COVID-19 is a hurdle we’re still trying to overcome
Ames National Laboratory, like the rest of the world, is on a long path to get past the COVID-19 pandemic. Also like the rest of the world, we are feeling the frustrations of nearly everyone involved in the journey, which has included recent rises in transmission levels and hospitalizations almost everywhere.
“With the recent elevation of Story County to medium Community Levels as determined by the CDC, we’ve really felt the discouragement not only of the Laboratory, but also the country in general,” said Chief Operations Officer Steve Hamilton. “We empathize with everyone’s pandemic fatigue.”
While Story County’s Community Levels have since returned to LOW, MEDIUM level protocols for Laboratory operations remained in place through July 29, and return to LOW level protocols for the period of July 29 - Aug. 5. The COVID team will continue to monitor metrics used by the CDC to determine the weekly status for Story County. It is expected the status will continue to fluctuate for the foreseeable future. Please stay attuned to weekly status messages and anticipate the need to adjust to changing mitigation measures.
As a reminder:
- CDC Community Status Level Alerts are delivered to all personnel via email on Friday, including updated protocol requirements such as masking, distancing, and testing.
- Masking and physical distancing are not required at this time, but are encouraged.
- If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, please stay home. If you test positive for COVID-19, please contact Occupational Medicine at om@ameslab.gov.
- Vaccination and boosters are still the best way to prevent serious illness in yourself and others. The CDC guidelines for vaccination are HERE.
- It is normal to remain frustrated, overwhelmed, or fatigued by the challenges that the pandemic presents. For ways to connect with assistance, resources, or mental health treatment, please check with ISU Well Being HERE.
Coming in August: Chalk the walk with STEM-positive messages
If sidewalk chalk was your favorite childhood activity, there’s no reason to give it up just yet. As part of its 75th anniversary, Ames
National Laboratory is inviting the Iowa State University community to share what they really love about science and technology. Are you a fanatic about chemistry? Do you fancy materials science? Do you wax poetic about condensed matter physics? Is computer science your jam? Stop by, choose a chalk color (or three), and tell us what you love about your favorite field of science with messages and art. For more information, contact Laura Millsaps at millsaps@ameslab.gov
Ames National Laboratory Chalk the Walk
Wednesday, Aug. 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of Metals Development
Ames High School places 5th at the National Science Bowl® Championship
Ames High School finished fifth in the 2022 National Science Bowl® Academic competition held July 8-12 in Washington, D.C.
Ames emerged in the top eight from a field of 62 high school regional winners in the virtual preliminary rounds held in May. The team
Swamy, Ne Dassanayake, Abhi Amuluru and David Dong on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The team placed fifth at the 2022 National Science Bowl Championship, held July 8-12, 2022 in nation's capitol.
is coached by Aileen Sullivan. Team members include Rishabh Swamy, Ne Dassanayake, Jacob Stevens, David Dong, and Abhi Amuluru.
The money won by the Ames team will be used by their school to promote science in the classroom.
Students from Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California won the high school competition, while students from Odle Middle School in Bellevue, Washington took home first place in the middle school competition.
“Congratulations to Odle Middle School and Lynbrook High School for winning the 2022 National Science Bowl, and the ingenuity and dedication brought by all the teams to this challenging competition," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “By cultivating the next generation of technology and science leaders, we are investing in the future of America.”
DOE created the National Science Bowl® in 1991 to encourage students to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields. Approximately 325,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl® since its creation. Teams wishing to compete in next year’s National Science Bowl® competition may sign up in the fall.
Ames Laboratory manages the National Science Bowl® in Iowa and sponsors the regional competition.
Additional information about the teams and the National Science Bowl® is available at: https://science.osti.gov/wdts/nsb.
View 75 years of Ames Lab history in less than four minutes
In honor of our 75th year anniversary, Ames National Laboratory videographer Marlee Baldridge created a brief video that captures our foundations, our accomplishments throughout the decades, and our trajectory into the future.
July IDEAs: New reads in honor of Women's Equality Day
Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which legally guarantees American women the right to vote. In honor of Women's
Equality Day and the need for ongoing advancements in gender balance across all aspects of our society, we've curated a short list of articles about gender inclusion in STEM. Here's to progress!
There Are Too Few Women in Computer Science and Engineering, Scientific American
How to retain women and LGBT+ scientists in physics, Utah Public Radio
The systemic factors wedging a persistent gender gap in science, COSMOS
Announcements & Events
Ames Laboratory Summer Internship Poster Session Aug. 3
All are invited to the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) Poster Session in the Hach Hall Lobby, Aug. 3, 1 – 3 p.m. SULI students will share their research with the Ames Laboratory community. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit posters and ask questions of the students.
Summer hours end Aug. 12
Summer hours, which started last May, will be ending on Friday, August 12th, and we will return to regular office hours. If you have any questions about regular work hours, please discuss this with your supervisor.
"We Are Ames Lab" returns next month
The monthly feature “We Are Ames Lab” is on hiatus for July Insider, but will return in August with new content.
Q4 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 sentencing & guilty plea of a researcher for spying, and tips on how to identify and deflect elicitation techniques. An archive of the bulletin is kept in ServiceNow. READ MORE