CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK 

Customer Service Week will be celebrated this year from 

October 3 - 7. This national event not only recognizes the 

importance of customer service by honoring the people on the front

lines who provide that service, but also offers us a great 

opportunity to thank you for your patronage and for your 

suggestions of ways in which we can improve our products and 

services to assist you in accomplishing your goals. As we enter 

Fiscal Year 2012, we look forward to working with you in meeting 

your future information needs. 

NTIS HOSTS CENDI MEETING 

CENDI, an interagency working group of senior scientific and 

technical information (STI) managers, includes representatives from

14 U.S. Federal agencies. Its mission is to assist in improving 

productivity of Federal science- and technology-based programs 

through effective scientific, technical, and related informationsupport systems, thereby strengthening U.S. competitiveness. 

NTIS was pleased to host CENDI’s latest meeting in September at 

our facility in Alexandria, Virginia. Wayne Strickland, the Manager 

of NTIS’ Program and Product Management Division, participated in 

the CENDI meeting. 

Pat Moton: “Wayne, what was the theme of September’s CENDI 

meeting?” 

Wayne Strickland: “Well, Pat, there were several topics 

covered in this all-day meeting. Of particular interest were the 

presentations by Dr. Julia Lange and Kei Koizumi on STAR 

METRICS.” 

Pat: “First, can you tell us a little about Dr. Lange and 

Kei Koizumi? And, what exactly is STAR METRICS?” 

I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE

1 Customer Service Week

2 NTIS Hosts CENDI

Meeting

3 Engineering Assessment

of “Big House” at

Summit Station,

Greenland

4 STEM: Good Jobs Now 

and for the Future

5 Making a Difference, 

BLM’s 2010 Volunteer 

Annual Report

6 Using Lockout and 

Tagout Procedures to 

Prevent Injury and 

Death During Machine 

Maintenance 

“CENDI . . . assist(s) in 

improving productivity of 

Federal science- and 

technology-based 

programs . . . thereby 

strengthening U.S. 

competitiveness.” 

 Please see page 3.

 

National Technical Information Service www.ntis.gov pmoton@ntis.gov 

U . S . D e p a r t m e n t o f C o m m e r c e 703-605-6103 

5301 Shawnee Road 

Alexandria, VA 22312 

 

 

 CUSTOMER

 ADVOCATE’S 

 Fall - October 2011 CORNER Volume 4, Issue 1

s
Page 2 NTIS CUSTOMER ADVOCATE’S CORNER 

“The ‘Big House’ . . . was

constructed in 1989 on a

permanent snowfield at the

apex of the Greenland Ice

Sheet . . . where

accumulating snow

combined with drifting and

blowing can completely

bury a structure in several

years . . .” 

ENGINEERING ASSESSMENT OF 

”BIG HOUSE” AT SUMMIT STATION, 

GREENLAND

The “Big House,” the main administration building located at Summit 

Station, Greenland, was constructed in 1989 on a permanent 

snowfield at the apex of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Located where 

accumulating snow combined with drifting and blowing can 

completely bury a structure in several years, the “Big House” is 

elevated above the snow surface on steel support columns. It is 

periodically lifted to maintain clearance above the snow surface and 

so far has been lifted four times for a combined total height of 15 

meters. Unfortunately, the lifting process can cause damage to 

buildings. 

The “Big House” was assessed to not only improve the energy 

efficiency of the building but also to determine structural 

improvements and rehabilitations that may increase the building’s 

service life. An infrared (IR) survey was conducted to identify 

variations in the thermal properties of the building that result in 

temperature changes. The “Big House” has performed well over the 

past 20 years and has provided many lessons about operating and 

maintaining an elevated structure in harsh conditions. 

This informative report can be purchased from NTIS as ADA542773 or 

it can be downloaded, with additional information, at 

http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/sid/SummitGreenland. 

STEM: Good Jobs Now and for the 

Future

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workers 

drive the United States’ competitiveness and innovation by creating 

new ideas, new industries, and new companies. Growth in jobs over 

the past 10 years has been three times as fast in STEM jobs as in 

non-STEM jobs. In addition, STEM workers are less likely to 

experience joblessness. One in 18 workers in the United States is a 

STEM employee. They command higher wages, earning up to 

26 percent more than non-STEM workers. This report divides STEM 

occupations into four categories: computer and math; engineering 

and surveying; physical and life sciences; and STEM managerial 

occupations. Close to half of all STEM employment is in the 

computer and math fields. The report is available from NTIS as 

PB2011-114803 or can be viewed at 

http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/ste

mfinalyjuly14_1.pdf. 
NTIS CUSTOMER ADVOCATE’S CORNER Page 3

Wayne: “Dr. Lange is Program Director, Science of Science &

Innovation Policy Program of the National Science Foundation, and 

Kei Koizumi is the Assistant Director for Federal Research and 

Development of the White House Office of Science and Technology 

Policy. 

“As for STAR METRICS, it stands for Science and Technology for 

America’s Reinvestment: Measuring the Effect of Research on 

Innovation, Competitiveness and Science. STAR METRICS is a voluntary

collaboration among Federal agencies and research institutions. It’s a 

large-scale effort to document the scientific, security, social, and 

workforce impacts of Federal investments in science and technology.”

Pat: “I understand STAR METRICS has two levels. What are they?” 

Wayne: “Using administrative records from research institutions, 

Level I documents the immediate effects of Federal Science and 

Technology investments on employment. Level II builds on Level I. 

Through a staged implementation of data infrastructure, it connects 

sources of funding, recipients of funding, interactions among both 

public and private sector scientists, and the products of research over 

time. Level II products range from the near term, such as meeting 

presentations and publications, to the long term, such as the 

development of a new drug.” 

Pat: “Is there a way the public can track U.S. progress in research and

development?” 

Wayne: “What a great question. Some people may not be aware that

there is a beta version of an R&D Dashboard available online at 

http://rd-dashboard.nitrd.gov/. The Dashboard uses data that is 

publicly available from two Federal agencies —the National Institutes 

of Health and the National Science Foundation—and provides an initial

look at U.S. Federal Investments in Science and Research from those 

agencies. It reports data on grants issued to research institutions and 

the publications and patent activity produced by researchers funded 

by those investments. Take a look at it when you get a chance, Pat. I 

know you’ll find it interesting.” 

Pat: “Thanks, Wayne. I will. And thanks also for taking the time to 

share information with us about STAR METRICS.”

NTIS HOSTS CENDI MEETING 

 From Page 1 

 

 

“STAR METRICS is 

. . . a large-scale 

effort to document 

the scientific, 

security, social, and 

workforce impacts of 

Federal investments 

in science and 

technology.”
Page 4 NTIS CUSTOMER ADVOCATE’S CORNER 

 

welcome volunteers who have helped to 

preserve natural and heritage resources and to 

promote the conservation of America’s 

cherished landscapes. In 2010, BLM volunteers 

spent hours, days—even months—in service to 

their communities, BLM, the Department of the

Interior, and the spectacular resources of our 

Nation. Selected highlights in the report 

describe volunteer efforts in the areas of: 

recreation; cultural and paleontological 

resources; biological resources; wild horses and

burros; wilderness; riparian and watershed; 

energy and minerals; education and 

interpretation; and special events. 

This report may be purchased from NTIS as 

PB2011-113083 or may be viewed at the BLM 

Volunteer Web site at 

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Volunteer.

html. 

Written and Edited by:

Pat Moton

Customer Advocate

National Technical

   Information Service

5301 Shawnee Road

Alexandria, VA  22312

Phone:

703‐605‐6103

Fax:

703‐605‐6900

E‐mail:

customeradvocate@ntis.gov   

Workers are faced with the risk of severe injury 

and death while performing machine 

maintenance and servicing if proper lockout and 

tagout procedures are not followed. The 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) suggests implementing a program

that includes lockout and tagout procedures to 

prevent such incidents. 

NIOSH recommends that before beginning 

machine maintenance, adjustment, or servicing 

work, workers: (1) de-energize all sources of 

hazardous energy; (2) Lockout and tagout all 

forms of hazardous energy, including control 

valves and electrical breaker panels; and 

(3) block or dissipate stored energy. Workers 

should also be sure that only one key exists for 

each of their assigned locks—and that only the 

worker holds that key. 

NIOSH encourages manufacturers to design 

equipment requiring fewer and easily accessible 

disconnect points to assist in the use of safe 

lockout/tagout procedures for maintenance and 

repair. 

This report is available from NTIS as 

PB2011-111403 and can be downloaded from the 

NTIS Web site at no charge. 

*     *     *

If you have not already subscribed to receive

future copies of this free quarterly newsletter,

please send an e‐mail to:

customeradvocate@ntis.gov

Please include “Subscribe to NTIS Customer

Advocate’s Corner” in the subject line of your e‐mail.

To access previous issues, go to

http://www.ntis.gov/help/overview.aspx#CACN

Previous issues are listed under the red highlighting.

Making a Difference, 

BLM’s 2010 Volunteer 

Annual Report 

The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) of 

the U.S. Department of

the Interior is the 

Nation’s largest land 

manager, with more 

than 245 million acres 

of natural and cultural 

resources under its 

care. In reality, BLM 

employees cannot do 

the job alone and 

Using Lockout and Tagout Procedures to 

Prevent Injury and Death During Machine 

Maintenance