Barry Barish

Barish, who chaired the ILC International Technical Recommendation Panel, accepted this new appointment by the International Linear Collider Steering Committee on March 18, during the ILC workshop at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. He told assembled colleagues that the GDE structure would be distributive, modeled on the experimental collaboration approach, with no central site. He said his goal is to get the best people for the jobs — not the best people who are willing to relocate to a particular area.

Declaring that scientists already know the necessary technology quite well, Barish said the ILC design must evolve to be better, cheaper, more reliable; he also wants designs tied to specific candidate sites. Barish has set communication as a top priority, noting the importance of selling the project to colleagues, to scientists in other fields, and to governments and public officials who will determine the ILC funding and future. He said there must be a "clear, compelling scientific case" for the project to progress.

In accepting the GDE role, Barish is resigning his position at Caltech, where he is Linde Professor of Physics and director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) laboratory. "Clearly, there is a lot to do," Barish said, "and I invite physicists of all persuasions and all nations to join the ILC design effort."
- Mike Perricone

“Clay brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to the department, which will be critical as we seek to ensure an affordable, reliable energy supply for America’s future,” Secretary Bodman said. “As Deputy Secretary, Clay will play a critical role in the management of our nuclear stockpile and the effort to continue America’s leadership in science and basic research.”
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