Friday, Aug. 15, 1997
Domenici to recognize Lab researchers at ceremony today
U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici will recognize Laboratory researchers and their projects that recently won R&D 100 awards at a ceremony this afternoon at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque.
Domenici, R-N.M., will co-host the event with the Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.
Demonstrations of four of the award-winning technologies developed by Los Alamos and Sandia National laboratories (two each) will follow brief remarks by Laboratory Director Sig Hecker and Sandia President Paul Robinson.
Bruce Twining, manager of the Department of Energy's Albuquerque Operations Office, will introduce Domenici.
The Laboratory won six 1997 R&D 100 awards, including a shared award with Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore national labs. The Lab's total of 52 R&D 100 awards during the last decade are the most of any institution.
The Lab-developed technologies to be demonstrated are DryWash, a fast, nontoxic dry-cleaning process that uses carbon dioxide as the cleaning solvent, developed by Craig Taylor of Organic Analysis (CST-12) and a process for testing alkali-silica reaction in concrete accurately and cost-effectively. George Guthrie and Bill Carey of Geology/Geochemistry (EES-1), developers of the process, use a stain that is nonradioactive and environmentally friendly to detect fissures and cracks in a roadway.
--Steve Sandoval
Park-and-ride receives high marks from Lab
employees
Laboratory employees who rode the Northern New Mexico Park and Ride Express to work the past two weeks generally gave the service high marks. And the majority of employees surveyed informally said they would use it regularly to get to and from work if state and local governments can find funding to make it permanent.
The state Highway and Transportation Department's two-week pilot demonstration project ends today. No decision has been made to make permanent the park-and-ride service, Dan Stover of the state road agency said Thursday.
As of Wednesday, 9,342 riders had used the park-and-ride service to get to and from Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Española. The state is hoping to attract between 15,000 and 16,000 riders during the trial, Stover has said.
Bus rider Bill Turney of Water Quality and Hydrology (ESH-18) said he will continue to use the park-and-ride service if it starts up again. "I'm liking it a lot," he said, noting that he has taken the bus to work every day since the pilot started Aug. 4. He normally drives his own car or car pools into Los Alamos. "I ended up driving a lot because of my work schedule," said Turney.
"The biggest thing [about the park and ride] is the reduction of wear and tear on me. I get home and I'm more relaxed. My productivity at work has improved. It's just a better quality of life," he said.
Loyola Salazar of Operational Integration (ESH-OIO) has taken the bus from Española every day but once since it started. "I sure would ride it if they continue it," she said.
"Not only does taking the bus relieve the stress of having to drive up in all the traffic, but you can't drive your car for what you pay for this . . . It's really relaxing, and it takes a lot of traffic off the highway."
Salazar's sister Mabel Willaman of the Nonproliferation and International Security (NIS) Division Office also has been pleased with the park-and-ride service. "It's so convenient for us. We pick it up close to where we live. We don't have to fight the traffic driving.
"I certainly hope it keeps going, starting next week."
Pete Garcia of Information and Records Management (CIC-10) lives on Santa Fe's east side and has been walking the three blocks from home to the Santa Fe Trails city bus system transit center on Sheridan Street. The park-and-ride buses pick up commuters there before traveling to DeVargas Mall to pick up other commuters.
"I think its very relaxing. I've heard nothing but positive comments about the service . . . If there has been a negative, it's been the quality of the equipment they used for the test and the breakdowns," said Garcia.
"Generally, I endorse it. I even would consider paying a little bit more. To me it's going to be very timely to have this service, and I think its wonderful."
Fred Rick of Public Information (PA-1) said he would use the park-and-ride service "probably five days a week."
He also said talking to other riders makes the commute to and from work faster.
Allan Mackinnon of Research Library (CIC-14) has riden the bus from Santa Fe every day but once since it started. The ride into work has taken a little longer, but it's comfortable and has allowed Mackinnon to do some reading, he said. "The fact that it's got different hours means I can bring my mountain bike up here; I don't mind working late, I know I can catch a late bus. The convenience overrides the fact that it takes me a little more time than it does in my van pool," he said.
"That it's reducing traffic congestion on the highway is an enormous plus," he added. "I think it really needs to be up to us to reduce pollution and congestion.
"I wish it would keep going. I'm sad to see the pilot shut down," he said.
Chuck Wilder of Network Engineering (CIC-5) has worked at the Lab 11 years and either has driven his own car or car pooled from Santa Fe. He roundly endorsed the pilot project. "I think it's the neatest thing since sliced bread," said Wilder. "I've been on it every day.
"The entire car pool decided to give it a try; we're already talking about what we're going to do starting Monday," he said.
"I've really enjoyed not having to drive. It's too bad they didn't start this a long time ago."
Wilder added that if the service becomes permanent, more pick-up points should be added in Santa Fe and in Española.
Shirley Fillas of ES&H Training (ESH-13) lives in Santa Fe and generally has supported the park-and-ride service. "I definitely think it's a fantastic idea."
She said she would prefer a straight route to the Lab rather than stopping in Pojoaque and that adding a southside Santa Fe pickup point and a bus that travels along Pajarito Road would be convenient for Lab employees who work at outlying technical areas.
Fillas also said the buses need to improve their departure times, noting that some buses haven't left on time from Santa Fe. "If those things can be worked out, they've got a lifetime customer," she said.
LeRoy Sanchez of Plans, Issues and Programs (PA-3) usually drives his car or rides on a van to work from Santa Fe. "I had to be here at 7 o'clock this morning," he said Thursday. "I left at 6 and I was here at 7:05. I didn't have to put 75 miles round trip on my car. It was fantastic."
Sanchez added that he would ride it five days a week if it becomes permanent.
--Steve Sandoval
First ever diversity conference slated for Wednesday
The Laboratory's first ever Diversity Council Leadership Conference is Wednesday through Friday in Taos. The conference is sponsored by the Diversity Office.
Diversity Office (DV) Director Marion Timm will deliver the keynote address: "Divisiveness: the Politics of Diversity." There will be concurrent workshops on team building in a diverse world, making meetings work and training for leadership, said Debbi Wersonick of the Diversity Office and coordinator of the conference.
Scheduled speakers and session presenters include Santo Albano, director of the New York state Employee Assistance Program. He will lead the session on team building, along with Judith Albano, a teacher at Three Village School in Selauket, N.Y. Judith Albano has been published in the areas of self-esteem.
Joanne Coleman, a certified trainer in situational leadership, will lead the session on how to make meetings work. Her company designs and conducts lectures, workshops, seminars and keynote addresses for enhancing self-esteem.
Hadidjah Rivera of the University of California, Los Angeles' Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in the School of Medicine and Public Health will conduct the session on training for leadership. Rivera specializes in problem solving, conflict resolution, mediation, motivation, organizational development and public relations.
John Viechec of the Institutional Facilities Management (FSS/IFMPO) Program Office and chairman of the Lab's Diversity Council said this is the Lab's first ever attempt at putting together a conference on diversity. "What we hope to accomplish is a better understanding of what diversity means to all of us," said Viechec. "The focus of the conference is on leadership and our expectations are high.
"We're looking forward to making it an annual conference and building on the successes of each conference," he said.
For more information, call Wersonick at 7-7870.
--Steve Sandoval
Lab's philanthropic foundation holds banquet tonight
The Laboratory's not-for-profit philanthropic foundation holds its kickoff banquet tonight in Santa Fe.
The foundation will serve as a philanthropic grant-giving entity for the Lab, supporting a range of national and community not-for-profit organizations.
The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel, 100 Sandoval St., in downtown Santa Fe. Dinner is served at 7:30 p.m.
"We really want to make the foundation as broad-based as possible, where the local communities can play a key role in helping us identify how to most efficiently allocate funds generated by the foundation," said Laboratory Director of Institutional Development Tom Garcia, president of the foundation's board of directors.
Chris Olivera of the Community Involvement and Outreach (CIO) Office is acting manager of the foundation.
Garcia said the foundation has raised $90,000 thus far through several local businesses and Laboratory subcontract companies that already have signed on as corporate sponsors of the foundation. The University of California and the Department of Energy have said they too will make a contribution, he added.
Other members of the board of directors include Laboratory Director Sig Hecker; Leroy Apodaca, director of the Community Involvement and Outreach (CIO) Office; Allan Johnston, director of the Business Operations (BUS) Division; Al Sattelberger, director of the Science and Technology Base (STB) Programs Office; Martin Strones, general manager and vice president of Protection Technology Los Alamos; Sigfredo Maestas, president of Northern New Mexico Community College in Española; Robert Shelton, vice provost for research in the UC Office of the President; and Christina Sierk, president of the Los Alamos School Board.
Garcia said the foundation will use investment earnings from contributions to the foundation to grant funds for education, economic development and social programs in Northern New Mexico communities.
Employees may contribute to the foundation, and their contributions can be made through payroll deductions or paid over 12 months, said Olivera.
More information about the foundation can be obtained by calling Olivera at 5-3908, or by writing to foundation@lanl.gov by electronic mail.
The Laboratory Foundation was incorporated earlier this year by the New Mexico Corporation Commission.
--Steve Sandoval
Military officials briefed on Lab's role in telemedicine
Dave Forslund, right, of the Laboratory's Advanced Computing Laboratory (CIC/ACL) talks about the Lab's work in telemedicine during a recent visit to Los Alamos by senior U.S. military medical officials. Seated directly in front of Forslund is Brigadier General Russ Zajtchuk, commanding officer of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in Fort Detrick, Md. The Lab's Department of Defense (DoD) Programs Office hosted the visit, which also included briefings on Lab research and technology in the areas of chemical and biological warfare defense and soldier protection, sensors and diagnostics for combat-casualty care, and breast-cancer research. At left is Walt Kirchner, the Lab's DoD Programs Office director. Seated center is Major Paul Zimnik of the U.S. Air Force. Partially obscured is Lt. Col. Terry Rauch of the U.S. Army and deputy commander to Brigadier General Zajtchuk. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Plans, Issues and Programs (PA-3)
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