Savoring Success! FEL Sets New Benchmarks, Completes Series of Experiments, Upgrade Funding Likely
15 Months of Growth: Pace Quickens at Applied Research Center
Improving Communication: New Program Designed to Enhance Superivosor/Employee Feedback
Get Event Number: Help Keep Lab Calendar, Schedule Running Smoothly
Special Meeting: Lab Associate Receives Medal from Pope John Paul II
- Science Series Presents "A Physics Circus"
- "Remote Hours" Gives Staff Access to HR
- Gillman, Neil Secure FEL Research Grant
- Administrative Manual is Now Available On-Line
- Kudos
HR Sponsors Smoking Cessation Program
Savoring success!
FEL sets new benchmarks, completes series of experiments, upgrade funding likely
by James Schultz
In 1995, Jefferson Laboratory's Free Electron Laser (FEL) deputy program manager George Neil offered a case of fine wine to the first of the world's FEL groups to achieve one kilowatt of continuous power. In August the prize was finally awarded, at the annual FEL conference held this year in Hamburg, Germany. Neil didn't have to canvass attendees to find the winners: they were members of his own team, quite literally by his side as he made the announcement.
 JLab's FEL Group poses for a photo after savoring their recent successes: setting a new FEL power record by reaching 1.72 kW, completing a string of successful materials-processing experiments and finding out that the Navy wants to invest in FEL upgrade plans. |
JLab's FEL breakthrough occurred on July 15, when the machine set a new power record at 1.72 kilowatts on the second day of a month-long run that concluded August 13. The achievement was an omen of things to come, as a series of FEL experiments ended well and news arrived of likely funding for a major upgrade.
Upon Neil's return and at his expense, a trip to a Williamsburg-area wine shop netted bottles of merlots, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandels and pinot noirs for all in the FEL Group. "I told everyone that if they didn't like their individual bottle they could bring it back to me and I'd get them another one," he says. "So far I haven't heard any complaints."
Also leaving a good taste in FEL team's mouths is an announcement that the U.S. Navy expects to invest between $7 and $10 million toward a three-year, $15 million upgrade. Despite continued congressional debate over the details and money amounts for the fiscal year 2000 budget, Lab managers are optimistic that funds will be forthcoming.
"We're waiting for the appropriations bill and hoping for the president's signature," says FEL program manager Fred Dylla. "We appear to be on line to receive something in the neighborhood of $10 million that is currently in the FY2000 defense authorization bill. It's very encouraging."
Setting New Standards
Encouraging too were the outcomes of five studies conducted during the FEL's July/August run. Among the groups using the machine was specialty steel manufacturer Armco, which exposed several kinds of steel to FEL light to gauge the beam's efficiency in surface processing. Initial results appear promising; if they hold up, an FEL could one day replace expensive, environmentally hazardous acid-etching treatments, reducing steel-surface oxidation and improving corrosion resistance.
Other experiments included studies of FEL-assisted thin film deposition, a technique used to produce high-quality coatings and thin films for electronics and microcomponents, and effects of FEL processing on nylon, polyester and a class of materials known as polyimides. In addition, researchers examined the FEL's potential to act as a springboard for a new kind of high-resolution medical and biological-systems imager.
One of the most important of the developments to derive from the mid-summer run was the successful lasing of light at what experts define as the "fifth harmonic." Light produced at this level is the optical equivalent of an overtone perceived by the human ear during the plucking of a piano or guitar string. The practical effect is production of tuneable, short wavelengths of infrared, visible and eventually ultraviolet light, which could substantially reduce manufacturing costs for certain products, particularly those requiring deposition of thin-films and specialty coatings.
"We're at a good threshold now," says Dylla. "We've completed the commissioning of the machine. We've laid the groundwork for the upgrade to be completed. We've made a good introduction of the machine to users. Our challenge over the next couple of years will be to continue to grow the user community and finalize the upgrade."
 Prof. Anne Reilly, Dept. of Physics at the College of William & Mary, adjusts a laser deposition apparatus in FEL Lab 4. |
Immediate priorities, Dylla says, are to complete the upgraded FEL design and start fabrication and installation of new equipment. Researchers will continue runs to improve understanding of the machine's capabilities and to permit users to install and conduct occasional experiments. But operational time will be limited; the machine will be run roughly one month of every three. While the FEL team won't have time to rest on their laurels, the pace should ease from that sustained in the months leading up to the Hamburg conference.
"It was a tough year to get through," Dylla says. "But people here have really risen to the challenge. We're all happy to be drinking George's wine."
15 months of growth
Pace quickens at Applied Research Center
by James Schultz
Year-old-plus babies are usually up and walking, albeit at an unsteady gait. Sprinters they're not. But the 15-month-old Applied Research Center (ARC) is one toddler that seems confident with a fast, sure pace.
 Students set up research equipment, donated by Xerox and Kodak corporations, in the Old Dominion University laboratory located on the first floor of the ARC. |
In a series of short-term projects conducted for industrial customers and government clients, ARC has easily met or exceeded many of the financial and institutional goals set for its first full year of operation. In particular, ARC's Center for Plasma and Photon Processing (CP3), funded by the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology, has succeeded in developing a portfolio of business and analytical services, technical alliances and short applied-technology courses.
"All of our customers have received what they came here to get," says ARC managing director Dennis Manos. "It's a big deal to give customers what they want. It's a fundamental business principle that not every institution is able to fulfill. We are."
ARC is an $18.4 million, seven-story, 122,000-square-foot research complex built as a result of a collaboration between the College of William & Mary and Christopher Newport, Norfolk State and Old Dominion Universities and Jefferson Lab. ARC design and construction costs were underwritten by the City of Newport News. Although state funds have initially supported the Center's research programs, faculty salaries and equipment purchases, recent industry projects are generating an increasingly healthy cash flow. Center universities individually and collectively have also submitted several grant proposals which, if approved, will bring additional, major investment.
ARC universities are also working closely with JLab's Free Electron Laser (FEL) program in several technology transfer projects, including the demonstration of the FEL's laser capabilities to Siemens Automotive and DuPont Precision Concepts. As a result, Siemens has established a laser laboratory at the Center which is being overseen by Prof. Mool Gupta, ODU's ARC director, to assist company experts with micromachining experiments and in small-batch production.
The Lab and ARC are collaborating on a number of other FEL-related ventures, including a NASA "Space Sail" materials-research project with corporate partner Northrop Grumman; fabric surface-roughing experiments with a Hampton Roads firm; and fabric experiments with a North Carolina-based manufacturer of floor coverings, apparel and industrial fabrics. An intellectual property agreement has been established between JLab and ARC; two patent applications involving high power ultraviolet lamps are in the process as well.
"If you want to borrow a cup of sugar it's nice to have a bunch of cooks in the neighborhood," Manos says. "We're able to propose things no one else can because of JLab. The Lab is obviously a separate entity, but there's a permeable barrier there. Their help gives us a real edge in photon processing and in lasers."
Sharing The Vision
Although ARC's four partner universities have made clear progress in participating in joint ventures, Manos concedes that articulating a common vision is more difficult. The quartet is still working to find the right balance between competition and cooperation.
"Whenever you put stars and superstars together there will be some level of competition," he says. "You don't want to end up with a cast of prima donnas, and you sure don't want a bunch of wallflowers waiting for someone else to take the initiative. Any organization tries to find the right balance between the two extremes."
Federal government contracts may be one means of involving all of the ARC partners. Such agreements now account for half of the Center's business, up from one-third earlier this year. ARC's immediate federal neighbors - the Navy, Air Force and NASA Langley Research Center - are logical and possible clients. Efforts are underway to identify common areas of interest and ways the Center may be able to provide expert assistance locally.
Ideally, says Manos, the Center will sustain itself with a mix of private and public-sector projects as alliances forged in the present develop and enlarge in the future. Ground should be broken in the next two years for the first of several phases of the long-planned Jefferson Research Park. Its presence, and the increased tempo of innovation at ARC, should encourage the development of what Manos describes as a "nucleating environment," a place around which will coalesce entirely new kinds of ventures that rely upon and directly apply the advanced laser and materials techniques developed by Center and JLab scientists and engineers.
"If I have a dream for ARC, it is that it will be a place for people to come with their wild ideas and turn them into reality," he says. "Anyone who's able to do that, to provide a place where innovation happens, can end up with a whole new industry or industries in their backyard."
Improving communication
New program designed to enhance supervisor/employee feedback
Every relationship works better when people talk things over. That's true at home, with friends and family, and it's certainly true on the job. Without good communication, misunderstandings can easily arise. Instructions can be misinterpreted, expectations can be misconstrued, and - even with the best intentions - people can end up working at cross-purposes to each other.
Good communication is what Jefferson Lab's new 360-Degree Feedback Program is all about. "Communication, including constructive critique, is the backbone of a modern organization," says Lab Director Hermann Grunder, who has been strongly committed to the program since its inception. "We all should feel free and comfortable in giving and receiving feedback."
Grunder acknowledges, however, that the idea can seem intimidating at first. "Scientific/technically trained people are often shy in communicating freely," he points out. By establishing a simple procedure, with an easy-to-follow format, the Lab's 360 program hopes to change that.
The program, being launched this month, grew out of a recommendation by the Lab's Internal Communications Team (ICT). In its recommendation, the ICT identified "the need for multi-level accountability. We feel that both staff and management are key partners - each with upward, lateral, and downward communication roles to play."
The recommendation to the Director's Council also highlighted 360's potential benefits: "[The process] will facilitate an exchange of information that will benefit staff and management and contribute to the effectiveness and success of the lab. The ICT also believes the 360-degree process will encourage the staff to expose themselves to the growth opportunities afforded by open communication."
"Open communication is fundamental to building and maintaining a world-class workforce," says Pat Morton, JLab employee relations manager. "And 360 is at heart a communications tool."
Used effectively, feedback can provide people with practical information they can use to develop new strengths and improve on-the-job interactions. "It can be a powerful tool for both personal and professional excellence," says Morton. "This is the kind of input we all need to develop personally."
"Our job is to make it as easy to participate as possible," she adds. "We know it's new and unfamiliar, but people at the Lab are accustomed to being on the cutting edge, and thatÕs where we are."
In recent years, 360-degree feedback programs have gained widespread acceptance in both the public and private sectors. Fields as divergent as education, manufacturing, financial services and technology have implemented feedback programs with great success.
At Jefferson Lab, the front of the feedback form lists 12 attributes ranging from technical competence and teamwork to decision-making and accountability - qualities senior management believe are critical to the Lab's continuing success. Feedback providers rate the recipient on each of these characteristics. Additional space for comments, explanations and suggestions is provided on the back of the form. The completed form can then be used as the basis for follow-up conversations. Such face-to-face discussions can significantly enhance the feedbackÕs usefulness.
360 phases in over three years
Feedback packages will be distributed by supervisors personally, and to aid in their completion, forms will be available on-line to be printed out and returned to feedback recipients, to encourage and foster communication. The more the feedback is used Ñ in follow-up discussions, in personal development planning - the more useful it becomes.
The Lab's program will be phased in over a three-year period. The first year, supervisors will request feedback from all JLab staff who report to them directly. "The 360-degree feedback - with the supervisor asking for that feedback," Grunder says, "is an effective means to enhance dialogue." Good communication, after all, takes place only when people talk - and listen - to each other openly and honestly.
Supervisors will also solicit feedback from two peers or colleagues of their own choosing. The first year, only the staff member providing the feedback, and the person receiving it, will see the completed, signed form. An anonymous copy of the front side only - unidentified by either giver or receiver - will be sent to the division office for inclusion in a Lab-wide summary.
In the second year, a completed copy of the signed form will also go to the supervisorÕs supervisor. Later on, as the program is phased in, all staff members will have the opportunity to receive feedback from their peers.
A packet of information about 360-Degree Feedback, including forms, procedures and schedules, will be sent out to all staff by the end of September. Completed forms should be given to the recipients by Oct. 19.
On Oct. 1 and 4, Dr. Grunder will meet with small groups around the Lab to discuss the program and answer staff questions and concerns directly. At two-hour training sessions on October 7 and 8, consultant Dr. David Jones will offer practical advice on how to give and receive feedback effectively. Jones, formerly with the Newport News Shipyard, is now manager for organizational development with Marathon Oil Company in Houston, Texas.
In the long run, of course, the real goal of any formal communication program is to put itself out of business. When open, honest communication becomes habitual, there's no need for formality. As staff members at all levels become more comfortable with open communication, programs such as 360-degree feedback won't even be necessary. "The object is to get our staff talking to one another, to enhance performance. Once we are successful in that, the need for formal programs will pass and communication will be part of our daily business," Grunder said.
Get event number
Help keep Lab calendar, schedule running smoothly
Want to schedule an event, activity or tour at the Lab? The first thing a staff member or user needs to do is get an event number from Sue Ewing, administrative assistant to JLab's chief scientist.
"All non-routine events and activities taking place anywhere on the Lab campus need an event number," Ewing said. "Call me before you do anything else. I can help you identify and avoid possible scheduling conflicts before they have the chance to cause you problems." As the event number coordinator, Ewing is responsible for maintaining the Lab's events calendar. Event numbers are needed for all internal and public events, including: seminars, conferences, colloquiums, tours, training sessions, non-routine meetings, science series presentations, special events and JAG activities.
Event numbers aren't needed for routine events like weekly meetings (i.e. the Director's Council meeting or Hall A staff meeting).
Event numbers were established to prevent scheduling conflicts and also to minimize or prevent scheduling events that could conflict with Department of Energy reviews or official visits.
To get an event number, call Ewing at ext. 6363 or e-mail her at ewing@jlab.org with the name of the event, date of event, location (building & room number), times, and the requester/scheduler's name and phone number. "As busy as the Lab's schedule is, getting an event number prevents conflicting events and helps keep everyone aware of what's going on at the Lab."
Seeing what's already on the Lab events calendar will become easier next month, according to Ewing. The calendar will be made available on a Lab Web page during October - allowing staff and users to check the calendar before calling or e-mailing Ewing to request their event number.
Special meeting
Lab associate receives medal from Pope John Paul II
An associate of Jefferson Lab was honored by Pope John Paul II earlier this year.
Carlos Ordonez, director of the World Laboratory Center for Pan-American Collaboration in Science & Technology, was among 30 international scientists representing the World Federation of Science visiting Italy this spring.
Part of the group's visit included an invitation to Vatican City to meet with the pope. The event commemorated the 20th anniversary of the beginning of dialogue between the World Federation of Science and the pope on issues related to science and religion. Ordonez represented the University of Houston.
As part of their trip, the group met with the president of Italy as well as that nation's minister of foreign relations. They attended two ceremonies just outside of Rome - one was to recognize high school students involved in a project revolving around planetary emergencies - identifying new and current problems, raising consciousness of these issues, and proposing solutions.
 Lab associate, Carlos Ordonez shakes hands with Pope John Paul II during a ceremony commemorating 20 years of dialogue between the pontiff and the World Federation of Science. World Federation of Science President Antonino Zichichi (behind the pope) introduces the pontiff to Ordonez. |
"It was a fantastic trip. We were treated like royalty. We visited several palaces and ate at great restaurants," Ordonez recalls. But the highlight of his trip was the group's private audience with the pontiff. "The whole ceremony was very special," Ordonez said. "We were met by the Swiss Guard and escorted to the pope's private quarters. We passed by the most amazing frescos." The physicist described ascending the stairway leading to the pope's quarters as "like going to heaven."
"We were seated in a small private meeting room," Ordonez continued, recalling the meeting, "There was this incredible sense of suspense."
The group stood when Pope John Paul II entered the room. Antonino Zichichi, president of the World Federation of Science, addressed the pope and gave a speech which was followed by the pope's speech. "Then to our surprise we were each presented with a medal," Ordonez said. "We weren't expecting the medals. Professor Zichichi introduced each of us to the pope and we got to share a few words with him. It was an inspiring and humbling experience."
Ordonez, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Houston, is grateful to SURA, Jefferson Lab, and JLab's Senior Physicist Nathan Isgur, for the support the Lab has given him. "I'm most thankful for the research and professional collaborations made available to me through Jefferson Lab. In a very real sense this medal acknowledges the importance of my professional association with the Lab, which I hope will continue for many years."
Science series presents "A Physics Circus"
Mark your calendar and plan to attend "A Physics Circus" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12 in the CEBAF Center auditorium!
The Jefferson Lab Education department is kicking off the Fall 1999 Science Series with this unique, entertaining presentation by University of Texas at El Paso professors and students. "This is a great program to kick off a new school year," says Jan Tyler, Education manager.
The event is free and open to students and adults interested in science.
"Remote Hours" gives staff access to HR
Human Resources is trying something new to make its services more available to shift workers on the Accelerator site. HR is implementing "Remote Hours" - visiting the Machine Control Center and adjacent buildings during all three shifts - once every quarter.
HR recently finished visiting accelerator site workers during day, swing and owl shifts. Its next round of Remote Hours visits will take place in December. Watch for flyers announcing the dates and times of the next round of quarterly visits.
"Our goal is to get out there and help answer questions and address any concerns that staff sometimes don't get a chance to ask, either because they are too busy or HR has gone home for the day," say Ruben Pedroza, HR special projects administrator. Remote Hours also gives accelerator workers a chance to meet HR staff and get the latest information on a variety of human resources programs.
For more information about this activity, call Pedroza at ext. 7984.
Gillman, Neil secure FEL research grant
Congratulations to Ed Gillman, Norfolk State University, and George Neil, Free Electron Laser Group, on securing $154,000 in funding from the Office of Naval Research. The funding will be used to conduct advanced materials processing experiments using the FEL.
Since the FEL can produce short wavelengths using what is called "harmonic" lasing, effects on materials can be seen that are not possible with other laser systems. Using the FEL to deposit material on silicon and other technologically important materials, the dissipation of heat in the laser/material interaction will be studied. This experiment could be a useful first step in the investigation of using high-power FELs for advanced manufacturing techniques. The study will last two years.
Administrative Manual is now available on-line
The Lab's Administrative Manual is now available on-line at www.jlab.org/adminmanual/.
The electronic manual is accessible to all staff members at their convenience. No one will ever have to run around looking for a paper copy of the manual again, points out Merle Rivas, director of Human Resources and Services. She also said this version of the manual is more user friendly, easier to update, and costs less to maintain than the old paper manual.
On-line access also assures everyone is using current information - no chance of referring to outdated hard copy versions. During the next few months a team from plant engineering, business services, human resources, and EH&S will continue refining the format to make the manual even more user friendly. Some of these refinements include more links to related policies and manuals, cross referencing between policies, and interactive on-line forms.
A link on the Administrative Manual's main page lets an individual quickly access and review Lab-wide administrative policy updates.
The manual is broken down by major categories - with detailed chapter headings under each category. The breakdown is as follows: 100-series, General topics; 200-series, Human Resources and Services; 300-series, Plant Engineering; 400-series, Finance; 500-series, Procurement; 600-series, Outreach Programs; 700-series, Intellectual Property; and the 800-series, Internal Audit.
Human Resources will no longer distribute paper copies of the Administrative Manual. Current manual holders should recycle or return to Human Resources their paper version of the manual to avoid the possibility of referring to out-of-date policies. The on-line policies may be printed out when needed for reference.
Paper copies of the manual will continue to be available in Human Resources, each division's administrative support office, and at the Human Resources Information Centers located in CEBAF Center, the Applied Research Center Library and the Machine Control Center conference room.
Call Pat Morton, ext. 7232, or Ruben Pedroza, ext. 7984, with any questions about the on-line Administrative Manual.
Kudos to Tom Briggs and his staff for the "all-nighter" they pulled during Hurricane Floyd. Their efforts minimized Lab down time and safeguarded Lab staff, equipment and resources.
HR sponsors smoking cessation program
Responding to a request by a group of Accelerator staff, the Human Resources and Medical Services departments recently initiated a program to help Lab staff interested in quitting smoking.
HR and Medical Services coordinated with Sentara Health Prevention to provide a work-site "Stay Smokeless for Life" program. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. Quitting smoking can lengthen lives and improve health. Medical specialists point out that it is never too late to kick the habit.
The Stay Smokeless program is a six-week education and support program for both the first-time quitter and for individuals who have attempted to quit before. The primary goal of the program is to help participants understand the nature of addiction to nicotine and to learn effective ways to control the addiction. Other goals of the program are ongoing support and encouragement to help participants stick to their commitment to quit.
There are 20 JLab staff and family members (spouses & dependents) enrolled in the on-site program that began Aug. 31.
The program is provided to JLab staff at no cost to the Lab or the staff member. For more information about the smoking cessation program, call Ruben Pedroza, HR special projects administrator, ext. 7984
Editor's note: If you have or know of a website that could be informative or useful to Jefferson Lab staff, call the public affairs office at ext. 7689 or e-mail Linda Ware (ware@jlab.org).
This month's web page is the most visited health site on the Web today. Go to www.drkoop.com/ and check out the medical and health information provided by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop.
His philosophy on wellness and health is: "The best prescription is knowledge." From the main page a reader may browse through health-related news stories, sign up for Koop's newsletter, read about more than 60 high-interest health conditions, or participate in the day's Health Chats. Health Chat has access to more than 130 chat support groups. A visit to Koop's virtual pharmacy (Drug Checker) can provide a reader with information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
The web site also provides information on a variety of preventive medicine, nutrition and physical and mental wellness topics.