Fernando Quintana, right, of Facilities and Waste Operations (FWO), talks about one of the displays in the Bradbury Science Museum Thursday with members of the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies, which is holding its first ever meeting in New Mexico. Quintana is chairman of the Laboratory's Employee Advisory Council and the senior delegate to CUCSA. The two-day meeting began with a tour of the museum and presentation by BSM Director John Rhoades. There also were presentations and questions-and-answer periods with Rich Marquez, associate director for administration, Allen Hartford, Science and Technology Base Programs (STB) Office leader, and William "Buck" Thompson, Weapons Physics Directorate chief of staff. Also shown are Eric Zimmerman, of UC, Santa Barbara, Diana Attia of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Karleen Meaker, center, UC, Santa Cruz's senior delegate and Edward Abeyta, UC, San Diego's senior delegate to CUCSA. The meeting continues today in Santa Fe. Photo by John Bass, Public Affairs

UC organization holds first-ever meeting at Los Alamos

CUCSA learns about stockpile stewardship

Impressing first-time Laboratory visitors, John Rhoades, Bradbury Science Museum director, gave the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies a "live" as well as slide-view and video presentation of the history and mission of the Laboratory.

This is the first time the organization, comprised of nonrepresented staff, and in the case of the Laboratory that is all UC employees, has met outside the state of California. The body endeavors to promote communication among staff and with the UC administration and other members of the University community on matters of interest to staff employees, in accordance with California laws and UC Regent policies. It provides a forum where employees from the campuses may discuss university-related issues and voice opinions and recommendations to the UC administration or others on policies, process of mutual interest and works to foster respect, communication and collaboration among staff and other members of the UC community.

Starting the day early, Rhoades gave the group a real-time"windshield tour" as they made their way from their Santa Fe hotel and continued the briefing in the museum's theatre.

Following this presentation, Rich Marquez, associate director for administration, welcomed the council in the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center at Technical Area 3. Marquez provided the group with an organizational profile of the Lab, its mission and its relationship to the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Allan Hartford, program leader for Science and Technology Base Programs (STB) gave the group an overview of the Lab's science and technology programs and an insight into the Laboratory's many educational programs, from high school co-op to postdoctoral.

Weapons Physics Directorate Chief of Staff, William "Buck" Thompson, provided information on the Lab's weapons programs and national security efforts by beginning, "Let's talk about bombs." Thompson's overview of stockpile stewardship provided the group with a basic understanding of the dilemma of certifying a nuclear stockpile without testing and the exciting developments in computer science and the modeling used to "test" the thousands of parts contained in a bomb.

All the morning speakers emphasized the importance of strategic recruiting and retaining outstanding employees, the national security work done at the Lab, the science and technology that is the underpinning for all the Laboratory does. UC's history and current relationship with Los Alamos was a recurring theme that helped put Los Alamos' role in context.

CUCSA Chairperson Carol Miller encouraged all the speakers to use the council as a resource and noted the extra value that the delegates from Berkeley and Los Alamos national laboratories have contributed to the organization.

The afternoon speakers scheduled to address the group included Charles Pacheco of the Northern New Mexico Office of the President; Christina Armijo, director of the Community Relations Office; and Joseph Garcia of Tribal Relations.

Regent Velma Montoya, who sits on the Laboratory Oversight Committee, is scheduled address CUCSA today (Friday) as are Lisa Gutierrez, Diversity Office (DVO) director, and Paul Schwartz of the UC Office of the President.

For more information about CUCSA, see the March 4 Daily Newsbulletin story or the organization's Web site at http://www.ucop.edu/cucsa/ online.

--Judy Goldie

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