Several new employees join the Lab
A number of new employees have joined the Laboratory in recent months and while most are not working on site yet, Insider provides a brief introduction to them. Please welcome the following new staffers to Ames Lab.
George Schoendorf is a Scientist I working primarily with Mark Gordon and an external collaborator on a joint theoretical/experimental study of the role of relativistic effects on the bonding and spectroscopic properties of rare earth oxide clusters. He also will work with both Mark Gordon and Klaus Ruedenberg on work related to their intrinsic density-based bonding analysis. For this project, his contribution relates primarily to the development of accurate atomic minimal basis sets (AAMBS).
A native of Swartz Creek, MI, Schoendorf attended the University of Michigan – Flint where he received his B.S. in chemistry. He received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in physical chemistry where his doctoral advisors were Gordon and ISU professor and Ames Lab researcher Theresa Windus.
Due to Covid-related issues, he has been unable to move to Ames and is staying in Michigan and working remotely. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, walking his dog, cooking, and numismatics. Another less conventional hobby this past year has been my development of a plug-in for GAMESS that allows me to efficiently optimize segmented basis sets; for some reason “I actually find this entertaining.”
Marlee Baldridge is a Multimedia Specialist in the Ames Laboratory Communications Office. She will be involved in making videos about the science being done here, but will also help develop social media strategy and content.
A native of Harrisburg, Missouri, Baldridge attended the University of Missouri where she earned a B.J. degree in entrepreneurial journalism, a B.A. in English and is working to complete a Master’s degree in Media Business and Sociology.
Baldridge is single and lives in downtown Ames. When she’s not writing her thesis for grad school, running a media blog with journalists, or working on her jobs newsletter, she’s “playing videogames with friends and learning to cook. I recently learned how to make goulash.”
Mollie Ullestad is the new Travel Program Coordinator at Ames Lab, which includes both domestic and foreign travel. With that comes the job duties of updating and managing the Lab's Travel Policy, working with the Lab's travel agency and the DOE on travel matters, being the point person for Conference Management, updating ServiceNow travel articles, and working within Costpoint.
A native of nearby Jewell, Ulllestad attended the University of Northern Iowa where she received a B.A. in social science teaching. She received an M.A. Geography and graduate certificate from the University of Missouri.
Ullestad lives in Huxley with her fiance, Adam and they plan to get married in March. They have a two-year-old golden retriever named Henry “who is a giant puppy.” In her spare time, she likes to travel, spend time outdoors, hike, yoga, try out new restaurants, watch Netflix, and spend time with family and friends.
Cory Kuykendall is the new EFRC Coordinator, supporting Rob McQueeney and the CATS EFRC and Aaron Sadow and the iCOUP EFRC, as well as providing Division support for DMSE and CBS.
Kuykendall grew up in Roland and received a BA in organizational communication from the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to coming to the Lab, he was an accounts receiveable coordinator at Iowa State University.
He and his wife Chelsea live in Ames with their two children. Marie age 4 and Brock age 2. In his spare time, he likes camping, hiking, target competitions, motorcycling, dancing, water skiing, jet skiing, four-wheeling, and traveling.
Mitchell Amundsen is a Plant Engineer, FES Department. He will act as a technical resource for the operations of Ames Lab, including maintenance and safety aspects. He troubleshoots issues within mechanical, plumbing and electrical disciplines as they arise among the facilities. He also planss, design, coordinates and manages building utility systems for new and existing facility operations.
A native of Sioux City, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a Master’s in mechanical engineering/biorenewable technology, both from Iowa State University. Prior to coming to Ames Lab, he was an engineer with MEP Associates LLC/Salas O’Brien.
He and his wife Alyssa live in Ankeny. In his spare time, he coaches youth soccer, watches the Cyclones, and cycles.
Sardar Bilal Alam is a Postdoctoral Fellow with Tanya Prozorov’s research group. He will be working on two projects related to liquid phase in-situ transmission electron microscopy. In this first project, he will be using in-situ TEM to understand metallization and assembly of DNA origami structures. A broad range of nanostructures are possible with DNA origami making them an attractive solution to create 3D bottom-up functional materials . In the second project, he will be investigating the transport of rare earth elements in natural and synthetic layer materials.
Alam grew up in KPK province of Pakistan. He lives on the north side of Ames with his wife and two year old son. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his family and enjoy taking road trips. He also plays tennis and cricket, and likes to watch sci-fi movies and shows.
Do You Have an Employee Concern or Differing Professional Opinion?
Ames Laboratory staff have the right to raise any concern related, but not limited to, the environment, safety, health, security, quality, and management of DOE facilities and operations, as well as harassment, intimidation, retaliation/reprisal, or discrimination. If you have a concern, please follow the procedures outlined in the Employee Concerns Program Knowledge Article, or look for the information posted near entrances and elevators.
Assistance available for registering for virtual conferences
As DOE travel remains largely suspended, many annual conferences are provided in a virtual format and conference approval is not required by the Travel Office. Your Ames Laboratory division or department purchase card holder can now assist with paying registration fees for virtual conferences using their Ames Laboratory p-card. A list of Ames Lab p-card holders can be found here.
The Travel Office is also available to process virtual conference registration fees for Ames Lab employees by contacting Mollie Ullestad at ullestam@ameslab.gov.
Shop Ames Lab's Lands' End Store
Ames Lab has an online apparel store with Lands' End's Business Outfitters products. Items include fall, winter, spring and summer clothing, active wear, outerwear, uniforms, scrubs, totes and much more!
Simply log onto the site, select your items ($6.95 is added to each logo item), pay shipping and tax and enter your payment method. Ames Lab apparel storefront is available 24/7 for shipping directly to your home.
All Lands' End orders are Guaranteed. Period. -- which means they stand behind every product with no conditions or restrictions even if the product has been washed, worn or logo'd. No 30-day limitations. No exchange-only terms.
For questions or comments, contact: clothingadmin@
To place an order: https://business.landse
Ames Lab Cookbook orders due
The 2020 Ames Laboratory cookbook in getting ready for print and it is now time to place your orders. All printing costs have been covered so 100% of your purchase goes directly to the United Way!
The cost of each cookbook is $20. The amount printed will be based on pre-orders so please place your order by Friday, December 4th to guarantee your copy. We want to be flexible and provide convenient payment options, but also maintain physical distancing and limit unnecessary trips to the Lab. We would like to propose the following payment options, listed in order of preference.
- Pay via credit card on United Way's website --- Be sure to indicate "Ames Laboratory" in the employer name field and specify "cookbook" in the other field. Once payment is complete, forward the confirmation email you receive from United Way to Matt Dahlsten (mdd@ameslab.gov). You must forward the email otherwise we won’t know the donation was made.
- Pay via Venmo (@MDahlsten) or Paypal (mattdahlsten@gmail.com). All payments will be tracked and the total will be sent to the United Way. Venmo transactions are displayed publicly and the United Way Committee will be confirming the correct amounts. Please ensure the correct username or email address is entered.
- Mail a check, payable to United Way of Story County, to Ames Laboratory Human Resources (151 TASF)
If you would like to order a cookbook, but do not believe any of these options will work for you, please contact Chelsey Aisenbrey or Matt Dahlsten and we will find an alternate payment option that works for you.
Please place your order by Friday, December 4th. Cookbooks will be ready prior to the holidays and some have suggested they will be the hottest gift idea of 2020. We will provide additional details on picking up the cookbooks at a later date. We anticipate offering some type of curbside pick-up and other flexible options. We want to make sure nobody passes on ordering a cookbook because they aren’t sure how to pay or how they will get it so trust that the committee will find a way to make it work.
Thank you again for all of your support! We feel fortunate to work with such generous colleagues.
Duane Flanders retiring
Ames Laboratory sheet metal mechanic Duane Flanders is retiring December 7th. There will not be an official party due to COVID, but staff are encouraged to send congratulatory emails or cards in recognition of his service. Duane has been with the lab 21 years.
Looking Back: Insider highlights education outreach
In the November 1995 issue, Insider highlighted the Lab's "Properties of Materials" education outreach program which featured lots of hands-on demonstrations. The issue also had a story on three DOE Material Sciences Awards won by the Lab.
Insider also had a feature on facilities mechanic Darren Huntley who served as a driver for the motorcade of President Bill Clinton who visited Iowa State in October. There was also a feature story on John Homer's cross-country bike ride and personal profiles of Stacy Joiner and Bill Buttermore.
To read the entire issues, click on the cover.
2020 CYtation Award nominations due Dec. 7
The P&S Council Awards Committee would like to thank you for bearing with us as we navigated the obstacles of the past year. President Wintersteen, Provost Wickert, and 2019 P&S Council President Amy Ward have recorded a virtual awards ceremony that is now available on the P&S Council website. Please take a few minutes to view this presentation that recognizes your hard work and contributions to the university. Each award recipient will receive their framed CYtation Award certificate and gift card in the mail. If you work on campus or live in Ames, you will receive this shipment to your campus address.
The Awards Committee is wrapping up the 2019 CYtations just in time to begin the selection process for the 2020 CYtation Awards. Nominations are due December 7.