CELS January 2026 In-Person Week

Jan 12, 2026, 8:00 AM → Jan 16, 2026, 5:00 PM America/Chicago

We are thrilled to announce this winters's CELS In-Person Week starting Monday, January 12th – Friday, January 16th. All CELS staff, students, postdocs, collaborators, and contractors are highly encouraged to work onsite and participate in a wide array of face-to-face collaboration and Directorate activities. This in-person week will be filled with Division meetings, all-hands meetings, and a variety of interactive activities.

We want to emphasize the importance of in-person participation for an enriched and engaging experience. However, we understand that not everyone may be able to join us in person due to various constraints, therefore, we are offering some hybrid options that allow you to participate remotely.

Please register for the scientific meetings and social events you will participate in, including the CELS Directorate-wide luncheon! 

Mon, January 12

9:00 AM → 9:30 AM 🏈 Cubicle Clean Out Kickoff Week! 🗂️

It’s game time! All week long, we’re calling a Cleanout Blitz to help everyone tackle clutter, take inventory, and get their workspace back in winning shape.
📦 Declutter Drive — Clear out your cubicle and make room for a fresh start. It’s your chance to run the no-clutter offense and score major points for organization! Garbage cans will be available on all floors.
📋 Property Inventory Check — Time to “open the playbook” and make sure all your office property is accounted for. Stay in bounds and confirm what equipment you’ve got on your roster. We will send an inventory list to help with this check.
🗑️ Shred-It Showdown — Wrap up the week by safely tossing old papers into the end zone! Bring PII documents to our locked shredding boxes and watch them get sacked for good.

Bins will be available on each floor by the elevators.

Shredders available at the following locations:

• 1st – 1C area by 1118 pillar
• 3rd – 3168 Oasis
• 4th – 4165 Oasis
• 5th – 5168 Oasis
• 6th – 6A area in front of windows
• 7th – Library office area

Tue, January 13

9:00 AM → 9:30 AM 🏈 Cubicle Clean Out Kickoff Week! 🗂️

It’s game time! All week long, we’re calling a Cleanout Blitz to help everyone tackle clutter, take inventory, and get their workspace back in winning shape.
📦 Declutter Drive — Clear out your cubicle and make room for a fresh start. It’s your chance to run the no-clutter offense and score major points for organization! Garbage cans will be available on all floors.
📋 Property Inventory Check — Time to “open the playbook” and make sure all your office property is accounted for. Stay in bounds and confirm what equipment you’ve got on your roster. We will send an inventory list to help with this check.
🗑️ Shred-It Showdown — Wrap up the week by safely tossing old papers into the end zone! Bring PII documents to our locked shredding boxes and watch them get sacked for good.

Bins will be available on each floor by the elevators.

Shredders available at the following locations:

• 1st – 1C area by 1118 pillar
• 3rd – 3168 Oasis
• 4th – 4165 Oasis
• 5th – 5168 Oasis
• 6th – 6A area in front of windows
• 7th – Library office area

10:00 AM → 11:00 AM CELS All-Hands Meeting

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM
Location: Building 240, Room 1416, Overflow 1404-1407
Host: Rick Stevens

11:30 AM → 1:30 PM 🏈 Game Day

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Location: Building 240, Room 1404-1407
Video Games sponsored by AVG-Club
Bingo sponsored by Samantha Tezak - small prizes up for grabs!

Join us for a fun and casual game time featuring bingo and video games! Whether you’re feeling competitive or just want to relax and unwind, this is a great chance to connect and socialize. All are welcome—no registration needed. Simply drop in, grab a seat, and join the fun. We look forward to seeing you there!

1:30 PM → 3:00 PM EVS All-Hands Meeting

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Time: 1:30PM-3:00PM
Location: Building 240, Room 1416
Host: Dion Antonopoulos

Wed, January 14

9:00 AM → 9:30 AM 🏈 Cubicle Clean Out Kickoff Week! 🗂️

It’s game time! All week long, we’re calling a Cleanout Blitz to help everyone tackle clutter, take inventory, and get their workspace back in winning shape.
📦 Declutter Drive — Clear out your cubicle and make room for a fresh start. It’s your chance to run the no-clutter offense and score major points for organization! Garbage cans will be available on all floors.
📋 Property Inventory Check — Time to “open the playbook” and make sure all your office property is accounted for. Stay in bounds and confirm what equipment you’ve got on your roster. We will send an inventory list to help with this check.
🗑️ Shred-It Showdown — Wrap up the week by safely tossing old papers into the end zone! Bring PII documents to our locked shredding boxes and watch them get sacked for good.

Bins will be available on each floor by the elevators.

Shredders available at the following locations:

• 1st – 1C area by 1118 pillar
• 3rd – 3168 Oasis
• 4th – 4165 Oasis
• 5th – 5168 Oasis
• 6th – 6A area in front of windows
• 7th – Library office area

10:00 AM → 11:00 AM CPS All-Hands Meeting

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM-11:00 AM
Location: Building 240, Room 1501
Hosts: Salman Habib & Tim Williams

12:00 PM → 1:30 PM CELS Directorate Luncheon

Date: Wednesday January 14, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM-1:30 PM
Location: Building 240, Room 1416, 1404-1407
Host: Rick Stevens & the CELS Division Directors
RSVP MANDATORY by C.O.B. January 6, 2026

2:30 PM → 3:30 PM MCS All-Hands Meeting

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Time: 2:30 PM-3:30 PM
Location: Building 240, Room 1501
Host: Valerie Taylor

Thu, January 15

9:00 AM → 9:30 AM 🏈 Cubicle Clean Out Kickoff Week! 🗂️

It’s game time! All week long, we’re calling a Cleanout Blitz to help everyone tackle clutter, take inventory, and get their workspace back in winning shape.
📦 Declutter Drive — Clear out your cubicle and make room for a fresh start. It’s your chance to run the no-clutter offense and score major points for organization! Garbage cans will be available on all floors.
📋 Property Inventory Check — Time to “open the playbook” and make sure all your office property is accounted for. Stay in bounds and confirm what equipment you’ve got on your roster. We will send an inventory list to help with this check.
🗑️ Shred-It Showdown — Wrap up the week by safely tossing old papers into the end zone! Bring PII documents to our locked shredding boxes and watch them get sacked for good.

Bins will be available on each floor by the elevators.

Shredders available at the following locations:

• 1st – 1C area by 1118 pillar
• 3rd – 3168 Oasis
• 4th – 4165 Oasis
• 5th – 5168 Oasis
• 6th – 6A area in front of windows
• 7th – Library office area

9:30 AM → 10:30 AM CELS Patent 101 Seminar

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM-10:30 AM
Location: Building 240, Room 1501
Speaker: Ivan Kirchev, Chief Patent Counsel, Legal Department

This introductory seminar is designed for CELS staff to gain a clear, practical understanding of the patent/IP process, from ideation, disclosures and filing requirements to effective note-taking, documentation, partnerships, research collaborations, and commercialization. Whether you’re new to patents or need a quick refresher, this session will walk you through the essentials to help you identify innovations, support researchers, and confidently navigate each step of the IP lifecycle.

11:00 AM → 2:00 PM Future HPC Workloads and Architectures

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM-2:00PM
Location: Building 240, Room 1501
Host: Salman Habib
Scientific Organizers: Nick Frontiere, Kevin Harms, Jan Hückelheim, Steve Rangel, and Andrew Siegel

As part of the upcoming CELS in-person week, the CPS Division is hosting a special session focused on future HPC workloads and architectures. This is an open, discussion-driven meeting aimed at bringing together anyone working in, or having interest in, HPC. All are welcome to attend. Topics of interests include trends in HPC architectures and the evolutions of HPC workloads including the use reduced precision, floating point emulation, and the incorporation of AI into HPC workflows.

Format (2.0 hours):

Introduction and brief overview of trends in architectures and workloads

Short talks (5-10 minutes)

Open discussion and collective brainstorming – remaining time

On the registration form, you may indicate whether you plan to attend, and whether you are interested in giving a short talk. We encourage short talks that showcase recent work or work in-progress that can drive conversation. If you express interest in presenting, you will be prompted to briefly describe the topic or theme you'd like to speak on (this does not need to be a finalized talk title). Depending on the final schedule, the organizers may follow up with you regarding your potential participation.

11:00 AM → 1:30 PM 🏈 Halftime for Your Mind ☕

Date: Thursday, January 15,2026
Time: 11:00 AM-1:30 PM
Location: Building 240, Rm: 1416

Take a timeout and warm up your day! Join us for a cozy, football-themed mental wellness break.
Swing by our Hot Chocolate Bar, the highlight reel of the event, and build your perfect warm-and-fuzzy drink! Then recharge with a lineup of fun football themed activities. Come relax, refuel, and give your mind the halftime show it deserves!

11:30 AM → 1:00 PM Ergo Team & Hearing Protection Demo

When: Thursday, January 15th, Anytime between 11:30am – 1:00pm
Where: Bldg 240 Room 1416
Host: Dana Silvestri

Who: Connect with our ergonomic experts, explore helpful ergo tools, pick up personalized tips to make your workspace more comfortable and reduce ergonomic risks.
Whether you have questions or just want to try out some gear, we are here to help!

Who: The Argonne Noise Subject Matter Expert will be available to demonstrate proper hearing protection use and provide guidance on selecting the right hearing protection for you.

11:30 AM → 1:30 PM 🏈 Souper Bowl Tasting Event 🍲

Date: Thursday, January 15,2026
Time: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Location: Building 240, Rm: 1404-1407

If you’d like to participate as a soup maker, simply bring your crockpot, ladle, and your best recipe. You choose how much soup to make, and you’ll serve it up during the event.

We will provide tasting cups and gloves.

Please share your soup’s name and ingredient list by January 7 so we can create table tents to be used the day of the tasting. Send to [email protected]

2:00 PM → 5:00 PM Perspectives on AI in Computational Science

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Location: Building 240, Room 1501
Host: Salman Habib
Scientific Organizers: Murat Keceli, Nesar Ramachandra,and Azton Wells

As part of the upcoming CELS in-person week, the CPS Division is hosting a special session focused on how AI is influencing — and challenging — the future of computational science. This is an open, discussion-driven meeting aimed at bringing together domain experts, AI practitioners, and those simply curious about the evolving role of AI across scientific workflows.

All are welcome to attend. Whether you are deeply embedded in AI-enabled research or exploring its implications for the first time, this session is intended to foster cross-domain dialogue and shared reflection.

Format (2.5 hours):

Overview talk (10 mins) – Salman Habib

Short talks (5 + 5 mins for talk and discussions) ~2 hours

Open discussion and collective brainstorming – remaining time

On the registration form, you may indicate whether you plan to attend, and whether you are interested in giving a short talk. To keep this session engaging and intellectually stimulating, we particularly encourage diverse perspectives that:

Raise open questions, tensions, or unresolved challenges related to AI

Identify gaps, limitations, or uncertainties in current AI-for-Science practices.

Rather than polished showcases of completed AI applications, we encourage short talks that genuinely catalyze conversation. If you express interest in presenting, you will be prompted to briefly describe the topic or theme you’d like to speak on (this does not need to be a finalized talk title). Depending on the final schedule, the organizers may follow up with you regarding your potential participation.

If you are not interested in presenting, you can still contribute by sharing topics you’d like the group to discuss and suggesting speakers who could add valuable perspective to these conversations.

We hope you’ll join us for this interactive session that examines not just what AI can do, but how it is reshaping the way we think about computational science.

Fri, January 16

9:00 AM → 9:30 AM 🏈 Cubicle Clean Out Kickoff Week! 🗂️

It’s game time! All week long, we’re calling a Cleanout Blitz to help everyone tackle clutter, take inventory, and get their workspace back in winning shape.
📦 Declutter Drive — Clear out your cubicle and make room for a fresh start. It’s your chance to run the no-clutter offense and score major points for organization! Garbage cans will be available on all floors.
📋 Property Inventory Check — Time to “open the playbook” and make sure all your office property is accounted for. Stay in bounds and confirm what equipment you’ve got on your roster. We will send an inventory list to help with this check.
🗑️ Shred-It Showdown — Wrap up the week by safely tossing old papers into the end zone! Bring PII documents to our locked shredding boxes and watch them get sacked for good.

Bins will be available on each floor by the elevators.

Shredders available at the following locations:

• 1st – 1C area by 1118 pillar
• 3rd – 3168 Oasis
• 4th – 4165 Oasis
• 5th – 5168 Oasis
• 6th – 6A area in front of windows
• 7th – Library office area