From the Director: Plan It Right or Don't Do It!

Persis Drell

by Persis Drell

Over the past months, a dedicated group led by Karen Fant has been developing new tools and training to improve the work planning and control process (WPC) on the site. We need this. Good work planning is essential for both quality and safety.

It will take time to fully implement the recommendations of the WPC committee. Because work planning and control is a high priority for SLAC, the WPC committee recommended some interim steps to provide immediate work controls and safety measures for planned work.

First on the group's list was to "assure staff, through the line management chain of authority, that senior SLAC management is committed to putting work planning and safety ahead of schedule." This column is the first of many such assurances you will have from me and the Associate Laboratory Directors.

The committee observed, in private comments to me, that currently "work planning, including integration of safety, isn't required to happen early enough in the process to be adequately implemented at the activity level; .... Many don't know what is required to properly plan the work; and there are few consequences for not planning the work properly." Read more...

Director of Indian Lab Visits SLAC to Sign MOU

by Kelen Tuttle

Vinod Sahni, Director of India's Centre for Advanced Technology, signs an agreement with Persis Drell.

Last Monday, Vinod Sahni, Director of the Centre for Advanced Technology in Indore, India, visited SLAC with Fermilab's Shekhar Mishra to sign an agreement with Laboratory Director Persis Drell.

The agreement is an addendum to a preexisting Memorandum of Understanding between U.S. and Indian universities and accelerator laboratories that specifies collaborative activities on accelerator R&D and high energy physics projects. As a result of the addendum, SLAC and Indian institutions will work together to further develop a beam dump design and prototypes for the International Linear Collider (ILC). Additionally, Indian institutions will work with both SLAC and Fermilab to develop an ILC radio frequency unit.

The addendum specifies collaborative activities between SLAC and four Indian laboratories: the Raja Ramanna Center of Advanced Technologies, the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, the Variable Energy Cyclotron Center and the Inter University Accelerator Center.

Word of the Week:
"Superconductivity"

by Brad Plummer

Superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon wherein a material loses all electrical resistance, typically at very low temperatures. Fermilab's Tevatron and CERN's Large Hadron Collider use superconducting magnets, cooled with liquid helium, which consume a fraction of the power they would at normal temperatures. Superconductivity occurs in a variety of materials, such as tin and aluminum, although most of those materials have a critical temperature too low to be of much commercial interest.

Don't Forget the
Holiday Giving Drives

by Kelen Tuttle

(Photo - present) For the past month, barrels and boxes scattered across the lab have slowly begun to fill with canned food, warm coats and blankets. But local residents and families still need your help. Tuesday, December 18 is the last day to add your contribution to the Second Harvest Food Drive and Thursday, December 20 is your last chance to donate to the SLAC Blanket and Coat Drive.

The SLAC Community is also showing its generosity this year by participating in the Family Giving Tree. If you picked up a Wish Card from the Family Giving Tree, please don't forget to drop off your gift today. The Family Giving Tree campaign ends this evening.

Thanks for giving!

Events (see all | submit)

December 14: (12:30 p.m.) Theory Seminar: Antenna Signals from the Hidden Valley

Access (see all)

Announcements
(see all | submit)

Lab Announcements

Community Bulletin Board

News (see all | submit)

Rolf-Dieter Heuer to be New CERN Director General Interactions.org
Directors Update: STFC Report ILC NewsLine

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View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.

From the Director: Plan It Right or Don't Do It! Persis Drell by Persis Drell Over the past months, a dedicated group led by Karen Fant has been developing new tools and training to improve the work planning and control process (WPC) on the site. We need this. Good work planning is essential for both quality and safety. It will take time to fully implement the recommendations of the WPC committee. Because work planning and control is a high priority for SLAC, the WPC committee recommended some interim steps to provide immediate work controls and safety measures for planned work. First on the group's list was to "assure staff, through the line management chain of authority, that senior SLAC management is committed to putting work planning and safety ahead of schedule." This column is the first of many such assurances you will have from me and the Associate Laboratory Directors. The committee observed, in private comments to me, that currently "work planning, including integration of safety, isn't required to happen early enough in the process to be adequately implemented at the activity level; .... Many don't know what is required to properly plan the work; and there are few consequences for not planning the work properly." Read more...

Director of Indian Lab Visits SLAC to Sign MOU by Kelen Tuttle Vinod Sahni, Director of India's Centre for Advanced Technology, signs an agreement with Persis Drell. Last Monday, Vinod Sahni, Director of the Centre for Advanced Technology in Indore, India, visited SLAC with Fermilab's Shekhar Mishra to sign an agreement with Laboratory Director Persis Drell. The agreement is an addendum to a preexisting Memorandum of Understanding between U.S. and Indian universities and accelerator laboratories that specifies collaborative activities on accelerator R&D and high energy physics projects. As a result of the addendum, SLAC and Indian institutions will work together to further develop a beam dump design and prototypes for the International Linear Collider (ILC). Additionally, Indian institutions will work with both SLAC and Fermilab to develop an ILC radio frequency unit. The addendum specifies collaborative activities between SLAC and four Indian laboratories: the Raja Ramanna Center of Advanced Technologies, the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, the Variable Energy Cyclotron Center and the Inter University Accelerator Center.	Word of the Week: "Superconductivity" by Brad Plummer Superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon wherein a material loses all electrical resistance, typically at very low temperatures. Fermilab's Tevatron and CERN's Large Hadron Collider use superconducting magnets, cooled with liquid helium, which consume a fraction of the power they would at normal temperatures. Superconductivity occurs in a variety of materials, such as tin and aluminum, although most of those materials have a critical temperature too low to be of much commercial interest. Don't Forget the Holiday Giving Drives by Kelen Tuttle For the past month, barrels and boxes scattered across the lab have slowly begun to fill with canned food, warm coats and blankets. But local residents and families still need your help. Tuesday, December 18 is the last day to add your contribution to the Second Harvest Food Drive and Thursday, December 20 is your last chance to donate to the SLAC Blanket and Coat Drive. The SLAC Community is also showing its generosity this year by participating in the Family Giving Tree. If you picked up a Wish Card from the Family Giving Tree, please don't forget to drop off your gift today. The Family Giving Tree campaign ends this evening. Thanks for giving!	Events (see all \| submit) December 14: (12:30 p.m.) Theory Seminar: Antenna Signals from the Hidden Valley Access (see all) South side of Gallery Road closed at Sector 26 on Monday Construction on Building 28 and excavation from Building 50 during shutdown Construction for seismic upgrade of Building 50 Alpine Gate & PEP Ring Road closed Gates 17 & 30 open 24-7 Research Yard bisected Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements SLAC Holiday Party - December 19 Revised Winter Shutdown Schedule Community Bulletin Board Spare the Air in the Bay Area tonight (Friday) Registration begins for Stanford Learning & Development classes Registration begins for HIP classes Second Harvest Food Drive Coat and Blanket Drive Family Giving Tree Campaign News (see all \| submit) Rolf-Dieter Heuer to be New CERN Director General Interactions.org Directors Update: STFC Report ILC NewsLine
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	Friday - December 14, 2007