Monday, April 11, 2011
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Monday, April 11
2 p.m.
LHC Physics Center Topic of the Week Seminar - Sunrise (WH11NE)
Speaker: Christopher Vermilion, University of Louisville
Title: Toward Reusable Analyses
2:30
Particle Astrophysics Seminar - One West
Speaker: Judd Bowman, Arizona State University
Title: The Dawn of 21 cm Cosmology
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
All Experimenters' Meeting - Curia II
Special Topics: Startup of Depleted Argon Distillation Column

Tuesday, April 12
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar - One West
Speaker: Edward Nissen, Northern Illinois University
Title: Differential Algebraic Methods for Space Charge Modeling and Applications to the University of Maryland Electron Ring

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

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Weather Cloudy
60°/43°

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Secon Level 3

Wilson Hall Cafe
Monday, April 11
- Breakfast: Croissant sandwich
- French Quarter gumbo soup
- French dip with horseradish cream
- Santa Fe pork stew
- *Country-baked chicken
- Popcorn shrimp wrap
- Assorted sliced pizza
- Sweet and sour chicken with egg roll

*Heart healthy option

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, April 13
Lunch

- Chili chicken skewers with cilantro pesto
- Chunky banana sweet-potato mash
- Key lime tequila pie

Friday, April 15
- Closed

Chez Leon Menu
Call x3524 to make your reservation.

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Special Announcement

Government shutdown averted; awaiting final budget details

Late Friday evening, Congress and the White House arrived at an agreement for a budget for the rest of fiscal year 2011. The deal includes $38 billion in spending cuts in FY11. To allow Congress to complete work on the final budget bill, the House and Senate passed, and the President signed early Saturday, a Continuing Resolution to fund the government through this Friday, April 15.

The final formal budget bill, with all the details about how the $38 billion in cuts will be distributed, will be revealed in the next few days. Lawmakers in both houses of Congress will then vote on the bill, and send it to President Obama for his signature. Depending on the details of the bill the laboratory might know its FY11 budget situation quickly, or it may be some time before the specifics at the laboratory level are known.

Feature

10 questions for a particle physicist: Dave Schmitz

From Energy Blog, April 7, 2011

Particle physicist Dave Schmitz works on the MINERvA experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Lab -- he took some time to tell us why neutrinos (electrically neutral, subatomic particles) are important to the universe and why the time 1:32am has special meaning for his experiment. And, check out Dr. Schmitz’s talk last week-- “In One Ear and Out the Other: A Talk about Neutrino” -- as part of Fermilab’s 'Physics for Everyone' lecture series.

Question: What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in science?

I started my career in science relatively late. I originally started as an architectural engineering student in college. I didn't change to physics until late in my fourth year as an undergraduate. I had read several physics books for a public audience and became interested in learning more. I decided to enroll in a Physics III course as an elective towards my engineering degree. I remember my advisor thinking that I was completely nuts and only reluctantly signing my enrollment card. Maybe he was so hesitant because he feared I would not return to architecture.

That semester, the class touched on the concepts of relativity and quantum mechanics for the first time. My professor was very enthusiastic and would happily spend extra time out of class discussing anything I wanted. At the end of that semester I joined a research group studying neutrinos produced by distant cosmological sources that interacted in the polar ice cap at the South Pole. In December 2000, I had the thrill of traveling to the experiment for two weeks to deploy some new equipment. If I wasn't already hooked on a career in science, a trip to the bottom of the earth sealed the deal.

Read more

Milestones

Birth

TD employee Emanuela Barzi gave birth to a little boy, Brando, on March 24. He joins big brother Leo.
In the News

As lawmakers battle over cuts, physicists try to beat the odds

From Chronicle of Higher Education,
April 8, 2011

Particle physics is all about probabilities. A handful of consistently unusual readings out of a hundred can count as a breakthrough finding.

So what are the odds that, after several years without any such major discoveries to report, the nation's largest particle accelerator suddenly has two, just as a budget-conscious Congress prepares to pull its plug?

In Washington, the week has been dominated by the threat of a possible shutdown of the federal government. The pressure has led lawmakers to consider a budget plan that likely would bring an immediate end to the accelerator, known as the Tevatron. And near Chicago, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory reported this week that an Italian researcher using the Tevatron for her Ph.D. project may have unexpectedly discovered a completely new particle.

Read more

ES&H Tip of the Week:
Safety

Share the road

Bicyclists and motorists are required to follow the rules of the road at Fermilab.

Fermilab is a great place to ride a bicycle. We have interesting scenery, a paved path stretching across the site and plenty of lightly traveled roadways. It is important to remember that bicyclists in Illinois have the option of using the roadway. They are not required to get off the roadway when vehicles approach from behind.

Although roads at Fermilab are often lightly traveled, accidents between motorists and cyclists have occurred. We require all visitors to follow the Illinois Rules of the Road.

Reminders for bicyclists:

  • Obey all traffic signs, laws and signals.
  • Ride no more than two abreast; in particular, do not block passing traffic.
  • Wear a bicycle safety helmet.
  • Ride in the same direction as cars in your lane.
  • Stay as far to the right side of the road as practical.
  • Ride predictably.
  • Signal your turns.

Reminders for motorists:

  • Leave at least 3 feet when passing.
  • Watch at right turns. Is there a bicycle to your right?
  • Yield to bicycles as you would to another vehicle.
  • Use turn signals.
  • Watch where bicycles can enter the road, especially at right turns.
  • Look for bikes when getting out of your car to avoid door-bike crashes.

Occasionally, when motorists and bicyclists meet they can sometimes overlook rules of the road and common courtesy. This can lead to conflict. Getting hostile or abusive won't help the situation. We need to stay calm, exercise caution and show respect for each other, no matter how we're traveling.

View the Illinois Rules of the Road.

-- Dave Peterson, bicycle liaison, Fermilab Traffic Safety Subcommittee

Accelerator Update

April 6-8

- Three stores provided ~34.75 hours of luminosity
- Main Injector ramp trip caused the transfer loss of antiprotons to the Recycler
- CALICE experiment T-978 returned to the Fermilab Test Beam Facility
- NuMI conducted target scans

Read the Current Accelerator Update
Read the Early Bird Report
View the Tevatron Luminosity Charts

Announcements

Latest Announcements

View last week's immigration presentation online

Fermilab Lecture Series - The LHC - Maleika Meddahi, LHC - April 15

Argentine tango classes - April 20 - May 4

Monday night golf league - April 25

Martial Arts classes begin April 11

ACU offers $1,000 scholarship deadline - April 25

Fermilab Arts & Lecture series - Nagata Shachu Taiko drumming - May 7

Windows 7 Introduction course offered - May 19

Word 2010: Transition from 2003/2007 course offered - May 25

Chilled water plant design offer - June 14 - 16

Do you have a foreign bank account outside of the U.S.?

Ultimate frisbee starting soon

Summer day camp

Join the Fermilab golf league

2011 Co-ed softball league

Jazzercise discount for employees

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