The Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) will host its Simulation, Data and Learning workshop from Tuesday, Oct. 1, to Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Building 240 TCS Conference. The workshop will help researchers improve the performance and productivity of simulation, data science, and machine learning applications on ALCF systems.

Workshop participants will have the opportunity to:

• Work directly with ALCF and industry professionals during dedicated hands-on sessions
• Learn how to use available tools and frameworks to improve productivity
• Learn how to set up workflows and use containers
• Test and debug codes with exclusive full-system reservations on ALCF systems
• Get assistance with Director’s Discretionary projects to help prepare for a major allocation award
• Improve the performance of existing ALCF projects
• Plan ahead for 2020-2021 allocation proposal submissions

Registrants will be reviewed for experience level and will be asked to provide goals for attending.

Registration deadlines:

• Foreign nationals: Friday, Sept. 6, 2019
• U.S. citizens: Friday, Sept. 13, 2019

Register here.

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Argonne 2050 is our initiative to envision, discuss, and evaluate possible futures for the lab. By thinking three decades ahead, we can lay the groundwork to solve problems beyond current trends, support new technologies and research as they emerge, and adapt to the most effective and rewarding ways for employees and collaborators to work together.

As Paul Kearns mentioned at the recent All-Hands Meeting, employees are invited to participate in one of four collaborative, cross-lab visioning sessions. Each will last seven hours, including a lunch. Expect thought-provoking data, divergent scenarios, brainstorming in small groups, and a chance to step away from the day to day to think big.

Each session can hold 100 people, and registration is required so we can ensure good cross representation in each group. Please indicate your availability on this registration page, and we’ll send a calendar invite for a specific session. We’ll do our best to accommodate your session preferences. Dates are below:

• Thursday, Aug. 29
  Building 402 Auditorium
• Friday, Sept. 20
  Building 402 Lower Gallery
• Monday, Sept. 23
  Building 402 Auditorium
• Thursday, Sept. 26
  Building 402 Auditorium

If you can’t make it to a visioning session, please share your thoughts on our lab’s future via our Argonne 2050 email box or the Argonne 2050 blog.

All are welcome to join us on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at 2 p.m. in Building 201, Room 190, for a set of presentations and discussion as part of Argonne’s artificial intelligence (AI) in science and engineering town hall meeting series, hosted by Physical Sciences and Engineering.

• “Hacking Materials with Deep Learning,” by Mathew Cherukara (NST)
• “DeepHyper: An Hyper-parameter and Neural Architecture Search Software for Deep Neural Networks,” by Romain Egele (MCS)
  

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The purpose of the meetings is to build a community and a network of collaborators across divisions and directorates to help catalyze collaborative projects involving development and use of AI in science and engineering. This will enable Argonne to capture major anticipated external funding in the scientific areas over the next five years. Ideas and discussions shared at these meetings will also help articulate a science-driven strategy for AI applications, and areas where Argonne should claim national and international leadership.

Meeting format

Each town hall meeting will last one hour including up to three 15-minute presentations by volunteers, followed by Q&A and discussions.

Interested in presenting?

We are looking for informal presentations on ideas that staff or postdocs would like to pursue, or that you think Argonne should pursue. Tell us why this is a worthwhile idea, and what skills or capabilities are needed to realize the project(s) you propose.

Presentation volunteers are asked to sign up here. Please indicate your preferred presentation date and a tentative title in the comments section. You are welcome to give as many presentations as you’d like, limit one presentation per person per meeting.

Suggestions for external speakers?

If you have suggestions for external speakers, or if you have any questions about the AI in science and engineering town hall series, contact Olle Heinonen.

Remember Cows on Parade — the community art installation that dispensed a bevy of creatively painted bovines across Chicago?

Well moooove over cows, and make way for Adirondacks at Argonne.

In the spirit of our core value of teamwork, the Argonne community is invited to form teams of at least five people and register to paint a chair on Monday, Aug. 26, or Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019.

Painting will take place in the Building 401 Gallery. Infrastructure Services will provide the chairs, paint, brushes, drop cloths, gloves, and safety glasses. It’s up to you to wear paint-worthy clothes.

Space is limited, and registration is first come first served. To register, send an email to Ashley Boyle (CPA) with your team’s name, team members’ names, email addresses, and your choice of day and time. Time slots on both days will be:

• 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
• 10:30 a.m. to noon
• Noon to 1:30 p.m.
• 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

How should you paint your chair? That’s up to your team. Be creative: Plan a theme ahead of time or see what muse strikes you on paint day. Interpret the Core Values, or your current work project. Belong to a club? Paint a chair about that — running, gardening, bowling, or crafts. The choice is yours. However, we do ask that your finished piece be in keeping with our core value of respect.

The chairs will be on display at the Argonne Lunchtime Social on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, where attendees will vote on their favorite. After the social, the chairs will be placed around the campus for all to enjoy.

A section of Inner Circle Drive, from Meridian Road to Northgate Road, will be closed Saturday Aug.10, 2019, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for water line repairs.

Join the Argonne Running Club and Sustainability Program for the August fun run and walk on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, at noon. The event features two courses, a 3.7-mile run and 1.3-mile walk, which will take participants by some of Argonne’s sustainable campus features.

Participants should meet at Building 214 at the picnic tables. All employees and their guests are welcome. Prizes and refreshments will be available at the finish line.

On the course, participants will see Argonne’s sustainability features including: renewable energy, electric vehicle charging stations and green buildings.

Want a chance to win an extra prize? Bring your reusable water bottle to stay hydrated and display it during the run. An extra prize will be given to the most creative water bottle.

For additional information, contact Catherine Hurley at ext. 2-0237.

• Route map
• Flyer

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Would you like to chat with Argonne Director Paul Kearns in an informal, small-group setting to learn more about, and provide input on, the laboratory’s strategic directions, research priorities, core values, safety programs and more?

“Conversations with Kearns” is an informal gathering held every two to three weeks. All are welcome.

August meeting:

• Friday, Aug. 30, 2019
  10 a.m., Building 212, Room A157
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The meetings generally lasts about an hour, and no registration is required.

Depending on changes to the laboratory director’s schedule, dates and times may change, or the meeting may be hosted by other Argonne leaders. Any changes will be announced in Snapshot and Argonne Today, and on the Digital Poster Network.

Employees may also email Kearns at listen@anl.gov.

Next Mex will be serving items at the action station in the Building 213 Cafeteria on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. Various menu items will be available for lunch purchase between 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the action station.

Argonne’s Human Resource Services – Employee Benefits will offer a pre-retirement planning program for eligible employees on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Building 201, Room 102 (adjacent to the Gallery).

Employees age 55 or older with at least 15 years of service who plan on retiring within the next few years are encouraged to attend.

The following topics will be covered: Argonne retirement benefits including Retiree Health Exchange for post-65 retirees, retirement plan distribution options and related tax issues, and financial and estate planning. Spouses are welcome to attend.

If you have not attended this program in the past and would like to be invited, please send an email with your badge number to benefits@anl.gov, or fax to ext. 2-1278 no later than Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. Please indicate if your spouse will attend as well.

Reservations are required as seating is limited.

Enrollment is on first-come, first-served basis. The next session is tentatively scheduled for winter 2020.

For more information, contact Zandra Kebkoub at ext. 2-2985 or Cindy Young at ext. 2-2986.

The Operations Excellence Council provides a senior management forum focused on delivering leading-edge science, and developing a strong commitment to, and culture around, research and operational excellence throughout the laboratory. The council supports timely, transparent, and effective decision-making on operational programs. It communicates customer feedback, needs and priorities, and reviews lab performance targets and metrics.

Safety Share

Michael Rabbitt (BIS) commended Audio-Visual employee, Barry Switzer (BIS), for his actions during an event where a presenter came close to backing up off the stage. His attention to safety prevented an injury.

Kim Sawyer (OPS) asked for ideas that would encourage site occupants to be more cautious and aware while driving on campus as there has been a high number of incidents recently. Recommendations included embedding these behaviors into the safety core values shout-out, sharing personal experiences, and informing lab personnel of recent incidents. Sawyer asked a few council members to communicate this message in a meaningful way to help employees avoid incidents or consequences.

486.1 Update

All Argonne employees received an email on Monday, August 5, 2019, noting the requirement to report any interactions with talent recruitment programs operated or funded by a foreign government pursuant to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 486.1. This one-question course (LEG101) is in the Training Management System.

Argonne and the other laboratories have a strong collaboration and continue to work together to implement this requirement.

Hazardous Work Registry

Computing, Environment, & Life Sciences

• There will be a cultural resource survey to support construction of the Electrical Capacity and Distribution Project
• The 60-meter tower is inspected and maintained, every two years, at the Oklahoma ARM Central Facility. Every six years the wire anchors and rods are inspected for deterioration.

Infrastructure Services

• Annual lightning protection inspections will be conducted. Various buildings rooftops will be accessed and repaired, if needed.
• The sitewide steam shutdown is planned for Aug. 23 through Sept. 9. Twenty-eight buildings will be impacted. Rebecca Yassan (PMO), project manager, has been active with communications for this work. If you have any questions regarding this project, email steamfix@anl.gov.

Physical Sciences & Engineering

• The cryomodule is scheduled to be transported from Argonne to Fermilab next week.

Photon Sciences

• The installation of the reworked PAR Double Radiation Stop was completed, without incident, in mid-July.

Roundtable

• Leslie Krohn (CPA) encouraged teams to sign up for the one of the four 2050 visioning sessions offered to the lab.
• By October, the complexion of the site will be different — roads will reopen, and construction will be slowing down per Karen Hellman.
• The Argonne Site Office will perform an assessment of Argonne’s Quality Assurance (QA) Program from Aug. 19 – Aug. 23, 2019. This assessment will focus on implementation of DOE Order 414.1D, Quality Assurance, criteria 1, 2, and 4 (Program, Personnel Training & Qualification, and Documents and Records). Three teams will assess three QA areas: Infrastructure Services, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Energy & Global Security.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is hosting the CyberForce Competition, formerly the Cyber Defense Competition, where participants compete against each other by designing foolproof networks, fending off cyber attacks, and developing systems to keep information secure. Last year University of Central Florida was the national champion; will they be able to defend their title? Come cheer on a blue team or volunteer for one of the many other teams participating in the competition.

Individuals interested in cyber are encouraged to volunteer their time for the event. There is a need for both technical and non-technical professionals. The competition will be held on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Building 240 TCS Conference Center and Building 241, Rooms D172 and D173.

Register online to volunteer.

Visit the event website for additional information.

For questions, email cyberforcecompetition@anl.gov.

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FY2020 requests due Sept. 6

FY2020 requests to use Argonne’s Laboratory Computing Resource Center (LCRC) are due Friday, Sept. 6, 2019.

LCRC is a laboratory resource for science and engineering with mid-range supercomputers. Anyone with an Argonne position and a parallel computing or analysis project may request free computer time on Argonne’s Bebop cluster, a 1024-node high-performance computer featuring a wide array of software tools and science and engineering applications. LCRC operates the 376 node Blues cluster to support industry partnerships.

Over 300 million core-hours will be available on Bebop for FY2020. Additional information, along with links to web-based application forms, documentation and other assistance, is available here and via email. LCRC’s expert staff of computational scientists and HPC systems administrators are ready to help make your project a success.

Mark your calendar for the Argonne lunchtime social hosted by Laboratory Director Paul Kearns and Argonne leaders.

The social will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, from 11:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the lawn adjacent to the Building 213 Cafeteria. Bring your own lunch or buy a ticket for a picnic lunch made by Sodexo and served by Argonne leaders.

More details, including information on ticket sales, coming soon.

Much more than lunch

A friendly bean bag tournament will be played throughout the social; sign up with a partner by the boards on the lawn starting at 11:15 a.m. Members of leadership will also participate in pick-up games.

There also will be raffles and prizes.

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To improve operational excellence, Business Information Services (BIS) is introducing a new Argonne wireless guest registration portal on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. The new portal is in accordance with the Cyber Security Program Plan and has been designed to meet U.S. Department of Energy requirements and capabilities. Features include improved performance and faster registration, employee login capabilities, and multi-language support.

All new and current Argonne guests will need to register to access the Argonne guest network. The BIS Service Desk is ready to assist users with registering and connecting. Contact the Service Desk through Vector, by phone at ext. 2-9999, option 2, or via email at help@anl.gov.

Wireless guest network FAQs

Q. How do I connect to the wireless guest network?
A. From the list of available wireless networks on your device, select the wireless ID “Argonne-guest.”

Q. How does it work?
A. On most operating systems, after you have connected to the wireless guest network, a web browser window will pop up allowing the user to log in or register as a guest. The web browser can take 10 to 30 seconds to display the registration webpage. The registration system host names that may be seen are anl- guestreg1.it.anl.gov and anl-guestreg2.it.anl.gov.

Q. What do I do if the registration page doesn’t display?
A. Go to http://wifi.anl.gov to be redirected to the registration webpage. Contact the Service Desk if the problem continues.

Q. How does this affect Argonne employees?
A. It will only impact employees if they are using the wireless guest network. Employees use their Argonne username and password to access the guest network.

Q. How often will employees need to log in?
A. If using the Argonne guest network, once every six months per device.

Q. Why can’t I create a guest account with an Argonne email address?
A. Employees are required to log in using their Argonne user credentials.

Q. How do guest registration accounts (non-Argonne employee) work?
A. Guests are provided with a username and password that are displayed on the registration webpage. This information is also emailed to the email account the guest provided when registering. The guest should save the username and password if they do not have access to their email account. The guest can then use the authentication credentials to log in to the guest network on other devices that the guest owns.

Q. How long are guest accounts valid for?
A. Seven days. Guest can then reregister for seven additional days of network access.

Q. How do I register devices that can’t use the self-registration webpage?
A. Contact the Service Desk to have the device entered in the registration system.

Q. What buildings and areas will not be upgraded to the new registration system in August 2019?
A. Building 400, 400A, 411, 412, 413, 415, 420, 420A, 450, and all LOMS: 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438

In recent years, there have been multiple safety recalls for household dehumidifiers due to fire hazards. With the Argonne steam shutdown starting Friday, Aug. 23, 2019, there may be an increase in household dehumidifier use to assist with humidity control in affected buildings. Before using a dehumidifier, employees should check that it has not been recalled and that it operates normally. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that 500 or more fires resulted in more than $25 million in damages because of defective dehumidifiers.

When using household dehumidifiers at the lab:

• Verify the dehumidifier is not on a list of recalled appliances posted on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.
• Operate the dehumidifier in accordance with all manufacturer’s instructions, and observe all recommended clearances around the unit.
• Clear the area around the dehumidifier of flammable and combustible materials.
• Check on the operation of the unit multiple times during a shift. Inspect for signs of overheating.
• Avoid operating household dehumidifiers over extended periods or unattended.

For more information, check out this safety share on dehumidifiers courtesy of Daniel Evans (WSH).

All employees are encouraged to submit safety shares for inclusion in the Safety Share Library. Submission details are available on Inside Argonne.

Each month a safety share submitted by an individual will be selected by Environment, Safety and Quality Assurance to receive a Spot Award for demonstrated safety leadership. The Spot Award program offers three award levels: gold ($100), silver ($50), and bronze ($25).

Mobile Lube Express will be on campus Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, providing convenient, onsite oil change service for employees.

Employees can drop their vehicles off for service anytime between 8 a.m. and noon at the raised portion of the Building 200 Parking Lot (kitty-corner to Building 205) and pick up their vehicle later in the afternoon.

To register for service, complete the pre-registration form and send it to Mobile Lube Express by fax at (847) 469-8425 by Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019.

Mobile lube Express offers three different packages, which can service most Asian and domestic vehicles. To determine which package is appropriate for your vehicle, you need to know what oil viscosity the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle.

While appointments are recommended, Mobile Lube accepts walk-up customers if there is availability. Please bring a completed pre-registration form.

Note: Credit card information can also be taken onsite, if preferred, but the registration form should still be faxed by Aug. 21 to ensure a reservation.

2019 oil change schedule

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The Argonne Garden Club will host a summer picnic on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, at noon on the south lawn of Building 200. The rain location will be Building 205, Room L101.

Come and enjoy lunch, tour gardens outside of Building 200 and maybe even win a prize. Please bring a dish to share and a lawn chair. Prizes will be given for the most unique use of produce and the best use of produce overall.

Please RSVP

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It is expected that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) will issue a call for FY20 applications to the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) around Sept. 10, 2019.

TCF is a program in which companies are matched with national laboratories, and the parties work together to mature energy technologies with the potential for high impact. The funds supplied by DOE are matched by funds from the private partners.

Argonne has fared very well in TCF since the program started in FY16, claiming the most funding ($15 million) and second-most awards (38) among all the national labs. However, Argonne researchers have let Argonne’s Technology Commercialization and Partnerships division (TCP) know that tight turnaround time on applications poses a challenge. In response, TCP is providing advance notice to give Argonne researchers nearly an extra month of prep time and the best possible opportunity for securing an award. TCP will notify Argonne staff when the application period officially opens.

TCF awards have been instrumental in helping multiple Argonne researchers and research groups advance promising technologies to the point of commercial development and commercial impact.

For background information that will help Argonne researchers think about this upcoming TCF round, review this Argonne Today article from the kickoff of the last solicitation period.

If you have questions or would like to discuss a possible application, please contact TCP’s Hemant Bhimnathwala at ext. 2-2354.

Employees who are new to using Box to collaborate with colleagues, or just want a refresher, are invited to register for these upcoming webinars sponsored by Business & Information Services.

• Box and Microsoft: For employees who use MS-Office and Box daily.
  Friday, Aug. 23, 2019, at 2:30 p.m.
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• Box User Essentials: This webinar is designed for new Box users.
  Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, at  noon
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Please register prior to the class to get the Adobe Connect connection details. The training is live and you’ll have the chance to ask the Box education specialist questions at the end.

Enter the code PROADMIN for the Box University training at no charge.