Program Deputy

 


The overall accelerator running schedule is controlled on a shift-by-shift basis by the Program Deputy (PD). During their two-week period of service, the PD is responsible for the accelerator program for all shifts. The day-by-day long-term schedule for running is developed well in advance by the Nuclear Physics Experiment Scheduling Committee (a copy of this schedule is posted on the web at https://www.jlab.org/physics/experiments/schedule). There is also a detailed memo from the scheduling committee that explains many considerations for upcoming running (this is very useful information). Have additional questions? Click here: https://www.jlab.org/memo/better-call-paul-faq.

Through meetings with the experimenters, program updates, and shift plans, the PD further refines the long-term accelerator schedule, developing it into a shift-by-shift plan of coordinated activity. The following meetings are a critical part of coordinating the accelerator schedule.

  • DAILY 7:45 A.M. MEETING WITH EXPERIMENT RUN COORDINATORS: This meeting is held with the Experiment Run Coordinator for each experiment that is scheduled to receive beam that day or the following day. It serves as a routine means of exchanging information concerning the operating schedule, planned activities for the next 24 hours, accelerator performance, or any other concerns that affect the scheduled program. The meeting generally occurs at 0745 in the MCC Conference Room on weekdays, and on weekends at 0830 as necessary.
  • DAILY SUMMARY MEETING: Here, the PD presents the Crew Chief Shift Summaries for the previous 24 hours (or weekend), develops any necessary short-term schedule modifications, and assures that the appropriate laboratory resources are utilized as necessary to keep the accelerator program on schedule. This meeting occurs every weekday morning at 0800 in the MCC Conference Room.
  • WEEKLY ACCELERATOR PLANNING MEETING: At this meeting, the PD defines the short-term operating schedule for the upcoming two-week period. The schedule is posted on the MCC Conference Room "White Board" and kept as up to date as possible at all times. This information is also routinely transcribed and posted to the World Wide Web at https://cebaf.jlab.org/files/ops/accboard/. This meeting is held on Wednesdays at 1330 in the MCC Conference Room.

The PD integrates the information obtained at these meetings into a detailed running schedule and passes it on to the Accelerator Operators via PD Shift Plans (https://ace.jlab.org/apps/pd/shift-plans). At the beginning of their shift, the Operations crew reads the eight-hour shift plan, which provides detailed instructions for operations during the shift. Any changes to the PD Shift Plan (with the exception of necessary, unanticipated accesses) must be approved by the Program Deputy. The PD cell phone number is: 757-876-7997. Want to know more? Check out our list of Frequently Asked Questions below. 


Who: Program Deputy -  A JLab employee who volunteers as a temporary coordinator for the accelerator run schedule that organizes the shift activity plans. Daily collaborations with the CEBAF operations crew may include encouraging conversation on daily operations, collecting information on CEBAF’s status or coordinating with experimental hall staff. 

A common misconception of a program deputy is that they must be an expert. This is no true. We have had PDs from software groups, system admins, division admins, ES&H and more - all of whom did not directly associate with accelerator operations. They all did fine and walked away having learned a bit more on how the accelerator works. A PD is the liaison between accelerator, physics and engineering. You help coordinate schedules, resolve conflicts and bring people together to accomplish a common goal. 

When: The PD is a two-week commitment, from Wednesday to Wednesday. Because this is a volunteer role, the PD will have typically settled into a rhythm by the second week. Dividing the shift into separated segments (one week for example) would lose momentum and the familiarity with current operations. More so, splitting the time up would very likely be a harder experience overall, especially for someone new to being PD. If a PD did want to break up their time, we would still ask for a total of two weeks.  

As far as the daily time commitment is concerned, the role could require an hour or so in the morning for the 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m. meetings. If things are running smoothly and there are no changes to the schedule, then another hour or so at the end of the day before 3 p.m. would be required. The afternoon shift covers whether there are any new plans for overnight work, as well as to set up the shift plans for the overnight shifts. 

If things are steady, these shift plans can be set up in advance with just a short review and update required before publishing for the crews to use. If things are busy, there may be additional meetings to pull experts together, develop plans of action, and decision points. A busier shift may require an end-of-day meeting to determine the accelerator status and adjust further plans. Even so, most PDs find they can escape for periods during the day to do what they may need to do elsewhere. An important thing to remember is that the PD is not performing the actual work – lab staff and others are performing the work and providing the PD with a status report. 

The PD carries a dedicated phone for anyone who needs to contact the PD. If there is a >2hr interruption to the program designated by the PD, the Crew Chief will contact the PD to see if they would like to proceed with an alternate program. On weekend mornings, the PD will have a short virtual meeting with the hall Run Coordinators to see how they are doing and if there are any issues or changes from them. 

Although, the two-week role is technically one where a person is on-call 24/7, it is very unlikely that you will need to come in. 

Where: This is a position that takes place on-site due to the daily “8 a.m. meetings.” A PD may find it easier to use the media equipment at their disposal, as well as have the ability to go to a work area and talk to people. The PD has their own desk in the MCC Control Room where the Crew Chiefs and Operators are. Much of your support staff will also be in the MCC. We have had experienced PDs do the majority of their time remotely. 

Training: A week or so prior to serving as a PD, you will meet with the Operability Leader who will walk you through the daily process of being a PD. You’ll also be asked to meet ahead of time with the Director of Operations to discuss goals and what to expect during your time.  

Although there is no official shadow program, potential PDs have unofficially tuned into meetings or lightly shadowed the serving PD. This is especially true if they do not normally follow the daily goings on of accelerator operations. An oncoming PD will come in and spend time with the serving PD that Monday and/or Tuesday before they take over on Wednesday so they can get up to speed and see what has been happening. 

The 8 a.m. scheduling meeting is open to all, you can find the link to the Zoom meeting at the top of the Elog. The 7:45 a.m. meeting is a closed private meeting between the PD and the Run Coordinators and is by invitation only. 

From the Director of Accelerator Operations to the Operability Group Leader and Operations Group Leader, everyone wants you to do well and are available to support you when you serve as PD.  

The Operability and Operations Group Leaders tend to be on-site early in the morning every weekday. The MCC Control Room is staffed 24/7 while running where you can find an experienced Crew Chief to also help you out. There will always be someone available to help if you need advice or guidance.  

Any serving PD will need GERT training, so that they can come in to the MCC. If they want the full experience, Rad Worker 1 will allow them to go into most areas of the accelerator tunnel, hall or service buildings to see first-hand what is going on. Even if things are running smoothly, having Rad Worker 1 would allow any of your support members to take you out into the field and show you their stuff and what they may be working on. People like to talk to others and show off their jobs. 

You do not need to be an accelerator or nuclear physics expert. The accelerator experts already exist and are helping you perform the work.  

You are the central point that ties it all together. You help facilitate operational communications between Physics, Operations and Engineering. You are part admin assistant, keeping notes from the meeting, updating the main plan that everyone works from as changes get decided upon. You are part coach, bringing people together and guiding them toward a common goal. The coach doesn’t play the game, the players do, but they direct the players and keep them moving forward in the right direction. 

Contact: The PD will receive a dedicated PD cellphone with all the necessary contacts programmed in. 

Charge Code: There is a MCCPD charge code that the Program Deputy uses to charge their time. 

Typical PD Schedule Example: 

During the physics run: 

  • 7:45 a.m., M-F: During the physics run, there is a 7:45 a.m. meeting with the hall Run Coordinators to see how things went overnight. 

  • 8 a.m., M-F: That then rolls right into the 8 a.m. scheduling meeting where the PD presents the Crew Chief’s shift logs from the past three shifts or over the weekend. They also present the current plans for the day and into the week on a large whiteboard, annotating any special events coming up.  

  • 10 a.m., S&S: On the weekends during the physics run, the PD does a virtual meeting with the Run Coordinators at a selected time they all agree on, usually at 10 a.m. or later as most RCs stay up late. This is just to see if there are any issues that need taking care of over the weekend, or if there are any changes from the halls. Sometimes halls need to carry out operations that are invasive to the other halls and/or involve Operations, and all of these and all of these meetings help to keep the communication flowing and minimize any surprises.

During Scheduled Accelerator Down (SAD): 

  • 8 a.m., M-F: The day starts with the 8 a.m. meeting. Sometimes, there may be a meeting after the 8 a.m. meeting where the PD may get together with the system experts and others involved to discuss a problem and determine a plan of action. 

S&S: Typically, there are no meetings scheduled for the weekend.