Proper response to possible COVID exposure
Ames Laboratory’s COVID-19 Response Team and Occupational Medicine Staff recently received feedback that there may be confusion related to public health measures such as isolation and quarantine in response to a positive test or an exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19. Learn what you should do under different exposure scenarios with this guide:
https://www.ameslab.gov/
DOE Deputy Secretary Menezes visits Ames Lab
Deputy Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes visited Ames Laboratory on Sept. 9, meeting with Director Adam Schwartz, Wendy Wintersteen, President of Iowa State University, and several researchers.
As part of his tour, Menezes stopped by the Critical Materials Institute (CMI) to learn about the critical work being done to develop new chemical methods to upcycle electronic waste. He also heard about the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Polymers (iCOUP), computational science, graphene science, quantum materials and toured the Materials Preparation Center, the gas-atomization/powder synthesis area and caloric cooling. He held a virtual all-hands meeting in the afternoon.
“CMI’s work is enabling innovation in U.S. manufacturing and enhancing energy, economic, and national security,” said Deputy Secretary Menezes.
COVID, flu, a cold or allergies -- know the difference
Navigating illness during the pandemic can be confusing. It may be difficult to differentiate symptoms among allergies, COVID-19, the flu or even a cold.
Seasonal allergies are triggered by pollen in the air and can lead to symptoms affecting the nose, sinuses and the eyes; allergies are not contagious. COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus SARS-Cov-2. Influenza is also a contagious respiratory illness, but it is caused by a different virus than COVID. A cold is also a respiratory illness, but is generally more mild than the flu.
First let’s compare COVID-19 to seasonal allergies:
Because some of the symptoms are similar you may need to be tested to know for sure. The CDC also has some great information.
Now let’s look at COVID-19 vs. the flu:
There are some differences between COVID-19 and the flu, but these differences can be really difficult to identify in the moment. COVID-19 can alter or cause you to lose your sense of taste and smell, but it does not occur in all instances. Another difference: a person with COVID-19 generally takes longer to develop symptoms than a person with the flu. While the CDC continues to update information as it develops, at this time COVID-19 is known to be more contagious among certain age groups than influenza and causes more super spreader events. The CDC has outlined the difference and similarities between flu and COVID-19 and you can take a look here.
Finally let’s look at the common cold:
Cold symptoms are usually milder than the symptoms of flu, but some people can have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all when it comes to COVID-19. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems.
Again, the CDC has given us a good base of knowledge to use when questions arise.
We want to emphasize the importance of making the best possible effort to keep everyone at work and at home healthy and safe. When you are experiencing new symptoms, be sure that you are making decisions that minimize risk for everyone; diagnostic tests are available if you are unsure what is causing your illness. Regardless of the cause, stay home if you are sick and seek medical advice or attention if needed.
Ames Lab researcher Pat Thiel passes away
Pat Thiel, 67, Ames Laboratory Scientist and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University, passed away on Sept. 7 following a long battle with breast cancer. A Celebration of Life was held September 18 in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union and her obituary can be found HERE on the Adams Funeral Homes.
Pat was a scientist at Ames Laboratory and a faculty member at Iowa State since 1983, accumulating numerous high-profile awards and recognition throughout her career in the research of surface chemistry at the atomic scale. In 2019, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She held several leadership posts at Ames Laboratory and Iowa State, including Chief Research Officer for the Laboratory, and Chair of the Department of Chemistry for the University.
In addition to her many accomplishments as a scientist and researcher, she was valued for her intense and lively interest in her subject matter, her many collaborations across the global community of scientists, her mentorship of developing scientists, and for her friendship. She will be greatly missed.
Lawson named Director of Finance
John Lawson has been selected to serve as the new Director of Finance. John will start in his new role on October 1st and lead the Laboratory's finance operations organization and serve as the principal advisor to the Laboratory's leadership for all financial related matters.
IT recommendations for computer upgrades
As Ames Laboratory passes the six-month mark in telework for a large percentage of its employees, many of you are acquiring additional office equipment to help furnish your home office. While we want our employees to be provided with the tools they need to perform their jobs well, we are encouraging staff members to work with their supervisor and Ames Laboratory’s IT and Procurement Departments to access the things they need, as not all pieces of computer equipment for sale online are cybersecure or approved for government use. Some tips:
- Buy from authorized resellers. Many websites are using third party resellers and can't verify authenticity. Security becomes a concern when the authenticity cannot be verified - specifically quality control of item and security vulnerabilities that may exist.
- Stick with mainstream companies for hardware (Microsoft, Logitech, and Plantronics, etc.), as many lesser known vendors use rebranded equipment that may be restricted from use on government networks.
- Use only manufacturer approved chargers and battery packs for user safety and battery life protection.
- There is currently high demand for headsets and cameras; you might need to pay more or wait longer for these items.
As always, you can contact IT with questions about or troubleshoot a problem with your home office set-up in ServiceNow. You can also access these links for more information and support regarding secure telework.
Flu Shot Clinic runs through Oct. 3
There's sill time to get your flu shot. The 2020 flu shot clinic will take place September 21-October 3 at Stephens Auditorium. Our top priority is keeping our staff safe, so we will be implementing a new process to support physical distancing and COVID-19 requirements.
New computational model stands to make NMR an even more powerful
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have developed a new computational model that has opened up the potential to make one of their most powerful research tools even more so.
A particularly important tool in a chemist’s arsenal is Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. An NMR spectrometer measures the response of atomic nuclei to excitation with radiofrequency waves. This can provide researchers with atomic-level information about the physical, chemical, and electronic properties of materials, including those that are non-crystalline. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) NMR is an “ultra” version of NMR, which excites unpaired electrons in radicals and transfers their high spin polarization to the nuclei in the sample being analyzed, resulting in faster, more detailed data. Ames Laboratory has developed DNP-NMR to probe very weak but important chemical signatures, and reduce experimental times from days to minutes.
Computational methods play an important role in experts’ understanding of DNP-NMR, especially for improving the design and execution of experiments using it. Until now, however, the work been limited in scope, and improvements in DNP-NMR techniques have tended to rely on some degree of “serendipity,” according to Fred Perras, an Associate Scientist at Ames Laboratory and a 2020 recipient of a DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Award.
“Simulating DNP is a complex problem,” said Perras, who researches ways to improve NMR techniques in pursuit of Ames Laboratory’s emphasis in materials discovery. “That complexity comes from the fact that you have a very large number of spins that participate in the process. In order to reproduce experimental enhancements and predict what’s going to happen in a hypothetical experiment, you really need to be able to perform these simulations on the same scale that you have in your experiment.” READ MORE
Fire Safety Drill Oct. 7
Ames Laboratory will be conducting annual fire and evacuation drills the morning of October 7. Building occupants will be notified by alarms, and are required* to exit their building and gather at the nearest Evacuation Assembly Point. Safety Representatives, supervisors, and co-workers are encouraged to practice accountability, and to know who is on-site. Please remember to wear your face-covering and practice physical distancing.
Evacuation Assembly Points locations:
- NW corner of Spedding Hall
- Parking lot between TASF and Wilhelm (pictured)
- NE corner of Wilhelm Hall
- NE and SW corners of Metals Development
- Near the entrance to ASCII for SIF users.
*NOTE: Critical experiments and equipment ARE NOT required to be shut down, and research staff supporting critical activities ARE NOT required to evacuate.
Join Ames Lab Team for 2M Step Challenge
Join the Ames Laboratory Team for President Wintersteen's 2 Millon Step Challenge! Employees can join this year-long activity on the Iowa State University Adventure2 wellbeing program. Join this event and others to stay healthy while earning ISU items, gift cards, and more!
Recipes needed for United Way Cookbook
Want to share your favorite recipes with your colleagues and help a good cause at the same time? The Lab is putting together a cookbook with all proceeds going to the United Way.
In addition to the usual recipe book categories, the book will have two special competitive categories: "Inspired by Ames Laboratory " and "Quarantine Staples." Winners will be recognized in the cookbook and will have bragging rights for years to come!
Please use this form to submit recipes by Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. You can submit as many recipes as you would like! If you would prefer to upload a file with your recipe, use this link to save your recipe in the United Way CyBox folder.
Ames Lab's United Way goal this year is $10,000. You can donate to the United Way three ways: directly through Workday, on the United Way website, or by mail. The United Way makes a big difference in the lives of local people in need. You can find more information about the great work that the United Way does in our community here: https://www.uwstory.
Looking Back: Barton (re)named Lab Director
The September 1995 issue of Insider announced the return of Tom Barton as Ames Laboratory Director, replacing Jim Corrones. Bruce Harmon was named Deputy Director.
Also in the issue, the Lab showed off it's new presence on the World Wide Web. "The Web is an exciting tool that adds a new dimension to our effort to communicate valuable information about the Lab to diverse audiences, such as DOE and industry leaders," Public Affairs manager Steve Karsjen said.
The issue also carried stories on ventilation cabinets built to handle odiferous compounds called thiols, a new DOE funding opportunity, personal profiles on Marlene Frisk and john Hjortshoj and the Lab's participation in the Iowa State Fair.
To view the entire issue, click on the cover.
DIY DOE Mile
In 2016 an invitation for a healthy challenge was extended across the DOE complex and this event was dubbed the DOE Mile, but this year with the COVID-19 pandemic the event has morphed to be known as the Do-It-Yourself DOE Mile.
Everyone at the Ames Laboratory is encouraged to participate by walking or running a mile between Oct. 1 and Oct. 12. Race times must be submitted to Occupational Medicine no later than Oct. 12, so that our times can then be reported to Sandia for final results.
Originally this event was scheduled to take place in May, but the race was shut down in response to COVD-19. However, coordinators have rallied behind the event and come up with a Plan B. As the name implies participants will hold their own races—mapping out their own 1-mile course, walking or running their course, recording and reporting their own results.
In 2016 only eight labs participated with 602 lab workers at the starting line, but last year the challenge had broadened to 12 labs and 1,232 participants. So far, 9 labs have committed to healthy challenge and now we need your help!
Due to the virtual do-it-yourself nature of the event, all that we need from you is: Your name, male or female, if you are a walker or a runner, and your race time. Occupational Medicine needs this information no later than Oct. 12 , but you can submit it starting on Oct. 1. E-mail your submission to activeforlife@ameslab.gov. We would also love a few pictures if people are willing to submit those as well to share with the other laboratories.
Last year we had several people among the top runners and walkers for both males and females. Our first year that Ames Lab participated we had the highest percentage of participation among the other labs.
Mike Vaclav retiring
After 32 years, facilities engineer Mike Vaclav is retiring from Ames Laboratory. There will be a virtual farewell party October 9th at 10-11 and staff can message Jane Hahn (jehahn@ameslab.gov) for the link.