Monday, July 1, 2013
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Have a safe day!

Monday, July 1

Noon
Farewell reception - Wilson Hall atrium
Cake and ice cream with Pier Oddone

PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICS SEMINARS WILL RESUME IN THE FALL

3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over

4 p.m.
All Experimenters' Meeting - Curia II
Special Topic: Holometer Report

Tuesday, July 2

Noon
Undergraduate Lecture Series - One West
Speaker: Rocky Kolb, University of Chicago
Title: The Cosmic Frontier

3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over

4 p.m.
Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar - One West
Speaker: Vladimir Shiltsev, Fermilab
Title: A Phenomenological Cost Model for Big Accelerators in the U.S.

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Secon Level 3

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Flags at full staff

Wilson Hall Cafe

Monday, July 1

- Breakfast: oatmeal raisin pancakes
- Breakfast: sausage, egg and cheese croissant
- Fermi burger
- Smart cuisine: country baked chicken
- Veal parmesan
- Classic club sandwich
- Buffalo chicken salad
- Chicken and sausage gumbo
- Texas-style chili
- Assorted pizza by the slice

Wilson Hall Cafe menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, July 3
Lunch
- Grilled chicken and vegetable with mojo sauce
- Grilled cardamom-scented pineapple with vanilla ice cream

Friday, July 5
Dinner
Closed

Chez Leon menu
Call x3524 to make your reservation.

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Special Announcement

Farewell reception for Director Oddone - today at noon

All Fermilab employees and users are cordially invited to attend a farewell reception for Director Pier Oddone today at noon in the Wilson Hall atrium. Stop by to say goodbye and enjoy celebratory cake and ice cream.

Feature

Cosmic Ray E-Lab gives high-school students taste of modern physics

Students at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., collect data from their muon detector. This group participates in QuarkNet's Cosmic Ray E-Lab. Standing, from left: Jonathan Burnham, Andrew Peterson, Andy Zhang. Crouching: Shane Corcoran. Photo courtesy of Kevin Martz

Cincinnati teacher Jeff Rodriguez believes that high-school physics courses shouldn't be limited to lessons on how fast an apple falls once it breaks from the branch. Modern physics, glaringly absent from the high-school curriculum, he said, is not only relevant to our everyday lives, it's fascinating.

That's why Rodriguez joined QuarkNet's Cosmic Ray E-Lab, a worldwide project in which high-school physics students share and compare cosmic-ray data with other participating schools.

"It's an opportunity to work on a global experiment," Rodriguez said. "We're not just rolling balls down inclined planes." Rodriguez leads about 20 students in the E-Lab at Anderson High School, where he teaches.

In the Cosmic Ray E-Lab, students learn how to build small cosmic-ray detectors, which they keep in their classrooms. They study the data they collect and learn how to compare their measurements with their predictions—just as any professional scientist would do. And, much like physicists working on global experiments, they collaborate with other schools to learn how they run their experiments, looking for differences in their data.

Last month, the students participated in the annual International Muon Week, coordinated by Bob Peterson of the Fermilab Education Office and QuarkNet. The week was set aside for E-Lab students from 26 schools to collectively measure the rate that muons in cosmic rays arrive in their detectors.

Shawn Corcoran, a student in Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., said the experience exposed him to particle physics in a way that couldn't be replicated in chalkboard lectures.

"We never would have learned about cosmic rays without also learning about this detector technology," Corcoran said. "We're glad that QuarkNet exists. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had this chance."

In the run-up to International Muon Week, Corcoran's teacher Kevin Martz worked with Rodriguez to develop a database that would allow the schools to easily get in touch with each other and to pool their data. They even created a Google map of E-Lab participants. That way, no matter where in the world a high-school researcher was studying muons from cosmic rays, he or she could connect easily with a fellow student doing the same thing.

"We thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if we could all do this at the same time?'" Martz said. "We were thinking of this as a way to foster a sense of community, to compare what we've done." Corcoran's group collaborated with a high-school group in Japan. Although the time difference was inconvenient, it wasn't a barrier.

"It's cool to connect with another high school around the world that's doing the same thing we're doing," Corcoran said. Rodriguez and Martz hope that next year, even more schools will participate.

And is looking at charts full of numbers really much more scintillating than watching balls roll down inclined planes? Rodriguez said the magic of learning modern physics arrives when students finally have hard evidence that the detectors show things we couldn't know without them.

"The detectors are picking up stuff you can't see," Rodriguez said. "The unknown can scare some students, but understanding it is exciting."

Leah Hesla

Photo of the Day

Passing the baton

Fermilab Director Pier Oddone retires today. Nigel Lockyer, the next director of Fermilab, visited Fermilab on Friday and met with employees and users at an all-hands meeting. View a video of the meeting. Photo: Cindy Arnold
From symmetry

Fermilab produces its first potential astronaut

Josh Cassada, accepted into NASA's exclusive 2013 astronaut candidate class, cut his scientific teeth doing particle physics research at Fermilab. Photo: NASA

During graduate school at the University of Rochester, Josh Cassada spent his time focusing on the smallest bits of the universe at a particle physics laboratory. In his upcoming adventure, he will find himself with a significantly broader point of view.

Cassada, who worked at Fermilab's CDF experiment from 1995 through 2000, is a member of NASA's recently selected eight-person 2013 astronaut candidate class, making him the first possible astronaut to come out of the laboratory. He begins two years of training in August.

Read more

Laura Dattaro

In the News

Fermilab workers welcome new director

From the Daily Herald, June 29, 2013

Fermilab's new director, Nigel Lockyer, opened with a few jokes Friday morning to set the audience at ease at his introductory all-hands meeting.

The Scot-Canadian told them they should not expect to see him in a kilt or eating haggis, said somebody had asked him to put a Tim Horton's doughnut shop in the Wilson Hall atrium, and chided a worker who had given him a Chicago Blackhawks hockey puck that reminded him that the Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks in the 2010 playoffs.

"And now I'm your boss," Lockyer said.

Of course, he had a serious message: He wants to make sure the nation's flagship particle-physics accelerator laboratory continues to be relevant, offering the most interesting experiments that will attract the best young minds.

Read more

Tip of the Week: Safety

Fire safety for a happy summer

Have a safe and happy summer, and be aware of safety hazards this Fourth of July.

Every year Americans look forward to summer vacations, camping, family reunions, picnics and the Fourth of July. Summertime, however, also brings fires and injuries due to fireworks and outdoor cooking. Knowing a few fire safety tips and following instructions will help everyone have a safer summer.

Fireworks safety

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association National Council on Firework Safety, fireworks account for an estimated 9,300 serious injuries in the United States each year. Forty-five percent of these injuries occur to children under the age of 14. The best way to protect yourself and your family is not to use fireworks at home. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends attending public firework displays and leaving the lighting to the professionals. Although sparklers are legal in Illinois, some municipalities and villages have an ordinance that bans the sale and use of sparklers.

Did you know that the tip of a sparkler burns at a temperature of more than 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to ignite clothing and cause third-degree burns? Always supervise small children when they use sparklers.

Barbecue safety

  • Before using a grill, check the connection between the propane tank and the fuel line. Make sure the Venturi tubes—where the air and gas mix—are not blocked.
  • Do not wear loose clothing while cooking at a barbecue.
  • Do not add fluid to an already lit fire, as the flames can flash back up into the container and explode.
  • Supervise children around outdoor grills and keep them away from matches and lighters.
  • Never place hot coals in plastic, paper or wooden containers.
  • Dispose of hot coals properly: Douse them with plenty of water and stir them to ensure that the fire is out.
  • Never grill or barbecue in enclosed areas. Doing this could produce carbon monoxide.

Campfire safety

  • Build campfires where they will not spread, away from dry grass and leaves.
  • Keep campfires small, and don't let them get out of hand.
  • Keep plenty of water and a shovel around to douse the fire when you're done.
  • Never leave campfires unattended.

Learn more about summer and fire safety by visiting the Fermilab Fire Department Web page or by viewing this video.

Chuck Kuhn, Fermilab Fire Department chief

Accelerator Update

Accelerator update, June 28, 2013

A close-up view of proton source B, which experts tested last week. Photo: Dan Bollinger, AD

Proton Source:
Experts successfully switched the proton source in the new RFQ pre-accelerator from source A to source B. The change took one hour and six minutes, which included replacing a turbo vacuum pump and conducting a leak check. They tested running the turbo pumps during the change, which allowed the source to continue operating. Experts believe that future changes will take only a few minutes.

Booster:
RF personnel installed a new RF cavity in the Booster and experts established beam through the cavity. During the past year, experts have revamped the Booster accelerator to prepare it for delivering more beam to Intensity Frontier experiments.

Main Injector:
Over the weekend of June 22, safety personnel changed the lock cores for the Main Injector gates and doors; Operations personnel searched and secured the MI and turned on its power supplies. Power supply personnel conducted MI and NuMI power supply tests. MI experts established a prolonged 120-GeV ramp. When in operation, the MI will accelerate protons from 8 GeV to 120 GeV.

View the AD Operations Department schedule.

In Brief

What's Your Financial IQ Challenge begins today

The What's Your Financial IQ Challenge begins today.

Fermilab has teamed up with TIAA-CREF to bring you this educational challenge to have fun and to learn important information about financial planning.

Take the challenge and test your financial savvy.

In the News

Canadian physicist returns to Fermilab as new director

From the Chicago Tribune, June 29, 2013

Hundreds of employees packed the auditorium at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory on Friday to get a first look at their new director, but for some it was more reacquainting with an old colleague.

Nigel Lockyer, the new chief, worked at Fermilab for 22 years before leaving in 2007 to lead TRIUMF, Canada's national particle and nuclear physics laboratory.

Read more

Announcements

Today's New Announcements

International folk dancing canceled July 4, continues in Auditorium for the summer

Closure on Main Ring Road - July 2-3

Batavia Road gate closed July 5-6

Registration for FEMA assistance due July 9

Behavioral interviewing course scheduled for July 18

Fermilab Prairie Plant Survey (Quadrat Study) - July 19

Chris Lintott: How to Discover a Planet From Your Sofa - July 19

Summer intern Friday tours

Sitewide domestic water flushing

Housing Office accepting requests for fall & spring on-site housing

10K Steps drawing winner

Swim lessons session 2 due

Martial arts

BuZheng Qigong & Tai Chi Easy

Outdoor soccer at the Village

Join the Tango Club

English country dancing at Kuhn Barn