Fire danger: Low
Susan Seestrom named new Physics Division
director
Susan Seestrom has been named director of the Physics Division at the Laboratory. Seestrom previously served as deputy group leader of the Neutron Science and Technology (P-23) and shared responsibilities as acting Physics Division deputy director with Edward Heighway.
"I believe Susan Seestrom will do an outstanding job as the Physics Division director. She brings an excellent background in experimental science and has developed a strong appreciation of the role of experimental physics in our national security programs," said Laboratory Director John Browne.
"I am really excited about having the opportunity to lead a division of such tremendously talented people," said Seestrom. "The Physics Division has had a remarkable past and has an exciting future. I'm proud to be part of it."
Seestrom came to Los Alamos as a Director's Funded Post-doc in 1981 and joined the Laboratory as a staff member in 1986. Seestrom earned her bachelor's and doctoral degrees in Physics from the University of Minnesota in 1976 and 1981 respectively. She was named Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1994 and is a key collaborator in pioneering neutron experiments at Los Alamos.
Seestrom takes over management of Physics Division from John McClelland who led the division as acting director since August. McClelland took over for Don Rej who was named director for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Division, a scientific collaboration involving Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, E.O. Lawrence Berkeley, Brookhaven and Argonne national laboratories and Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News, Va.
--Todd Hanson
Victory celebration for United Way Dec.
12
Lab employees double donations, pledges to this year's campaign
Laboratory workers and the public can celebrate the success of the 2001 Los Alamos/Northern New Mexico 2001 United Way campaign at a victory celebration Dec. 12 in the Hilltop House Hotel.
Laboratory employees meanwhile, contributed in pledges and donations more than 50 percent of last year's total to this year's campaign, exceeding $607,000. And the Los Alamos/Northern New Mexico campaign has topped $850,000 as of Monday, with additional pledges and donations still coming in.
The victory celebration is from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the third floor meeting room, across from Pepper's Restaurant at the Hilltop House Hotel. There is no admission fee to attend the celebration.
"Despite the difficult year we all have endured, Laboratory employees once again showed their care and commitment to our community, our neighbors in the Española Valley and Santa Fe by participating in this year's United Way campaign," said Laboratory Director John Browne. "I am very proud to be associated with so many caring individuals who generously contributed.
"With the Cerro Grande Fire still looming heavy over us as a Laboratory, and individually, it was difficult to predict how the campaign would fare," Browne said. "But I can say unequivocally it was a resounding success thanks to each and every Lab employee who contributed to the campaign."
Browne issued an all-employee memo Tuesday thanking employees for their generosity.
Added United Way of Los Alamos/Northern New Mexico Executive Director Raul Rodriguez, "On behalf of the Northern New Mexico/ Los Alamos United Way I wish to thank all Lab employees, volunteers and leadership for their continued generosity and commitment to United Way.
"The [Lab] employees' response to United Way's appeal has been outstanding. Having a 50 percent increase in contributions and increasing participation by almost 800 new donors has been a task that required a lot of effort," Rodriguez said.
Christina Armijo of the Community Relations (CRO) Office attributed the success of this year's campaign in part to field representatives across the Lab who promoted the campaign and responded to questions and requests for information from Lab workers in their divisions. Many organizations held special events, including bake sales, auctions and pie tossing contests to raise money for United Way. "We had volunteer representatives throughout the Lab and they made a huge contribution to the success of the campaign," said Armijo.
The Los Alamos/Northern New Mexico campaign goal for this year's campaign is $750,000. Last year, Lab employees gave about $404,000 to United Way during the Lab's United Way campaign.
Eighteen social service agencies are members of the United Way of Los Alamos/Northern New Mexico network, plus several dozen members that are part of the United Way of Santa Fe County network.
In addition to the pledges and donations from Laboratory personnel, the not-for-profit Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation also has donated $75,000 to this year's campaign.
Additional information about the Los Alamos and Santa Fe United Way campaigns can be found at www.losalamos.com/unitedway and www.uwsfc.org respectively through the World Wide Web.
--Steve Sandoval
Secretary Richardson to announce Energy Department's fire preparedness
The Department of Energy has scheduled a news event for 11:30 this morning. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson will announce a series of actions DOE will take to prevent, better prepare for and respond to wildfires, especially forest and grassland fires that threaten its major nuclear facilities. Employees can watch the event live on Labnet Channel 9.
Locally, officials from the Lab, DOE's Los Alamos Area Office, and emergency response personnel from Los Alamos County will gather in the Laboratory's Emergency Operations Center to interact live with Secretary Richardson.
--James Rickman
Department of Energy Joint Review Team members Mike Zanotti, left, and Peter Stang are briefed on the pattern and scope of the Cerro Grande Fire by Gene Darling of Emergency Management and Response (S-8). Photo by Fran Talley, Public Affairs
DOE team meets at Lab for Cerro Grande Fire lessons learned meeting
"One helluva fire." That's how one member of the Interagency Wildfire Management Team summed up the Cerro Grande Fire to a Department of Energy Initial Joint Review Team that visited the Laboratory Nov. 15.
The Joint Review Team was created by Energy Secretary Bill Richardson to conduct a lessons learned review of the fire as part of a report on readiness and preparedness for wildland fires in and around DOE facilities.
The goal, according to Peter Stang, DOE headquarters Emergency Response officer, is to implement a lessons learned program throughout the complex. They review team also visited Hanford and Idaho Falls in addition to Los Alamos.
"The team wants to know the important lessons learned from the fire and how DOE can do a better job here than in the past to improve the program," Stang said, adding that team members recognize each site is unique, and some issues are specific to each site.
"We hope to get a pretty good idea with recommendations to the Secretary and upper management," he added. "We hope DOE will be in better shape for wildfires in the future."
The Interagency Wildfire Management Team was formed by Emergency Management and Response (S-8) and Ecology (ESH-20) four years ago following the Dome Fire," explained Ed Nettles of S-8. "Then we went to outside agencies. Everybody started supporting it and nobody backed off," he said.
The deadline for the Joint Review Team's report to DOE is Dec. 15.
-- Fran Talley
Cerro Grande Fire heroes to air on local PBS station
A documentary, "Heroes of the Cerro Grande: Many Cultures, One People," will air on local PBS station KNME at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The 90 minute film honors the heroes of the Cerro Grande Fire.
The tribute was produced and funded by the non-profit Code of the West foundation.
Highlights of this program include congratulatory remarks by Governor Gary Johnson. Former President George Bush, Bob Dole, Elizabeth Dole, Colin Powell, Alan Simpson, as well as others give tribute to "ordinary people who did extraordinary things."
Last May's blaze destroyed an estimated 400 homes in Los Alamos, and shut down operations at the Lab for two weeks. The fire also forced the evacuation of all 30,000 Los Alamos and White Rock residents.
The program will also be offered to PBS stations nationwide.
--C. Michael Carlson
IM-4 reduces waste in photo-processing
operations
Presley Salaz, Richard Robinson, Labriano Lucero, Gary Warren, Mike O'Keefe, Sandra Valdez and Margery Denton of Imaging Services (IM-4) won a 1999 Laboratory Pollution Prevention Award for reducing both photochemical waste and water usage it their photo-processing operations.
IM-4 photographs and develops film for various organizations throughout the Laboratory. Prior to the improvements made by the group, film was processed in two large photo-processing machines that filled an 18-foot-by-20-foot room. Photochemicals inside the two machines had to be replaced once they oxidized. This generated about 1,700 gallons of liquid waste. The waste was stored in 500-gallon holding tanks that had to be emptied four times a year at an annual cost of more than $30,000.
Cleaning the two machines required approximately 30 hours each month and involved several employees. An additional two hours each week were spent mixing fresh chemicals to replace the oxidized chemicals. During the mixing process, the chemicals had the potential to splash, exposing employees.
To solve these problems, the Environmental Stewardship Office (E-ESO) awarded the IM-4 project team a $33,000 grant from its Generator Set-aside Fee Program to purchase a new self-contained, self-cleaning film processor and accompanying nitrogen generator unit.
The new processor has numerous advantages. It is far smaller than the old machines, neatly fitting into a four-square-foot area and saving valuable space. Some of the chemicals for the new processor arrive in a pre-mixed kit, minimizing potential exposure to employees. Also, it takes only 10 minutes each month to clean the processor instead of 30 hours.
The old machines used water whenever the machine was on; the new machine uses water only during actual processing, saving almost 250,000 gallons a year. Additionally, the unit generates only about 250 gallons of spent photochemicals a year, so the holding tank needs to be emptied only once every two years, saving about $30,000 annually in waste disposal costs.
Along with these economic and environmental advantages, the new photo processor delivers more consistent and reliable photographic products.
For more information, contact Salaz at 7-4064 or write to presley.salaz@lanl.gov by electronic mail. Information on the GSAF Program is available online at http://emeso.lanl.gov/eso_projects/set_aside/set_aside.html.
--Ternel Martinez
IM-1 holds silent auction
Olivia Newfield of White Rock smells some of the flowers that were available for purchase at the Dessert and Treasures Silent Auction Monday in the Otowi Building cafeteria siderooms. Sue King of Communication Arts and Services (IM-1) provided the flower arrangements. Employees in IM-1 held the silent auction to raise money for IM-1 personnel whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the Cerro Grande Fire. A number of items were available for purchase. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez
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Registration
for Master's Degree Programs via Distance Learning is currently
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