Energy Secretary takes virtual tour of Lab
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm took a whirlwind tour of Ames Laboratory via Zoom meeting Wednesday, July 21. It was a unique event, being the first visit to Ames for Granholm, and a first for the Laboratory to host a tour in a virtual format.
In addition to the Executive team, Granholm was welcomed by Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa Representatives Randy Feenstra (IA-04) and Cindy Axne (IA-03), and Senator Charles Grassley.
From her desktop computer, Secretary Granholm was led on a tour of the Critical Materials Institute, the Laboratory’s computational chemistry efforts, Institute for the Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics, the Solid State NMR laboratory, The Sensitive Instrument Facility, Caloric Materials, and Powder Atomization.
Granholm followed the tour with a town hall meeting with Ames Laboratory employees.
View the tour highlight video HERE.
View the town hall video HERE.
A return to mask wearing in public spaces
In response to the surge of the emerging Delta variant of COVID-19 and recently updated
DOE guidance, face coverings must be worn by everyone in all DOE buildings and leased spaces that are located in communities experiencing substantial or high community transmission. This requirement is in effect for everyone who is working or visiting the Lab, regardless of vaccination status. The Laboratory continues to be in a maximum telework posture. Ames Lab leadership will continue to monitor local environments and provide updated guidance as conditions change.
- Face coverings should cover your mouth and nose, and be secure under your chin, the sides of your face, and over the bridge of your nose. They should not be worn over the mouth only, under the chin, around the neck, or held up or out from the face while talking.
- You must properly wear a face covering in the following situations or locations at Ames Laboratory:
-Any public or communal space (hallways and stairwells, restrooms, vending or receiving areas)
-Shared offices when another person is present
-Open office spaces, including cubicles, break areas, and copier/supply areas
-When conducting a task where physical distance of six feet cannot be maintained
- You do not have to wear a face covering in a private office or laboratory with doors closed, if no one else is present.
You can also help by doing these things:
- Get vaccinated. It’s safe, it’s free, and proven to reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19
- Report your vaccination to Occupational Medicine at om@ameslab.gov
- Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently
- Stay home if you are ill
Name changes allow researchers of all genders to own their academic work
All seventeen U.S. national laboratories and many prominent publishers, journals, and other organizations in scientific publishing announced July 28 the beginning of a partnership to support name change requests from researchers on past published papers. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is coordinating the effort.
This agreem
ent will allow researchers who wish to change their names to more easily claim work from all stages of their careers; it specifically addresses the administrative and emotional difficulties some transgender researchers have experienced when requesting name changes associated with past academic work.
Previously, individual researchers shouldered the burden, administratively and emotionally, of initiating name change requests with each publisher of their past papers. This partnership streamlines these previously ad hoc processes and offers an official validation mechanism to all involved by enabling researchers to ask their respective institutions to pursue name changes on their behalf directly with the publishers and journals.
To learn more about this initiative, read HERE.
Amazon Purchases and Third Party Vendors
Purchase requisitions listing Amazon.com as a suggested vendor must be reviewed prior to completing the sale. Procurement Agents may deem Amazon an unacceptable vendor for the items requested after review. While Amazon is an allowable vendor they are not a preferred vendor as there are concerns using third party sales merchants. For items submitted to Procurement on a Purchase Requisition for Amazon products it is recommended that items are first sought out from other vendors (i.e. small businesses, reliable vendors used in the past) before turning to Amazon as a quick purchase vendor. If you are unsure of where to buy your items, please reach out to purchasing@ameslab.gov and the Procurement Office will be happy to assist you. Procurements knowledgeable staff can ensure items are coming from reliable, secure sources. Read the full article in ServiceNow HERE.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Course: Finance for Leaders
Have you ever wondered how Ames Laboratory receives funding? Or why do we have spending deadlines? On July 15th a new course titled 'Finance for Leaders' was assigned to Ames Laboratory supervisors. However, you don't need to be a supervisor to learn more about Lab operations. All employees have access to the online course in Learn@ISU here.
New: 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.
Strategic Planning
A new skill article on Strategic Planning is now in the Knowledge Base.
