No Sweat For PANIC Conference Crew

Did someone say "panic"? The 14th International Conference on Particles and Nuclei is history, to the great relief of all concerned. Jointly sponsored by Jefferson Lab and the College of William and Mary, the conference brought 600 physicists to Williamsburg for seven days this May. The purpose of this triennial event is to keep scientists up to date on advances in physics at the borderline between nuclear physics and particle physics.

John Domingo, Jefferson Lab Associate Director, Physics Division, and Carl Carlson, William and Mary Department of Physics, served as co-chairs for the conference. Attendees were welcomed at the opening session by Jefferson Lab Director Hermann Grunder and William and Mary President Timothy Sullivan. Hailing from five continents, more than 23 countries and 28 states, conference participants presented, discussed, argued and, occasionally, listened to each other from May 22 through May 28.

Based on enthusiastic feedback from participants, the conference was a resounding success on all fronts. "There were several good talks," says Domingo. "The plenary speakers were exceptionally good." Morning plenary talks by 23 invited speakers were held in Phi Beta Kappa Hall. Afternoon sessions at University Center were devoted to parallel talks-246 oral presentations on 12 topics, selected from the 674 total abstracts submitted. More than 400 posters were displayed simultaneously throughout the conference at William and Mary Hall.

"I was exhilarated by the conference," co-chair Carlson said. "After a long time worrying that no one would come, that nothing would work, there was a definite moment about a week and a half before the conference when my mood changed. I went from worrying about it to being excited about it. It was clear to me that it was all going to work. And it did."

Orchestrating an event of such monumental proportions required more than a year of intensive planning, organizing and just plain hard work. "The real challenge for all of us was not to organize this conference," explains Marty Hightower, chair of the LOC, "but to come out of it with our sanity and sense of humor intact." LOC members were, from Jefferson Lab: Ruth Bizot, Sue Ewing, Cindy Garwood, Karen Hokansson, Julie Leverenz and Janet Prater; from William and Mary physics department: Morty Eckhause and Dirk Walecka; and from William and Mary Conference Services, Bob Jeffrey and Bill Tian.

From break-out sessions, buses and box lunches to overhead projectors and on-line access, the array of logistical details required for a conference of this size is staggering. Mailing lists had to be researched, acquired and transformed into a comprehensive database. Posters, programs and flyers were designed, printed and mailed. Hotel accommodations, travel arrangements, student support, poster boards, menus, e-mail responses, abstract booklets and proceedings-the list was nearly endless.

Mere weeks before the conference began, the Jefferson Lab Dedication date was scheduled to coincide with what was originally the PANIC Pig Pickin'. Working simultaneously on two such major events required, at times, 'round-the-clock effort. "I'm most impressed with the incredible team effort of everyone concerned," Hightower says. "I've never seen people push themselves quite so hard to reach a common goal."

As for the physicists, they came, they talked, they ate. By the time the conference was over, attendees had generated more than 200,000 words (not counting breaks), consumed nearly 10,000 meals and drunk in excess of 16,000 cups of coffee. But it wasn't all work and no play. Ample change-of-pace opportunities were offered at regular intervals. On Saturday night, archaeologist Nicholas Luccketti gave a slide presentation on the recent re-discovery of the original Jamestown site. Sunday evening offered music lovers a double-header featuring Colonial Williamsburg's own The Governor's Musick, and the contemporary, high-tech sounds of The Dominion Trio. The Hilton Brass drove the drizzle away at Monday's SeaFest in William and Mary's Sunken Garden, while The Good Life Band did up-tempo honors at the Pig Pickin'.

Ironically, neither Carlson nor Domingo were the ones who, six years ago, volunteered their respective institutions as hosts for PANIC. "Do you think I'm totally nuts?" said Domingo. "Jefferson Lab had already volunteered for the conference. I had no choice." But the bright side, he points out, is that given its current rotation schedule, the conference won't be back in this neck of the woods for a long time. "I'll be 81," said Domingo, " It's unlikely I'll have to do it again."

The conference was also a fiscal success. Though the final financial reporting has not yet been completed, already it seems clear that the bottom line is comfortably in the black. In addition to registration fees and major support from Jefferson Lab and DOE, funding sources included grants from the National Science Foundation, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, LeCroy Research Systems, Los Alamos National Laboratory and BiRa Systems.

At the close of this year's conference, Uppsala University in Sweden was chosen to host PANIC '99. All we can say to them is-Don't Panic.

Ruth Bizot, Conference Services Administrator

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