Dan Shechtman, a Nobel Prize retrospective
Ames Laboratory hosted one of its most honored guests and associates in October, Nobel Laureate Dan Shechtman. In addition to speaking engagements at Iowa State University, he took time to sit down for an interview with Ames Lab's Marlee Baldridge, to talk about how the Nobel Prize changed his life.
The Ames Lab silent auction is LIVE
Ames Laboratory’s team has consistently shown our generosity and commitment to making a positive impact on our community through United Way and Ames Laboratory’s holiday auction. Due to the pandemic, we are shifting to an exclusively silent auction, online. But don't be dismayed-- the prizes are just as great! The silent auction can be viewed at 32auctions.com/ames. In order to bid, you will need to create an account, which only takes a few seconds.
The auction will run from November 1 until Friday, November 12 at 1 p.m. Prizes may be picked up that afternoon or upon arrangement. Payments can be made when picking up your items (with cash or check) or via Paypal (mattdahlsten@gmail.com) or Venmo (@MDahlsten).
Please be generous with your bids. The money raised will be split between the United Way of Story County and the Bethesda Food Pantry. Bid up and often!
Lastly, thank you to all of the Ames Laboratory employees and area businesses who contributed to the silent auction. We appreciate you sharing your talents and creations with your colleagues. This silent auction certainly wouldn’t be possible without you!
October IDEAs: pronoun seminar and AAAS round-up
The P&S Council is offering a professional DEI opportunity as a part of their Seminar Series program on November 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and offered in a hybrid format—details included below. The program is titled, “Moving on from Pronouns: Building Skills for Gender Equity and Inclusion."
Andra Castle (they, them, theirs), Assistant Director of the Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity will discuss ways to build skills for gender equity and inclusion. They will talk about gender in the workplace and how to develop our understanding of gender to create and sustain gender inclusivity. Further, third person pronouns will be explained, how to navigate pronoun changes, and what pronouns teach us about gender. Action steps and reflection will occur to help guide personal understanding of gender equity.
Please join the Ames Laboratory D&I Council in encouraging participation in this discussion on gender equity and inclusion.
The in person event will be in Pioneer Room (Room 3560) of the Memorial Union. If you wish to attend virtually via WebEx, please use one of the following options:
- By URL. Click on the following event link: https://iastate.webex.com/iastate/j.php?MTID=m2cc908e2a652e2ad6cd3476f78496c60
- By WebEx Application. Enter the event number and password in WebEx:
Event number: 2621 800 6512
Event password: 8RxhV7CM4JN (87948726 from phones) - By Phone. Dialing the event phone number and entering the access code:
+1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Chicago)
Access code: 262 180 06512
Additional information can be found on the P&S Council’s seminar series website. A recorded session will also be posted in Learn@ISU after the live session.
D&I Council members participate in AAAS diversity, equity and inclusion forum
D&I Council members Stacy Joiner, Emily Rinko, and Tanya Prozorov represented the Laboratory and D&I Council at a two-day virtual form, ‘The Essentiality of DEI to Innovation: Pathways to Excellence,” hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in October.
The forum discussed the need for improvement in the U.S. science and technology ecosystem, to make it more equitable for people of color, women, people with disabilities, and those from the LGBTQ+ community. Compared to the national populations of these groups, these groups are all underrepresented in undergraduate and graduate degree attainment, entry in the STEM professions, and career advancement. In order to successfully and creatively innovate, science and technology fields benefit from engagement with and involvement of diverse groups.
“Diversity offers a real, tangible value to our society,” said Ames Laboratory Scientist Tanya Prozorov. “Equality enriches our world and science, and it helps empower everyone to use their voice and offer contributions to uncover success in world-class innovation. Inclusion brings everyone together on the same page, regardless of their gender, race, or physical ability.”
The forum also tackled career advancement challenges for under-represented groups, noting that faculty advancement has largely been dependent upon technical work, teaching, and professional service. That model is a focus of growing concern because it does not fully encompass the values and missions of higher education institutions—such as student learning, public engagement, and innovative research. The COVID-19 pandemic brought in yet another challenge to the model, emphasizing the need to balance professional and personal roles.
“Participating in this forum gave me a sense of where the STEM enterprise is and where it’s going with regards to DEI efforts, the need and benefits that a diverse team can bring to innovation, as well as exposure to successful DEI efforts/projects across the country. When DEI is nurtured with careful, targeted, and intentional efforts, it truly promotes equality and empowerment which provides incredible value to science and ultimately humanity”.
Based on this forum here are some ideas for everyone at the Laboratory to consider. Additional resources are listed in the “Want to learn more?” section.
- Become involved in STEM education and outreach programs.
- Establish connections with minority serving institutions (MSIs) (A successful program that was mentioned during the meeting was the Fisk-Vanderbilt “bridge program”)
- Establish ways to connect with and serve disadvantaged communities
- Uncover and break down barriers that exist in STEM for people with disabilities, increase neurodiversity
- Team-based onboarding is suggested for new group members and hires so a variety of perspectives can be heard
- Job postings, interview discussions, and onboarding experiences should alignment back to the values of our organization
Want to learn more? Several resources related to this forum are listed below.
State of Science Index Survey Overview
Science Bound
Iowa STEM
NSF Report: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering
What are MSIs?
Women in STEM
Out to Innovate
How STEM Can Be More Inclusive of Scientists with Disabilities
Broadening Participation in Science and Engineering by Welcoming Participants with Disabilities
Reminder: DOE approval required for travel
The Travel Office would like to remind Ames Lab personnel that all travel requires DOE approval at this time.
DOE approval is needed before a Request for Domestic or Foreign Travel Authorization is submitted in ServiceNow. Only mission-critical travel is currently being approved. Interested travelers need to submit a travel justification (paragraph explanation of travel reasoning, dates, location, invitation, etc.) to their science division leadership, who can then determine if Steve Hamilton needs to review it for DOE approval. All virtual conferences and/or events do not need travel approval, and any Ames Lab p-card can pay for virtual registration fees.
Drape the Cape: Nominate your Safety Hero!
Last month we dropped the trailer on the rebooted Safety Hero
program. Today kicks off the nomination process [Click Here]. Take a minute to recognize a colleague who is making a safety difference!
The nomination period runs until Dec. 31. The Safety Review Committee will select a Hero in January. The Champion will receive a $30 gift card and recognition in a place of prominence. The selection process will occur each quarter throughout the fiscal year.
The Laboratory appreciates everyone's efforts to promote safety and keep coworkers healthy. For more information on the Safety Hero program check out the Drape the Cape knowledge article in ServiceNow.
