Jefferson Lab/ODU Partner to Boost Accelerator Science

Rachel Sparks completed her undergraduate program at Old Dominion University, earning bachelor's degrees in both math and physics. For her senior thesis, she conducted research at JLab's Institute for Superconducting Radiofrequency Science and Technology.

To the long list of those who have benefited from accelerator science, you can now add Virginia students. That’s because Jefferson Lab and Old Dominion University have joined together to establish a new Center for Accelerator Science at ODU. Created Oct. 1 in ODU's Department of Physics, the center will train the next generation of accelerator and light-source scientists and engineers.

"It's very broad, and it touches on just about every aspect of physics and engineering. That's what's attractive about accelerator science," says Jean Delayen, a principal scientist in Jefferson Lab's Accelerator Division.

The establishment of the center capped more than two years of effort, spurred by the findings of the High-Energy Physics Advisory Panel’s Subpanel on Advanced Accelerator R&D, which noted a shortage of accelerator science programs. HEPAP advises the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation on high-energy physics research.

"The panel came to the conclusion that given the planned accelerators and accelerator-based light sources in the world, we really don't have enough accelerator physicists to fill the need. The demand is larger than the few current programs at universities can meet," says Hari Areti, education and outreach manager for the Accelerator Division.

Two years ago, ODU launched an accelerator physics instructional program with the help of Jefferson Lab. JLab provided three of its research scientists to serve as part-time members of the ODU faculty: Areti, Delayen and Geoffrey Krafft, a staff scientist in JLab's Accelerator Division. A number of Accelerator Division scientists also serve as adjunct faculty in physics and engineering at ODU.

While a step in the right direction, the program fell short of what Accelerator Division head Andrew Hutton and ODU Physics Department Chair Gail Dodge felt was needed. Alone, neither JLab nor ODU had both the facilities and the educational program that tied together the array of disciplines needed to train would-be accelerator research scientists.

ODU had the educational infrastructure. But according to Krafft, "If you don't have an accelerator program to begin with, it's very hard to build one up within a university."

Jefferson Lab had the facilities, but as Areti noted, "We don't grant degrees. But we have fields that we specialize in, such as superconducting accelerators, high polarization, high-intensity injectors and beam physics. So we thought, why not work with a university and develop R&D programs in these particular areas?"

Joining forces allows both institutions to benefit.

"By forming the center and hiring a director, it will focus a lot of the work of people who are doing related things and help people go after grants and I really think it will enhance the research of everyone involved," Dodge says. In addition to chairing the ODU Department of Physics, Dodge is a nuclear physicist who conducts research at Jefferson Lab.

Hutton says that the lab will provide some funding and oversight for students, and open its wide range of technical facilities for student research. "For instance, Jefferson Lab has spectacular, world-class facilities in surface measurements and surface science testing. And we are able to make them available to students from ODU, which puts the center at a level which it would take them otherwise a decade and a very large investment to be able to match."

Delayen and Krafft, who have taught classes at ODU in the past, will continue to do so. They also advise students in research projects. In addition, the lab will share equipment with the university.

Delayen says the center is attractive not just to students, but also to lab scientists. "Accelerator research activities at JLab are more focused on the shorter-term, they are project driven," he explains. "That's where ODU comes in. The center will focus on the long term, and JLab will focus on the shorter term."

Another plus is that lab staff wanting to further their education in accelerator science now have a more convenient means to do so. In fact, several staff members are already seeking advanced degrees in accelerator science and related disciplines at ODU.

"The center will add to the opportunities that we have to train students in accelerator physics. That's one of the main goals, to provide training opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students in accelerator physics," Krafft confirms.

Other core Center for Accelerator Science members include four full-time faculty members in the ODU Department of Physics: Professor Lepsha Vuskovic, Assistant Professor Alexander Godonov and Research Professor Svetozar Popovic and two faculty members of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Professor and Eminent Scholar Hani Elsayed-Ali and Professor Ravindra Joshi.

The center will reside in ODU's Department of Physics and is currently searching for an inaugural director.

Hutton says this is an auspicious time for establishing the center. The lab's core competency in accelerators built using superconducting radiofrequency technology will be a boon to current and future students.

For instance, the technology is used in many of the facilities featured in Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook, a portfolio of 28 prioritized DOE scientific facilities and facility upgrades spanning the scientific disciplines. More accelerator scientists will be needed for these projects, providing a boost for the newly created center, ODU and Jefferson Lab.

"We believe that the proximity to Jefferson Lab and our close partnership will enable the center to grow quickly to a world-class level. And we hope that will, in turn, attract the best students who would want to come to ODU to work with us," Hutton says.

Dodge agrees. "I think that with the proximity to Jefferson Lab, the center will immediately be a top choice for students who want to study accelerator science."

See the ODU announcement online. Other schools that feature accelerator science programs include Indiana University, Louisiana State University, Cornell University and Stanford University.

HEPAP: http://www.er.doe.gov/hep/panels/about_hepap.shtml

By Kandice Carter
Science writer