Thank you!
Large majority of Ames Lab reports being vaccinated
Ninety-three is a big number. It’s also the percentage of Ames Laboratory employees who have reported being fully vaccinated through the recent attestation drive. This compares favorably to the population of Story County as a whole, where approximately 56% are fully vaccinated.
“It’s been very gratifying to see these vaccination numbers,” said Occupational Medicine Physician Margaret Evans. “The CDC has been consistent in its messaging that vaccination prevents severe illness, hospitalization, and death from the COVID-19 virus, and the Occ Med staff is happy to see that our employees have heeded the medical science.”
“We want to thank everyone for not only completing the attestation as required, but also for taking the matter of vaccination seriously as a safety issue for Ames Lab operations,” said Chief Operations Officer Steve Hamilton. “While a return to normal operations may yet take some time, we know that we have an important part of that goal already in place.”
Ames Laboratory remains in a maximum telework status until further notice. Following CDC guidelines, all personnel working on site are required to wear masks indoors in public spaces, as Story County is designated as a high risk area for transmission of COVID-19.
Cybersecurity: Back to the Basics
Ames Laboratory IT is reaching out to you with friendly reminders about cybersecurity. Please follow these fundamental best practices while on site, working remotely, or during travel:
- Long passwords are better than short complex ones
- Passwords alone aren’t enough, enable 2-factor authentication whenever possible
- Use a password safe app such as 1Password
- Use caution opening links in email, texts, and online advertisements. When in doubt email abuse@ameslab.gov
- Keep all software up to date on all your devices
- Back up your data. Using Google Drive, CyBox, and O365 includes backups with the service
- Public wireless is not secure. Use a VPN (virtual private network)
- When traveling with a laptop:
- ensure the hard drive is encrypted
- store your data on a DOE authorized service
- Google Drive, CyBox, O365, and DropBox business accounts purchased through Ames Lab procurement are all authorized for moderate data
- Prior to traveling outside of the US, contact IT for a clean loaner laptop
- Counterfeit products and services
- Buy products only from authorized manufacturers resellers
- Third party resellers often cannot guarantee authenticity
- IT has many articles in the ServiceNow Knowledge Base
Annual United Way campaign launches
The Annual United Way giving campaign has begun! Ames Laboratory is composed of generous team members who exceeded our goal in 2020! Our goal for 2021 is $15,000. Let's keep up the good work!
Please help Ames Laboratory meet its goal in one or both of the ways listed below.
1. Contribute through Workday - Iowa State University moved away from pledge envelopes in 2020 and transitioned to an electronic process in Workday. You still have all of the same options available to you as before - including payroll deductions, specifying your specific organization, and selecting any affinity groups you’d like to be a part of. Click HERE to be taken directly to the United Way Donor Form in Workday or follow the steps below
1. Log-in to Workday
2. Under the Announcements section on the left side of the Workday homepage, select “View More”
3. Click on the “Donate to the United Way” link
4. Click on the yellow “Donate to the United Way” link to be taken to the donation form page.
If you prefer to donate via check or credit card, you can visit www.uwstory.org/donate.
2. In addition to the normal pledge process, Ames Laboratory is also going to be hosting a Silent Auction. Due to COVID, we likely won’t be able to conduct our in-person holiday gathering. As a result, a decision was made to combine the efforts of the Holiday Auction with the United Way. For 2021, half of the proceeds from the Silent Auction will go to the United Way with the other half to the Bethesda Food Pantry. You can participate in multiple ways:
Provide a donation to the silent auction. A few ideas are listed below:
- Gift basket - Demonstrate your creativity solo or with a team to create a gift basket
- Homemade Items- We know there are a lot of excellent crafters and woodworkers throughout Ames Lab, and this gives you an opportunity to share your masterpieces for a great benefit!
- Baked Goods - Do you have a family recipe that is loved by coworkers? Here is your chance to share with colleagues!
- Gift of Time - Do you enjoy yard work? Are you gifted with designing gardens? You could donate your expertise or time to help a colleague!
If you are willing to contribute to the SIlent Auction, please submit a form here by Friday, October 22.
Bid on items at the Silent Auction - The Silent Auction will run from November 1 - 12.
Thank you for your continued dedication to making a positive difference in your community!
Sincerely,
Ames Laboratory United Way Committee
Committee members needed for 75th anniversary plans
In 2022, Ames Laboratory will celebrate its 75th anniversary, and plans are in development for the ways we can honor and celebrate this important milestone. Activities and events are planned throughout the 2022 calendar year, and we’re looking for those willing to serve on a committee to help organize and execute them. Please contact the Director of Planning and Performance Chelsey Aisenbrey or Communications Manager Laura Millsaps if you are interested in serving or would like more info. Look for more to come in future Insiders and Director's Messages.
Ames Lab joins NLDC for Inclusion and Diversity annual workshop
Over 150 leaders from across the national laboratories and the U.S. Department of Energy came together virtually for a two-day discussion on September 14-15th about Enh
ancing Organizational Effectiveness Through Inclusive Diversity. The National Laboratory Director's Council workshop was hosted by Idaho National Laboratory and designed to unite and engage national laboratory stakeholders on topics such as engaging talent, activating inclusion, and enhancing psychological safety.
The focus of day #1 included Next Practices in Psychological Safety, and how we can build, foster, and measure high-performing teams to drive mission outcomes. Day #2’s focus area was Next Practices in Talent Management, where experts elevated how we attract, recruit, engage, hire, develop, and accelerate inclusively diverse talent from all backgrounds and perspectives.
Workshop highlights included:
- 150+ attendees from the national laboratories.
- Keynote address from Jennifer Granholm, Secretary, U.S. Department of Entergy
- Keynotes from current and former executives at Google, Amazon, Raytheon, Motorola Solutions, and CTR Factor.
- Lab-centric panel discussions and breakout sessions featuring national laboratory senior leaders (LBNL, LLNL, ANL, LANL, INL).
- Content was specifically aligned to the workforce challenges we’ll face as laboratory leaders over the next 10 years.
This annual workshop was designed for National Laboratory Directors, Human Resource Directors, and Chief Diversity Leads to collaborate and continue the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This year the workshop was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and given greater flexibility within the virtual environment, each laboratory was extended the opportunity to allow a handful of additional stakeholders to participate. Ames Laboratory participants included: Chelsey Aisenbrey, Katie Augustus, Steve Hamilton, Matt Kramer, Tom Lograsso, Laura Millsaps, Jamie Morris, Lisa Negus, Adam Schwartz, and Emily Smith.
Want to learn more?
A few learning opportunities related to the content of this Workshop are listed below.
- LinkedIn Learning: Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (47m 19s)
- LinkedIn Learning: Engage and retain diverse talent (2m 56s)
- LinkedIn Learning: Creating Psychological Safety (22m 19s)
Announcements & Events
Salaried Effort Certification to begin soon
The effort certification process for the period of Jan. 1, 2021 - June 30, 2021 will be sent out in Workday for your review and approval in the coming weeks.
The effort certification process, owned by Sponsored Programs Accounting (SPA) at the university-level, helps maintain compliance with federal regulations that stipulate institutions must have a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that salary charges are accurate, allowable and properly allocated to federal awards.
The salaried effort certification for the period of January 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 will be performed in Workday. Individuals paid by the Ames Laboratory will receive an effort certification action in Workday which is asking you to verify that your effort and pay was cost appropriately to the Ames Laboratory or other Federally funded sources you may have been paid from. Please review this Workday action and reach out to Jake Irving if you have any questions.
A job aid for salaried effort certification is available. For more information about effort reporting, please consult the Handbook for Effort Reporting.
Diverse-W Speaker Series: Dr. Aprille Ericsson
On Thursday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. PT/11 a.m. MT/12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET, join DIVERSE-W for a fireside chat with Dr. Aprille Ericsson, Aerospace Engineer and NASA's New Business Lead for Instrument Systems and Technology. This is the third event in the DIVERSE-W Speaker Series showcasing women leaders in STEM, innovation, and entrepreneurship. You’ll be able to ask our speaker your questions directly during a Q&A portion of the program. Register now through Eventbrite. The event is free to attend and will be held virtually. The DIVERSE-W Speaker Series is exclusive to employees of the DOE, DOE Labs, sites, and plants.
Upcoming Safety Activities and Important Dates
National Fire Prevention week: October 3 - 9, 2021. Click here for home fire safety tips.
Ames Laboratory annual fire and evacuation drill: Wednesday, Oct. 13
DOE quarterly accountability exercise: Thursday, Oct. 14
More details to follow in all-personnel emails and the ESH newsletter as we approach these dates.
Training updates now live on Learn@ISU
Ames Laboratory has been committed to streamlining training courses as much as possible while still meeting contractual requirements. When created, 'Doing Work at the Laboratory' combined five individual courses into one.
Due to evolving requirements, it was time for the course to receive an update, and it was determined to break it into two new courses:
Your course history from 'Doing Work at the Lab' has been transferred to these two courses. This means that both courses are due 365 days after you last completed 'Doing Work at the Lab'.
As an Ames Laboratory employee and Department of Energy contractor, you are required to take annual training on multiple topics. Ames Laboratory Learning & Development has covered these requirements in two courses and tailored them to our laboratory resources and policies. A big thank you to over twenty individuals that helped review the courses before publishing.
Learn@ISU is located at learn.iastate.edu. Once you have logged in, click on My Menu at the top of the page (1) and then select My Requirements from the drop-down menu (2). You will find these courses (3) under Learning Track: Ames Laboratory Researcher Training or Learning Track: Ames Laboratory Nonresearcher Training.
Employee Suggestion Box
Do you have an idea to improve a process, a recommendation to enhance the work environment, or an idea that you are not sure where to share? If so, please utilize Ames Laboratory’s new digital suggestion box. Your feedback will be anonymous unless you choose to list your name, in which case we can follow-up with you on your recommendation. Ames Laboratory continues to value hearing feedback and suggestions from our employees and hope you’ll use this new channel to communicate your ideas moving forward.
Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills
A new skill article on Presentations is now in the Knowledge Base.
Job opportunities at Ames Lab
Did you know you can find a current list of employment opportunities at Ames Laboratory on the Job Opportunities page at www.ameslab.gov? Share with friends and colleagues, or apply yourself! You can also find the page linked on the Employee Dashboard.
