BOULDER LABS WEEKLY BULLETIN
May 29-June 5, 2009
       
Deadline, noon on Wednesday, June 3
Send notices and subscriptions to wbsend@boulder.nist.gov

Contents

Technical Talks

Reminder: Anyone outside DOC wishing to attend on-site talks must be sponsored by an employee and receive a visitor badge.

On Site:

            Quantum Complexity and Fundamental Physics, May 29
            Low Frequency Magnetic Shielding Workshop, June 9
            Increase in Background Stratospheric Aerosol Since 2000:  Is it Related to Increased Coal Burning in China? June 9
            Large Application Development with LabVIEW for Mission Critical Applications, June 9
            The Role of Scanning Transitometry in a General Thermophysical Approach of Matter from Gases to Polymers, June 18
Off Site:

Announcements           
            Fitness Day/Raffle Walk Winners
            Electronics Recycling Tour
            NARFE Meeting, June 5
            Postdoctoral Poster Symposium and Networking Event, Abstracts due May 31
            National Get Outdoors Day, June 13
            Safety Days, June 16, 17, and 18

            Bike to Work Day Business Challenge, June 24
            Office 2007 and Outlook 2007 Training – Register NOW!

            NOAA Gift Shop Monthly Special
            NIST Gift Shop
Library
            New Books
Site Health and Fitness Items
            26th Annual Federal Cup 5k Run/Walk Results
            Judo Club News
            Fitness Center News
            Building 1 Fitness Center Weekly Closure
EMSS News
            Planned Projects
Cafe News
            NIST Café
            NOAA Cafeteria
BLEA
            Colorado Renaissance Festival Tickets
            Maharaja Indian Cuisine
            Tandoori Grill Discount
            Taj Restaurant Discount
            Haircuts on Site
            Employee Association Info
Vacancies
            Boulder Laboratories Site Manager                       
            http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/

Announcements

FITNESS DAY/RAFFLE WALK WINNERS

Grand Prize Winner          Holly Palm            $150.00 Sports Authority gift certificate
Second Prize Winner       Taneil Utall           10 punch card pass with Boulder Parks/Rec
Robert Fawst                    IPod Speaker
Carolyn Ponsford              IPod Speaker
Barb Keppler                    Curves 2 months free membership
Suzette Milano-Schoser   Curves 2 months free membership
Zdenka Smith                   Crocs 1 pair
Don Mock                         Crocs  1 pair
Abbie O'Gallagher            Crocs  1 pair
Steve Peckham                Crocs  1 pair
Carol Bateman                 Crocs (free pair) coupon
Chong Glade                    Crocs (free pair) coupon
Jennifer Harris                  24 Hour Fitness 1 month free
Byunghwan Lim                24 Hour Fitness 1 month free
Babs Herrli                        24 Hour Fitness 1 month free
Joanne George                 24 Hour Fitness 1 month free
Cynthia Wilder                  24 Hour Fitness 1 month free

For those of you who didn't win.  Just remember -- It is better to have walked and lost than not to have walked at all! Thank you all for joining us!

Crocs is offering a 15 % discount online that will expire June 21.  If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer, the sign up form to receive the online discount code is located on the front desk of the Employee Health Unit, DSRC GB 101.

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD! ELECTRONICS, THAT IS.

The U.S. General Services Administration is holding an Electronics Recycling Tour for personal electronic equipment, small appliances and hardware.  Items will be accepted from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, June 11, in the west parking lot of the David Skaggs Research Center. All items being recycled can just be dropped off without having to go inside the building.

For NIST, NTIA and NOAA employees, if you have any excess Government Property items to be recycled, please coordinate with your Asset Property Manager to start the excess process.  Once equipment has been determined to have no resale value, agencies are encouraged to fill out a GSA Abandon and Destruction document to transfer the equipment to GSA for disposal.

All manner of electronics equipment, small appliances and hardware will be accepted. A small fee (listed below) will be charged to ensure that the items are disposed of properly. Modern electronics equipment contains materials that are better diverted from landfills due to their toxicity to humans, plants and other animals. Every little bit helps.

If you have any questions and or need any additional information about this process, please contact Marion Buntyn, Regional Recycling Coordinator GSA, Office of Facilities Management 303-236-8000 ext. 5252 marion.buntyn@gsa.gov . For GSA Excess Property Assistance contact Pat Honley, 303-236-7696, pat.honley@gsa.gov

Items NOT being accepted at the recycling event include air conditioners, freezers, refrigerators and CFL lightbulbs.

Among the acceptable items for recycling are: cables, calculators, CD players, cell phones, circuit boards, computers, console TVs, copiers, data cartridge, desktop copiers, disc drives, docking stations, DVD players, fax machines, hard drives, keyboards, large copiers, LCDs, main frames, microwaves, miscellaneous metal and plastic, monitors, computer mice, notebook computers, PDAs, printers, projectors, scanners, switches, telephones, televisions, typewriters and VCRs.

Recycling fees are as follows:

Monitors/televisions under 20 inches: $8
Monitors/televisions larger than 20 inches: $15
All other electronics: $2 for small items, $5 for large items.

The event is open to all federal, contract employees and friends and family of the Boulder commuting area.  Reminder: Anyone outside DOC wish to gain access to the site must be sponsored by an employee and receive a visitor badge.

NARFE MEETING, June 5

WHO:  National Active and Retired Federal Employees

WHEN:  Friday, June 5
              Lunch at 11:30 a.m.
              Program at 12:20 p.m.
              Meeting following program

WHERE:  West Boulder Senior Center, 909 Arapahoe Avenue

PROGRAM:  Jeff Darling, Senior Purchasing Agent-Sustainability Officer at the CU Procurement Service Center, who will tell us what is going on at the University of Colorado.

RESERVATIONS:  Barbara Scott:  303-494-8752

POSTDOCTORAL POSTER SYMPOSIUM AND NETWORKING EVENT, Abstracts due May 31

Extension of Due Date for Abstracts: The 2009 (6th annual) Boulder Laboratories Postdoctoral Poster Symposium will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2008 from 1 to 4 p.m., in the David Skaggs Research Center Multipurpose Room GC-402. The due date for abstracts (text-only, 100 to 250 words) has been extended to May 31. Contact: Joe Magee (303) 497-3298, joe.magee@nist.gov

NATIONAL GET OUTDOORS DAY, June 13

National Get Outdoors Day is a new annual event to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun. This national event is designed as a day to connect kids and their families to the wonders of the great outdoors – from our neighborhood parks to our nearby mountains.

This event will be held in City Park, Denver, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Information websites:

Regional web address: www.fs.fed.us/r2/go-day
National website:  www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org

For more information contact: Susan Alden Weingardt, US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, 303-275-5401.

SAFETY DAYS, June 16, 17, and 18

Mark your calendars as Safety Days are coming soon to a conference room near you.  Starting June 16 and running through June 18  the Office of Safety, Health, and Environment  will be offering a variety of classes.  This year’s theme will be “ Hazardous Material Safety in the workplace and home”.  These classes are open to all Boulder Labs employees.

The following is a partial list of classes and events:
 -Hazardous waste generator training
-Flammable chemicals training
-Corrosive chemicals training
-Toxic chemicals training
-Personal protective equipment training
-Bloodborne pathogen training
-Health and Safety instructions (HSI's) review of new material
-Fume hood training
-X-ray regulations training
-Nano particle awareness training
-Asbestos awareness training
-AHMRRP Spills practice
-Meth lab awareness training
-Compressed gas safety training
-Boulder Fire and Rescue Hazardous Material team will have their Hazmat trailer onsite for an exhibit and will answer all of your hazmat questions

Details for these events will be posted in the upcoming bulletins, flyers posted throughout the site, emails and the NIST Safety website at: http://www-i.boulder.nist.gov/safety/safetyday/

Hope to see everyone attend and if you have any questions, ideas, or comments please contact:  Brian Brass, ext. 6822 or brian.brass@nist.gov

BIKE TO WORK DAY BUSINESS CHALLENGE, June 24
The Competition Has Begun!

As of Monday (5/18/09), both NIST and NOAA have signed up for the Bike To Work Day (BTWD) Business Challenge. NIST has 12 people signed up, putting them at 72nd place while NOAA has 4 people signed up putting them at 113th place.

Visit http://www.drcog.org/btwd2009/index.cfm to register and for more info on how teams are ranked and/or click here to see how our company/team stacks up against others in Boulder County.

All you have to do is commit to use alternate transportation (minimize fossil fuel usage on BTWD via biking, unicycling, walking, busing, carpooling, skateboarding, or rollerblading to work on Wednesday, June 24. There are incentives like prizes, gear give-aways, and free food! (The Boulder Laboratories Employee Association, BLEA, has offered to help us purchase yummy food and beverages for a 2nd Breakfast at 10:30 a.m. for BTWD participants.

Note: Register as an "Individual" and select "NIST" or "NOAA" in the drop down Employer list.  Be sure to register early as the site has experienced heavy loads in the past as BTWD approaches.

Note: NOAA has decided to register all employees together rather than separately as in the past.  That means that affiliates like CIRES and CIRA employees as well as GSA-Boulder employees can sign up with "NOAA" as their "employer."

*If you have already signed up as an individual, we can transfer you to the NIST or NOAA team. Just contact Mary Gorman mgorman@boulder.nist.gov for NIST or the NOAA team noaabike2work@gmail.com for NOAA.

Volunteer

If you're interested in volunteering to help out the BTWD effort for the Department of Commerce, contact Alex Hsia via e-mail at Alex.Hsia@noaa.gov.  We're looking for help in the following areas:

•           Business challenge coordinator for NTIA/ITS
•           Second breakfast planning (possible zero waste event)
•           Setup/cleanup for the second breakfast
•           Soliciting business donations for prizes
•           Running a tuneup station during the second breakfast
•           Site preparation for bike to work day
•           Content development for the TAC website related to BTWD

If we don't get volunteers for a particular area, then we'll just forgo that effort.

In the meanwhile, get in shape and learn the bike routes around Boulder by participating in the...

Eleventh Annual "Circle Boulder by Bicycle" (B-360)

The city of Boulder’s Greenways Program hosts the Eleventh Annual Circle Boulder by Bicycle, B-360 (approx. 23 miles) or B-180 self-guided ride, on Sunday, May 31, rain or shine, 3-5 pm.

This non-competitive ride follows the city’s bikeways beginning and ending at Scott Carpenter Park, 30th Street and Arapahoe Avenue, and is open to all ages. Registration for both rides is free and is available the day of the ride at Scott Carpenter Park.

OFFICE 2007 AND OUTLOOK 2007 TRAINING – REGISTER NOW!

Getting Started with Outlook – 3 hour class

6/10/09 – 1-4 p.m.

MS Office 2007 – Getting Started with the new user interface – 90 minute class

6/10/09 – 9:30-11 p.m.

To register for these classes, log into the CLC (https://doc.learn.com/nist).  Select Training and Development on the left side of the screen.   Boulder Instructor Led Training then appears at the top of the screen in red and blue.  If you have any questions or need your CLC password reset, please contact iTAC at ext. 5375.

Cost for the 3 hour class is $100 – the 90 minute class is $75 – all charges will come out of cost centers already provided by the OUs.  There is no need to complete any other paperwork for this training – just the CLC registration!

NOAA GIFT SHOP MONTHLY SPECIAL

The NOAA Gift Shop’s monthly special for June: $1 off for every $10 spent on toys. Normal hours are 12-1 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday. The shop is located in DSRC 1C307.

NIST GIFT SHOP

The NIST store is located under the lobby stairs near the Building 1 cafeteria.  If you would like to purchase any NIST merchandise, please call ext. 5453, 3832, 3988, or 3378. See pictures of their NIST t-shirts, hats, post cards, and more at the BLEA web site by clicking "sales" - http://blea.doc.gov/

SITE HEALTH AND FITNESS ITEMS

26TH ANNUAL FEDERAL CUP 5K RUN/WALK RESULTS

The Merry Mountain Ramblers walking team from DOC Boulder placed second in a very competitive race on Saturday, May 16 at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood.

Team members Jennifer Harris, NOAA, Mindy Marion, former NOAA now VA, Mindy's son Jay Parker, Michele Fass, DOD, and Joan Tomek, NOAA all placed in their respective age groups: Jennifer Harris 2nd, Mindy Marion 2nd, Jay Parker, 1st, and Michelle Fass 3rd, Joan came in 5th overall and was 2nd woman walker with a time of 33:57 minutes.

Zdenka Smith ran the 5k race with her grandchildren: a muddy rabbit hole proved too enticing for 4 year-old Noah, so they did not complete properly.

All enjoyed the event and had a great time; a day that started out gray turned sunny and just warm enough.  We are making plans for next year. It's not too soon to start walking or running! Please join us next time!

JUDO CLUB NEWS

The DOC Judo club was privileged to receive guest instruction on Monday, May 11, from Sensei Allen Gordon who is a national judo referee and coach, and US National Master's Championship medal winner.  Contact Wayde Allen at x5871 if you interested in practicing Judo Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5pm.

FITNESS CENTER NEWS

If you want to receive information on activities going on in the Fitness Centers, if you want to find someone to work out with, if you have questions about the equipment, or if you want to talk to others about fitness in general, you should subscribe to the DoC Boulder Laboratories FitCenter mailing list located on the web at: http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/mailman/listinfo/fitcenter

BUILDING 1 FITNESS CENTER WEEKLY CLOSURE

Beginning on May 12, the Building 1 Fitness Center will close for cleaning from 7-10 a.m. every Tuesday. Please do not attempt to use the Fitness Center during those times. The DSRC Fitness Center will remain open for your use. The Women’s Locker Room will also close from 7-8 a.m. on Tuesday. An alternate shower can be found in the Women’s restroom at the west end of the 4th floor, Main Spine.

If you have questions or concerns about this new policy, please contact Joan Tomek, x5287.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM COUNSELING

Have a problem that you want to discuss??  Feel as though you have too much stress in your life?

WORK.MONEY......FAMILY........STRESS......MENTAL

HEALTH.......ADDICTION.......RELATIONSHIPS........

Free counseling is available to all Boulder DOC Employees and their immediate families who are experiencing personal and/or work problems.  Our EAP counselor, Shaneen Meskew-Stacer, is available every Friday by appointment.  The Employee Assistance Program is voluntary and confidential and there is no charge for appointments on site.  Please call ext. 3801 to schedule an appointment.

EMSS NEWS
Questions?  Please call the below listed contacts, call ext. 3191, or email: svcdesk@boulder.nist.gov

NIST EXCESS: The NIST Property office has excess items available in Building 4, if you are interested; please contact Dale Devoe, ext. 7598, or Eva Baca, ext. 5083.

GSA EXCESS: If we do not have what you are looking for, go to the GSA’s website: http://gsaxcess.gov/. You will need to register; once that is complete; you will have access to excess property from other Federal Government agencies.

PLANNED PROJECTS

Building 1 Extension (B1E)

1. Excavation & construction between Building 1 and 2 is continuing. Contact: Bryan Faktor, ext. 7841.

Building 26

1. May 26-July 24, EMSS/Diamond Hills will be providing mold remediation.  This will be done at night, weekends and holidays, from 5:30 p.m.-6 a.m. Contact Dale Thoele, ext. 4009.

Site Wide

1. Exit signs have been replaced throughout Building 1 and 3 with LED signs that use considerably less energy than the existing incandescent units. Contact: Bill Seader, ext. 6314.

2. The B1E contractor will continue to redirect traffic entering the DOC site, as necessary. Contact: Gary Herrli, ext. 4460.

3. Weather permitting, EMSS and the contractor ERS will be performing transformer (XMR) PM’s throughout the site on the buildings and dates listed below. Start time will be at 7:a.m. No electrical outages associated with this work are anticipated.  Contact: John Delight, ext. 5776.

May 30

Building 3, XMR-021 & 022, Building 26, XMR-030, Storage Yard, XMR-028, Building 22, XMR-025, and Building 12 (near Blast wall), XMR-052.

June 13

Building 24, XMR-023 & 024, and Green Mtn, XMR-053 (unless it can be done during the week).

4.  The Central Utility Plant (CUP) chilled water distribution system will be on line for the site approximately June 1. We do not anticipate any disruptions. Contact: Bill Seader, ext. 6314.

 

CAFE NEWS

NIST CAFETERIA - Building 1
303-497-5938,  http://www.nistcafe.com/page/page/5591285.htm

Don’t forget Happy Hour! Free 8 oz coffee from 9-10 a.m. and 2-3 p.m.

Delivery available to NIST, Building 2, Building 4 and the DSRC with no delivery charge!

Menu for NIST Café, June 1-5
Monday-Tacos, Chicken or Beef, Tamales, Carnitas
Tuesday-Pad Thai, Chicken, Shrimp or Veggies
Wednesday-Meatball Hoagie or Grilled Chicken and Veggie Pasta 
Thursday-BBQ Day: Grilled Beef or Chicken Burgers, or Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Friday-Chef Choice

NOAA DELI - DSRC
Info: ext. 5771

Stop by to see our daily specials!

 

BLEA - BOULDER LABS EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE COLORADO RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL 2009 

Tickets are valid for any weekend June 13-August 2.  Adults tickets are $15.45 (a $2.50 savings off the gate admission price), children 5-12 tickets are $7.00 (save $1.00 off the gate admission price), and children under 5 are free.  Affordable fun for the whole family!  Please see Trudi Peppler, ext. 3338, or the BLEA website to purchase tickets.

MAHARAJA INDIAN CUISINE DISCOUNT FOR BOULDER LABS STAFF

Maharaja Indian Cuisine is offering Boulder Labs employees 15% discount for lunch & dinner.  Just show us your Government ID.  Lunch hours: 11 a.m.- 2:30 p.m., Dinner hours: 5-9:30 p.m. There is a lunch & dinner buffet or you can choose to order from our menu. Location: 1915 28th St., Boulder, 80301 (Next to Office Depot & Ultimate Electronics). Phone: 303-442-2770. Offer valid until 09/01/09.

TANDOORI GRILL DISCOUNT FOR BOULDER LABS STAFF
     
The Tandoori Grill is offering Boulder Labs staff a 15% discount on their lunch buffet. Please print and present a copy of this announcement to receive the discount. Lunch Hours:  11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday. Location: 619 S. Broadway, 80305 (N.E. side, Table Mesa Shopping Center, Ground Floor). Phone: 303-543-7339. 

TAJ RESTAURANT DISCOUNT FOR BOULDER LABS STAFF

The Taj Restaurant in the Basemar Center is offering Boulder Labs staff a 10% discount for lunch or dinner.  Take-out orders of $20 or more receive a free order of samosas or pakoras.  Just show your DOC ID.   Frequent customers get their 9th lunch free with a Taj punch card.  Fresh and healthy Indian food is within walking distance at 2630 Baseline.  Lunch hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.  Phone:  720-232-8169.

HAIRCUTS ON SITE

We specialize in Haircuts and Styling - Fun, Funky, or Traditional, we've got you covered! Please stop in and see us! Walk-ins always welcome!  We are located on the bottom floor of Building One, Wing 5 (bomb shelter) around the corner from the gym. Hours are Thursdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Relax, Unwind, get a haircut and feel fresh and rejuvenated!  Haircut for men and women are $18.00. Paul Mitchell products15% off retail. Schedule your appointment at http://www.haironwheels.net or call us at the last minute at 303-667-0656.

EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATION INFO

Find out more about BLEA's special deals and activities at http://blea.doc.gov. If you work here, you're already a member of the Boulder Labs Employees' Association. See what it has to offer!

 

LIBRARY NEWS

PHYSICAL REVIEW FOCUS

Physical Review Focus (focus.aps.org) is a free service of the American Physical Society (APS). Selected physics research published in Physical Review (PR) and Physical Review Letters (PRL) are highlighted, including videos.

The site also provides an archive of links to Physics News Update stories from the American Institute of Physics that cover papers from APS journals.

    * Archive
    * Image Index
    * Physics News Archive

Story Highlights

    * Landmarks: Laser Cooling of Atoms

    "In the 1970s and 80s, researchers developed techniques for cooling atoms to very low temperatures using laser light. The work led to improvements in atomic clocks and the observation of a new ultracold state of matter..."

    * Quantum Blurring

    "A coral reef looks a bit blurry to a scuba diver, in part because of light bouncing off of the water's continual density fluctuations, which come from random motions of the warm water molecules. But some of the blurring comes from a constant quantum jiggling of molecules that occurs even close to absolute zero temperature..."

Library News: http://library.bldrdoc.gov/news.html; RSS / XML: http://library.bldrdoc.gov/rss.html

NEW LIBRARY BOOKS, 1/23/09

Online: library.bldrdoc.gov/libnote.html

- ARCHIVES QC 100 U57 no.260-171. Charpy machine verification : limits and uncertainty / J. D. Splett, C.-M. Wang, C. N. McCowan. 2008

- BRANCH QC 874.3 S63 2007. Spatial interpolation for climate data : the use of GIS in climatology and meteorology / edited by Hartwig Dobesch, Pierre Dumolard, Izabela Dyras.

- QA 276.3 F73 2008. How to display data / Jenny V. Freeman, Stephen J. Walters, Michael J. Campbell.

- QA 303.2 H83 2007. Vector calculus, linear algebra, and differential forms : a unified approach / John Hamal Hubbard, Barbara Burke Hubbard. 3rd ed.

- QC 446.2 G73 2007. Optics and photonics : an introduction / F. Graham Smith, Terry A. King, Dan Wilkins. 2nd ed.

- TA 340 R93 2007. Modern engineering statistics / Thomas P. Ryan.

- TJ 1075 N36 2008. Nanolubricants / edited by Jean Michel Martin, Nobuo Ohmae.

- TK 145 E44 2007. Electromechanical devices and components illustrated sourcebook / Brian S. Elliott.

- TK 5103.45 C53 2007. Next generation CDMA technologies / Hsiao-Hwa Chen.

New acquisitions are announced each Friday and displayed at the Main and Branch Libraries for one week. You can reserve item(s) by completing the online form (library.bldrdoc.gov/libnote.html) and then you’ll be notified when they're available for pick up or office delivery.

The library encourages your recommendations for books or journals. The recommendation form is available online at: library.bldrdoc.gov/bookrec.html

 

 

VACANCIES

Boulder Laboratories Site Manager
NIST-08-2164/SES
NIST, Boulder
Closes: 6/1/2009

Please check the web sites for official announcements: http://www.usajobs.gov/. These listings are compiled for your information, but should not be considered complete. If your group has a job vacancy to list, please send it to wbsend@boulder.nist.gov by noon on Wednesday.

The Boulder Labs Weekly Bulletin, brought to you by the NIST Publications Office, is available online at http://www.boulder.nist.gov/bulletin/. Submit announcements and or subscribe at wbsend@boulder.nist.gov. The deadline is noon on Wednesdays.

Managing Editor:                 Cindy Kotary, 303-497-3319, kotary@boulder.nist.gov
Webmaster:                         Paul Franchois, 303-497-5674, paulf@boulder.nist.gov