Fermilab Today

	Wednesday, June 18, 2014

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Calendar

Have a safe day!

Wednesday, June 18

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

4 p.m.
Fermilab Colloquium - One West
Speaker: Edward Moses, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Title: The National Ignition Facility: Pathway to Clean Energy, and Physics of the Cosmos

Thursday, June 19

2:30 p.m.
Theoretical Physics Seminar - Curia II
Speaker: Liam Keegan, CERN
Title: Large N Twisted Volume Reduction of QCD on the Lattice

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

Click here for NALCAL,
a weekly calendar with links to additional information.

Ongoing and upcoming conferences at Fermilab

Campaigns

Take Five

Weather

Chance of thunderstorms
89°/71°

Extended forecast
Weather at Fermilab

Current Security Status

Secon Level 3

Current Flag Status

Flags at full staff

Wilson Hall Cafe

Wednesday, June 18

- Breakfast: breakfast pizza
- Breakfast: ham, egg and cheese English muffin
- Gyros
- Smart cuisine: baked pork chops
- Brazilian beef stew with rice
- California turkey wrap
- Chicken carbonara
- Three-bean overland soup
- Texas-style chili
- Assorted calzones

Wilson Hall Cafe menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, June 18
Lunch
- Summer herb chimichurri with grilled steak
- Roasted potatoes
- Sauteed tri-color peppers
- Chocolate caramel cake

Friday, June 20
Dinner
5:30 p.m.
- Haricots verts and grape tomato salad with creme fraiche dressing
- Lobster tail with champagne butter sauce
- Spaghetti squash with scallions
- Sauteed sugar snap peas
- Mixed berry pie

Chez Leon menu
Call x3524 to make your reservation.

Science and nature

Although the view has changed, Lucy de Barbaro still looks at life through the lens of physics. Image: Sandbox Studio

Working at Fermilab expanded physicist Lucyna "Lucy" de Barbaro's horizons. In addition to cultivating her research capabilities and surveying the subatomic realm, she honed an affinity for the natural world.

"At Fermilab you get cutting-edge technology surrounded by prairie. It was so romantic to me," de Barbaro says. "I love nature and wanted to be involved in sustainability initiatives."

In 2000, after a decade in experimental physics, she changed directions, bringing her physics mindset with her. At work for telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent in Naperville, Illinois, she helped develop a reliable computing and networking platform for processing cell phone calls. And in her off hours, she's become an expert on design and standards for exceptionally energy-efficient homes.

In the beginning
De Barbaro's affinity for physics began in her hometown of Krakow, Poland — in church. The priest was an accomplished cosmologist who brought together transcendental and scientific ideas in the quest for understanding the universe.

"It was a unique time and inspiration," de Barbaro says. In the 1980s, "an intellectual stir happened in Poland in conjunction with the Solidarity movement. The church played a big role in raising society."

It also played an important role in de Barbaro's decision to undertake a master's degree in theoretical physics. After receiving her degree in 1989, she and her first husband, also a physicist, came to the United States with their two daughters for graduate school.

Enrolled at the University of Rochester, de Barbaro soon joined the E706 experiment at Fermilab probing the structure of gluons, the "glue" of the strong force that clasps quarks together in pairs or trios (the latter are the core of protons and neutrons).

With Ph.D. in hand, de Barbaro became a Northwestern University postdoctoral researcher and joined Fermilab's NuTeV experiment, which scrutinized millions of neutrino interactions to make precise measurements of a parameter of the Standard Model of particles and interactions.

—Heather Rock Woods

In Brief

DASTOW on Friday

School-age children of Fermilab employees, users and contractors can see physics up close this Friday when they visit Fermilab for Daughters and Sons to Work (DASTOW) day.

Limited time slots are still available for Physics Fun on 15, hands-on science activities for children offered by Fermilab's Education Office. Please register online for the activities by tomorrow, June 19.

For a complete schedule of the day's events, visit the DASTOW website.

Photo of the Day

Wood betony

An ant crawls on some lovely wood betony flowers in the Fermilab prairie. Photo: Barb Kristen, PPD

In the News

Wheaton Warrenville South science teachers lead 2nd annual Modeling Methodology of Science Instruction Workshop

From Chicago Tribune, June 16, 2014

Today begins the 2nd annual Modeling Methodology of Science Instruction Institute. Over 120 science educators from 57 different high schools and six states will be spending two weeks this summer working to improve science instruction. WW South science teachers partnered with Fermilab, Flinn Scientific, Inc., Vernier, AMTA, and Aurora University to sponsor, what they hope, will become the Midwest hub in professional development for science teachers. The institute began last summer with 90 teacher participants in three different workshops. Due to high demand, the institute expanded to four workshops this summer. This two week workshop has the potential to positively impact science education for more than 12,000 students in the next school year alone. District 200 offers the building space and resources to the WW South teachers who are leading the workshops in biology, chemistry, physics mechanics, and physics electricity and magnetism.

From the Fermi Site Office

Working together to drive discovery

Michael Weis

Michael Weis, DOE Fermi Site Office manager, wrote this column.

The release of the P5 report has all of us thinking about how best to align Fermilab's programs with the high-energy physics community's priorities and thus drive discovery. The Department of Energy, and particularly the Fermi Site Office, works hard with laboratory management to enable its scientific mission and improve operations at the lab.

We are always looking for opportunities to simplify the complex requirements associated with doing business at a federal laboratory. We use our strong partnership to reduce duplication of effort and to focus resources on the areas with the highest risk to people and the most benefit to projects and the lab's mission.

We liken Fermilab to a well-tuned car that is on a journey to scientific discovery. Fermilab Director Nigel Lockyer and his team have been asked to drive the car, and the site office is sharing the drive, watching the gauges and other indicators for signs of trouble. When problems arise, which is inevitable, FSO gives the lab a chance to respond, correct deficiencies and implement changes to prevent recurrences. Fortunately, we have avoided serious events and personnel injuries that could adversely affect individuals, our environment or scientific work. That is a testament to the vigilance of everyone at Fermilab. Responding appropriately to warning indicators is critical to preventing disruptive events and ensuring long-term success. The Fermi Site Office often follows up on responses to even minor events and near misses, because each one represents an opportunity for learning and a chance to improve our strong safety culture.

Moving forward with the P5 report recommendations will require increased communication as we look to upgrade and build new facilities needed to host the world's leading neutrino program. We will need to create stronger international relationships through the federal system. Our tasks include refining work controls to maintain everyone's safety; evaluating and limiting environmental impacts; and creating appropriate financial arrangements, contract mechanisms, and property management and real estate approaches. This is true both on site and elsewhere.

The success and future of Fermilab depends on our continued commitment to operational excellence. The Fermi Site Office is focused on creating pathways to enable science while making sure the work is being done safely, is protective of the environment and is respectful of the taxpayer. Let's work together to drive discovery here at Fermilab.

In Brief

Fermilab participates in DOE Twitter chat on particle accelerators today at 1 p.m.

It's How Energy Works Week at Energy.gov. Today's topic is particle accelerators.

As part of How Energy Works Week at Energy.gov, DOE is sponsoring a Twitter chat on how particle accelerators work today at 1 p.m. Central time.

Marty Murphy from Fermilab and Mei Bai from Brookhaven National Laboratory will answer all your particle accelerator questions at the Twitter chat. Use the hashtag #HowEnergyWorks to join in.

Safety Update