Rensselaer president Jackson to give two talks at Lab
Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. will present a diversity colloquium and a Director's Colloquium next Tuesday (Feb. 20).
The diversity colloquium, "Minorities in Science," begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Administration Building Auditorium. The Director's Colloquium, "Solving a Complex Equation: The Future of the National Laboratories and the Role of the DOE," also in the Administration Auditorium, begins at 1:10 p.m. The talks are open to cleared badgeholders.
The diversity colloquium will explore the critical need for trained and experienced scientists in the future, who must come from diverse segments of the population. The colloquium is sponsored by Science and Technology Base (STB) Programs, Theoretical (T) Division, the Diversity (DVO) Office and the Director's Office.
At the Director's Colloquium, Jackson will draw on her extensive background as a researcher, corporate executive, government regulator and university president to examine the complex factors that influence the national laboratories' future.
Jackson's career has spanned a broad range of positions in government, industry and academia. She is the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the first two African-American women to receive a doctorate in physics in the United States.
From 1976 to 1991, Jackson conducted research in theoretical physics, solid-state and quantum physics and optical physics at AT&T Bell Laboratories. She served as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995-1999, and became the president of RPI in 1999.
Jackson was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998 for her significant and profound contributions as a distinguished scientist and advocate for education, science and public policy.
For more information contact Socorro Mondragon of STB at 7-4868.
--Chris Pearcy
Evolution scholar will give Biosciences talk Wednesday
A University of California-Berkeley law professor considered to be one of the leaders of the intelligent design movement will deliver a special colloquium sponsored by Bioscience (B) Division at noon Wednesday in the Physics Building Auditorium at Technical Area 3.
Philip E. Johnson, who has authored books on Darwin and Darwinism, will speak on "Intelligent Design in Biology -- Science or Religion?" The lecture is open to the public.
Johnson is known as one of the age's clearest thinkers on evolution and its impact on society. A graduate of Harvard and the University of Chicago Law School, he clerked for former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, and has been a professor of law at UC, Berkeley for more than 30 years.
The intelligent design movement is a scientific enterprise that seeks to detect design in fields such as forensics, archaeology, mathematics and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI. Through his involvement in the movement, Johnson has brought a design focus to the philosophy of science and the ways in which unacknowledged metaphysical assumptions commonly affect the attitudes of many scientists toward design.
Although it includes many diverse elements, the intelligent design movement is generally a theologically minimalist scientific approach. It does not use the Book of Genesis as a starting point, nor does it claim to know "who" the designer is. Instead, it seeks to detect and understand, through scientific evidence and investigation, the possible role of intelligence in the origin and history of life on Earth.
Johnson urges a separation of science from the philosophical assumption of non-design, or naturalism, so that science can follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Johnson is the author of books including "Darwin on Trial," "Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds," and "The Wedge of Truth."
January weather
Two words sum up the weather in January in Los Alamos and White Rock: cold and wet. In fact it was much wetter than normal thanks to several storms that dropped significant snowfall.
Los Alamos received 2.35 inches of precipitation at the Technical Area 6 measuring station in January, according to Laboratory meteorologist George Fenton of Air Quality (ESH-17). The figure was more than 240 percent of normal precipitation for the month, he said.
The 35 inches of snowfall in Los Alamos last month was 255 percent of normal and the third snowiest January since record keeping began, Fenton said. So far this winter, he added, Los Alamos has received 54 inches of snow, which is 165 percent of normal.
Similarly, in White Rock, 1.50 inches of precipitation was recorded at the Technical Area 54 measuring station in January, also more than 240 percent of normal for the month.
"Low pressure systems slowly traversed New Mexico on [Jan.] 16, 25 and 27, yielding significantly greater than normal snowfall totals for the month," said Fenton.
The abundant snowfall also helped keep Los Alamos and White Rock cold because snow cover on the ground reduced surface heating when skies were clear, he said.
The mean maximum temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Alamos in January was 4 degrees F below normal, while the mean minimum of 17 degrees F was 1 F below normal, said Fenton.
Likewise, in White Rock, the mean, mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures all were 3 F below normal in January.
Winds gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour were recorded on Jan. 13 and 25 in Los Alamos, while a 50-mile-per-hour gust was recorded on Jan. 29.
--Steve Sandoval
Information Architecture Software Engineering Initiative
A new team is being formed within the Information Architecture (IA) Project that will focus on the software engineering activities at the Laboratory. The purpose of this memo is to inform the Lab of the team's purpose and to request the nomination of team members. To read the master managment memo, click here. (Adobe Acrobat required)
Heart of the Matter
Personnel in Human Resources (HR) used Valentine's Day to
boost coworkers' morale by purchasing a paper heart for 25 cents
each and writing short messages of support for colleagues. The
Valentine's Day event was coordinated by the Personnel Records
Office of Staffing (HR-5). About 320 paper hearts were sold; proceeds
were used to purchase vases containing an assortment of roses,
carnations and other festive plants. The vases were then raffled
off to 12 HR employees. All of the hearts are displayed on a bulletin
board outside of Personnel Records in the Otowi Building until
the end of next week. Photo by Michael Carlson, Public
Affairs
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Wellness
Center closing early today
