Research Update Newsletter
From UChicago Argonne, LLC
October 3, 2006
This Month in Research Update:
- Office of the Vice President for Research & Argonne National Laboratory (OVPRANL) News
- UChicago Argonne, LLC contract begins
- Thomas Rosenbaum to be next Provost of University of Chicago
- Howard T. Ricketts Regional Biocontainment Laboratory enters operational planning and construction phase
- JTI appoints new board
- Events
- Civic dinner welcomed new University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer
- Surprising clues to mysteries of universe is subject of Compton lecture series
- University October Event Highlights
- Research in the News
- $3.5 Million NSF grant launches Spatial Intelligence Learning Center
- Fermilab discovers rate of powerful particle
- Molecular medicine comes to the rescue: targeted therapy turns life around for child with neonatal diabetes
- Study adds to links between sleep loss and diabetes
- For super-obese patients, duodenal switch beats gastric bypass
OVPRANL News
UChicago Argonne, LLC contract begins
On October 1, 2006 UChicago Argonne, LLC began its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage and operate Argonne National Laboratory wrapping up a 60-day transition period on the part of Argonne employees.
“This is an exciting time for the University and for Argonne,” said Thomas F. Rosenbaum, Vice President for Research and for Argonne and CEO of UChicago Argonne, LLC. “The incredibly talented people at Argonne, complemented by our industrial and academic partners, have extraordinary potential to solve some of the nation’s most important problems.”
Transition included moving Argonne employees from the University of Chicago’s to UChicago Argonne, LLC’s payroll. A detailed work breakdown structure was created and included over 100 items and 15 areas impacted by the transition ranging from human resources, business and financial management, to information technology and nuclear operations.
“Transition activities were well coordinated between the transition team leads, the incumbent transition task managers and the Argonne site office transition team,” said Bo Arnold, ALD, Argonne Operations and Business Management [and former Transition Manager]. “That resulted in a very smooth transition.”
In an effort to inform the public about its new role as manager and operator of Argonne National Laboratory, UChicago Argonne, LLC launched a new website and print advertising campaign last month. The website, www.uchicagoargonnellc.org, provides detailed information about the organization, its leadership and structure and includes a detailed frequently asked questions section. The print ad announced the formation of the new LLC partnership with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. and BWX Technologies, Inc. It ran in the September issues of National Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Energy, Science Magazine and R&D Magazine. Click here to view the ad.
Thomas Rosenbaum to be next Provost of University of Chicago
University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer has chosen Thomas Rosenbaum as the next provost of the University. Rosenbaum has served as the University’s Vice President for Research and for National Laboratories since July 2002. He will become the University’s second-ranking officer effective Jan. 1, 2007. These top two ranking University officials know and value the Laboratory having both held the position of Vice President for Research and for National Laboratories in successive terms.
Rosenbaum succeeds Richard Saller, the Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor, who will return to the faculty after completing his current five-year term as provost in December. Full story.
Howard T. Ricketts Regional Biocontainment Laboratory enters operational planning and construction phase
Fences have been erected, the site has been cleared and utility installation is underway for the Howard T. Ricketts Regional Biocontainment Laboratory slated for completion in February 2008. Turner Construction won the contract to build the laboratory last June. With construction volume of $7 billion in 2005, Turner ranks first or second in major segments of the construction industry. Turner maintains a nationwide network of offices and a staff of more than 5,000 employees, performing work on over 1,500 projects each year. Turner Logistics will coordinate large equipment purchases.
The RBL Coordination Committee which includes representatives from University of Chicago, the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory meets monthly to oversee operational planning and coordinate construction. The committee is currently working to develop operational procedures, emergency plans, a training program and communication plans including the establishment of an HTRL Community Liaison Committee to promote information exchange between HTRL and its neighbors at Argonne, DuPage County, Chicago and the rest of the Great Lakes region.
"The Community Liaison Committee offers a terrific opportunity for community members to get involved and to learn more about plans for Ricketts,” said Debra Anderson, Associate Director, Great Lakes Regional Center of Excellence. “Through this committee, we'll be updating community members regularly about the laboratory as well as opportunities for learning more about infectious diseases and public health preparedness. Solicitations for Committee volunteers will begin later this month."
If you are interested in participating in the Community Liaison Committee, please contact Debra at danders1@bsd.uchicago.edu.
A Cornerstone Ceremony for the building is expected to occur this fall; the date and time are to be determined. For more information on the new laboratory, please click here.
Joint Theory Institute appoints new board
The Joint Theory Institute (JTI) a new, multi-disciplinary research institution dedicated to solving the toughest problems in theory of condensed matter, chemistry, high energy physics, nuclear physics and interdisciplinary topics involving nanoscience, biology, economics, engineering and computing, has announced the formation of a new board whose responsibilities include approving the charter for the institute, overseeing the call for proposals, and evaluating and deciding which proposals will be funded.
The new board members include:
- Karl Freed, Professor, Chemistry, University of Chicago
- Ilya Gruzberg, Assistant Professor, Physics, James Franck Institute, University of Chicago
- Mike Norman, Senior Physicist, Group Leader, Materials Science Division, Argonne
- Craig Roberts, Senior Physicist-Chief Theoretical Nuclear Physics Group, Physics Division, Argonne
- Stephen Gray, Senior Chemist (Theoretical Chemistry), Center for Nanoscale Materials and Chemistry Division, Argonne
- Savdeep Sethi, Associate Professor, Dept. of Physics, Enrico Fermi Institute and the College, University of Chicago
Now that the new board is in place, a call for proposals is expected within the next few weeks.
Events
Civic dinner welcomed new University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer
More than 800 government, business, community and higher education leaders attended a dinner on September 14 honoring the return of Robert J. Zimmer to Chicago, where in July he became the 13th President of the University of Chicago. The invitation-only evening in the Grand Ballroom on Navy Pier began with cocktails and was followed by dinner and a speech by Zimmer.
Zimmer, 58, returns to Chicago from Brown University where he served as provost since 2002. Prior to his position at Brown, Zimmer was a University of Chicago faculty member and administrator for more than two decades, serving as Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Deputy Provost and Vice President for Research and for National Laboratories.
Surprising clues to mysteries of universe is subject of Compton lecture series
Eight lectures at the University of Chicago will give individuals who are interested in new scientific discoveries a look into the surprising places experimental physicists often explore to attain a more complete understanding of the laws of nature.
"Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe: Looking for Clues in Surprising Places," is the title of this year's Arthur Holly Compton Lectures, sponsored each spring and fall by the University's Enrico Fermi Institute. The 64th series of these public lectures will begin Saturday, Sept. 23, and will be held each Saturday through Nov. 11. The lectures will be given from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 106 of the Kersten Physics Teaching Center, 5720 S. Ellis Ave. As with all Compton lectures, they are intended to make science accessible to a general audience and to convey the excitement of new discoveries in the physical sciences.
Delivering the lectures will be Brian Odom, Research Associate in the Enrico Fermi Institute and also a Fellow in the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University. Odom will discuss topics including how physicists go deep underground to look for yet undiscovered particles believed to compose the bulk of the universe's mass; how they study atoms caught in laboratory traps in hopes of understanding the origins of matter in the big bang; and how they probe gravity at tiny distances in order to shed light on nature's strange behavior on the huge length scales of the universe.
Odom received his B.S. in physics with honors from Stanford University. He then attended Harvard University, where he received his A.M. and Ph.D. in physics.
A former physicist at the University, Compton is best known for demonstrating that light has the characteristics of both a wave and a particle. He organized the effort to produce plutonium for the atomic bomb and directed the Metallurgical Laboratory Chicago, where Fermi and his colleagues produced the first controlled, nuclear chain reaction in 1942.
For more information about this free lecture series, call (773) 702-7823.
University October Event Highlights:
- Smart Museum of Art: Adrian Piper: The Mythic Being., Saturday, Sept. 16 through Sunday Dec. 10, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave., http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu. 702-0200. In 1973, Adrian Piper created an alter-ego, the Mythic Being, who became the basis of a pioneering series of performances and photo-based works. Piper—a light-skinned woman of mixed racial heritage—transformed herself into the Mythic Being by donning an Afro wig, sunglasses and mustache and adopting behavior conventionally identified as masculine. In the process, she transformed the conceptual art practices common in the period, infusing them with strong personal and political content. This exhibition gathers together works from all facets of the Mythic Being project, including major work from the Smart Museum’s collection and selections from the Adrian Piper Research Archive, some of which document private performances of the Mythic Being never before publicly presented.
- The Renaissance Society: Avery Preesman, Sunday, Sept. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 29, Cobb Hall, 5811 S. Ellis Ave., 4th Floor, http://renaissancesociety.org. 702-8670. Preesman’s sculptures and paintings display a formalism that is architectural in its reverence for structure and archaeological in the handling of materials. His wall-mounted, plaster-caked cage forms and painterly grid-based abstractions are suffused with nostalgia for a modernism that is aging with soul if not grace. In addition to exhibiting several recent paintings and sculptures, Preesman will create two major site-specific works that engage the gallery’s floor and windows.
- Special Collections Research Center: Printing for the Modern Age: Commerce, Craft and Culture in the RR Donnelley Archive, Friday Sept. 15, through Monday, Feb. 12, Joseph Regenstein Library, 1100 E. 57th St. From the time of its founding in Chicago in 1864, R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company has established a strong reputation as an innovative leader in all fields of the modern commercial printing industry. This exhibition explores the enormous impact of printing technology and printed products on modern life by drawing on the rich content of the RR Donnelley corporate archive, which was presented as a gift to the University of Chicago in 2005. The Archive offers great research potential for students and scholars in modern social and cultural history, the history of printing and the graphic arts.
- Court Theatre: Raisin, Thursday Sept. 14, through Sunday, Oct. 22, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. (773) 753-4472, http://www.courttheatre.org. The Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry landmark classic comes home to the South Side. Director Charles Newell and Music Director Doug Peck will reunite for the first time since last season’s hit revisionist Man of La Mancha to bring this exuberant and powerful musical to the Court stage. The story of a black family in Chicago on the cusp of the civil rights movement, their desire for the American dream leads them to discover the true meaning of love, courage and honor. The musical garnered nine Tony Award nominations and won Best Musical of 1974.
Research in the News
$3.5 Million NSF grant launches Spatial Intelligence Learning Center
The Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC) which brings together scientists and educators from Temple University, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Chicago Public Schools, recently received a $3.5 million grant from National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of its Science and Learning Centers Program (SLC). The SLC offers awards for large-scale, long-term centers that will extend the frontiers of knowledge on learning of all types and create the intellectual, organizational, and physical infrastructure needed for the long-term advancement of learning research. The initial award is for the first two years. The NSF, with input from peer reviewers, will then decide whether to fund an additional $12 million over the next three years. The grant could then be renewed for another $20 million over the following five years.
The funding will enable SILC to pursue its overarching goal of understanding spatial learning and using this knowledge to develop programs and technologies that will transform educational practice and support the capability of all children and adolescents to develop the skills required to compete in a global economy.
The consortium of researchers involved in the SILC includes individuals from cognitive science, psychology, computer science, education, and neuroscience, as well as practicing geoscientists and engineers who are particularly interested in spatial thinking in their fields, and teachers in the Chicago Public Schools. University Department of Psychology researchers involved in the center include: Susan Levine, Co-PI, Professor and Program Chair for Developmental Psychology; Susan Goldin-Meadow, Beardsley Ruml Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology; Janellen Huttenlocher, William S. Gray Professor of Psychology; and Terry Regier, Associate Professor of Psychology.
“This center offers an exciting opportunity to increase our understanding of how spatial skills develop, how these skills can be enhanced through instruction, and how they relate to achievement in mathematics and science,” says Levine. “This spatial domain is one that is ripe for a concerted, interdisciplinary research effort. At the University, the center will promote interactions among scientists approaching these issues from the perspectives of cognitive science, child development, and education.”
Spatial thinking is a key theoretical issue in cognitive science, as well as a critically important aspect of problem solving in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Spatial intelligence allows individuals to encode and transform information about objects and their location to find their way in the world and perform technical activities such as tool making. It also provides the foundation for a wide range of reasoning and communication skills, as varied as the design of buildings, the solution of mathematics problems, and the use of spatial metaphor in mental models of complex domains.
SILC research activities are aimed to provide knowledge that can increase levels of spatial functioning, as well as reduce gender and socio-economic differences in spatial functioning. The broader impacts of SILC include the production of a new sketch understanding system (to be called CogSketch) that can support new modes of teaching, the production of a new assessment battery to assess spatial skills as they develop in preschool and elementary school, the design of curricular enhancements to enrich spatial content in teaching children from three to 10 years of age, and the development of more powerful methods for teaching geoscience and engineering that may be broadly applicable to other STEM disciplines.
SILC also includes cross-disciplinary training opportunities that span the educational spectrum from high school students to junior scientists; outreach to pre-service and in-service teachers in the form of conferences and summer workshops; interfaces with university teaching in the STEM disciplines; hosting of scientific conferences; visiting scientist programs of international scope; and, partnerships with children’s and science museums.
For more information about the SILC, click here.
Fermilab discovers matter-antimatter transition rate of powerful particle
Scientists at Fermilab recently determined that a subatomic particle known as the “B sub s” meson switches between matter and antimatter states at a mind-boggling rate of 3 trillion times per second. This brings us closer to understanding our universe but still leaves the outstanding question: why is there now so little antimatter in the universe? This is perplexing because it is believed that there were a similar number of matter and anti-matter particles when the universe was formed at the Big Bang.
“We are very excited about this observation after pursuing it for two decades,” said Young-Kee Kim, Professor, Department of Physics and the Enrico Fermi Institute and Deputy Director of Fermilab. “We are still looking to other areas for more clues for understanding the universe. We are not there yet and many challenges are ahead of us. We love the challenges and are excited about the prospect of making a great discovery and solving this mystery.”
Click here to read the Chicago Tribune’s recent story about this discovery.
Molecular medicine comes to the rescue: Targeted therapy turns life around for child with neonatal diabetes
On Monday, August 14, Lilly Jaffe, a six-year-old North Shore suburban girl who had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was one month old, checked into the Clinical Research Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center. On Friday, August 18, she checked out, starting to make her own insulin, well on her way to insulin independence and ready to get in a few days of beach time in Michigan before starting first grade. Full story.
Study adds to links between sleep loss and diabetes
Short or poor quality sleep is associated with reduced control of blood-sugar levels in African Americans with diabetes, report researchers from the University of Chicago in the Sept. 18, 2006, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The finding suggests that one inexpensive way to improve the health of patients with type 2 diabetes might be to improve the duration and quality of their sleep. Full story.
For super-obese patients, duodenal switch beats gastric bypass
In the first large, single-institution series directly comparing weight-loss outcomes in super-obese patients, researchers from the University of Chicago found that a newer operation, the duodenal switch, produced substantially better weight-loss outcomes than the standard operation, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Full story.
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