Thursday, June 17, 1999
Editor's note: The Department of Energy issued the following news release Wednesday announcing Energy Secretary Bill Richardson's call for a two-day security immersion program at Los Alamos, Livermore and Sandia national laboratories on Monday and Tuesday.
Security Immersion Program
Secretary Richardson has asked the management and employees of the three Nuclear Defense National Laboratories -- Los Alamos, Livermore and Sandia-- to undergo a two-day security immersion program June 21, 22. All normal operations will cease at the National Laboratories during this period as the employees will participate in an intensive review of personal responsibility for security, counterintelligence and cyber-security. Secretary Richardson is asking the lab management to ensure the following five missions are accomplished during this immersion:
| Note to employees: Details of a program to meet these missions are under development and will be communicated when finalized. The Zero Tolerance Security Policy is not yet available and will be forthcoming from DOE headquarters. Participation during the two-day security immersion is mandatory for all employees. Employees who are scheduled to be away will be required to review all materials and presentations at a later time. |
Editor's Note: The Department of Energy issued the following news release Wednesday in which Gen. Eugene E. Habiger was named director of the new Office of Security and Emergency Operations. The general's biography is available at http://www.defensedaily.com/biographies/airforce/habiger_ee.html
Richardson selects security "Czar"
U. S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today named General Eugene E. Habiger as the Director of a new high-level Office of Security and Emergency Operations. Habiger, who has been commander in chief of U.S. Strategic Command, retired from the United States Air Force in 1998.
"After conducting a broad search we selected General Habiger because he has the experience, expertise and determination to change the security culture at DOE and establish the authority and responsibility that's been missing," said Secretary Richardson. "General Habiger understands nuclear weapons security. As commander in chief of the U.S. Strategic Command he had direct responsibility for the security and effectiveness of the entire U.S. nuclear arsenal."
"Strong security is based on a foundation of clear line-management authority, responsibility and accountability. As the Rudman report correctly concludes, security at the Energy Department has suffered from diffuse authority and inattention," said General Habiger. "Secretary Richardson's new security structure, which mirrors the approach used successfully at the Department of Defense, fixes these problems. The Secretary has made it very clear that I have his support to take whatever action is necessary to bring security standards to the highest levels."
The new high-level Office of Security and Emergency Operations consolidates all the department's security, cyber-security, chief information officer, counter terrorism and nuclear emergency response programs. It will also include a new Office of Foreign Visits and Assignments Policy.
In this position, Habiger will be responsible for implementing Secretary Richardson's comprehensive security reform plan. General Habiger will oversee all security functions, including safeguards and security policy, cyber-security, emergency operations functions and counter-terrorism, which were previously handled by different DOE program offices. He reports directly to the Secretary and will begin overseeing the reorganization in early July.
This appointment is the latest in Richardson's aggressive actions strengthening every aspect of security and counterintelligence at the Department of Energy over the last nine months. He has rebuilt the Department of Energy counterintelligence program which will be among the most stringent in Government by the end of this year and has implemented more than 85 key reforms to counterinteligence, cyber-security, physical security and oversight at the Department of Energy. The new Office of Security and Emergency Operations is also part of Richardson's broader DOE reorganization plan, which includes improvements in the field-headquarters reporting relationship and strengthens accountability of program line offices.
The General's role as security czar will extend his more than three decades of service to this nation. General Habiger also has extensive knowledge of the Department's stockpile stewardship program. In his former position as commander in chief of the Strategic Command, Habiger was instrumental in the formulation and establishment of DOE's program for maintaining the nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing. In addition to being the Commander in Chief of the Strategic Command, the General commanded two U.S. Air Force Bombardment Wings. He began as an enlisted man in the U.S. Army, and later served with distinction as a bomber pilot in the Vietnam War, with over 150 combat missions.
June 15-29 are Astronomy Days at the Bradbury Science Museum located at 15th and Central Avenue in downtown Los Alamos
Today
from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Geoffrey Reeves of Space and Atmospheric Sciences (NIS-1)
will talk about space storms, Northern Lights and their effect on your world.
Northern Lights are caused by blasts of energy from the sun that produce
magnetic "storms" in space. Over the next few years as the sun
becomes more active, the number and strength of these storms will increase,
having a potential affect on our high-tech society. The talk will be enjoyed
by the middle school age student and above. For more information on Astronomy
Days, see the June
14 Daily Newsbulletin.
Fun Mentors
Hundreds of students come to Los Alamos every summer to continue research or work with world-class scientists on major research and development projects.
The work is rewarding, but some students are longing for activities or events to take part in after hours, according to Eileen Vela of the Diversity (DV) Office. This summer, the Nuclear Materials Technology (NMT), Chemical Science and Technology (CST) divisions and DV are piloting a "fun mentors" program to help students better adjust to life on the hill.
"My hope would be for 'fun mentors' to blossom throughout the Lab," said Vela, who is working with Dwight Herrera of NMT and Janie Enter, student adviser for CST Division.
There are 73 students working in NMT this summer, about 160 in CST.
Vela said the idea is for Lab employees who know of nearby events or special activities to share them with or invite students to participate. Activities such as horseback riding at a Northern New Mexico ranch, weekend road trips around the state, golf or fishing trips, sightseeing or museum tours, Albuquerque Dukes baseball games and hiking are possible activities students might be interested in.
The goal not only is to make the Laboratory an attractive employer, but to make students want to return to Los Alamos in the future, said Vela. "We want to make working at Los Alamos a more rewarding experience while [students] are here," said Vela, " to make them want to return the following year."
Vela said the Diversity Office has contacted members of the various diversity working groups for suggestions on activities of possible interest for students. If the "fun mentors" pilot proves successful, Vela hopes other organizations will follow suit.
Herrera, who is in charge of NMT's Diversity Office, said students want a variety of activities from which to choose to occupy their time away from work. "Having people to show students around, show them the scenery in Northern New Mexico, invite them over for dinner or a barbecue or tell them where to shop for ethnic food would be nice," said Herrera.
Added Enter of CST, the fun mentor pilot program gives students another view of scientists outside the Laboratory. A former teacher of 12 years, Enter said she was encouraged to see students in athletic or club events outside of the classroom. "So with this program, students get to see staff outside the work environment," she said. "I've already used this twice for students.
"This is a wonderful place to live, and we want students to enjoy it while they're here," said Enter.
Employees who have suggestions for activities of interest to students can call Vela at 7-5357 or write to evela@lanl.gov by e-mail.
Y2K awards program reminder
June
25 is the deadline to submit nominations for a Department of Energy-sponsored
award program to recognize employees or employee teams that have demonstrated
extraordinary performance in year 2000 readiness and planning efforts.
Laboratory managers also are being sought to serve on the awards selection committee.
The department has allocated $100,000 to Los Alamos for the Year 2000 Award Program, said Diane Weir of the Computing, Information and Communications (CIC) Division and the Lab's Year 2000 Project Team leader.
Laboratory managers may nominate employees, either individually or as teams, for an award. The average award is expected to be $1,000, said Weir. The award is intended for individuals, working independently or as a team, who demonstrate extraordinary performance in year 2000 efforts. Examples of such accomplishments include
All current University of California Laboratory employees, Special Program participants and subcontract personnel are eligible for the Year 2000 Award. Managers, guests, visitors and members of the UC Executive Program are not eligible.
Weir said the dollar amounts for awards is based on the magnitude of the task and the obstacles overcome by the individual or team. She emphasized that the awards aren't intended for group or division leaders, but rather for individuals exhibiting extraordinary performance in year 2000 efforts.
She said up to 50 percent of the total award money is reserved for work on mission-essential year 2000 systems.
Awards are one-time cash payments and won't increase the employee's base salary, and employees will receive the award during the current fiscal year.
To submit an employee or employee team for consideration, managers and supervisors should complete the Year 2000 Award nomination form, which can be found at http://int.lanl.gov/projects/ia/year2000/docs/award.pdf online (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
The employees' name, Z-number and group name should be included in the nomination. The nominator's name and title and justification specifying the efforts that exceed normal job requirements to accomplish year 2000 efforts based on the Year 2000 Award criteria, as well as the "breadth of impact" of the employee and/or team's work should be described in the nomination form.
Division and/or program directors approve nominations within their organizations. When interdivisional teams are nominated for an award, the division and/or program directors for each impacted organization must approve the nominations.
Nomination forms can be submitted to Weir at Mail Stop B260. The Year 2000 Project Office will form a selection committee to review the award nominations and make recommendations to CIC Division Director Charlie Slocomb, who has final approval for the awards.
Employees also will receive a certificate, said Weir.
A master management memo (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) announcing the award program has been issued.
More information about the awards program can be found on the Lab's Year 2000 World Wide Web page at http://www.lanl.gov/projects/ia/year2000/ online.
--Steve Sandoval
SARA program luncheon
Students in the Service Academy Research Associates (SARA) program eat lunch at Urban Park during a recent picnic sponsored by the Laboratory Veterans' Committee, the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Programs Office. Students in the SARA program attend various branches of the military and spend a few weeks working at the Laboratory as part of their summer education and work assignment through the military branch they attend. A highlight of the event was Retired Navy Adm. Jon "Mike" Barr, who dropped by for some friendly chitchat and encouragement. Barr is general manager of Johnson Controls Northern New Mexico. Photo by Jim Van Hecke, Human Resource Information Systems (HR-3)
Editor's Note: In recognition of National Men's Health Week,
June 14 through 20, the Daily Newsbulletin is publishing a health tip every
day this week. The information will include methods of detecting certain
health problems during early stages. Topics to be covered during Men's Health
Week include heart disease, stroke, blood pressure, cholesterol, colon cancer,
prostate cancer, testicular cancer and alcoholism. National Men's Health
Week was created to increase knowledge of men's health issues, especially
early detection of illness through education and routine medical visits.
For more about Men's Health Week, contact the Wellness Center (ESH-2) at
7-7166. To receive a free health booklet, call 1-800-955-2002.
UV Protection
With the summer months rapidly approaching and the increase in outdoor recreation, it is important to remember to protect yourself from the dangerous rays of the sun. According to the Physician in Sports Medicine Journal, any outdoor activity puts you at risk of damaging your skin, so it is very important to cover up as much as possible when exposed to the sun for extended periods of time.
Clothing, such as long sleeves and hats, might seem to be an adequate shield against the sun's ultraviolet rays. However, this might not always be the case. If the clothing is thin or is not ultraviolet (UV) protected, it might have little success in skin protection. This is why sunscreens are so vital.
Sunscreens with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 should be used while exposed to sun. The Sun Protection Factor is a measuring system used in sunscreens to let users know how long they are protected from sunburn. For example, if a person's normal burning time were 10 minutes without protection, it would be 15 times that if you were wearing a SPF 15 sunscreen. Unfortunately, sunscreens come off so they must be reapplied, especially if in the water or participating in an activity where the sunscreen can be wiped off.
Basically the easier your skin burns, the activity and the amount of time spent in the sun should dictate what SPF would be best to use. And remember that even though it might be a cloudy day, or you might be in the water, the risk of sunburn is still high, so keep the sunscreen handy and apply it often.
Question and Answer Sessions on LANL Collective Bargaining Policy Draft 2
Two question-and-answer sessions on the second draft of the proposed Collective Bargaining Policy have been scheduled. These sessions will be held as follows:
If you are unable to attend one of these sessions, you may submit questions about the draft to future@lanl.gov.
The draft policy will be available for formal comment on RevCom until July 2. Employees are urged to become familiar with the policy, to ask questions and to provide comments. To access RevCom from the Laboratory home page, click on Employee Focus (under Organization on the left side), then click on ReviewComment under Policies. You may also go directly to RevCom at http://revcom.lanl.gov/.
Deadline Friday to vote for 'Safety for Life' posters
Laboratory employees and subcontract personnel can vote for their favorite Safety for Life posters through Friday.
Thirty-seven posters designed by grade-school through high-school students from around Northern New Mexico were submitted to the Lab for judging. The poster contest is part of a number of activities designed to raise awareness of safety Labwide, said Phil Thullen who oversees the Lab's Integrated Safety Management program in the Director's Office.
More than 125 schools in Northern New Mexico received a letter earlier this spring asking them to participate in the poster contest. Flyers announcing the contest also were distributed through mail stops Labwide.
Employees and subcontract personnel can view all the posters at http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/ism/safetyposter99.html online. The posters also will be displayed for viewing in the lobby of the Otowi Building near the entrance to the Human Resources (HR) Division at Technical Area 3. For more information, see the June 15 Daily Newsbulletin.
ESA picnic at TA-16 a wash-out
An unidentified Engineering Sciences and Applications (ESA) Division employee staffs a food table Wednesday at the annual ESA picnic at Technical Area 16. A noontime thunderstorm dampened the picnic and cut into the playing time of the Nomads band. ESA's Recreation Committee coordinated the picnic. |
A mother and two children scamper for cover at Wednesday's ESA Division picnic after a thunderstorm moved over TA-16 and the rest of the Laboratory. About 700 adults and 100 children of ESA Division employees and subcontract personnel were served hot dogs, hambugers and other picnic favorites. Photos by LeRoy N. Sanchez |
| On today's bulletin board | |
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Lab Counsel offers guidance on dealings with investigators The Laboratory Counsel Office has issued a memorandum that provides guidance to employees who might be asked for documents or interviews by investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation or U.S. Attorney's Office. Click here for the memo. | |
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