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UC Laboratory security panel meets Tuesday at Los Alamos PHOTO: Members of the University of California Laboratory Security Panel share a light moment during a break at Tuesday's meeting in the Administration Building. The panel heard presentations on security, cybersecurity and other issues from senior managers from the UC labs. During lunch, chairmanship of the panel was transferred from Adm. Thomas Brooks, third from right, to James Greer, second from left. Also shown in photo at far left is panel member John Ahearne, while John McTague, UC's vice president for Laboratory management is at center in photo. At far right is W.Y. Smith, while next to Smith is Francis Sullivan. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Public Affairs First Los Alamos Medal awards ceremony scheduled for Dec. 6 The Los Alamos Medal award ceremony will be held from 1:15 to 3 p.m. on Dec. 6. All Laboratory workers and the general public are invited to attend the ceremony, which will be held in the Administration Building Auditorium at Technical Area 3. Deemed "the highest honor the Laboratory can bestow on an individual or small group," Laboratory Director John Browne will make the first-ever presentation of the medal to former Laboratory Director Harold Agnew and Nobel Laureate Hans Bethe. Agnew will accept the medal from Browne for his leadership of the Laboratory during its formative years and its ascension to international stature. Agnew's affiliation with the Laboratory began in 1943 when he joined the former Experimental Physics (W) Division. Elected a state senator for New Mexico in 1955, and again in 1961, he served as science adviser to the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe. He returned to Los Alamos in 1964 to head the former W Division and serve as director of the Laboratory from 1970 to 1979 before leaving Los Alamos to head the Gulf General Atomics Corp. in San Diego, a nuclear reactor builder. Currently professor emeritus of physics at Cornell University, Bethe headed the Theoretical (T) Group at Los Alamos from 1943 to 1946. He was selected to receive the Los Alamos Medal for his role as a "scientific visionary and leader, mentor and role model to the Laboratory from its inception," said Browne. Bethe received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967 for his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning energy production in stars. Mrs. Carson Mark will be accepting the medal for Bethe, who is unable to travel to Los Alamos. Bethe has prepared a video statement to be shown in his absence. Nominees for the Los Alamos Medal were selected based on criteria that include a contribution that changed the course of science, a major enhancement of the Laboratory's ability to accomplish its mission, a significant impact on Laboratory sustainability and establishment of a major direction for the Laboratory and/or nation. Browne, along with former Laboratory Director Sig Hecker, and Krik Krikorian, Louis Rosen and Daniel Stillman, are scheduled to give remarks at the ceremony. Van service for the ceremony will be provided from TA-53, TA-55 and S-Site with passenger vans departing from the various technical areas at 12:45 p.m. Although the ceremony will be shown on Labnet, employees are encouraged to attend the presentation. --Todd Hanson Editor's note: For information concerning Laboratory closures during inclement weather call the UPDATE hotline at 667-6622 or check the Daily Newsbulletin (remember to click the "Reload" button often). If at home and wondering if the Lab is on a delayed opening schedule or closed for the day, call the hotline early in the morning. Listen to the news on radio or television stations. An electronic version of the Lab's Early Dismissal/Closure/Delayed Opening plan can be found at http://emr.lanl.gov/snowplan2001-web.pdf. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) Winter wonderland also can bring hidden risks Let it snow, let it snow. But please be careful. Beneath that blanket of white may lay hidden risks for weather-related injuries. "Last year we had a one day event that was worse for pedestrians than any in the previous 10 years," said John Vance of Industrial Hygiene and Safety (ESH-5). "The way it happened was that a light snow fell the day prior and melted slightly overnight and refroze. There was a heavy snow on the day of the event. This hid the slippery surfaces of walkways and parking lots," he said. "In a bad winter we've had as many as 90 falls on ice in parking lots and sidewalks that resulted in minor and some recordable injuries," he added. "I believe that we could have mitigated this with some simple warning to be aware of the problem and avoid carrying things that interfere with balance and prevent an easy landing in the event of a fall," Vance said. Vance encouraged workers to take a fresh approach in addressing winter safety hazards. "Under the Director's safety and security policy, the 'stop work and address the hazard' concept must also apply here," he explained. "In other words, it is simply not acceptable to walk on icy surfaces or expect others to do so." Vance said that if possible, workers first to arrive at the workplace are asked to apply de-icer to the building approach before starting other work. Other winter weather safety suggestions include:
"Slip and fall injuries can occur anytime," said Vance. "Workers also fall down [and up] stairs, slip on wet floors, trip on objects, and fall off ladders. Each of us has a responsibility to prevent our own injury, as well as that of our coworkers." Emergency Management and Response (S-8) also reminds drivers to allow snow plows and sand trucks adequate right-of-way on streets and roads. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also has winter weather facts and tips for dealing with winter driving conditions. Go to http://www.fema.gov/library/winterf.htm online. --Fran Talley
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