Makers at the Lab: Marilú Pérez García
Can you build a molecule the way you'd build a house? Not quite, but Ames Lab and CMI Scientist Marilú Pérez García is a kind of architect who uses computational modeling and machine learning to help other researchers experiment with the design of different molecules to achieve desired properties in new materials. Ames Lab videographer Marlee Baldridge had a video chat with Marilú about her work in computational chemistry, machine learning, and separation science. View the video here.
Ames Lab hosts 34th Annual Iowa Regional High School this weekend
Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University will host the 34th annual Iowa Regional High School Science Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. The event will take place on the Iowa State campus.
Throughout the event, Iowa’s top science and math students will compete to answer questions that test their knowledge of biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and mathematics. The Ames Lab and Iowa State communities will provide much of the volunteer support for the day-long competition.
"Iowa Regional Science Bowl events offer the youth of the state of Iowa the opportunity to showcase their knowledge in the STEM fields, while experiencing a sense of community with other STEM-focused students on the Iowa State University campus," said Kelly Bergman, an education and outreach program specialist at Ames Lab. READ MORE
Ames Lab-ISU Research and Operations experience: Request for projects
Ames National Laboratory is excited to announce that Iowa State University will support paid, hourly Iowa State undergraduate research and operations experiences at the Lab. We are looking for Ames Lab staff to provide students with opportunities across our laboratory in support of research and operations excellence where students will gain skills in hands-on multidisciplinary research and/or essential operations at a DOE Lab. This is a great commitment from Iowa State that recognizes the unique relationship between the Lab and the university.
If you are interested in having a student work with you beginning the 2024 Spring semester, please send the following information to Kelly Bergman, kbergman@ameslab.gov.
1. A short project description including how the experience will help the student.
2. A list of expected student majors or interests.
Once your project is submitted, Education and Outreach will send applications for your review beginning in mid-February. Key metrics for the program include student retention and graduation rates, involvement in high impact activities, and research and organizational excellence. Please help us make this program a success.
National Laboratory Women of Color Community Forum
The National Laboratory Women of Color Community Forum is a community-driven forum meant to foster equitable and increased representation for women of color within the DOE national laboratory system. The forum was chartered after a system-wide national laboratory event held in March 2022. The event, "Achieving Equitable Representation for Women of Color at Our National Labs,” drew over 500 registrants. As a result, the National Laboratory Directors’ Council (NLDC) endorsed chartering the forum to:
- Cultivate a system-wide community to foster networking, support, and informal mentoring for women of color at the national laboratories.
- Increase integration with DEI efforts at the national laboratories.
- Provide a venue for information exchange.
- Serve as a resource for the NLDC and its working groups.
Doing world-class science depends on building a competitive, diverse workforce that can apply a variety of talents and perspectives. This forum focuses on key issues affecting women of color (and their supporters) at the national laboratories and similar institutions.
How to get involved:
- Join the LinkedIn group.
- 2024 Forum Meeting Schedule:
Jan. 31, 2024 from 1 - 2 p.m. Central time - https://lnkd.in/gyE-_26t
April 24, 2024 from 1 - 2 p.m. Central time - https://lnkd.in/gf3R7mj4
July 31, 2024 from 1 - 2 p.m. Central time - https://lnkd.in/g7e_Kgx8
Oct. 30, 2024 from 1 - 2 p.m. Central time - https://lnkd.in/gJhU6E_c
All forum members are invited to share stories on various topics of interest to forum membership:
- Advice - https://forms.office.com/g/zEz5SA9nLp
- Mentoring - https://forms.office.com/g/ujAatKezut
- Identity - https://forms.office.com/g/wutMrtycXq
Questions? Contact Katie Augustus (katea@ameslab.gov).
Reminder: Scientific poster orders require an Ames Lab project number
In case you missed it, beginning in December, scientific poster printing services were moved from the Ames Lab Communications office to ISU Print Services. In order to have your poster order appropriately billed by the Ames Lab Accounting Office, you MUST provide a full Ames Lab project number in the “Order Name” field of the ISU Print Services online form. The screen cap below shows the field in which you should place your project number. If you do not know your project number, please contact your project admin or PI. ISU Print Services will reject any order without an Ames Lab project number. For a full explanation of the ordering process, with more images to assist you, please visit the ServiceNow article here. In addition, Communications has provided additional resources for poster printing, including a template and design tutorial, which can be found here.
New chemical inventory system launches next week
The SafetyStratus chemical inventory system will launch next Monday, Feb. 5. If you are a group leader who has a chemical inventory that previously resided in Quartzy or Excel, that information will be available in SafetyStratus for you to review and validate by March 15.
View this ServiceNow article for answers to frequently asked questions, and please join us for training and support opportunities:
- Participate in virtual training next Monday, Feb. 12, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. - this link will add the event to your calendar
- Join ESH team members (your SafetyStratus administrators) for drop-in open office hours in the coming weeks - these will be posted on the Ames Laboratory Google Calendar
January IDEAs: Good reads and local events for Black History Month
February is Black History Month, which has been observed in various forms for over five decades. Black educators and
students at Kent State University first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, in 1970, and was recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976 in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial. In celebration of the month, we suggest these articles and activities.
White coats, Black scientists
Scientists often consider their work and their institutions unbiased. After all, scientists rely on a rigorous set of experiments to test hypotheses and arrive at conclusions that inform what the rest of us know to be facts in the world. And yet history demonstrates how scientific practices have been used to justify systemic racism. Read more about it in this article from the Harvard Business Review.
Black Scientists Ask: “Why Does Science Have A Racism Problem?”
In the June 8, 2023 issue of Cell, a premier life sciences journal, 52 Black scientists grappled with racism in science. This article in Forbes provides an editorial review of the journal edition and the larger social challenges discussed. Read here.
George Washington Carver Day of Recognition
Join Iowa State University in celebrating the second annual George Washington Carver Day of Recognition, Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m. In Iowa, Carver's life and legacy live on as a potent symbol of courage, perseverance, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Event information is here.
Art Walk: Celebrating George Washington Carver
In honor of Iowa's George Washington Carver Day, walk through the works of art honoring George Washington Carver found throughout the Art on Campus Collection. The tour will be led by docent Steve Petska. Feb. 28 at noon. Event information here.
Black History Month Watercolor Poetry
Celebrate Langston Hughes, the late poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright, by using his words to create a work of art (frame provided). Enter to win tickets to Ron McCurdy's Langston Hughes Project - A Multimedia Concert Performance of Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, at Stephens Auditorium in Ames. Drop in at the Memorial Union Workspace, Feb. 1-3, Thursday and Friday 2 - 9 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Additional information here.
Announcements & Events
Come catch a pancake Feb. 21
Ames Lab will be hosting its annual pancake breakfast Feb. 21 from 8 - 9:30 a.m. in 301 Spedding. Chris's Cakes will again be flipping the pancakes. Join the line, catch some cakes, and enjoy spending time with your friendly co-workers!
Nomination period open for Director’s Excellence Awards
Nominations for the Laboratory Director's Excellence Awards are open now through April 17, 2024. All Laboratory employees – regardless of role – are eligible for this award. Please consider nominating a fellow employee who has positively impacted Ames Laboratory through their demonstration of our core values. See the Director's Excellence Award 2024 knowledge article for more information on criteria and the nomination process.
TASF 140 temporarily unavailable
TASF 140 will be unavailable to reserve or use from Monday, Jan. 22 - Tuesday, March 5. The room will be used by Education & Outreach to prepare and organize for the Science Bowl competitions. Education & Outreach will be relocating to the third floor TASF in the upcoming weeks, so this will prevent them from needing to relocate all of the Science Bowl materials and equipment mid-competition.