JLab Newsletter: e-OnTarget - March 2007

   

Leemann Steps Down from Jefferson Lab Directorship
Christoph Leemann, Director of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, announced March 15 that he will be stepping down from that position after six-and-a-half years at the helm of the research facility. Leemann will also be resigning as President of Jefferson Science Associates, a joint venture between the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) and CSC Applied Technologies, which was awarded the management and operating contract from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science in a recompetition in the spring of 2006.

 

Public invited to Jefferson Lab's 'Science is Cool' Open House set for Saturday, April 21, 2007
"Excitement is climbing and work efforts are coalescing as Saturday, April 21 -- open house day -- nears," says Linda Ware, Jefferson Lab Public Affairs manager. "Jefferson Lab's last open house was about two years ago. Long-time favorite attractions such as the liquid nitrogen demonstration are planned as well as new areas of interest."

 

Staff, Users, students, family members: Volunteers needed to help at JLab's 2007 Open House
The Jefferson Lab Open House will be held Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., rain or shine. That means, in five weeks, we will be hosting upwards of 5,000 visitors for our biennial Open House. Volunteers -- as always -- are critical to the success of this event! Sign-up is available on line and hourly employees will be paid for time worked with supervisor's approval.

 

Andrew Hutton chosen to lead Jefferson Lab's Accelerator Division
Beginning March 19, a familiar hand will take the helm of the Accelerator Division. Andrew Hutton, long-time Deputy Associate Director of the division, will officially step up into the role of Jefferson Lab Accelerator Division Associate Director.

 

Elke-Caroline Aschenauer appointed JLab's 12 GeV Upgrade Hall D Leader
Born near Nuremberg, Germany, Elke-Caroline Aschenauer admits amazement at the professional and career opportunities that have crossed her path in the world of physics. "I have been very fortunate, even lucky," she says, of the appointments and positions of increasing responsibility that have led her most recently to Jefferson Lab as the 12 GeV Upgrade Hall D Leader.

 

In Their Own Words with JLab's new Human Resources Manager, Rhonda Barbosa
Being at Jefferson Lab as Manager of Human Resources is like coming full circle for me, and it's been a great journey. I was fortunate enough to get a part-time job here when the Lab was CEBAF and during my time as a student at Christopher Newport University. I worked about 20 hours a week doing administrative support work, first for the Physics Division and then in the User Liaison Office, and it really gave me a chance to meet a lot of people and get an understanding of what CEBAF was all about. When I came back as the new manager of Human Resources on Jan. 2 of this year, it was wonderful to see so many people I'd known before.

 

In Their Own Words with Hall C Interim Leader, Stephen A. Wood
Both of my parents were physicists, so you might say that I've grown up around this science. I knew when I was in high school that I wanted to pursue a career in physics because I had come to believe that it was the most exact science and offered clearer answers than those that could be found in other fields. I thought then that the answers to be found in physics were simpler, and I still do.

 

Do you know where your JLab property is? Tips for no muss, no fuss property validations, property inventories
Have a new kitchen appliance, living room furniture, power tools or personal computer that you plan to keep for a while? Are you extra attentive to the maintenance and paint job on your new car or truck? If you give the same level of care to the JLab property assigned to you, as a Property Custodian, it will be there for you when you need to do your job, advises Tom Briggs, JLab Property Manager.

 

Computer, network security improvements underway; many changes will be invisible
An invisible sea change is underway in how the Information Technology (IT) Division manages computers and the internal networks at Jefferson Lab. The changes are spurred by the ever more hostile environment on the Information Superhighway. This includes the security of computers, networks, PII (personally identifiable information), and business sensitive information. While the IT Division will be very busy implementing new policies and procedures during the next few months, most computer users will see very few differences in their day-to-day work.

 

JAG extends entry deadline: Race is on to design the winning 2007 JLab T-shirt
The race to create the winning design for Jefferson Lab's annual T-shirt contest kicked off March 1. The deadline for submissions has been extended to April 6. Lab staff and users will then vote online for the best design. The winning design will be unveiled at the Lab's annual Run-A-Round, which will be scheduled for sometime in mid-May.

 

Milestones for February/March 2007
Posted JLab Career Opportunities Current JLab Career Opportunities are listed at: https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_jeffersonlab/external/search.do

 

 

Leemann Steps Down from Jefferson Lab Directorship (top ^)

Christoph Leemann, Jefferson Lab Director and President of Jefferson Science Associates, LLC.

Christoph Leemann, Director of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, announced March 15 that he will be stepping down from that position after six-and-a-half years at the helm of the research facility. Leemann will also be resigning as President of Jefferson Science Associates, a joint venture between the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) and CSC Applied Technologies, which was awarded the management and operating (M&O) contract from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science in a recompetition in the spring of 2006.

John T. Casteen, President of the University of Virginia and JSA Board Chair, said, "Dr. Leemann has provided tremendous leadership for Jefferson Lab over the past several years. As board chair of the managing contractor organization that assumed control of the lab's operations last year, I am especially grateful for his effective management of the lab during that period of transition." Dr. Casteen added, "We are appreciative of Dr. Leemann's work on expansion plans that will essentially double the lab's energy and research capacity. This expansion will guarantee that the lab will continue to be an effective research center for the next generation." To assist the JSA Board of Directors in the search process, Leemann offered to remain on board into the last quarter of the fiscal year. Until such time as a successor is named, Leemann said, "I will lead the Laboratory and do my part to avoid the need for interim leadership of any significant duration." The next meeting of the JSA Board is scheduled for April 24 in Washington, at which time a search committee and process is expected to be announced.

In a statement to lab staff, Leemann said, "Over the last few years, Jefferson Lab has consolidated its position as an institution with unique capabilities for the study of fundamental properties of matter and the advancement of forefront accelerator technology. Having participated in the creation and shaping of this laboratory has been a privilege and a source of great satisfaction; to lead it as Director over the last six-and-a-half years, was the culmination of my professional career." Leemann added, "The Laboratory has enhanced its scientific and managerial leadership, and has earned an outstanding evaluation for its science, management, and operation under the new paradigm." JLab earned that exceptional evaluation in its annual Performance Evaluation Report issued last month by the DOE Thomas Jefferson Site Office.

Jerry Draayer, President & CEO of SURA, stated, "Throughout his tenure at Jefferson Lab, Christoph has been a strong proponent for the lab and the science agenda it pursues. His contributions as a researcher, manager and lab leader have been pivotal in gaining support for a major upgrade that should continue to enable the lab to do discovery level science through the second decade of the 21st century, and for this the scientific community owes him a great debt of gratitude."

Lawrence Hare, President of CSC Applied Technologies added, "We are most grateful for Christoph's leadership in steering the lab through the transition to a new contractor and maintaining the operational excellence necessary for the lab to reach its scientific agenda. He leaves the lab in a state of readiness to move forward and his willingness to assist the Board in the search process is important."

SURA was originally awarded the contract to build the lab in 1984 and operated it since completion. The coalition of over 60 universities consistently earned "outstanding" ratings as the M&O contractor of the facility from its first performance-based contact in 1995. DOE released a request for proposal to recompete the M&O contract for the 700-employee facility in December 2005, and awarded the new contract to JSA, LLC in April of last year.

Leemann came to Jefferson Lab from the University of California's Lawrence Berkeley Lab in 1985, attracted by the opportunity to build a new facility and a new organization on a green site. He was instrumental in the design, technology choice, and construction of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) – as Jefferson Lab was originally known. He has served Jefferson Lab for nearly 22 years in various leadership positions.

Jefferson Lab is a renowned research facility with over 2,000 international users. Nearly one-third of the Ph.D.'s awarded in nuclear physics in the U.S. result from research done at Jefferson Lab. And over 90 new faculty positions in the nuclear physics discipline have been added in universities across the south since SURA brought the Lab to the region.

Casteen concluded, "The JSA board, lab employees, and members of the lab's user community join me in expressing gratitude to Dr. Leemann for his valuable service to Jefferson Lab and to the broader advancement of science."

Information courtesy of SURA.

 

Public invited to Jefferson Lab's 'Science is Cool' Open House set for Saturday, April 21, 2007 (top ^)

Charlie Reece, Accelerator Division Senior Scientist and Project Manager, explains JLab's superconducting radiofrequency capabilities to visitors during the 2005 Open House.

"Excitement is climbing and work efforts are coalescing as Saturday, April 21 -- open house day -- nears," says Linda Ware, Jefferson Lab Public Affairs manager. "Jefferson Lab's last open house was about two years ago. Long-time favorite attractions such as the liquid nitrogen demonstration are planned as well as new areas of interest."

"For the first time, visitors will be able to walk to most of the tour stops," Ware adds. "We had a great turnout for our 2005 open house with such a large turnout that it maxed out the shuttle buses we use to transport visitors around the campus. With the new sidewalks in place, visitors will be able to walk on designated paths to nearly all of the tour stops. This should lessen the load on the shuttle buses and improve the flow of visitors through many of the buildings we will have open that day."

"We look forward to this event because it gives Lab staff and visiting scientists the opportunity to share their work and the Lab's accomplishments with the public. It is our chance to explain what we do and why we do it -- in short, why we think science is cool," Ware continues. "It is also a great opportunity to show the public why basic research is important. While not always visible, basic research fuels a significant amount of our nation's economic growth."

Science Education staff assists youngsters with a hands-on electric magnet activity during the 2005 Open House.

The event will be free of charge, open to the public and held rain or shine. Visitors will be able to arrive between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The day ends promptly at 4 p.m.

Parts of every major area of the facility will be open. In addition to a section of the accelerator tunnel, visitors will also be able to enter one of the Lab's experimental halls, the Machine Control Center and the Free-Electron Laser Facility. A variety of displays will be set up in the Test Lab where R&D and assembly of components for Jefferson Lab's accelerator and its planned energy upgrade to 12 billion electron volts (GeV) take place. The Lab's computing, data acquisition and fast electronics activities, and technology transfer endeavors in medical imaging will also be on display.

In addition to highlighting the latest physics research and technology developments at Jefferson Lab, the event will include a variety of hands-on, science-education oriented activities for the young and young-at-heart, provided by Jefferson Lab, local universities that conduct research at Jefferson Lab, regional museums and government agencies. Lab staff and visiting scientists (Users) will be on hand to discuss their work and answer questions throughout the day.

Free, public parking for the event will be at the Canon Virginia parking lot located at 12000 Canon Boulevard, in the Oyster Point area of Newport News. Public entry to the parking lot will be from Old Oyster Point Road on Canon Blvd. Free special-event buses will shuttle visitors from the Canon parking lot to Jefferson Lab (about a 3-minute bus ride) on a regular schedule from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. The last bus bringing guests to Jefferson Lab will depart the Canon parking lot promptly at 2 p.m. The last bus returning visitors to the Canon parking lot will leave Jefferson Lab at 4 p.m. Handicap and group parking will be available at Jefferson Lab.

Handicap visitors and bus groups should contact Sarah Ingels, 757-269-7444, to make arrangements for parking. Lab staff working at the open house will be allowed to park in designated areas at JLab.

Bring your camera, wear your walking shoes, Ware advises, and sunscreen. Vendors will be set up to sell light refreshments at the event.

JLab workgroups planning demonstrations, exhibits or booths:

Two young visitors at JLab's 2005 Open House learn about cryogenics during a Liquid Nitrogen Demonstration to determine the effects of extreme cold on a variety of materials, such as this balloon.

Test Lab (several displays)
Machine Control Center (CEBAF control center)
Hall A (display in CEBAF Center)
Hall B (display in CEBAF Center auditorium)
Hall C (open)
12 GeV Upgrade
Hall D
Data Acquisition
Fast Electronics group
Detector & Imaging Group (medical imaging)
Computer Center exhibits
Accelerator tunnel
Free-Electron Laser (FEL) vault and user laboratories
JLab Graduate Education program featuring Einstein photo op
Human Resources booth
Science Education — hands on activities
Environment, Safety, Health and Quality Division
Cryogenics Demonstrations hourly under big top tent at the ARC (download a student activity booklet)

Local Universities planning demonstrations, exhibits or booths:

Old Dominion University
Christopher Newport University
The College of William & Mary
Norfolk State University

Local Museums, Government Agencies and other organizations planning demonstrations, exhibits or booths:

Mid-Atlantic chapter of the American Vacuum Society
The Virginia Living Museum
The Mariners' Museum
Children's Museum of Virginia
Virginia Air & Space Center
NASA Langley Research Center

Help publicize the Open House: Pick up posters and flyers at the main entrance to CEBAF Center. If you would like a large number of flyers to distribute, please contact Deb Magaldi, Public Affairs, ext. 5102.

 

Staff, Users, students, family members: Volunteers needed to help at JLab's 2007 Open House (top ^)

The Jefferson Lab Open House will be held Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., rain or shine. That means, in five weeks, we will be hosting upwards of 5,000 visitors for our biennial Open House. Volunteers -- as always -- are critical to the success of this event! Sign-up is available on line and hourly employees will be paid for time worked with supervisor's approval.

Public Affairs needs about 90 employees that day to carry out Open House functions such as crowd control in the Free-Electron Laser, tunnel, experimental halls, ARC building, and Test Lab, as well as bus stop coordinators at all the bus stops, cryogenic demonstration assistants, and hands-on activities helpers. Outside of the accelerator site, family members aged 16 years and older may volunteer, and family members as young as 13 may help if accompanied by a parent.

This year, Public Affairs is asking volunteers to sign up for the entire day.  If you have a scheduling conflict and can only work one-half of the day, please contact Janet Prater, ext. 7587, or email prater@jlab.org. We can certainly place you in an area for part of the day.

Please consider being a part of this worthwhile community relations event. If you need information on volunteer positions available, contact Janet Prater. To sign up, go to the Insider Front Page, announcements column and click on "Volunteers Needed for Open House...". 

Thank you,
Linda Ware
Public Affairs Manager

 

Andrew Hutton chosen to lead Jefferson Lab's Accelerator Division (top ^)

Andrew Hutton, long-time Deputy Associate Director of the Accelerator Division, became the group's new Associate Director on Mar. 19.

Beginning March 19, a familiar hand will take the helm of the Accelerator Division. Andrew Hutton, long-time Deputy Associate Director of the division, will officially step up into the role of Jefferson Lab Accelerator Division Associate Director.

After 14 years of service in the Accelerator Division, Andrew Hutton has been named its next Associate Director. "This is something I've been working toward all of my life, since I was at school. I played with my first accelerator after school, and I knew that that was what I wanted to spend my life on," Hutton says.

Hutton grew up in Northwood, England, within sight of Mt. Vernon Hospital. The hospital boasted its own cancer research institute. "And the head of the institute was Hal Gray, after whom the unit of absorbed radiation dose is named: the Gray. And he allowed me to go after school to play with his small electron linear accelerator, which was being used for radiation research," he recalls.

From there, Hutton went on to pursue his passion in Italy, Geneva and California, before eventually making his way to Jefferson Lab in 1993. "I've worked on equipment and installed hardware, accelerator design, and commissioning and then operations. So I think I've worked on most parts. And now, I suppose I move into management," Hutton says.

Swapan Chattopadhyay, Accelerator Division Associate Director, passed leadership of the division to Andrew Hutton, effective March 19, 2007. Chattopadhyay and Hutton addressed Accelerator Division staff during an All Hands meeting held March 15.

Swapan Chattopadhyay served as Accelerator Division Associate Director 2001-2007 and recently joined The Cockcroft Institute as its inaugural director. "As a colleague, I have always appreciated Andrew's structured and disciplined approach to things which were instrumental in the successful commissioning of the world's premier large-scale SRF-based accelerator, the CEBAF," Chattopadhyay says, "Jefferson Lab is very fortunate indeed to have somebody with Andrew's long experience in the field, his familiarity and association with state-of-the-art accelerators world-wide, his international stature and dedication. I am confident that he will bring essential and critical value to Jefferson Lab's institutional growth and I personally wish him much success in this pivotal role."

Hutton will put his many years of experience to good use, leading the Lab's Accelerator Division into its next stage of development. "We have, obviously, to make 12 GeV work. And in the meantime, we also have to make sure that we provide a really good physics program for 6 GeV."

He says his role will be to help the Lab highlight its strengths and the core competencies that support those strengths in a way that poises the Lab to use them to best advantage. He identifies the Accelerator Division's core strengths as its ability to design, produce, commission and operate continuous wave, high current, multi-pass (including energy-recovering) superconducting linear accelerators.

"And the core competencies that support that are the injectors, the theory, the superconducting cavities, and the cryogenics. And we have all of those competencies in the Accelerator Division and the FEL Division, with whom we collaborate closely. We'll be trying to focus our attention and create Centers of Excellence in those areas, which will stand the Lab in extremely good stead in the future," Hutton says.

Looking even farther into the future, Hutton says the Center for the Advanced Studies of Accelerators (CASA) will also continue its theoretical work on a machine to be built after the 12 GeV Upgrade has fulfilled its scientific role. "At the moment, the brightest hope for that is ELIC [the ELectron Ion Collider], a machine which has been worked on by CASA for some years. It has already received rather positive response from the NSAC Town Meetings, and we're expecting that this will be endorsed. If so, we will be pushing ahead, trying to turn this into a more detailed design."

And while it may seem odd to already be contemplating steps beyond 12 GeV, Hutton explains that such early theoretical work pays off in the long run. "When I was at CERN, I participated in the first, very slim white paper on LEP [the Large Electron-Positron Collider]. It finally was commissioned 20 years later. So, that's the time scale you have to be thinking on."

For additional information, see the Jefferson Lab News Release announcing Hutton as JLab's next Accelerator Division AD.

 

Elke-Caroline Aschenauer appointed JLab's 12 GeV Upgrade Hall D Leader (top ^)

Elke-Caroline Aschenauer was appointed JLab's 12 GeV Upgrade Hall D Leader in December 2006 and is part of the Lab's 12 GeV Upgrade project team.

Born near Nuremberg, Germany, Elke-Caroline Aschenauer admits amazement at the professional and career opportunities that have crossed her path in the world of physics. "I have been very fortunate, even lucky," she says, of the appointments and positions of increasing responsibility that have led her most recently to Jefferson Lab as the 12 GeV Upgrade Hall D Leader.

She completed her Ph.D. at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in June 1994, the same institution that denied a degree to Albert Einstein, she points out with a laugh.

Physics was not her first love; she had intended to pursue a career in chemistry but missed the application date for that pursuit.

"Physics was available," she recalls, "and so I started to study and that was it for me."
She earned her doctorate in experimental nuclear physics and received several fellowships, including one as a research associate at NIKHEF-K (the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics) in Amsterdam that ultimately led to her work at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany.
By August 2003, she was serving as the spokesperson for the HERMES collaboration, where she monitored day-to-day data taking and supervised an analysis of hadron multiplicities in semi-inclusive DIS using the RICH to tune fragmentation parameters in the HERMES Monte Carlo.

A scale model of the Hall D apparatus is now on display near the main entrance of CEBAF Center.

Prior to coming to Jefferson Lab, she had visited the United States for various conferences. She had planned to take a year-long sabbatical in Japan, a country that Aschenauer finds particularly fascinating, but she found the possibilities of working with the 12 GeV Upgrade project and the creation of Hall D exciting.

"I wanted a change," she says emphatically, "and I wanted to work on a project from the beginning. I know how to run an experiment, but this offered the opportunity to influence the design from the beginning. This is truly an opportunity to learn from the very beginning."

She admits that her hobby is also her profession in physics, although she enjoys skiing and loves movies from the 1940's. She has a pet cat, Quax, and describes transporting it to the United States as a multi-person effort that exceeded her expectations. "Getting him here," she notes with a laugh, "was more complicated than getting a visa for me."

Although Aschenauer had dreamed of taking that year off in Japan to contemplate her future in science, she says she is thrilled to be here and that this opportunity, like many others she has had, is an extraordinary one.

"Sometimes," she says, "what comes up is better than what you could have planned for yourself."

"Jefferson Lab and the 12 GeV Upgrade project team are fortunate to have a scientist of Elke's caliber on board," says Chief Scientist Tony Thomas. "She brings with her a broad level of expertise in scientific management, major scientific instrumentation installation, hardware development, data analysis, and simulation work. Her knowledge and experience are an asset to Hall D, the 12 GeV Upgrade team and Jefferson Lab."

"She joined us at the start of the project's formal Project Engineering and Design phase – an incredibly busy and intense period," Thomas noted, "which will lead to Department of Energy Critical Decision 2 approval in summer 2007. We are very please that she is part of the JLab team."

 

In Their Own Words with JLab's new Human Resources Manager, Rhonda Barbosa (top ^)

as told to Judi Tull

JLab's new Human Resources Manager, Rhonda Barbosa, came on board in early January 2007.

Being at Jefferson Lab as Manager of Human Resources is like coming full circle for me, and it's been a great journey. I was fortunate enough to get a part-time job here when the Lab was CEBAF and during my time as a student at Christopher Newport University. I worked about 20 hours a week doing administrative support work, first for the Physics Division and then in the User Liaison Office, and it really gave me a chance to meet a lot of people and get an understanding of what CEBAF was all about. When I came back as the new manager of Human Resources on Jan. 2 of this year, it was wonderful to see so many people I'd known before.

While I was at CNU, I started out as a biology/pre-med major, but I figured out pretty quickly that that wasn't the career path for me. I discovered I was much better with people than with math and chemistry! I changed my major to clinical social work with a minor in biology and after graduation went to work for Virginia Health Systems, which operates various rehabilitation units in the area. I worked with patients and their families through some difficult transitions. It was work I enjoyed, but after a year and a half I'd found it quite emotionally challenging and decided that I really wanted to do work that was more energizing for me.

Human Resources really tempted my appetite for a way to use my talents, and I was hired at MCI as a Human Resources Coordinator. I had a wonderful mentorship there, and eventually became a recruiter and earned my Professional Human Resources Certificate. By then I knew I wanted to make HR my career.

I had several opportunities for advancement with MCI, but all required relocating, and I wanted to stay in the Hampton Roads area to be near my family. After having a father in the military, I wanted to plant my roots in one place. I went on to work for Gateway, where I gained experience in a variety of HR areas, but my emphasis and expertise centered around employee-relations. During my five years at Gateway, I held various positions of increasing responsibility supporting different business units, including the technical center and the retail segment of the "cow-spotted stores". I was the Human Resources manager for both groups and then transitioned into the Regional East Coast Manager, supporting directors and employees in the stores from Florida to New Jersey. I also earned my Master's in Human Resources during that time.

As the business climate changed, many of our employees were facing layoffs and I realized that I really didn't want to be involved with large corporations anymore. I made a conscious decision to seek out a smaller company, and took a position with Virginia Air Distributors, an HVAC wholesale distributor based in Richmond with just 175 employees. In the years leading up to my arrival, the company had faced tremendous growth and it was a place where I felt I could really use my skills and make a difference. I started up the Human Resources Department, worked closely with the CEO and developed a full spectrum of HR services and employee programs. As the company continued to expand into other states, it required an increasing amount of travel for me, in addition to the time-consuming commute to Richmond from my home in James City County. I knew it was time for something else.

It's been 10 years since I was last here, but returning has been like coming home. At first, I was a little overwhelmed and wondered how I'd ever learn the names of the 650 people here, but I've made a point to get out and meet people and it's been gratifying to run into so many people who knew me before. So I haven't felt like a total stranger.

I'm a high-energy person and this can work for and against me because I tend to disregard my own limits. Although I have something of a love/hate relationship with exercise I do enjoy biking in warm weather and getting outdoors in general. I also love to travel and shop, as well as to sit down with a good book. I read a lot of business management books to help keep me on my toes with trends, but the truth is that I'm likely to pick up whatever sparks my curiosity at Barnes and Noble. Lately, the book of choice has centered around decorating my home.

I want my staff and all of the Lab's employees to see me as someone who's approachable and down to earth. My philosophy and style is to have a complete "open door" policy and I want everyone to know that we'll [HR] be responsive and proactive in everything we do. One of my main commitments is to have Human Resources be a true customer service department, with an emphasis on relationships with management and employees.

 

In Their Own Words with Hall C Interim Leader, Stephen A. Wood (top ^)

as told to Judi Tull

Stephen A. Wood, Hall C Interim Leader

Both of my parents were physicists, so you might say that I've grown up around this science. I knew when I was in high school that I wanted to pursue a career in physics because I had come to believe that it was the most exact science and offered clearer answers than those that could be found in other fields. I thought then that the answers to be found in physics were simpler, and I still do.

Because of my father's career, we hopped around to different cities -- Philadelphia, Chicago, and Cleveland, where I actually grew up. We spent some time in Denmark, when my dad was at the Niels Bohr Institute.

I did my undergraduate work at Case Western Reserve University and then went to MIT for graduate school. I did my post doc work in Tel Aviv, returned to MIT, then went on to Illinois, and came to Jefferson Lab in 1990.

I've been a staff physicist here since then, and was named as the Interim Hall C leader in November 2006. This position has put me much more in the public spotlight than I have been used to, although many times in the past several years I was the acting leader when Rolf Ent, the previous Hall C leader, was out of town. Doing that gave me a feel for things, but since I was just a stand-in, any bad decision I made could be fixed pretty quickly! It was a good "dry run," but certainly not the real thing.

The challenge we face now in Hall C is to run a big program of approved experiments before the shutdown for the 12 GeV Upgrade. Our largest experiment, which is coming up in 2009 and will take over year, is called Q-Weak. This experiment will measure the weak charge of the proton and ultimately the weak charge of quarks. The weak charge is well predicted by standard theories, so if the results differ from the theory, it will be an indication of some new particles or physics that can be found at higher energy. A fascinating thing about this is that we can make an impact on high-energy physics without using a high-energy beam.

My physics interests include the study of short range correlations of protons and neutrons inside of nuclei and also the use of neutrino beams to examine nuclear effects such as short-range corrections. I use a small amount of my time to work on a neutrino scattering experiment at Fermilab called MINERvA where high energy physicists and nuclear physicists work together.

What's been particularly interesting to me is that, as a child, I would always think about the scope of the universe; I figured there had to be an end, a wall, somewhere out there. But now for my career I find myself looking inward, instead of outward, at the smallest components of the universe.

My wife, Eileen Chadis Wood, and I live in Newport News with our two sons. Eileen has a business of her own where she makes and sells Jewish crafts. Our eldest son is a senior in high school and hopes to attend VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) as a film major.

I have played the violin and viola since I was about 10 years old, and even though my high school friends anticipated that I would pursue a career in music, that never occurred to me. I wanted physics as a career, and to play music as my recreation. I have played in orchestras and chamber music groups in most places I have lived. I am currently the concert master of the York River Symphony Orchestra and also play in a string quartet with three teachers from the Newport News school system.

 

Do you know where your JLab property is? Tips for no muss, no fuss property validations, property inventories (top ^)

Do you know where your JLab property is?

Have a new kitchen appliance, living room furniture, power tools or personal computer that you plan to keep for a while? Are you extra attentive to the maintenance and paint job on your new car or truck? If you give the same level of care to the JLab property assigned to you, as a Property Custodian, it will be there for you when you need to do your job, advises Tom Briggs, JLab Property Manager.

"It is part of your job and your responsibility -- to JLab, the Department of Energy and to the taxpaying public. The JLab equipment, tools or materials assigned to you require your attention," Briggs explains. "As a Property Custodian you are the person responsible for making sure that the items assigned to you are properly documented and tracked, maintained and used, and correctly turned in or excessed when they are no longer needed or working."

The annual Property Validation conducted by all JLab Property Custodians ended Feb. 16. "If you have one piece of equipment (i.e. the computer on you desk) or 100 assigned to you, as a Property Custodian, you are required to complete the validation process," Briggs points out.

Is all of your JLab property tagged?

Briggs encourages all Property Custodians to become familiar with the JLab Property Management Manual, to stay current on your Property Management Training, and to take the annual Property Validation process seriously. The status of each Property Custodian's validation is now posted on his/her Personal Information block (located in the left-hand column) on the Insight Front Page.

By "validating" an item you are confirming that you have located it and verifying that its location matches the location shown on the assigned property list, Briggs adds. "When you are doing this," he notes, "it is also a good time to make sure that property tags or labels are securely attached and that all tag and serial numbers are clear and readable."

The validation process provides custodians with the opportunity to:
-- Catch any mistaken information on items in the property database -- particularly the location of the item.
-- Check nomenclature. Is the item description accurate? (Property Management uses punch order nomenclature, which may not be what you call it. Wording can be changed to reflect what it is called.)
-- Helps keep the Lab clean of materials that are no longer useful or working.
-- Provides Property Custodians the opportunity to make sure equipment is assigned to the most appropriate person. Equipment and materials should be assigned to the person (employee) who uses the items in his/her JLab work.
-- Helps Property Custodians keep track of assigned items and keep the property in good working order.
-- If you determine an item is missing, check the Property database to see if it was scanned during the last inventory, and if so, where.

If a Property Custodian can't find something -- submit a missing item report. In the report you will have to:
--Explain what you have done to try to find it (document where it was last seen/last used, where you've looked for it and anything else you've done to try to find it).
--Your supervisor must sign the missing item report.
--The missing item will continue to be listed on your report (as a missing item) for the next year. The Missing Property listing shows up directly below your validated equipment listing.
--After an item has been listed as missing for a year, then your supervisor will need to complete a DOE Retirement Workorder for the item, which includes investigating the missing property and reporting findings to the Property Officer, explaining why the item is lost or missing, and how you will prevent this type of loss in the future. The paperwork then travels up the individual/and supervisor's chain of command.

With the validation process complete, JLab's Property Management staff will soon begin the fiscal year 2007 Property Inventory. It will include 20 percent of all assigned property. "We will inventory more than 20 percent during this process, but we must report on 20 percent. The report to DOE must account for 99 percent of the inventoried property -- as listed by dollar value, and 98 percent of the inventory list -- by item count."

When the Property staff comes to you, be courteous, Briggs requests. "Be ready for the inventory. Help us get in to and out of your work area quickly by knowing where your property is. Property staff members are there to perform the inventory; they don't have extra time to help you search for missing or misplaced items.

"We did well with the inventories until FY 2005. We have the annual Custodian Validation process as a direct result of not meeting the DOE inventory requirements since 2005," Briggs says. "Everyone is very busy and focused on their work, but good property management is something we must all attend to, no matter how busy we may be. Don't let an old mindset tell you otherwise. Each of us must be responsible for the items assigned to us."

The Department of Energy is requiring better accountability of the equipment, components, materials and tools we use to do our jobs, Briggs says. The higher level of interest and oversight in property management now requires a line in each Property Custodian's performance appraisal rating his/her property management performance.

 

Computer, network security improvements underway; many changes will be invisible (top ^)

From left: Andy Kowalski, Head of the Computer, Networking and Infrastructure (CNI) Group; Bryan Hess, CNI Network Manager and Kelvin Edwards, CNI Computing Services Manager, take a moment out for a photo while working computer/internal network system security needs at Jefferson Lab.

An invisible sea change is underway in how the Information Technology (IT) Division manages computers and the internal networks at Jefferson Lab. The changes are spurred by the ever more hostile environment on the Information Superhighway. This includes the security of computers, networks, PII (personally identifiable information), and business sensitive information. While the IT Division will be very busy implementing new policies and procedures during the next few months, most computer users will see very few differences in their day-to-day work.

The recent theft of data for millions of debit and credit card transactions from The TJX Companies, Inc. computer system highlights the need for heightened security. In the past two years, 100 million personal data records have been compromised. The losses – ranging from hacked files to misplaced laptops -- have cost companies an estimated $16 billion in the U.S. alone.

Some computer systems at Jefferson Lab also contain PII (personally identifiable information) or business sensitive information, and it's important that Lab staff and Users take the appropriate steps to prevent the cost in time, money and reputation such losses can incur. That's why additional security measures will soon go into effect, according to Andy Kowalski, Head of the Computer, Networking and Infrastructure (CNI) Group in the IT Division.

Kowalski says computers and networks containing PII or business sensitive information will be placed under much more stringent safeguards than desktop computers and networks being used by those who don't routinely access such information. Consequently, the overall computing environment will become much safer at Jefferson Lab.

"We had a site assistance visit in September 2006, where DOE security professionals evaluated our policies, procedures and documentation, and they found areas where we can make improvements," he explains. "They gave us a Tier Two site rating, with Tier One being the best and Tier Three being the worst. DOE wants all of its sites to be Tier Ones, and we're working toward becoming a Tier One site."

The list includes new requirements that must be met by individual computer users and other changes that will be seamlessly integrated into the Lab's computing environment. Major changes that will impact individual users involve patch and configuration management, strong authentication and additional documentation and training. Changes that will be implemented by the CNI group in the background with minimal impact on users include vulnerability scanning, asset management planning and perimeter controls, and network monitoring and response.

Growing Pains

Bryan Hess, Network Manager in the CNI group, says the biggest change is the restructuring of the Lab's network. He says like the other DOE labs, Jefferson Lab's network grew in an ad-hoc fashion, with small networks being installed as needed.

"When people started to put computers in their offices, we added networks to each building. And when a new computer came in, we just added that computer to that network," he explains. All the building networks are also interconnected, allowing a computer user in CEBAF Center, for instance, to control a magnet in one of the experimental halls.

While that interconnectivity was a strength in the past, it has become a potential liability in the age of the hacker. "If a hacker gets in on an individual's computer account, the hacker could have possibly gotten into the business services data, where we write the checks. So suddenly, the idea that everybody can talk to everybody all the time is bad," Hess says.

To prevent that, and the loss of other sensitive information, such as personnel files, the CNI group is segmenting the network. "We need a network that's based on function, not location. And so network segmentation is about what rules we can make to keep things from talking to each other that shouldn't, at the same time that you let people do their work. If you do it right, nobody notices," Hess adds.

Each computer at the Lab, from every desktop PC to each air conditioner controller, will be assigned to an appropriate network. In terms of personal computers, the network segmentation has already begun, notes Kelvin Edwards, Computing Services Manager in the CNI group. For instance, Business Services staff, who have access to PII (personally identifiable information), have already been moved to a separate network to protect that information, while allowing those staff members to continue their work uninterrupted.

To Every Thing There is a Season

Kelvin Edwards, CNI Computing Services Manager, directs efforts to keep information on desktop computers secure, while assuring computer users have what they need to work efficiently.

The personal computers of other Lab staff and Users will be slowly migrated to the appropriate network. For this purpose, personal computers will be separated into three basic categories. "So first, people will need to register their machines," Kelvin Edwards says. Machine registration was made available on March 13 and can be accessed at: https://netmanager.jlab.org/gator/index.faces

Machine registration will provide the information CNI staff needs to assign each computer to its appropriate network as a Level One, Level Two or Level Three machine. The majority of staff will fall into the first or second categories: Level One and Level Two machines' upgrades and security patches are managed directly by the CNI group. For Level Two machines, however, the user has access to the administrator password, which allows the user to install additional necessary software.

"All the Level One machines go on the same network, and they have their own firewall. The same will happen with Level Two and Level Three machines," Edwards says. "Actually, most people will probably not see much difference, such as Windows and LINUX users whose machines are managed by the CNI group. "

Users of Level Three machines may begin to see some additional changes over the next few months. "Those people who are managing their own system [Level Three machines] will probably be moved to a network with a different method of accessing internal resources, but we're working out exactly what that means and how best to implement that stage," Edwards adds.

The goal is a network environment that makes it harder for a hacker to access protected information, while still providing a work-friendly network. "We're trying to secure the network without adversely affecting science. To that end, we're making some changes, but they will not be such that people can't get their work done," Edwards says.

"Ultimately, we will have a system whereby, when somebody brings a system in and plugs it in, the network software will recognize that system and will move it to the appropriate network," Hess explains.

More To Come

Future changes that will be implemented include strong authentication procedures and additional documentation and training. For instance, Business Services and some IT Division staff, who have either administrative privilege or access to PII (personally identifiable information) already carry a secure I.D. token for a two-factor log-in process or will have one by mid-April. In this process, a user types in a PIN and an additional password provided by the secure I.D. token. The token provides a new password each time a computer user needs to log in or authenticate. Two-factor authentication dramatically cuts the risk of a hacker gaining access to a Jefferson Lab computer via a user's computer account.

The CNI Group is also continuing to conduct vulnerability scans of devices on the network, in addition to monitoring network traffic and responding to unusual activities. These activities include the use of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS's) -- programs that look for anomalies in network traffic that may indicate the existence of viruses or worms on machines – and host-based IDS's, programs that look for changes in system configurations and anomalies in system logs that may indicate the existence of a virus, worm, Trojan Horse or a break-in by a hacker.

Kowalski says that Lab computer users will be kept informed of changes to the computing environment at Jefferson Lab as the CNI group implements them. "Ultimately, these changes will allow us to become a Tier One site -- based on the 2006 criteria -- complete our C&A [Certification and Accreditation], and obtain our ATO [Authority to Operate] from DOE. That means we've done what we can to make the JLab computing environment both more functional and safer, which benefits us all."

 

JAG extends entry deadline: Race is on to design the winning 2007 JLab T-shirt (top ^)

The race to create the winning design for Jefferson Lab's annual T-shirt contest kicked off March 1. The deadline for submissions has been extended to April 6. Lab staff and users will then vote online for the best design. The winning design will be unveiled at the Lab's annual Run-A-Round, which will be scheduled for sometime in mid-May.

-- The winning designer(s) will receive a free T-shirt and recognition. If the winning design is submitted by a team, each member will receive a T-shirt.
-- The submission should include a front (pocket) and back design. "Jefferson Lab," "DOE," "JSA, LLC," and "2007" must be included in the design. Resubmission of previous non-winning designs is welcome.
-- The winning design will become the property of JSA, LLC/JLab.*
-- Designs may be subject to slight change to suit screen-printing limitations.
-- Designs may be submitted electronically or as hand drawings. A copy of all entries must be submitted in color on 8.5" x 11" paper.
-- Designs will be accepted in hand-drawn or electronic format.
-- All submissions must provide a contact name, division and telephone number.
-- Designs should be submitted to: J.T. Kelley -- CEBAF Center, room C221; MS 12-A2; ext. 7702; email jtkelley@jlab.org
-- Deadline for submissions is Friday, April 6, 2007.
-- All designs will be posted on the JAG webpage. Online voting will be available April 11-18, for all JLab employees and users (one vote per person).

*SURA/JSA, LLC/JLab hereby releases all ownership rights to previously submitted non-winning design entries.

View previous winning JLab T-shirt entries at www.jlab.org/jag/archive/tshirt/

 

Milestones for February/March 2007 (top ^)

Hello

Morgan Anderson (term position), Telecommunications Support Tech, Information Technology Division
Ramakrishna Bachimanchi, Digital Engineer, Engineering Division
Adam Crosby, Cyber Security Analyst, Information Technology Division
Derrick Dail, SRF Technical Facilities Technician, Accelerator Ops, R&D
James Davenport, SRF Chemical Technician, Accelerator Ops, R&D
Christian Dreyfuss, SRF Mechanical Assembly Technician, Accelerator Ops, R&D
Allen Ellis, Mechanical CAD Designer, Engineering Division
George Greenfield, Vacuum Controls Technologist, Engineering Division
Carlton Joyner, SRF Mechanical Assembly Technician, Accelerator Ops, R&D
Frank Marhauser, SRF Accelerator Physicist, Accelerator Ops, R&D
Robert Norton, Electrical Engineer, Engineering Division
Roland Overton, Cryo/RF Test Technician, Accelerator Ops, R&D
Erin Smith, Receptionist/User Liaison Assistant, Experimental Nuclear Physics
Paul Stewart, Cryo Mechanical CAD Designer, Engineering Division
Simon Taylor, Hall D Post Doctoral Fellow, Experimental Nuclear Physics
Xin Zhao, SRF Post Doc (Process/Materials), Accelerator Ops, R&D

Goodbye

David DeVeau, Systems Accountant, Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Stacy DeVeau, Science Education Administrator, Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Fred Dylla, Free-Electron Laser Division Associate Director and JLab's Chief Technology Officer
Mary Erwin, Chief Financial Officer, Office of the CFO
Kenneth Johnson, HRIS/Deputy Human Resources Director, Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Michael Memory, Network Administrator, Information Technology Division
Robert Nichols, Sr. Technologist/Designer, Engineering Division

These Milestone entries, listed alphabetically, are actions posted by Human Resources from mid-February through March 16, 2007.

Posted JLab Career Opportunities
Current JLab Career Opportunities are listed at: https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_jeffersonlab/external/search.do

 

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Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, or Jefferson Lab, for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. JSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc. (SURA).

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science