"We're very encouraged by the way things are moving along," says MINERvA co-spokesperson Jorge Morfin of Fermilab, hoping to complete construction in 2009. "We've been working on the preparations for a long time. The CD process is like a row of dominoes: you need the first one to fall before the next one can, and so on down the line."

Another reason for encouragement: MINERvA has received a Major Research Instrumentation grant of more than $777,000 from the National Science Foundation. MINERvA co-spokesperson Kevin McFarland of the University of Rochester is the principal investigator on the grant, awarded to a consortium also including the Univeristy of Minnesota-Duluth, Hampton University, University of Pittsburgh and the College of William and Mary. "We're excited to have strong support from NSF for MINERvA," says McFarland, "and the MRI grant will allow us to upgrade the capabilities of the experiment."

MINERvA had prepared the CD-1 documentation before CD-0 was granted, and CD-1 approval could come quickly. That would match the quick pace of work on the experiment. "The R&D on the detector components is marching along," says project manager Debbie Harris of Fermilab. "The detector does tracking just like our computer simulations, and that's really exciting."
--Mike Perricone

Stanley Orr

Orr came to Fermilab thirty-six years ago after graduating from Elmhurst College with a bachelor's degree in physics. While working here as a technician he earned another bachelor's degree, this time in electrical engineering, and was promoted to engineer. He became licensed as a professional engineer in the states of Illinois and Minnesota.

Over the years, Orr served as chair of the Power Commission Committee that was charged with reviewing all large electrical power consumption issues. He also served as chair of the lab's Cogeneration and SCADA efforts and he served as chair of the Electrical Safety Subcommittee. Orr spent most of his career working on power distribution, power supplies, and electrical safety issues. Most recently he served as project electrical engineer on the Cold Dark Matter Search and the MINERvA experiments.

Outside of the lab, Orr volunteered his time as a chaplain at the Dupage County Jail where he often worked with young inmates. "He strove to help them find ways to make better decisions in their lives going forward," said Bob DeMaat, deputy head of PPD's Electrical Engineering Department. "Stan was a fine man and he will be sorely missed."

A visitation will be held today from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Hultgren Funeral Home, located on Main St. in Wheaton. The funeral will be on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. at the Lombard Gospel Chapel, located on 369 N. Stewart Ave. in Lombard. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested that memorial gifts be directed in memory of Orr to The Gideons International, Post Office Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800.