For release: Aug. 23, 1999
Contacts:
Tom Barton, Director, (515) 294-2770
Steve Karsjen, Public Affairs, (515) 294-5643
AMES, Iowa -- Employees at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory will attend
training sessions this week that will reinforce the department's security requirements.
Under a directive by Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, all DOE facilities must conduct
security immersion activities by the end of August to enhance security training and
education. Immersion activities are being tailored to reflect the needs and situations of
each DOE facility. Laboratories involved in national-security and nuclear-weapons research
were the first to carry out the directive. Ames Laboratory does not conduct classified
research.
The security immersion activities at Ames Lab are constructed as 1.5-hour training
sessions covering topics such as property protection, computer security and export
controls, said Lab Director Tom Barton. The sessions will be offered at various times
throughout the week so that all employees can attend, but will not interfere with the
normal operation of the Lab.
"It's a good opportunity to remind employees that, even though we don't conduct
classified research, we must take appropriate precautions to safeguard our data and our
technologies," Barton said.
The energy secretary mandated the department-wide training as part of sweeping security
reforms. "I'm ordering this action to ensure that DOE is doing everything possible to
protect America's secrets and sensitive technologies," Richardson said.
Ames Laboratory is operated for the DOE by Iowa State University. The Lab conducts
research into various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed
computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new
materials.
Last revision: 8/26/99 dbm