New! Subscribe to building-specific facilities notifications
To cut down on emails and ensure you receive information about the specific facilities where you work, the Lab
will start using Iowa State University’s facilities notification system for targeted messages. Follow these instructions to subscribe to buildings relevant for you. You can update your subscription preferences anytime.
We encourage you to subscribe now before larger construction projects begin in the new calendar year. We will continue to send all-employee emails about facilities through November while people sign up for the notifications. After this, all-employee emails about specific buildings will stop.
The lab will still send emails to all personnel for maintenance or closures to roads, sidewalks, and parking lots near buildings where Ames National Laboratory employees work.
Volunteer for the 2024 Iowa Regional Science Bowl
Do you love science or fun competition or maybe both? If so, we need your help!
The Iowa Regional Science Bowl is an opportunity for students to excel in STEM while experiencing a sense of community with other STEM-focused tweens and teens. Please join us as we bring this amazing opportunity to Iowa students!
The Iowa Regional High School is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2024, and the Middle School Science Bowl is scheduled for March 2, 2024. Both will be on site and in person on the Iowa State University campus. We are seeking volunteers to serve as judges, moderators, timers, scorekeepers, and runners during the competition. Volunteers receive training, an awesome t-shirt, and free lunch the day of the event.
For more information and to sign up, please visit HERE. Please share this link with students, friends, and community members!
Stop the presses! Changes to Ames Lab print services coming soon
In December, Communications will entirely cease large format printing (any posters and other printed products
with dimensions larger than 11X17 inches), including scientific posters. Over the past year, Communications has been gradually decommissioning aging printing equipment and transitioning some printing projects to Iowa State University’s Printing Services. Beginning December 1, all large format printing will be performed by ISU Printing Services. The team has partnered with Ames Lab Procurement, Accounting and ISU Print Services to create:
- An ordering system that is fast, convenient, and does not require the use of a purchase requisition.
- Helpful ServiceNow Knowledge Base articles for using the new system.
- A tutorial and a handy template for scientific poster design.
Communications will continue to print in-house small posters and flyers (11X17 inches and smaller), and will continue to provide in-house design services for all products except scientific posters. Check next month’s November Insider for full details and links to resources.
New employee in Performance Management: Emily Linroth
Emily joined Ames National Laboratory as a Change Management Specialist in late Septemb
er. She started her career in environmental journalism and science writing in the Pacific Northwest before moving across the country several times for communications positions with nonprofit organizations and local and federal government agencies, including the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. She started practicing change management before knowing what it was called by working to meaningfully involve stakeholders in shaping the direction of projects and organizations. Most recently, Emily led change management efforts at Washington State University for digital transformation, including the transition from a 1980s homegrown database to Workday for all finance and HR transactions.
Emily is excited to be part of the team and help plan for, communicate, and minimize the impacts of changes on the Ames Lab community wherever possible. She is ambidextrous, ambiverted, and ambivalent about the Oxford comma, which she knows bothers her fellow grammar nerds. She is enjoying exploring the areas around Ames and welcomes suggestions for good spots to hike, camp, and drink coffee. When she isn’t at work, you can find her baking allergy-friendly foods and spending time with her partner and their menagerie of animals, which currently includes a rescue dog, three lizards, and probably too many fish.
IPP Update: Reminders for proposals, contract agreements, and more
As FY2024 begins, the Innovation Partnerships Program (IPP) would like to provide the following reminders:
Proposals: If there is an Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) you would like to submit to, please complete the Intent to Submit Form as soon as possible so that the Chief Research Officer (CRO), the IPP, and your Division are aware of your intentions as well as to allow us to address any internal required information. Available FOAs and the Intent to Submit form may be viewed on the Research Opps Dashboard. More information regarding proposals, please read the FY2024 Proposal Season Kickoff and Reminders ServiceNow Article. Please contact proposals@ameslab.gov for questions or assistance. Good luck with this proposal season!
Agreements: If you would like to enter into a research agreement, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA), Strategic Partnership Projects (SPP), or Technical Service Agreement (TSA) with a company, please notify the IPP by completing the above-referenced Intent to Submit form (select partnership project) so that compliance and negotiation efforts can be started. Please contact ipp@ameslab.gov for questions or assistance.
Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) and Materials Transfer Agreements (MTA): To request an NDA or MTA, please complete the Request NDA/MTA form. This will alert the IPP of the new request to start negotiations. The IPP is the only authorized signatory for NDAs. Researchers cannot sign on behalf of the Laboratory.
Intellectual Property (IP): Please disclose any possible IP to the IPP (ipp@ameslab.gov) for review and processing. The most recent Intellectual Property Disclosure Record (IPDR) may be obtained on the Iowa State University Research Foundation (ISURF) ISURF website. The IPP and ISURF have weekly Virtual Meetings on Tuesdays at 2 p.m.; all are invited to attend if you have IP-related questions. The link for the meeting is available at the ISURF Tuesday Virtual Office Hour Service Now Article
Open Source Software (OSS): All OSS should be reported via the OSS Disclosure Form for all OSS including software/code including OSS disclosed in Supplemental Information of a publication. Office of Science Headquarters (SC HQ) approvals are required prior to publication of all OSS; uploading to a website; or uploading to a public repository such as GitHub.
Publications: Accepted manuscripts are required for all peer-reviewed journal articles. Submit the Accepted Manuscript Form. Please notify sti@ameslab.gov if your article will be featured on a journal cover.
Visit the IPP Knowledge Base for more information on all the above topics.
IPP Contacts:
Agreements, IP, OSS: ipp@ameslab.gov
Proposals: proposals@ameslab.gov
Publications: sti@ameslab.gov
IPP Team:
Julienne Krennrich: jmkrenn@ameslab.gov; onsite Tues/Wed/Thurs, as needed, 311 TASF
Beth Pieper: pieper@ameslab.gov; onsite Tuesday in 252 TASF
October IDEAs: Disability Employment & Native American Heritage
Disability Employment Awareness Month
October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Observed each year, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees. NDEAM is an initiative of the Federal Office of Disability Employment Policy, which has resources for both employees and employers at this LINK.
Locally, check out this story, in the Iowa State Daily. While Iowa State’s campus is easily accessible for students without disabilities, it may not be fully navigable for those with physical limitations. Read Access for all: Students with disabilities voice perspective on campus accessibility
November is National Native American Heritage month
November is National Native American Heritage Month, dedicated to celebrating the traditions, languages, and stories of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and affiliated Island communities, and their contributions to our nation. Our country has benefited from the knowledge and sacrifices of the original people of this land, and it is important to understand their role in our Nation’s development and future.
Ames National Laboratory, on the Iowa State University campus, is located on the ancestral lands and territory of the Baxoje (bah-kho-dzhe), or Ioway Nation. The United States obtained the land from the Meskwaki and Sauk nations in the Treaty of 1842. We wish to recognize our obligations to this land and to the people who took care of it, as well as to the 17,000 Native people who live in Iowa today. (Land Acknowledgement, Iowa State University Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
Resources:
- Learn more about Native American Heritage Month
- Celebrate with the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs, who will have various activities throughout the month.
- News from other National Laboratories:
- Los Alamos County Council Proclaims November National Native American Heritage Month
- Berkeley Lab has a list of resources for those interested in special events for this month
- A 2019 article from Iowa State Daily that has information about the United Native American Student Association at Iowa State
ISU Wellbeing announces new personal finance tool
ISU WellBeing announced that Enrich, a new personal finance tool, launched in Adventure2 and can be accessed through the services tab.
Enrich is a virtual program designed to help you increase your financial capability. It offers effective financial literacy content that is continuous and ongoing, interactive and engaging, and relevant to the individual.
Available Content
Enrich content comes in multiple forms, including guides, videos, infographics, webinars, and articles. Popular financial topics in Enrich include retirement, budgeting, emergency funds, mortgages, spending less, and more. There is also a mindfulness tab that covers money meditations, financial journaling, and more.
Tailored to You
Any Iowa State employee can benefit from the program! Enrich aims to empower all people to make effective personal finance, student loan, and career decisions throughout their lives. The Enrich Financial Wellness Checkup helps the program learn about your finances and recommend the best content, courses, and tools to help you achieve your goals. So, no matter where you are in life, there's something for you in Enrich.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS
Still need a flu shot? It’s not too late!
Did you miss the flu clinic? Still need a flu shot? It is not too late! Occupational Medicine has a limited supply of additional vaccines. Contact them at 515-294-2056 or om@ameslab.gov to make an appointment.
FY23Q4 Counterintelligence Bulletin now available
The Argonne Regional Field Office (ARFO) of Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (CI) publishes an unclassified quarterly CI Awareness Bulletin for distribution at the three Laboratories under its responsibility – Ames National Laboratory, Argonne, and Fermilab. The current issue includes an overview of the newly created "Disruptive Technology Strike Force" and the work that has been done over the past year since its inception; a brief look into technology's future and the impact it will have; and some interesting information within the "Spy of the Quarter" section. Read Now
Free November Workshops with EAP
Did you know that Iowa State employees have access to free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) virtual courses? Check out upcoming topics below! The EAP also offers our employees 24-hour telephone support, face-to-face counseling, elder care resources, and more. Click here to learn how the EAP can support you.
Empathy in Adversity (virtual)
Nov. 8 from 9-11 a.m. | Register now
When we take the time to truly listen and put ourselves in another person's life experience, we can transform relationships and ourselves. This workshop will help you explore and understand feelings and experiences that may lie “under the surface” for yourself and others that give rise to statements and actions we see in everyday life. You will also learn a simple, but not always easy, method of empathic listening that you can put into practice immediately to help you tune in to others' experiences and enhance your relationships.
Lifting The Veil: Improving Mental Health in The Workplace (virtual)
Nov. 9 at 12 p.m. | Register now
Dsm magazine’s ongoing series on mental health continues with a virtual session about improving mental health in the workplace. Tune in to hear a panel of local experts share practical strategies to adapt to change, support co-workers, and build a healthy workplace culture even, and especially, as businesses navigate new challenges of remote and hybrid work.
Green Dot Training Nov. 15
Ames Laboratory’s Diversity & Inclusion Council is partnering with Ames Laboratory Learning & Development Manager, Zhengzheng Xu, to provide an interactive one-hour virtual Green Dot Training session scheduled for Nov. 15. If you happen to miss the Nov. 15 event, please consider joining us on April 10.
Green Dot is the power-based violence prevention program and strategy at Iowa State University. Its mission is to decrease power-based personal violence on campus by utilizing education, outreach, and development as mechanisms for increasing awareness and competency around bystander intervention skills. This will be an interactive presentation and designed to prepare participants with the connection, knowledge, and skill to increase proactive and reactive bystander behavior.
Interested participants may choose to register for one of the following sessions:
Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wednesday, April 10 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Project Management training opportunity available Nov. 30
Do you want to learn the essentials of project management in one day? We are offering Franklin Covey's Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager® on Nov. 30 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in 205 TASF. Login to Workday Learning to secure your seat. There is no cost to attend. Contact Nancy Turner with questions, nturner@ameslab.gov.
Ames Lab United Way News
Annual campaign
The Lab’s annual United Way fundraising campaign is almost over, but it is not too late to donate! To donate either through a payroll deduction or a one-time basis, follow this link: https://unitedway.las.iastate.edu/.
Holiday party and auction – Save the Date: This year’s auction benefiting the United Way and the Bethesda Food Pantry will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 1-3 p.m.! To donate items, please complete this form.
Crucial Conversations learning session scheduled for Dec. 7
Learning and Development is offering a Crucial Conversations learning session on Dec. 7 from 9:30 –11 a.m. This workshop will focus on techniques for how to hold difficult conversations in a positive space, even when emotions run high. Jane Morris and Jamie Morris will lead us through examples and discussion on how to be more prepared to hold these conversations in order to ensure clarity, define expectations, and encourage respectful behavior in relationships. You can RSVP here to receive a calendar invite with location information.
Save the date: Health and Well-being Symposium 2024 in February
Mark your calendars for the Health and Well-being Symposium on Feb. 2, 2024 from 8:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Memorial Union. Employee and student well-being and engagement will be covered, and keynote speaker Shawnté Elbert will discuss well-being in higher education.