Highlights: Ames National Laboratory at the Iowa State Fair

We “Chalked It Up” for science 

On Wednesday, Aug. 24, Ames Lab welcomed students and employees back to the Iowa State University campus for the first week of the 2022-23 academic year with a sidewalk chalk activity and a promotion of our undergraduate internship programs. 

2022 Fall Term SULI students arrive on campus

Ames National Laboratory welcomed four fall Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) students on Monday, Aug. 22. The students will spend 16 weeks performing research under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists. Thank you to the following mentors for hosting a SULI student for the fall term: Baozhi Cui, Marit Nilsen-Hamilton, Durga Paudyal and Alex Travesset.

Leslea Abrahamsen retiring in September

Leslea Abrahamsen will retire from the lab on Friday, Sept. 16. Leslea started at Iowa State University in July 2005 as a part time Clerk in University Human Resources. She began working at the Ames Laboratory in October 2013. Her role supported the COO and the staff in the executive offices. She transferred to a position in the Ames Lab Human Resources office in October of 2019. Leslea’s work has contributed greatly to the lab over the years and her friendly smile and helpful personality will be missed!

In her retirement, Leslea plans to spend more time with her children and grandchildren.  She is looking forward to catching up with family and friends near and far. 

Please write a message to Leslea on this virtual retirement card: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/xp63FTKJ.

August IDEAs: Share your pronouns, National Hispanic Heritage Month, & Postdoc Appreciation Week

Workday update lets employees share their pronouns

Employees can choose from an expanded list of individual pronouns and also choose whether to share their pronouns publicly with the ISU community on their worker profile. Read more HERE. You can also learn more about inclusive language and pronouns in the ServiceNow article linked HERE. Add a virtual name tag to your email with this handy app explained HERE.

Postdoc Appreciation Week
In honor of Postdoc Appreciation Week (Sept. 19-23), explore the National Postdoctoral Association's Diversity and Inclusion Hub, with resources and toolkits for building inclusivity in the postdoctoral research community. Read more HERE. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fight the Flu: the annual Flu Clinic runs Oct. 3-14

Mark your calendars! It's almost time for the annual flu clinic. This year's dates are Monday, Oct. 3 through Friday, Oct. 14 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Location: State Gym South Courts (same location as the 2021 clinic). The Flu Clinic entrance is at the SW corner of the building. An accessible entrance is also on the SW corner of the building. Look for signage.

Parking: Parking is available in the General Staff lot immediately south of state gym which runs parallel to Sheldon Ave. There will also be a limited number of free non-staff permit spaces available. Cy-Ride stops outside of State Gym on Union Drive.

Why get a flu shot?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting your flu shot this fall to help reduce your risk from serious illnesses from the flu, including hospitalization.

It’s Free
The vaccine is provided for FREE to eligible Ames Laboratory and ISU employees.
The following groups are eligible to get the vaccine;

• Faculty
• Professional and Scientific
• Merit 
• Post Docs
• Retirees on health plan who are not yet 65

Helps protect friends and family
Flu shots also help protect the people around you, especially important for those who are vulnerable to serious complications. Think of babies, young children as well as older people and those with certain chronic conditions.

Stay ahead of changing viruses
Because influenza viruses are always changing, the flu vaccine is reviewed annually and updated as needed.

Remember - Flu and COVID-19 are two different viruses and are two different vaccines. The CDC recommends staying up to date on both vaccines and says it’s safe to receive them at the same time! 

Picture yourself as a postdoc during Postdoc Appreciation Week

The Communications team at Ames Lab will be highlighting the contributions of our postdoctoral researchers during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Sept. 19-23, 2022). To do this, we will be creating photo profiles of postdoctoral researchers and what inspires them the most about the science they do. Profiles will be shared on social media that week. If you are a postdoctoral researcher at Ames National Laboratory and you are interested in participating, or if you are  PI who wishes to nominate their postdoc for recognition, please fill out the form linked HERE. Or, you may contact Marlee Baldridge for more information at marleeb@ameslab.gov. Deadline for participation is Sept. 9. 

Plan to grow: Check out these development opportunities coming up in the next three months

Feed your growth mindset with these opportunities coming up soon!

• Register in Learn@ISU:
  Project Management Essentials – Oct. 27
  Onboarding Sessions – Sept. 7, Oct. 10 & 25, Nov. 2 & 16
• "The Value of a Graduate Degree & P&S Higher Education Benefits" on Sept. 13
• "Where’s the Whistle? You Can’t Coach Yourself Out of Mental Illness" on Sept. 20
• "Effective Professional Reference & Nomination Writing" on Oct. 11

 Visit the Learning & Development Library in 111 TASF from 9-3pm to browse over 70 different professional development books!

Volunteers needed for 7th annual 3MT Preliminary Competition at Iowa State

Iowa State University is seeking volunteers for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) preliminary competition to be held Oct. 27, 2022. 

The 3MT Competition is an international event that originated at the University of Queensland, New Zealand. Participating graduate students are given three minutes to discuss their research in ways a non-expert would be able to understand. This is the seventh year the ISU Graduate College has sponsored the 3MT competition, and we are excited about its continued growth.

The 3MT Planning Committee seeks volunteers to serve as judges, timekeepers, or doorkeepers for the preliminary competition. The preliminary competition consists of two heats that will be held Oct. 27, 2:30-3:30 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. The estimated time commitment is 75 minutes per heat and no experience is necessary. Volunteers need only to be interested in and enthusiastic about graduate students!

 If you’d like to volunteer, please complete the brief volunteer application and return to the 3MT Planning Committee no later than September 30, 2022. For concerns and questions, contact the planning committee at 3mtcompetition@iastate.edu or check the website for additional information.

September is Insider Threat Awareness Month

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. This latest bulletin is a special edition for September which is National Insider Threat Awareness Month. This issue includes analysis regarding the rise of insider threat, a Q&A about insider threats, and real world examples of insider threat. An archive of the bulletin is kept in ServiceNow. READ MORE