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Monday, Jan. 31, 2000

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First American utility joins Lab's zero emission coal alliance

Southern Co., the nation's largest producer of electricity, has announced its intention to join Laboratory scientists and representatives of Canada's coal industry in a partnership designed to ensure the future of coal in power generation. Southern is the first American utility to join the Zero Emission Coal Alliance or ZECA.

The Alliance's research demonstrates the possibility of doubling the net efficiency of coal-based power generation, while producing a stream of relatively pure carbon dioxide, which can be permanently and safety sequestered.

With the addition of Southern Co., ten entities from the United States and Canada have agreed to contribute $50,000 each to form the alliance, which plans to pilot the process within five years and commercialize it within seven to 10 years.

The Laboratory recently applied for patents on a process for producing hydrogen from coal and water. The hydrogen can be used to generate emission-free electricity, and the carbon dioxide that remains can be reacted with abundant magnesium silicates to be permanently sequestered as a stable mineral carbonate.

This technology is among those highlighted recently in a Science for the 21st Century paper on carbon sequestration.

Laboratory introduces Lessons Learned Network

The LANL Lessons Learned Network is a Laboratorywide initiative to identify, link to and communicate with lessons learned efforts across the Laboratory.

Sponsored by the Integrated Safety Management Program Office, the network is a group of people who meet once a month to discuss lessons learned issues. The group has set up a Web site that includes a list of current members, meeting schedules, lessons learned links, a mission statement and a list of projects.

The group represents a wide-range of divisions, such as the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), Security and Safeguards (S) and Physics (P) divisions as well as the Lab's major contractors. "The diversity of the members reflects that lessons learned can and should be gleaned from the entire spectrum of Laboratory activities," said Meredith Brown, network coordinator.

"The network's mission is to support and encourage the identification, sharing and utilization of lessons learned information. It provides a central point of contact for lessons learned activities at the Laboratory for those who wish to develop local programs and those who are looking for lessons learned information.

Network members are available to discuss lessons learned resources and tools during group meetings, to evaluate lessons learned information, to assist workers with creating lessons learned publications and to help organizations develop local lessons learned programs.

"We would welcome participation by individuals who are responsible for developing local lessons learned programs/activities in their divisions or groups," Brown said.

Employees who are interested can find additional information on members, activities and meetings by logging onto the Web site at http://ll.lanl.gov/lln/lln.nsf or by calling Brown at 7 0604.t

Call For Laboratory Fellow nominations

The Laboratory is making a formal call for Laboratory Fellow nominations. The Laboratory established the Fellows Program as a means of recognizing sustained outstanding scientific and technical contributions by technical staff members. The Fellows are a unique resource for the Lab in that their collective competency spans the technical breadth of the Laboratory. The Fellows consider issues of importance to the Laboratory, organize special colloquia and symposia, and sponsor annual prizes for outstanding research achievements by members of the Laboratoryís technical staff. For more information and the package guidelines, see the master-management memo.

Editor's note: The Wellness Center is sponsoring a Celebrate Health 2000 Incentive Campaign through the end of February. During this campaign, the Daily Newsbulletin will publish a weekly health-incentive tip. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 7-7166.

Car first-aid kits

Now is a good time to check the first-aid kit in your car. What, you don't have one? You obviously want to be like most people and carry around everything you own in your trunk except a first-aid kit. You don't need to outfit it like a paramedic's, but you should have the basics to stop bleeding and control infection. Remember, you're just trying to keep the injured person stable until professional help arrives. Pick up a first-aid book to keep with each kit. And if you think assembling the kits is a hassle, there is an easy but expensive option. Go to your Mercedes-Benz dealer, where each car comes factory equipped with a first-aid kit; for the right price you can buy the kit -- and they'll throw in the car.

--Health Enhancement Systems Inc.

On today's bulletin board
  • New Next Information Technology Expo takes place Feb. 15
  • New Mobile shoe service Wednesday and Thursday
  • New Science Fair Judges Needed
  • Lost: Silver earring
  • Parent Hawks meeting slated to discuss student math curriculum
  • Wellness Center weight room to close Feb. 1
  • Found: gold pin
  • Entries from youths being accepted for the 2000 Pajarito Literary Review
  • Fidelity representative at the Lab Feb. 15 and 16
  • Mesa Public Library hosts Valentines for Vets
  • CIC-2 provides on-call computer support
  • Leadership Center offers workshop on persuasion
  • Repository science for nuclear materials exhibit on display through Feb. 11
  • Writing pads in stock through Boise Cascade
  • Daffodils for Hospice 2000
  • Now available from Abba Technologies
  • LA Bus announces changes in operating schedule
  • YMCA offers bench press class
  • Rockwell software update
  • CiTect presentation slated for Feb. 10
  • Book fair slated for Feb. 9 and 10
  • ASQ Certified Quality Engineer advanced class forming
  • If you have time for lunch, you have time to be a learning partner

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