Y-12 Blog
Michael Lovelady,
Y-12 Mission Engineering
See something? Take action. That’s what Michael Lovelady of Y-12 Mission Engineering did on a trip to work last fall.
Whatever you do, don’t call him a hero.
Michael Lovelady, Y-12 Mission Engineering, was on his way to work this fall when he saw a massive fireball explode over the trees in the dark, early morning sky. He knew from the color that it wasn’t a transformer blowing.
He immediately stopped at the scene to see if he could help. An Army combat medic for 12 years, Lovelady is a man used to heading toward danger rather than away from it. To him, that’s not anything special.
“I’m just someone who pitches in to get something done,” he said. “You just do what you need to do.”
When he arrived at the house, he said, “[It was] completely destroyed. There was absolutely nothing standing. Even what was once a fireplace was gone. Just a total debris field. There were some embers but no flames.”
A police officer arrived, and Lovelady joined him in a search of the property.
“When we went around back, we saw this man in his 20s standing in the middle of what was left of his house,” Lovelady said. “He was wearing just shorts that were half blown off, with burns, and asking what happened.”
Lovelady led the injured man to the front road to wait for the fire department paramedics while the officer continued searching.
“The man was in complete shock, so I kept him calm and assisted the fire department EMT in tending to his injuries.” Lovelady said. “A couple minutes later, the man asked, ‘Where’s my partner?’, and I realized there may be someone else who needs help.”
Luckily, no other person was in the house. (Sadly, however, a cat did not survive.) The man’s partner arrived with the injured man’s parents, who heard the explosion a little farther down the street. The injured man is recovering. While authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion, an issue with a propane gas tank has been identified.
“It’s not a matter of if will I do something. I’m already involved. My body just reacts; it’s already in motion,” Lovelady explained.
Lovelady has always helped others. As an Eagle Scout, Lovelady was awarded the Honor Medal “for unusual heroism in saving a … life at considerable risk to self” when he rescued a young girl from drowning in a fast running river. He and his father volunteered many times during recovery efforts after hurricanes hit Louisiana’s coastal areas. Right after 9/11, he was non-commissioned officer in charge of night shift operations in New Orleans; and, as a sergeant in Iraq, he led an immediate response team that triaged and evacuated personnel from initial scenes to higher medical care facilities.
After returning home, Lovelady used his experiences to invent a medical triage tagging system. He filed a patent; and in 2014, Y-12 filed for two more patents for tools and safety devices under his name. Lovelady recently was recognized with a Technology Transfer Support Award for 2019 in recognition of his contribution to technology promotion and licensing.
And given his rescue assistance during the more recent house explosion, “just doing what you need to do” continues for Lovelady.
“I just think it’s how you are; either you’ve got it in you to run toward something or you don’t. I really don’t have a choice to help or not,” he said. “You just try to put order in the chaos.”
Paul Beckman,
Chief Information Security Officer
With peaked interest surrounding the coronavirus vaccine, cybercriminals are determined to exploit our feelings or anticipation in the form of social engineering. Reports have shown cyber threat actors baiting potential victims with vaccine-themed scams.
Examples of these scams include phishing emails holding varying subject lines that may reference surveys, information about vaccine coverage, locations to receive the vaccine, ways to reserve a vaccine, and vaccine requirements. Additionally, malicious links or attachments included in these phishing campaigns may impersonate familiar and trusted entities or brands.
You are the first line of defense in protecting your digital resources. In building your guard, it is important to be vigilant of the signs of cyber threats, keep a questioning attitude, and remain aware of protective criteria.
- Never open an email or hyperlink from an unknown sender.
- Be wary of unknown phone calls or robocalls that claim you have a problem, request financial information, or offer help. Most companies do not call users to notify you of a problem or to verify your financial data.
- If you’ve received a hyperlink that seems suspicious, hover your mouse over the link to view the link’s web address and verify that it isn’t directing you to a different or unknown website.
- Avoid clicking on pop-up messages or hyperlinks out of curiosity involving controversial topics. Hackers take advantage of people’s emotional decisions and often use curiosity as a tactic.
Learn something new about Bill Tindal, CNS’s chief operating officer.
Take 5 minutes and learn more about Bill Tindal, CNS’s chief operating officer.
When Bill Tindal joined Y-12 in 1995, being the chief operating officer for the management and operating contractor that now manages two sites and has about 10,000 employees didn’t even cross his mind.
“There are many times I thought I had reached the pinnacle of my career,” Tindal said. “When I look back on my roles, I would have been happy with several of those being my top stop — being the production manager of Building 9212 or being the vice president of production.”
During his 25 years, he’s grown along the way and keeps those lessons learned close at hand. “I think with each role I’ve had, I understand a little more that we all have important work to do. In my early days, I always thought the most important work being done on site was what I was doing, but then as I learned about the amazing work being done in other areas and organizations, I began to see how each role contributes a piece to the puzzle. I realized I was playing a small role in a much bigger picture.”
This sentiment — that every one of us has a role that contributes to the national security mission — is something Tindal has always been vocal about and something he wants everyone to appreciate.
“Through my experience, I have learned there are no unimportant jobs at either site. They are all important,” he said. “If one doesn’t work properly, it affects another group, which affects another, and so on. Pantex and Y-12 are part of an even larger whole, and we all have to do our part for the Nuclear Security Enterprise to be successful.”
Tindal said we often feel as if our piece is the most important part, but without all sites within the NSE working together, we wouldn’t accomplish the National Nuclear Security Administration’s goals.
“Asking for help and recognizing I don’t have all the answers is important,” Tindal said. “There are a lot of great people at Pantex and Y-12. Be humble, and ask for help when you don’t understand. If you really care about mission success, you have to stop and make sure you understand what people mean, especially when going into a new position.”
As COO, Tindal now travels to Pantex and has learned (and continues to learn) more about its missions and people.
“One thing that is different is each site’s lingo, but I’m improving,” he said. “One constant at both sites is the quality of the people. All are passionate and willing to help. Pantexans have the same passion and interaction that Y-12 employees have. I’ve always felt at home at either site.”
What advice would you give to your 1995, new hire, self?
What may feel like an immense challenge is really an opportunity to gain experience. Challenges (readiness reviews, frustrations with equipment) may be frustrating, but recognize that doing the right thing is rarely the easiest path.
What advice would you offer to someone who is starting their career?
Don’t be afraid to ask why. Ask why and how your job fits into mission success.
Don’t be afraid to fail. Each bad day turns out to be something we learn from. In my office, I have a bookshelf where I have mementos that remind me of lessons learned from risks or challenges we’ve faced. One of those items is a piece of quartz glass that was part of the first microwave project. We learned several things during that project, and the trinkets on my shelf remind me of the good and bad days.
What’s your top bucket list item and why?
When I retire and COVID is behind us, my wife and I want to complete the Great Loop. We hope to take a year to complete the 6,000-mile continuous boat route of connected waterways that allow you to boat completely around the eastern United States, starting in Tennessee.
With technology essential to our daily lives, cybersecurity education is increasingly growing
From cracking textbooks open to cracking codes, cybersecurity is entering the halls of secondary education in East Tennessee. In expanding cybersecurity knowledge beyond the sites, CNS Chief Information Security Officer Paul Beckman virtually met with 25 students from Bearden High School’s Cybersecurity 1 class, led by Timothy Cathcart, Ph.D., to present his professional insight in the digital world.
With more than 20 years in the industry, Beckman shared his background, life lessons, and experience with the class. Beginning his civil service career with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2005, Beckman joined CNS in March and emphasized the gravity of ensuring cybersecurity for the CNS mission and the importance of cybersecurity in industries nationwide.
“What was traditionally considered just internet security has now become everything security,” Beckman said. “Whether it’s our phones, refrigerators, or vehicles, everything is becoming a computer, which increases our exposure to cyber risk; thus, the need to implement effective cybersecurity protections is no longer reserved to just our desktops.”
Beckman shared how his background and degree in psychology have translated to the cybersecurity industry - especially when it comes to assessing risk probability.
“Whether we realize it or not, it’s in our nature as human beings to continuously assess risk hundreds of times a day, and often times we get it wrong due to shortcuts our brains take called heuristics,” Beckman said. “From a psychology standpoint for example, we typically assess risks as being lower when they are within our direct control. These are the everyday risks like driving a car. Conversely, we tend to assess risks as being higher for things that we feel are out of our control, such as flying or riding as a passenger in a car. With cyber risks, we have to be cognizant of these inaccurate shortcuts our brains take and ensure we accurately and objectively assess the risks posed against our assets,” he said.
Meanwhile, as we continue to exponentially evolve in the digital era, Beckman recognized what it means for future growth and challenges in the cyber industry. In reference to Moore’s Law, which suggests that the speed and capability of our computers will double every two years with decreased costs, underscores the growing threat and signifies the importance of having cybersecurity professionals and skills to serve the demand.
“There is still by far a negative unemployment ratio in the cybersecurity industry. There are more cybersecurity jobs out there than there are people to fill them,” Beckman said.
Setting the stage to meet that need, Cathcart’s students are learning the basic concepts of cybersecurity with an emphasis on integration, application, practices, devices, and ethics. In addition to concepts, students are able to demonstrate how to implement cybersecurity features within a networking system and how to protect network information.
To those potential future minds of the cybersecurity industry, Beckman noted the importance of being fluent in cyber and overall information technology principles. However, when asked what he looks for in a future cyber professional or candidate, it’s having a learning mindset that thinks of ways to find solutions.
“We have the responsibility to encourage and inspire our youth to pursue the industry and become the next generation of information security professionals,” Beckman said. “No two days are the same in cybersecurity, and our adversaries are always adapting their tactics to our defenses, requiring that we have the strongest and brightest workforce to help defend against those adversaries.”
Beckman’s time with the Bearden students is just one example of how CNS is working to connect with young people who could eventually be part of the workforce. “The ability to make an impact and support the development of future professionals by pairing our experts with opportunities to share their knowledge is critical to our education community,” said CNS Education Outreach Specialist Kristin Waldschlager.
Executive director of Compassion Counseling Lakshmie Napagoda interacts with a client.
In days when we could all use a little compassion, Compassion Counseling in Maryville has been working diligently to help those with mental illness break the cycles of abuse and incarceration and retain employment.
With closures, quarantines, and economic uncertainty, the COVID-19 pandemic has made most of us feel a little frayed around the edges. For individuals with mental illness, that level of stress can easily reach the breaking point.
According to Lakshmie Napagoda, RGS, LCSW, executive director of Compassion Counseling, many families are caught in a vicious cycle of abuse, incarceration, and unemployment. She said, “Those who are able to find employment after incarceration often work in stressful settings. As a result, life stressors continue to add up.”
Grant vital during shutdown
Compassion Counseling received a grant from Consolidated Nuclear Security’s Community Investment Fund to provide clinical and educational services to those stuck in the cycle of abuse and incarceration. Unfortunately, those plans had to be modified because of the pandemic.
“Having the grant was especially helpful during the pandemic when our fundraising options were limited,” noted Napagoda. The challenge became delivering the counseling from a distance.
The program switched to telehealth, which was not without problems. Many of the Blount and Sevier County clients were not keen on the virtual sessions, and confidentiality concerns and slow internet speeds further exacerbated the problem.
Delivering counseling post-shutdown
Compassion Counseling’s program is driven by referrals from various sources, including the Blount Justice Center and the Blount County Probation Office. “As soon as the shutdown lifted, we received multiple calls from people arrested for domestic assault and those needing stress and anger management classes” said Napagoda.
With the influx of referrals, they still had to work with the social distancing restrictions, and their space wasn’t large enough. Fortunately, they were able to use a larger space in the building where they are located. By providing two sessions, they were able to accommodate 25 clients. Through the Community Investment Fund grant, they have been able to counsel 53 clients through group therapy and anger management sessions.
From resentment to acceptance
Court-ordered therapy often comes with resistance. According to Napagoda, acknowledging that resistance is the first step. The goal is for them to acknowledge that they played a role in their situation, realize that they need to make better choices, and hopefully develop some resilience to break the cycle.
“Anger seems give some people a sense of power,” noted Napagoda. “We try to explore causes of that anger to help people develop new behaviors.”
It’s hard work - for the therapists and the clients - but there are rewards. Suicidal clients finding a silver lining, a client finding a job after being fired for accosting a customer, and another developing an emotional connection that he’d never had before are just some of the examples of the real differences counseling can make on lives. Those are the outcomes in which Compassion Counseling is investing.
Visit Compassion Counseling’s website for more information about their services.