Let’s talk about values: Sean Whalen
This year, Ames National Laboratory introduced a new set of values: Creativity, Collaboration, and Community. To help employees embrace them, Insider is launching a series of monthly columns by guest writers who have been asked to share what these values mean to them and to their work. This month, Safety and Security Services
Director Sean Whalen explores his thoughts on Creativity.
Creativity: We imagine. We innovate. We discover. We pursue excellence through imaginative and innovative thinking to explore unique ideas.
As a National research laboratory, creative thinking is a critical catalyst in our quest to drive science and fulfill our mission. Ideas are the atoms that form the molecules of innovation.
For those of us who serve the research community, generating excitement for safety and security is key. We are bound by rules, requirements, and compliance, so coming up with new methods to deliver a fresh message and encourage our clients to perform safely can be a challenge. I feel fortunate to work for a Lab that encourages and promotes creativity in the development and delivery of safety and security programs. Since I’ve been with the Lab, we’ve created SafeVersations, hosted a Safety Carnival, made improvements to the Readiness Review Process, regularly published an ESH newsletter which for a time even included unique and original cartoon art by an undergraduate student, held a poster contest, implemented new methods to ensure facility security (door closures, cameras, badges), improved access to documents and knowl
edge articles in ServiceNow, and led efforts to enhance Safety Culture. It takes a significant number of Lab staff, all applying their individual creativity, to make these community advancements a reality.
Stating a value is easy; I’m pleased to say Ames Lab demonstrates through actions that Creativity is not simply a word in a logo, but a concept embraced and fostered by all.
Sean Whalen
Director, Safety and Security Services
Lab names next DMSE Director
Ames Lab leadership recently announced that Pete Chupas will be serving as the next directo
r of the Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering. Chupas is a materials chemist who currently holds a position as a research professor in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University, and is also a member of GENESIS, a U.S. DOE Energy Frontier Research Center dedicated to developing a new paradigm for functional materials synthesis. Prior to his stint at Stony Brook, Chupas worked for Argonne National Laboratory for 15 years, in both research and leadership roles. His research interests include developing new materials that power clean energy technology, using and developing advanced tools to understand how they function and improve their performance, and applying science to improve the efficacy of technology. Chupas will begin his director duties on Aug. 14; Chief Research Officer James Morris will serve as the interim DMSE director from June 12.
Education and Outreach welcomes Mary Ronayne
Mary Ronayne joined Ames Lab in early June 2023 as a Program Specialist I with the Education and Outreach office. She will be assisting primarily with the SULI program and summer student
program, as well as coordinating and executing the Iowa Regional Science Bowl.
Prior to joining the Lab, Ronayne worked at Iowa State University for 17 years as the Director of Gymnastics Operations. Along with her husband Jay, she also owned Cardinal Gymnastics Academy for 15 years and was the Director of Cyclone Gymnastics Camps during her tenure in athletics. Before living in Iowa, the Ronaynes resided in Auburn, Alabama and worked at Auburn University where Mary was the Assistant Director of the Auburn University Aquatics Center.
Mary is originally from Grafton, WV and she graduated from West Virginia University earning a degree in Elementary Education. She and her husband Jay have one son, Jack, and she is often happily referred to as "Jack's Mom.” Mary enjoys being outdoors, playing and watching sports, singing, listening to music, and spending time with her family and friends.
WDTS RENEW Pathway Summer School welcomes 13 students
Earlier this month, Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University kicked off the Data Science Workshop for Energy Solutions, a Department of Energy Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) Pathway Summer School. During the five-week workshop, 13 students will be introduced to the data science process and methods for data exploration, visualization, and machine learning. Students will also learn about Ames Lab science and interact with DOE research and scientists. Ames Lab partnered in designing the workshop with Adisak Sukul, who is a member of the Department of Computer Science teaching faculty at Iowa State University. The school is designed to help underrepresented students in STEM build a STEM identity and gain valuable skills to help them succeed in their chosen major. The overarching desired outcome of the workshop is to increase the persistence of underrepresented students in a STEM major and field.
Deadline TODAY: Email retention changes are being implemented. This is what you need to know.
Employees have been hearing about upcoming changes to Ames Lab email retention requirements for several months now, and key dates are coming up soon. What does everyone need to know?
Who: These changes will affect all ameslab.gov email accounts
What: Emails will be retained for seven years (based on the sent date). You are able to continue to manage your
inbox in whatever way works best for you, but messages will be retained for seven years on our servers even if they are deleted from your inbox. Once they age to seven years (regardless of whether they are still in your inbox), they will be automatically deleted. The same rigorous data protections which currently apply to Ames Lab emails will continue to apply to all emails throughout the seven-year retention period.
Why: DOE changed the DOE Records Management Directive (O 243.1C) - A summary of the changes can be found HERE.
When: There are three key dates to be aware of:
- DEADLINE TODAY- June 30, 2023 - Emails must be deleted by this date to avoid being captured by the seven-year Capstone approach implementation.
- July 1, 2023 - All email will be retained for seven years from the sent date on the email from this day forward.
- July 31, 2023 - All emails received with a sent timestamp seven years or older will be permanently deleted. This means all email with a sent date older than July 31, 2016 will be automatically deleted at implementation. This will happen ongoing from this point forward.
How: IT has configured the system to keep Ames Laboratory in compliance. You do not need to take any special actions.
Email Access: There have been some ongoing concerns about protections and outside access to staff emails, once the emails are archived. Some employees are under the impression that once an email is archived, it becomes easier for DOE or others to view the emails. This is not true. Archived emails are subject to the same access rules and cybersecurity protections as all emails. No one has direct access to archived emails other than the Ames Laboratory IT Department. The IT Department will never access archived or current staff emails without authorization from Lab management, and Lab management will never request such authorization without good reason.
However, employees should understand that they do not have an expectation of privacy in any emails, archived or current, sent from or received on the Ames Lab system. For this reason, staff are urged to not use Ames Lab email for personal or sensitive matters. All email, current or archived, is potentially subject to discovery through legal process, through federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, or state Open Records requests. Additionally, the Ames Lab prime contract with DOE (Clause I.118(d)) gives DOE the right to ask to view any Ames Lab records, including emails, as part of an audit or investigation. For these reasons, a good rule of thumb is to not put anything in an email that you would not want made public by the news media.
More information can be found in the resources below. If you have any questions, please reach out to it@ameslab.gov and records@ameslab.gov.
Matthew Kramer sets aside DMSE role
The Laboratory hosted an open house June 14 to honor Matt Kramer (center foreground, in blue shirt), who recently stepped down as division director for Materials Sciences and Engineering (DMSE). He served in the role for 10 years, and will continue in his research endeavors remotely for Ames Lab, where he specializes in materials characterization using advanced electron beam and synchrotron X-ray methods. Kramer joined the lab in 1988.
June IDEAs: Pride Month, and being queer in science
Did you know that Pride Month, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender pride, originated as a way to mark the anniversary of the Stone Wall protests in 1969, which objected to police abuse of LGBT citizens? You can educate yourself on this significant part of U.S. Civil Rights history by visiting the Library of Congress website.
Inequalities persist for LGBTQ professionals in STEM
A paper published in 2021 in Science Advances, “Systemic Inequalities for LGBTQ professionals in STEM,” put some solid research behind the challenges faced by this group in the workforce. You can read up on the paper HERE.
500 Queer Scientists
500 Queer Scientists is a visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people and their allies working in STEM careers and STEM-supporting jobs — a group that collectively represents a powerful force of scientific progress and discovery. They work to ensure that the next STEM generation has LGBTQ+ role models and to create opportunities for community connections and greater visibility within STEM fields. To learn more about it, go HERE.
Scientists pressure NSF for more inclusive workforce surveys
More than 1700 scientists have called for the National Science Foundation to include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in its workforce surveys. Researchers have blasted the agency’s recent decision not to collect LGBT+ data. Read more HERE.
Announcements
Ames Lab cyclists: An indoor bike rack is available
Ames National Laboratory wants to encourage green commuting and wellness, and one of the ways it does so is by providing indoor parking for bicyclists, a perk it has provided for several years. This is a reminder that employees may park their bicycles in the Record Storage Building, to keep their bikes more secure and out of inclement weather.
Counterintelligence Special Bulletin now available
The Argonne Regional Field Office (ARFO) of Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (CI) has published a special issue of its CI Awareness Bulletin for distribution at the three Laboratories under its responsibility— Ames National Laboratory, Argonne, and Fermilab. This issue includes a feature story “Death of a Superspy: Insider spies, are they born or made?” plus an overview of the psychological life stages of the spy mentality. An archive of the bulletin is kept in ServiceNow and you can read the most up-to-date issue HERE.
GSA transitioning to a new system, GSAXcess
Currently, Ames Lab personnel may screen excess property listings through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to determine if excess property is available to meet DOE work requirements, taking into consideration the budgetary effects of acquiring excess property throughout the equipment lifecycle.
GSA’s Office of Personal Property Management is transitioning to a new on-line system.
GSAXcess will become PPMS (Personal Property Management System) effective July 24, 2023, and the new website will go-live on the same date. The new website is www.ppms.gov
If you have access to view property on GSAXcess, your credentials will automatically transition to PPMS without any further action.
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document with comprehensive information on PPMS has been posted on GSAXcess, and will continue to be updated as new questions are received by GSA from customers.
In addition, short videos, detailed presentations, and user guides for on-demand training will be available once PPMS launches.
Please contact Stephanie Goodman at x3081 with questions.
Workday Learn go-live set for July 28
Ames National Laboratory is pleased to announce we will be transitioning from Learn@ISU to Workday Learn on Friday, July 28, 2023. This change was prompted by Iowa State University’s decision to retire the Learn@ISU platform. Ames Laboratory will also use Workday Learn for employees’ convenience and to avoid the expense of purchasing a duplicate system.
Employees should continue to complete all training in Learn@ISU through Friday, July 21. There will be an outage from July 22 - July 27 where no training should be completed to ensure accurate records are loaded into Workday. Additional information will be shared in the weeks ahead. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact training@ameslab.gov.
Learning Hour Series: Managing stress
Are you interested in learning more about stress management? Plan to join one of our upcoming Managing Stress Learning Hour workshops taught by Iowa State Psychology Professor, Dr. Nathaniel Wade. Sessions will be offered in 205 TASF as follows:
Tuesday, Aug. 1 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 9 from 2 - 3 p.m.
If interested, please RSVP to ensure available seating. We hope to see you there!
Plan for FY23 year-end purchases
As we approach the mid-year mark for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), Procurement asks that requestors start planning now for their needed goods and services for this fiscal year. This is especially important for long lead items such as scientific equipment and various IT products and services. Supply chain challenges are still affecting vendors across many categories. These challenges include limited availability of products and services, long-lead times, worker shortages, and delays concentrated in manufacturing, construction, and trade sectors. In order to ensure that items are received and paid for using FY23 funds, we ask that requestors submit their purchase requisitions well ahead of fiscal year end in order to counteract the current lead times we're facing. The cut-off date/time to receive items and account for them in FY23 will be 4:00 PM CT, Friday, Sept. 15.
Thank you for your cooperation and attention to this notice. If you have questions, please contact the Procurement Office at procurement@ameslab.gov.