Happy Veterans Day
November 11, 2023
Click here for a message from the VA about Veterans Day.
Memo sent on November 9, 2023 from Laboratory Director, Paul Kearns
Colleagues,
Veterans Day falls on Saturday this year, and I encourage everyone to thank our veterans and find a moment to consider the significance of this holiday. Veterans are our colleagues, collaborators, family members, and friends. Their service and sacrifices parallel our mission’s dedication to American security and prosperity. Our veterans contribute to the diversity of our lab, and we would be a lesser institution without them.
More than 165 of our employees are veterans. Many of them are part of our Argonne Veterans employee resource group (ERG), which enriches our lab community with many outreach activities.
Thanks to their leadership, last month, we hosted a veterans resume-writing workshop, which brought over 30 local veterans to our Lemont campus. The ERG and Human Resource Services staff helped the vets refine their job search strategies, documents, and interviewing skills. Interim Deputy Lab Director for Operations and Chief Operations Officer Karen Hellman addressed our guests and told me that the event was a big success. This community outreach will help us further build our world-class community of talent.
Argonne connects with veterans in many other ways, not all of which are well-known. For several years, the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility has collaborated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on MVP-CHAMPION (Million Veteran Program Computational Health Analytics for Medical Precision to Improve Outcomes Now). This program leverages our supercomputers to crunch massive amounts of veteran health care data to improve outcomes and reduce costs.
Other research areas support active-duty members who will one day become veterans. The Nonproliferation Research, Analysis and Engagement group provides technical expertise for nuclear nonproliferation to safeguard materials, equipment, and technology. At the same time, the National and Cyber Security Information Sciences group is advancing cybersecurity to keep infrastructure running smoothly and the military operating effectively. These are only two examples of our various projects for the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Our freedom to experiment as a society and as scientists — to evolve established assumptions, invent novel approaches, and apply cutting-edge ideas — are protected by the U.S. Constitution and the veterans who have sworn to support and defend it. Just recently, our Veterans ERG recorded a reading of the Constitution’s Preamble. It’s an encouraging reminder of the values of the Enlightenment movement that the framers brought to the Constitution and that continue to inspire us to this day.
Please listen to the recording. It prompted this reflection and my great appreciation. I again encourage all of us to thank those who served in our military.
