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Friday, Oct. 15, 1999
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Memorial service today for MST-7's Larry Foreman
Larry Foreman of Polymers and Coatings (MST-7) passed away Tuesday after a courageous battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held today at 10:30 a.m. at the United Church in Los Alamos.
Foreman joined the Laboratory in 1981 in the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) target fabrication group (then L-7). He remained involved with target fabrication throughout his Laboratory career, serving as ICF project leader for target fabrication and deputy group leader at the time of his death. Larry was known for his enthusiasm, inventiveness and boundless energy throughout the ICF community. His seminal work with Jim Hoffer of Condensed Matter and Thermal Physics (MST-10) on Beta-layering of frozen DT has served as a basis for ignition targets planned for the National Ignition Facility now under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was the recipient of six distinguished performance awards, four patents and most recently the prestigious Teller Medal. Anyone wishing to contribute to the Dr. Larry Foreman Memorial Scholarship Fund may do so at the Los Alamos National Bank, 1200 Trinity Drive, Los Alamos, NM 87544.
Energy Secretary issues statement on stockpile stewardship
On Thursday, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson issued a statement on stockpile stewardship in the wake of the U.S. Senate's vote Wednesday on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The Senate voted 51 to 48 to reject a treaty banning all underground nuclear testing. For more information, see the Department of Energy news release.
Laboratory nuclear-detonation detection technologies
The U.S. Senate has voted not to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The debate surrounding this treaty has drawn attention to the technologies that are used for treaty monitoring and verification.
As an integral member of the nation's nuclear detonation monitoring team, the Laboratory has developed a wide range of technologies to detect, locate and characterize nuclear explosions. Since the early 1990s, the thresholds and confidence levels required to support U.S. monitoring goals and, incidentally, CTBT verification requirements, have driven a vigorous development program. At the Lab, Department of Energy-funded technologies provide a range of effective tools for monitoring nuclear detonations below ground, within the atmosphere and in space.
Laboratory technologies include ground and spaceborne sensors along with the associated hardware and software that constitute systems to detect, locate and characterize nuclear explosions worldwide. The projects to develop these technologies are sponsored by the Department of Energy's Research and Development Office of the Office of Nonproliferation and National Security. A number of the resulting instruments are already in place in support of national nonproliferation goals, having been in most cases implemented as part of Defense Department operational ground and satellite systems.
Among Laboratory's nuclear-detonation detection technologies are the following:
Operation Satellite-based Systems:
Advanced Radiation Detection Capability (RADEC) II (ARII)
A suite of radiation detection and satellite environment detection instruments designed to monitor nuclear detonations occurring high within the atmosphere and in space. ARII sensors are an integral part of Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite systems.
Monitoring Sensors on Global Positioning System (GPS) Satellites
Complementary to the ARII systems, Los Alamos instruments placed on GPS satellites include varied sensors for monitoring nuclear detonations in space. In addition, an autonomous electromagnetic pulse sensor has been developed for implementation on future GPS satellites. The EMP sensor enhances our ability to detect and characterize nuclear detonations within the atmosphere.
Developmental Satellite-based Systems:
Space and Atmospheric Burst Reporting System (SABRS)
At the conclusion of the Defense Support Program satellite series SABRS will continue (and enhance) ARII capability to monitor high-altitude and space nuclear detonations. Although an appropriate host satellite for operational SABRS has yet to be selected, an experiment validating SABRS sensing and system technologies will be flown on a DSP satellite.
Array of Low-Energy X-Ray Imaging Sensors (ALEXIS)
ALEXIS, DOE's first satellite system, was launched in 1993 to validate advanced space and atmospheric monitoring technologies for improved nuclear detonation monitoring. The space monitoring experiment consists of six normal-incidence X-ray-imaging telescopes that have been continuously mapping the celestial heavens for soft X-ray transients. The atmosphere monitoring experiment, designated "Blackbeard," is being used to map Earth's background in the high frequency and very high frequency portions of the radio frequency spectrum. This frequency regime, dominated by naturally occurring and man-made signals, will also witness the electromagnetic pulse from an atmospheric nuclear detonation. ALEXIS is defining the monitoring problem for entry-level devices detonated in space, while Blackbeard performs a similar task for all nuclear devices detonated within the atmosphere.
FORTE (Fast On-orbit Recording of Transient Events)
The FORTE satellite, launched in 1997, extends the high frequency and very high frequency background measuring capability of the Blackbeard experiment, and is the test bed for developing the technologies that will distinguish that background from the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear detonation. This distinguishing technology has been incorporated into the validation sensor (or V-Sensor), and is key to reliably identifying nuclear explosions while reducing the incidence of false alarms caused by the dense radio frequency background.
Phenomenology
Understanding the signals released by a nuclear detonation is critical to designing equipment to monitor them. Due, at least in part, to the challenge of monitoring a CTBT, Los Alamos is investing heavily in modeling the output of anticipated nuclear devices and the transport of that output to the monitoring sensors. Current emphasis is placed on predicting the optical and radio frequency signals of a variety of devices detonated in shallow buried and atmospheric environments.
US/Russian Lightning Experiments
Using such platforms as high-altitude balloons, researchers seek to increase their understanding of the physics of lightning. Los Alamos scientists collaborate with Russian researchers to provide essential data for discriminating between nuclear detonations and naturally occurring electromagnetic pulses, such as those generated by lightning and other atmospheric discharges.
Ground-based Monitoring Technologies
Ground-Based CTBT R&D Programs
Los Alamos is developing ground-based technologies in support of the National Data Facility and as part of the nation's support to the International Monitoring System. The latter is an internationally shared system being developed specifically in support of the CTBT. The ground-based programs develop advanced systems to detect underground nuclear detonations from regional distances (seismic), and to monitor atmospheric events from global distances (infrasound and radionuclide sampling). The challenge is to reliably distinguish nuclear events from a plethora of background signatures emanating from, e.g., earthquakes, volcanic activity, lightning strikes, mining and industrial explosions, and conventional military activities.
Seismic Monitoring
Los Alamos is gathering a range of information as an aid to developing technologies for differentiating nuclear detonations from earthquakes and mining explosions. Advanced computer codes permit three-dimensional modeling of seismic wave propagation across varied and complex geologic areas, and Los Alamos is characterizing regions where mining, earthquakes and nuclear explosions are all possible. Understanding the differences in acoustic and compression waves from these differing sources is key to understanding the nature of each explosive event.
Infrasound
Los Alamos has developed a prototype detector array for low-frequency sounds produced by nuclear explosions. Researching and characterizing the best potential network sites in support of the IMS is a high priority Laboratory project.
Radionuclide Sampling
A Los Alamos research effort has identified chaotic advection as a target area of study to better interpret airborne radionuclide probability, release amount, and possible release location. Existing diffusion models have helped scientists untangle signals from large smelter stack releases, U.S. aboveground test data and volcanic plumes.
Operational On-site Inspection Capability
Trained staff with a range of monitoring instrumentation is available for worldwide on-site inspection of sites identified as potential sources of nuclear explosions. If CTBT is ratified, verification protocols will provide for such inspections when data from the International Monitoring System (e.g., seismic or infrasound signals) indicate a suspect event in a particular area.
--Nancy Ambrosiano
Lab managers and supervisors to begin required labor relations training
Next Thursday, Oct. 21, will be the first day of required labor relations training for all Lab managers and supervisors. The half-day training sessions will continue through Dec. 17. Managers may sign up individually or arrange for a training session for 15 or more people from their group or division management teams.
The training is designed to prepare managers and supervisors for the implementation of the California Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, or HEERA. California Senate Bill 1279 was signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis on Oct. 10, making it official that Lab employees will be covered by HEERA, starting in January 2000. The passage of SB 1279 creates a legal framework that will enable employees to choose whether or not they want to be represented by unions.
Joe Salgado, deputy Laboratory director for business administration and outreach and member of the Labor Relations Steering Committee, said, "HEERA creates new rights for employees at the Lab, but it also adds a number of responsibilities for managers and supervisors. The purpose of this training is to ensure that our implementation of HEERA is effective and consistent with all of the law's provisions."
The training sessions are being led by members of the Lab's labor relations staff with assistance from Livermore's labor relations office. The class will enable managers and supervisors to effectively communicate about HEERA and work with their employees in the new environment; answer questions about HEERA; and Communicate with union organizers who may seek to represent Lab employees.
Salgado added, "The key thing to remember about this training is that we are providing managers with important background information and making them aware of where they can find additional help if they have questions down the road. The training is not intended to make labor experts out of managers."
Much of the information provided in the training will be distributed to employees in the next two months before HEERA is implemented. Information will be disseminated through question-and-answer sessions, brochures and the Labor Relations Web site at http://www.hr.lanl.gov/laborrelations/index.stm.
Among the topics included in the training are:
The course is required for all managers and supervisors at the Lab. Managers are defined as deputy group leaders and above. Supervisors are defined using specific criteria under HEERA. Division management will be receiving guidance as to who exactly in their organizations are supervisors (as defined under HEERA). Generally, though, anyone who is a team leader would be considered a supervisor.
To sign up for a course, managers and supervisors should visit the Virtual Training Center at http://www.lanl.gov/labview/training/leader.html. Alternatively, to arrange for onsite training of group or division management teams, contact John Zondlo at 5-3316. If managers and supervisors have questions about the training, they should contact Heidi Hahn at 5-4606 and Tim Babicke at 5-3928 of the Labor Relations office.
--David Lyons
|
HEERA-related legislation signed into law by California Governor On Oct. 10, California Gov. Gray Davis signed two labor relations bills that will affect employees at the Lab. The effective date for both bills is Jan. 1, 2000. California Senate Bill (SB) 1279, sponsored by Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), expands the coverage of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, or HEERA, to apply to University of California employees at Los Alamos. Passage of SB 1279 means that starting in January 2000, Lab employees will have the right to choose whether or not they want to be represented by unions. Related to SB 1279, Gov. Davis also signed SB 645, introduced by Sen. John Burton (D-San Francisco). Burton's bill amends HEERA to require the implementation of a "fair share" or "agency shop" fee for University of California employees who are members of a represented bargaining unit. "Fair share" means that all employees who are part of a bargaining unit represented by a union (whether they are union members or not) would be required to make payments to the union. For instance, in the case of a bargaining unit that is represented by a union, all of the employees who belong to the union would pay the regular union dues. At the same time, all of the nonunion members in the bargaining unit would be required to make a "fair share" equivalent payment to the union. This "fair share" amount is slightly less than what union dues are. Since SB 645 applies to HEERA, if employees at the Lab were to unionize, all employees of a represented bargaining unit would be required, as a condition of employment, to make payments to the union. --David Lyons |
Hispanic Heritage month observance concludes tonight
The Laboratory's Hispanic Diversity Working Group concludes its Hispanic Heritage Month observance this evening with a reception and presentation today beginning at 6 p.m. at El Museo Cultural in Santa Fe.
The working group is making a "permanent loan" to the museum a technology timeline it developed for last year's Hispanic Heritage Month activities. Other scheduled activities include brief remarks by Joe Salgado, the Lab's new deputy director for business, administration and outreach.
The presentation will be made to El Museo's board of directors, said Dwight Herrera of Nuclear Materials Technology (NMT) Division and chairperson of the Hispanic Diversity Working Group. "400 Years of Technology in New Mexico: A Cuarto Centenario Commemorative" timeline was part of the Lab's 1998 Hispanic Heritage Month program. The timeline consists of panels that lay out the 400 years of technological advancements in present day New Mexico from 1598 to 1998.
"The purpose of El Museo is to communicate and foster an awareness of the Hispanic culture of New Mexico," said Camille Bustamante of ES&H Training (ESH-13) and past co-chairperson of the Hispanic Diversity Working Group. "What this timeline does is illustrate the role that Hispanos had in the development and use of technology. Though it illustrates the significant role of the Hispanic people, it also exposes the contributions of other influential cultures in the region."
The Environment, Safety and Health (ESH) Division and the Diversity (DV) Office helped pay for the timeline, which was displayed at all Hispanic Heritage Month activities last year at the Lab and in the Otowi Building. Hispanic Heritage Month is observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
More information about the Hispanic Diversity Working Group and Hispanic Heritage Month can be found at http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/dvo/hdwg/hdwg.html online.
El Museo Cultural is located in the Santa Fe Railyard property off Guadalupe Street near downtown. The telephone number is 992-0591.
--Steve Sandoval
Parking changes around TA-3 Monday morning
If you normally drive up West Jemez Road and turn left onto Pajarito Road as you head for parking in Technical Area 3 on you're way to work, you're going to need a new route Monday morning.
Pajarito Road, between Parry Road and Mercury Road will be permanently closed over the weekend, as will Parry Road from Pajarito to Bikini Atoll Road. This is all due to the beginning of the first phase of construction on the Strategic Computing Complex. A fence will be erected around the large parking lot between the Johnson Controls Northern New Mexico shops and Physics Building. The large lot itself will be partially open for parking but access to the lot will be limited to the driveways off Mercury Road.
"If you turn left onto Pajarito from West Jemez, that part of Pajarito will access only the Otowi Cafeteria loading dock and the small parking lot behind the Otowi Building," said Tony Stanford, division director of the Facility and Waste Operations (FWO) Division. "The only way to get to parking in that area of TA-3 will be to continue up West Jemez and turn left onto Bikini Atoll Road."
In order to keep things moving smoothly, the Los Alamos Police Department on Monday will begin spot enforcement of traffic laws in the TA-3 area for the next two or three weeks.
Three new expanded parking lots have been constructed in the TA-3 area. One is located at the intersection of Diamond Drive and East Jemez Road and can be accessed from East Jemez. New parking is available near the curve of Pajarito Road in the shadow of the old Van De Graaff facility, adjacent to the parking lot across from the main shops. The parking lot located between the JCNNM shops and the Wellness Center also has been expanded to handle an additional 200 vehicles.
In addition to all the new parking, High Occupancy Vehicle, or HOV, spaces are being designated for car-poolers and vans carrying at least two passengers. Signs indicating the location of the HOV spaces should be in place soon.
"These spaces will be located in areas with the least walking distance to the buildings," said Stanford. "The hope is that this will encourage people to carpool in order to get those premium parking spots. HOV spaces will be governed by the honor system for the time being, unless there is wide-spread abuse."
Project Management reports that a contract negotiation is now underway with LA Bus to provide shuttle service from the new parking lots to buildings in TA-3. The exact date service will begin has not yet been determined. When it does start, shuttle service will operate in a loop around TA-3 making at least six stops along the way. Four 22 passenger buses will operate during the morning and evening peak traffic hours.
"We're encouraging people to get out and explore the new parking lots and figure out where they're going to go come Monday. If you've got a good idea where you're going before the Monday rush hour, things will go much more smoothly," said Stanford. "We appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation during what is sure to be a trying time in the TA-3 area, in terms of traffic and parking."
--Kevin Roark
Safety expert returns to the Lab for three talks
National safety expert and corporate speaker Charlie Morecraft is returning to Los Alamos Tuesday to give three talks about safety and alcoholism.
The Laboratory's Integrated Safety Management Program and the University of California's Northern New Mexico Office are sponsoring the talks.
Morecraft of Phoenix Safety Management Inc. speaks at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Thursday. The talks are in the Administration Building Auditorium and open to all Laboratory personnel and the public. The talks will be broadcast on LABNET.
Morecraft's first presentation is called "Remember Charlie," which recounts his 1980 accident at an Exxon refinery, which caused serious burns over 45 percent of his body.
The 1:30 p.m. presentation on Tuesday is called "It Takes a Village to Raise an Alcoholic" and focuses on how alcohol abuse detrimentally affects safety and productivity in the workplace and can lead to a dangerous and hazardous work environment, said Fran Talley of Public Affairs (PA).
Morecraft also is scheduled to give the same talks Wednesday at Española Valley and Pojoaque high schools, and on Monday at the Nevada Test Site.
The presentations in Nevada are co-sponsored by the Laboratory and Bechtel Corp.
"We're proud of the safety improvements that have been made since we began a collective effort more than three years ago to refocus on and make safety a priority at this Laboratory," said Phil Thullen, the Lab's Integrated Safety Management Program director.
"But there's always room for improvement, and Charlie's message about the need to be aware of safety in everything you do, at work and at home, bears repeating. That's why the Laboratory has asked him to return.
"If employees get anything out of listening to Charlie's presentation, it will be that safety is and should be paramount in everything we do."
For more information about Morecraft's presentations and the Lab's Integrated Safety Management Plan, write to ism@lanl.gov by e-mail. Or go to http://www.lanl.gov/internal/projects/ISM/ or http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/ism/rooters on the World Wide Web.
--Steve Sandoval
Princeton class of '47 visits the Lab
Greg Boebinger, left, of the Laboratory's National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MST-NHMFL) talks to members of Princeton University's class of 1947 during a recent tour of the magnet lab user facility at Technical Area 35. Boebinger is standing outside one of the user cells holding a 60-tesla short pulse magnet. The Princeton class of 1947 members also toured the Bradbury Science Museum (CRO-2). Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez
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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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