Administrative Newsletter On-Line 
August 1999 Article Archives 

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Travel: Car Rental Insurance Employees/non-employees Traveling for Aura Business

The following information will be printed on the bottom of the invoice that will be enclosed with your airline tickets. In addition, instructions on what to do in case of an accident will also be included.

Domestic Rentals - Continental U.S. and Alaska

Make sure you notify car rental company that you representing "AURA"

Decline all optional insurance coverage

Hawaii Rentals *

Make sure you notify car rental company that you're representing "AURA"

Decline all optional insurance coverage

Foreign Rentals

Make sure you notify car rental company that you representing "AURA"

Accept Liability (where applicable) and Physical Damage coverage (Collision Damage Waiver - CDW)

(Note - liability insurance is most often covered in the rental rate for European car rentals)

* National Car Rental is the only company that will allow its rentals to be taken on Saddle Road on the big island of Hawaii. Reservations must always be made under National Corporate Discount # 5130352.

If you have further questions in reference to this policy, please contact Jill Jennings or Megan Andrysiak at extension 2620.

Travel: Corporate Discount Numbers

Corporate Discount Numbers

Avis L163935

Thrifty 0010214090

Holiday Inn 100858530

Ramada 930143

Choice Hotels 00704241
(Comfort, Clarion, Sleep, Quality, Rodeway, Econo Lodge, MainStay)

Also, the Travel Office maintains a large collection of travel brochures and information for most U.S. states, Canada and Europe. This information includes state maps, vacation planners and some specific city information. If you need any of this information, please contact the Travel Office at extension 2620 or by email (jennings or andry).

Travel: Car Rentals - Credit Cards Needed

Staff Support: Security Reminder

If you have no means of securing your valuables, you should contact Staff Support Services for assistance.

Jim Jones

Sky Events: Telescope Making

One of the most satisfying pursuits is the manufacture of your homemade telescope's optics. There's nothing like seeing that first image of the lunar highlands with your half polished unaluminized mirror. If you are interested in making your own telescope, have a look at some of the websites listed here:

http://www.skypub.com/resources/links/links.shtml#atm

AURA Employee Notes

Ellen Ambrose joined the Institute as Procurement Manager in the Administration Division/Finance Branch on July 12, 1999. Ellen was formerly Contracts Manager at Orbital Sciences Corporation in Linthicum, MD.

Alessandra Aliosi joined the Institute as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Research Programs Office on July 1, 1999. Alessandra received her Ph.D at Universita di Bologna in January 1999.

Donald Figer joined the Institute as an Assistant Astronomer in the Science Support Division on July 1, 1999. Donald was an Assistant Research Astronomer at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA.

Congratulations to the following employee who has moved into a new position:

Gary Truslow assumed the position of Software Systems Engineer in the SESD/TNT on July 19, 1999.

We bid farewell to the following people who have left ST ScI and wish them success in their future endeavors:

Mike Shara, Astronomer/Lead, RPO, left the Institute on July 30, 1999.

Jennifer Wilson, Data Analyst I, SSD, left the Institute on July 12, 1999.

Hashima Hasan, former Project Instrument Scientist/ Associate Scientist, SSD, left the Institute on July 30, 1999.

Bruce Mayhew, Sr. Software System Engineer, SESD/ AT, left the Institute on July 9, 1999.

Gijs Verdoes, Graduate Student, RPO, left the Institute on July 2, 1999.

Health: Protect Your Joints

Conserve your energy.
Use adaptive equipment, such as mobility aids, large-handled utensils, or a raised toilet seat.

Use large joints.
Protect the smaller, more fragile joints in your fingers and wrists by using larger ones. For example, push a door open by leaning against it with your shoulder, instead of pushing it open with your hand and wrist.

Change positions often.
Avoid joint stiffness, muscle fatigue, and pain by changing position or stretching every half-hour or so.

Don't lift.
Lifting puts major stress on joints. Instead of lifting, try sliding objects along a surface.

Health: Fast Facts on Arthritis

Arthritis refers to more than 100 different diseases that cause pain, swelling, and limited movement in joints and connective tissue.

Among adults, more disability is caused by arthritis than by any other disease.

Arthritis affects more women than men.

Health: Forget Dieting! Try the Mirror

The lesson: Self-awareness causes people to think about food choices more carefully. Maybe it's time to put a mirror on the refrigerator door.

Home: Keep Your Computer Safe from Bugs

Don't take email from strangers. Although viruses can invade your computer just by opening an email, you can invite one in by opening an attachment. Unless you know where the attachment came from, don't open it.

Be careful when downloading files from the Internet. Most reliable sites will inform you that the files have been checked for viruses. If you don't see such an assurance, download the file onto a floppy disk and then check the disk for signs of virus.

Make sure everyone in your family follows the same safety precautions.

Scan all floppies for viruses. You're liable to infect your home computer if you take an infected disk home from the office—or vice versa.

Back up your files regularly.

Keep your anti-virus software updated. New viruses are constantly created, so your software needs to stay abreast.

Human Resources: Family Day 1999

Family Day Game Winners

How Many Words?
1st Katie Kriss

2nd Nick Paul

3rd Raymond Bennett

Word Search
1st Ebony Grant

2nd Chris Sherbert

3rd Julia Edwards

Bingo
Katie Kriss

Guess How Many Noodles?

Age 0-7
Jessica Schultz
Camilla Padovani

Age 8-18
Zach Hare

Age 19+
Paula Luppi

Family Day Drawing Winners

ERC – ST ScI Baseball Hat
Faith Abney
Sherrie Holfeltz

National Aquarium Tickets
Leyla Rutz

Baltimore Zoo Membership
Lauretta Nagel

Maryland Science Center Tickets
Gene Ryan

Fire Museum of Maryland Tickets
Robin Auer

Gift Certificate to the Hard Rock CafÈ
Carey Lisse

Port Discovery Tickets
Karen Harrison

Gift Certificate to the Polo Grill
Pam Bresnahan

Overnight Stay and Beach Bag for the Doubletree at the Colonnade
Meg Urry

We hope you enjoyed the day and extend a special thank you to our volunteers (Faith Abney, Janet Bafford, Teresa Bailey, Susan Boynton, Mary Brown, Sue Collinson, Karen Keidel, Tania Laguerre, Pat Momberger, Sandra Ramstrom, Peggy Randle, Gene Ryan, Jennifer Serrano, Conrad Sturch, and Mike Watterson), who helped make Family Day a success! In addition, a special thank you to the Family Day Committee (Sue Collinson, Karen Keidel, Peggy Randle, Sandra Ramstrom, and Jennifer Serrano), who coordinated the day's events.

Education: How to Study for a Test

Step back. When you find that your mind can't concentrate on the material you're studying, stop and sit back every five minutes or so. This helps you become more aware of when your mind wanders off or nervousness makes you unable to concentrate.

Take the "I" out of your fears. If you find yourself thinking about how nervous you feel about the test, step back again and examine your thoughts. Instead of saying, "I'm nervous I'll fail the test," say, "There's a feeling of nervousness about failing a test." This gives you mental space between you and your fear. Then, go back to studying.

Set aside time to worry. If your worries continue to resurface, give yourself a block of time—say 10 minutes after every hour of studying—to indulge the worry. Be sure you can keep the agreement with yourself.

Give it a break. If you find that you're really struggling with the study material, stop altogether. Go for a walk, get a cup of coffee, maybe even see a movie.

Talk to yourself. Students who talk out loud when they study retain four times more information than students who study silently.

Education: Making a Smooth Transition Back to School

1. Make sure kids are in bed at a reasonable hour on school nights.

2. Get your kids to school on time —every day.

3. Record all important school dates and events on a calendar.

4. Don't talk badly about your child's teacher in front of your child.

5. Make plans to be involved in the school and education of your child. That means regularly attending PTA meetings, looking at your child's homework every night, etc.