News

December Insider: New shareable resources and lanyards

New resources for employees and supervisors

Check out the updated Resources webpage for short downloadable slideshows about the most requested topics. 

Supervisors: We’ve created a page specifically for you with the most important messages and resources to help you help your team through this change. Have ideas for other things that would be useful? Let us know.

New and updated lanyards available

We’ve heard your concerns about lanyard discomfort. We are modifying existing lanyards with new breakaway clips, and these will be available in January. A new type of lanyard with a reel is available now. You can pick up (or trade for a new option) a lanyard, clip, or armband from the Badging Office in 105 TASF, or obtain your own.

Time to get a new badge yet?

Everyone needs to wear and display whichever badge they have starting in January 2025. PIV Badges, Ames Lab Badges, and ISUCards are all okay. 

• If you’re not eligible for a PIV Badge: Yes, get your Ames Lab Badge before January (if you haven’t already). Thank you to the 227 people who have gotten their Ames Lab Badges!

• If you are eligible for a PIV Badge: Not yet. Use your ISUCard for door access and to display. If you prefer to display an Ames Lab Badge, obtain one from the Badging Office (you will still need a PIV Badge when it’s your turn). The Badging Office will notify you when it’s time to start the PIV Badge process. 

• Not sure which type of badge you need? Visit badging.ameslab.gov.

Questions? Visit the Badging Project website at badging.ameslab.gov, or contact the Badging Office: Email badgingoffice@ameslab.gov, call  515-294-6076, or stop by 105 TASF.

December ESH Newsletter: Get ready to wear your badge starting in January

Starting in January 2025, plan to wear whichever badge you have (Ames Lab Badge, PIV Badge, or ISUCard) in Ames Lab buildings. Visit the Badging Office in 105 TASF to get a lanyard, clip, or armband for displaying your badge. If you already have a lanyard, clip, or armband and want to trade for a different type, you’re welcome to stop by 105 TASF.

If you’re a new employee, contributor, temporary employee, graduate student, undergraduate student, or foreign national employee who has lived in the U.S. for less than three years and don’t yet have an Ames Lab Badge, please stop by the Badging Office before the end of the year. The process is quick (10 minutes or less). This is the badge you’ll wear starting in January and use for door access.

If you are eligible for a PIV Badge (permanent employees, joint employees, post docs, and foreign nationals who have lived in the U.S. for at least three years), you don’t need an Ames Lab Badge. You can continue using your ISUCard for door access and wear it in Ames Lab buildings. We are working with ISU IT to implement a PIV Badge tracking solution in Workday. Once that is ready, we will reach out about starting the PIV Badge process.

Continue to watch Lab-wide newsletters, Town Halls, and the Badging Project website for more information and resources. Here is a short slideshow with updates that you’re welcome to share in meetings and digitally. Email the Badging Office with questions: badgingoffice@ameslab.gov. 

November Insider: Still need an Ames Lab Badge or clip, lanyard, or armband? 

Starting in January 2025, plan to wear your Ames Lab Badge, PIV Badge, or ISUCard in Ames Lab buildings. Visit the Badging Office in 105 TASF to get a lanyard, clip, or armband for displaying your badge.

If you are a new employee, contributor, temporary employee, graduate student, undergraduate student, or foreign national employee who has lived in the U.S. for less than three years and you do not have an Ames Lab Badge yet, please stop by the Badging Office before the end of the year. The process is quick (10 minutes or less). Starting in January, you will need to wear your Ames Lab Badge and use it for door access.

If you are eligible for a PIV Badge (permanent employees, joint employees, post docs, and foreign nationals who have lived in the U.S. for at least three years), you do not need an Ames Lab Badge. You can continue using your ISUCard for door access and wear it in Ames Lab buildings. We are working with ISU IT to implement a PIV Badge tracking solution in Workday. Once that is ready, we will reach out about starting the PIV Badge process.

Watch Lab-wide newsletters, Town Halls, and the Badging Project website for more information and resources. Email the Badging Office with questions: badgingoffice@ameslab.gov.

November ESH Newsletter: Come get your Ames Lab Badge or clip, lanyard, or armband

Visit the Badging Office to get a lanyard, clip, or armband for displaying your badge. We’ll all be wearing our badges in Ames Lab buildings starting in January 2025.

Thanks to the 173 people who have already gotten their Ames Lab Badges! If you’re a contributor, temporary employee, graduate student, undergraduate student, or foreign national employee who has lived in the U.S. for less than 3 years and don’t have an Ames Lab Badge, please stop by the Badging Office in 105 TASF before the end of the year. The process is quick (15 minutes or less) and you can drop by during business hours or make an appointment by emailing badgingoffice@ameslab.gov. 

If you are eligible for a PIV Badge (permanent employees, joint employees, post docs, and foreign nationals who have lived in the U.S. for at least three years), you don’t need an Ames Lab Badge. You can continue using your ISUCard for door access and plan to display it in Ames Lab buildings starting in January 2025. We are working with ISU IT to implement a PIV Badge tracking solution in Workday, and once that is ready, we will reach out to current employees about getting their PIV Badges.

Stay tuned to Lab-wide newsletters, Town Halls, and the Badging Project website for more information and resources.

October Insider: Website updates and reminders for supervisors

We received so many great questions this month that we reorganized our website to help you find information more easily. You can now find details and FAQs about the following topics on their own dedicated pages:

• Ames Lab Badges

• PIV Badges

Not sure which one to pick? Learn which type of badge you need.

The Frequently Asked Questions page now has our most asked questions at the top so you can jump right to their answers.

If you are a supervisor, you need to bring your new employee(s) to the Badging Office in 105 TASF on their first day so they can pick up their Ames Lab Badge. Drop by during business hours or schedule an appointment (badgingoffice@ameslab.gov or 515-294-6076) if you prefer. New employees will still need to visit Beardshear Hall to get their ISUCard. Onboarding resources, including the onboarding checklist in ServiceNow and the emails you receive from HR for new employees, are updated to reflect this change.

October ESH Newsletter: Badging Project update - What you can do to get ready, plus new details about where and how to wear your badge

The Badging Project will bring two major changes to the Lab:

1. All employees will get either a PIV Badge or an Ames Lab Badge for identification and door access. Check out the list below to see what kind of badge you'll get based on your role.

2. Starting in January 2025, everyone is expected to wear and display a badge while in Ames Lab facilities. Since many employees will get PIV Badges, but it will take us 2 years to get them for everyone in batches, you can wear whichever badge you have at this time for identification - Ames Lab Badges, PIV Badges, or ISUCards.

What you can do now:

• All employees: Get ready to start wearing whatever badge you have in Ames Lab facilities in January 2025. Stop by the Badging Office in 105 TASF for a lanyard or clip, or choose your own.

• Current employees who are not eligible for a PIV Badge: Come get your Ames Lab Badge anytime! Stop by 105 TASF, or email us if you prefer to schedule an appointment.

• Current employees who are eligible for a PIV Badge: Stay tuned - The Badging Office will notify you when it's your turn to start the process to get your new badge. We’ll start the process to get current employees PIV Badges once our badge tracking system is ready. If you are eligible for a PIV Badge, you can get an Ames Lab Badge now if you want to, but you will still need to get a PIV Badge later.

We’ve received great questions at the Badging open forums, and we have answers! The most popular question this month was whether it’s okay to wear a badge attached to a belt loop, and the answer is yes. Check out answers to the other most often asked questions asked on our Frequently Asked Questions page, including where not to wear your badge.

We’ll continue to update the project website at badging.ameslab.gov with the latest information. Keep those questions coming through the form on the homepage - you can submit anonymously if you prefer.

October ESH Newsletter: Visitor procedures updated with opening of Badge Office

Knowing who is in Ames National Laboratory spaces is important to help protect personnel, research, and equipment and allow vetting of personnel. The expectation has always been that if you have a visitor coming to Ames Lab you complete the Visitor Request Form in ServiceNow. If the visitor is a non-U.S. citizen, they will also need to be vetted through the Ames Lab 473 process before arriving on-site.

Now that the Badging Office is open, the visitor policy has been updated. We ask that you bring all visitors to the Badging Office in 105 TASF instead of the Guard Room to check them in, verify their identification, and get them a visitor badge or sticker. Visitors will need to provide either a Real ID or other ID from this list at check-in. The Badging team will be ready because they received your request form in advance.

If you do have last-minute visitors (which is rare but it does happen), you can email or call the Badging team at badgingoffice@ameslab.gov or 515-294-6076, or just go with your visitor to the Badging Office and the Badging team will help you. Check out the visitor process article in ServiceNow for answers to frequently asked questions.

September Insider: Badging open forum on Oct. 7. Stop by 105 TASF for new lanyards and clips!

Thank you to the 87 participants who joined Ames Lab executive leadership and the Badging Project Team for a virtual open forum on September 18, which walked through the new project website and answered questions about everything from the project timeline to badge holders. We continue to update the website with answers to the great questions you asked. View the open forum recording on the Resources page of the website.

Missed the first open forum, or have additional questions? Join us for an in-person open forum in Spedding 301 on Monday, October 7, from 11 a.m. to noon. This link opens the calendar event if you want to copy it to your calendar. The Badging Office will provide updates on questions asked during the first open forum and field new questions. You’re welcome to submit questions in advance anonymously through this form, which you can also find at the bottom of the Badging Project home page.

All of the new clips and branded lanyards are now available in the Badging Office (TASF 105), so stop by if you want one. You are welcome to wear any type of badge attachment you prefer - you don’t have to wear one of the provided options. Based on your feedback, we are also investigating different types of badge holders—including arm bands—and will bring samples to the next open forum.

Questions or feedback? Contact us at badgingoffice@ameslab.gov or visit the Badging Office in TASF 105 anytime. 

September ESH Newsletter: New badging website launches, plus upcoming open forums 

Check out the new website for the Badging Project, which features updated frequently asked questions, a project timeline, and detailed explanations of who gets which types of badges. We will continue to update this site throughout the project. Have ideas for additional information or resources you would like to see? Tell us at badgingoffice@ameslab.gov, or submit an anonymous suggestion through the box at the bottom of the home page.

The Badging Team will host two open forums in the next month to answer questions and collect feedback. We will send Lab-wide calendar invitations soon with more details. We know fall is a particularly busy time! If you have concerns but are unable to make one of the open forums, we are happy to meet with groups at existing department and division meetings or set up a different time to connect. Contact us at badgingoffice@ameslab.gov to schedule a discussion.

August Insider: Lanyard poll results are in

The results are in from the lanyard strap design poll. The winners are options G, C, and F. We’ll order these and have them available for you soon, along with all of the clip options. Thank you to everyone who voted! Questions about the Badging Project? Visit bit.ly/badgingproject.

The winners of the lanyard strap design poll from August 2024, which received 178 responses, along with their percentage of votes:

• Lanyard G: 77.5%

• Lanyard C: 63.5%

• Lanyard F: 33.7%

August ESH Newsletter: New employees get new badges, plus poll coming this week

New employees are now eligible to receive new Ames Lab Badges for identification and door access. If you have a new employee, please make sure they stop by the Badging Office in 105 TASF to pick up their Ames Lab Badge.

Watch your email this Thursday, August 15, for a poll about different lanyard designs and types of badge clips. We’ll use the results of this poll to order lanyards and badge clips based on your preferences.

Questions? Check out the project webpage at bit.ly/badgingproject.

July Insider: Badging Project updates

• Save the date: Vote for your favorite lanyard designs and clip types in a poll coming via email on August 15

• New employees are now receiving the new Ames Lab Badges.

• We’ve updated the Location Access request form in ServiceNow to request door access for both ISU Cards and Ames Lab Badges. Continue to use this form if you have a new employee in your area, or if you need to update your own door access.

• The Badging Office is here to help. We’re here 5 days a week, with staff dedicated to helping set up new employees and supporting existing employees. Feel free to drop into TASF 105 or schedule an appointment with badgingoffice@ameslab.gov.

We’ll continue to update answers to frequently asked questions on the project webpage: bit.ly/badgingproject 

June Insider: New badges coming soon for everyone at Ames Lab

Before the end of the 2024 calendar year, everyone who enters Ames Lab facilities will get a new type of badge for identification and physical access. These badges will replace your ISU Card for Ames Lab door access, and you’ll need to wear them while at the Lab. 

We are making these changes to increase safety and security and protect research and equipment. We will work with you to develop realistic guidelines for wearing badges without disrupting work, including offering different types of lanyards and clips. 

Here are some things you can do in the coming months to get involved:

• Visit the new project website for answers to questions, including those asked at the June Town Hall: bit.ly/badgingproject 

• Watch for regular project updates and opportunities to give feedback in your areas

• Vote for your favorite styles and designs for lanyards and clips in a Lab-wide poll

• Start wearing your Ames Lab badge (or ISU Card) to get comfortable with this change

Our new Badging Office (TASF 105) is open and staffed thanks to direct DOE funding, and we are working on logistical details and the project timeline. We will share more information soon.

March ESH Newsletter: TASF 105 transforming into new badging office

TASF 105 continues to receive updates to turn it into our new badging office. In the future, employees and visitors will head here to receive their badges. Construction is expected to be completed by late spring. We will share more details about the badging project via this newsletter and other regular channels soon. Please direct any questions or concerns to Security and Emergency Services at security@ameslab.gov.