Technical Area 53. It also will be broadcast live on Labnet Channel 9 and can be accessed via the Internet using Real Media Player.

The program is unclassified and open to all badge holders.

Heeger will review the development of the conductive polymer field and summarize recent research being conducted by researchers around the world.

Heeger is one of three researchers who shared a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000 for discovering and developing conductive polymers. As a professor of physics, he also is director of the Institute for Polymers and Organic Solids at UC, Santa Barbara.

Conductive polymers already have applications in the development of mobile television displays, mini-format television screens and anti-static substances for photographic film, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

"Research on conductive polymers is also closely related to the rapid development in molecular electronics," the academy said. "In the future we will be able to produce transistors and other electronic components consisting of individual molecules, which will dramatically increase the speed of and reduce the size of our computers. A computer corresponding to what we now carry around in our bags would suddenly fit inside a watch."

Born in Sioux City, Iowa, Heeger earned his doctoral degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1961. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Nebraska in 1957. Such honors Heeger has received include the New Mexico Distinguished Lecturer, Oliver E. Buckley Prize for Condensed Matter Physics, Yamada Science Foundation Exchange Scholar in Japan and National Academy Exchange Scholar in the former Soviet Union.

-- C. Michael Carlson

Public to regain access to Lab's Research Library

The Laboratory's Research Library at Technical Area 3 will reopen to the public later this month. It was closed to the public as a security precaution following the Sept. 11 attacks.

The library anticipates reopening its doors to the public in mid February. Visitor hours are from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, said Jacqueline Stack of the Research Library (STB-RL). Registered Lab badge holders will continue to have 24-hour access, seven days a week.

Additional cyber and physical security measures have been implemented, including the addition of a staff person who will ensure that these strict security guidelines are met, said Stack.

Visitors now will be required to sign in and out and show a valid identification. Visitors will have access to the library's book and journal collections, the electronic databases and the electronic journal articles that are available to Lab staff. However, visitors won't have access to either electronic or hard copy technical reports.

Laboratory retirees, Northern New Mexico researchers and the community benefit from having access to the library's world-class research collections, said Stack. The Research Library is the only scientific and technical library within a 100-mile radius; the next closest is at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

For more information, go to http://lib-www.lanl.gov/ online or contact the Research Library at 7-4448.

--Kathryn Ostic

Small Business Program Office relocates within Otowi Building The Laboratory's Small Business Program Office (BUS-SBO) has moved across the lobby of the first floor of the Otowi Building at Technical Area 3. Its new offices are located in the far northeast corner near Procurement (BUS-5). The move was made because of the need to locate Business Operations (BUS) Division groups that were merged as part of a recent BUS reorganization. "The Small Business Office will continue to offer the same services it has to its suppliers and other customers with some minor modifications due to the proximity of our new office location," said SBO program manager Bennie Gonzales. "We are a bit further removed from the supplier lobby, but we are now located right next to the Procurement staff, which will facilitate communications," he said. The office retains its current Laboratory mail stop, 7-4410 telephone number and 7-9819 fax number. For more information about the SBO write to sbo@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

Construction to divert vehicle traffic around Diamond Drive-Pajarito Road intersection this weekend

Motorists traveling near the intersection of Diamond Drive and Pajarito Road this weekend will have to use a temporary road east of the intersection while workers dig a trench as part of the Nuclear Materials Safeguards and Security Upgrade Project.

The temporary road will be in use from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday (Feb. 15) through next Monday, Feb. 18; the intersection reopens for evening use, said Russell Stone of Professional Safety Management, a contract company involved in the project.

K.R. Swerdferger Construction of Pueblo, Colo. is excavating a trench across Diamond Drive just north of Pajarito Road, said Stone.

Because of the planned work, vehicles southbound on Diamond Drive can use the temporary road. Likewise, vehicles northbound on Diamond Drive from Pajarito Road also can use the temporary road. Barricades and other traffic control devices will be in place to direct motorists around the work area.

Flashing message boards will be placed on Jemez Road and at the intersection of Pajarito Road and NM 4 later this week to notify motorists of the planned work. Stone said emergency response vehicles will have access through the construction area.

Laboratory security and emergency response officials have been notified of the planned work. There also will be access to the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building south parking lot and the parking lot directly across the street from the CMR Building at Technical Area 3.

The Laboratory is closed Monday, Feb. 18 in observance of the President's Day holiday.

For more information, contact Leo Eden of the Project Management (PM) Division at 5-9212.

--Steve Sandoval

On today's bulletin board
Commuter's Corner | Parking areas around TA-3 | Parking shuttle routes (pdf) or jpeg
NEW Registration begins for Kinderkick soccer program NEW Los Alamos Community Blood Drive begins today Hewlett-Packard product display at Lab on Tuesday Work Wear New Mexico in Los Alamos today and Friday Macromedia presentation Tuesday on Web Development Solutions Solid Edge (CAD) Free Hands-on Training/Brown Bag Lunch on Wednesday Lost: three diamond, 1.5 carat ring Lost: red rose pin Lost: gold wedding ring Mesa Public Library hosts New Mexico library roundtable Found: large gold hoop earring Computer Corner news Fidelity Investments at Lab on Feb. 12-14	Found: a pair of sunglasses Daffodils for Hospice 2002 Customized Dell systems available through Technology Integration Group Basic Records and Information Management course schedule New volunteer opportunities Xilinx vendor presentation today in Otowi Building side rooms Windows 2000 Active Directory domain now available at the Laboratory 2002 Dog Jog Logo contest deadline is Feb. 15 Reading Olympics for youths, adults at Mesa, White Rock branch libraries "Project Management Toolbox" scheduled Feb. 19-21 Family Strengths Network events Women leaders 2002 symposium March 7-8 at UC, San Francisco Employees leaving Lab must attend termination presentation