Comments on USPAS

T.I. Meyer | Chief Operating Officer, Fermilab

HEPAP Sub-panel | March 13, 2015

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Context

• People with opinions just go around bothering one another.– Buddha

• Science is a wonderful thing if one doesn’t have to earn one’s living at it.– Einstein

• Physics is not religion. If it were, we’d have a much easier time raising money.– Leon Lederman

20 Aug 2014

USPAS is Great

• Accelerators matter (cf. Accelerators for America’s Future)• There is no U.S.-based program to produce, train, and/or continuously

develop the accelerator science, technology, and engineering workforce

• Fermilab’s Accelerator & Technical Divisions total 650+ FTEs– About half are “accelerator” people. But, where do they come from? – Other labs and abroad: 50%; U.S. universities 35%; home-grown/USPAS 25%

• Since 1987, Fermilab has sent 653 participants and 117 instructors to USPAS– Repeat business means satisfied customers– Half of our participants were “present workforce,” half were “future workforce”

• USPAS substantially develops LEADERS in accelerators– Ex: Eric Prebys was a high-energy physicist, became a USPAS student, then

a USPAS instructor, then Director of US LARP, and now an APS Fellow

13 Mar 20153

Great Ingredient #1: DOE National Labs

• DOE National Labs are America’s steward for accelerators from knowledge, skills, and abilities to facilities, infrastructure, and equipment– OHEP has been designated as home base

• Thus, DOE labs play primary and essential role– Have jobs for highly trained accelerator personnel– Have highly trained, successful instructors– Recruit and inspire talented people to the field

• Having “customer” involved in creating the “supply” is good model • Even without any other considerations or benefits, USPAS is essential for

DOE labs to create the workforce they need to accomplish their mission

• Ex: Don Cossairt has been teaching radiation-protection fundamentals for 12 years. This topic doesn’t even exist in a university, cannot be learned “on the job” or at a university and is crucial for work in the field

13 Mar 20154

Great Ingredient #2: Universities

• USPAS is mis-named – not a school– It is part of life-long learning, continuing education, professional

development• Universities know this market well, too

– Executive MBAs, weekend degrees, online courses• Involvement of a few focused universities has added substantial value

– Universities do know how to teach, evaluate, track success– University can provide broadly-recognized validation of the training:

credit, certificate, degree (these are currency in advancing one’s career)

• Ex: Michael Backfish is a USPAS student who in 2013 earned a Master’s degree in Beam Physics & Accelerator Technology on electron clouds in the Main Injector. He moved from being an operator in the Control Room to an Engineering Physicist.

13 Mar 20155

Great Ingredient #3: Dedicated admin/logistics support

• Like it or not, organizing the USPAS program requires logistics, travel, accounting, and administrative support

• A dedicated staff makes the most sense and is efficient if separating costs is essential

• Ex: Susan Winchester is essential.

13 Mar 20156

Great Ingredient #4: Curriculum committee

• Who says what to teach?

• Pro bono Curriculum Committee is an effective and “close to the customer” steering group– Allows stewards to play a role in setting training agenda

• USPAS has been very effective at providing topical, timely content– The bread & butter fundamentals as well as specific courses for

specific needs

• Ex. Univ of Chicago student Satomi Shirashi attended course on cyclotrons and tuning them for medical applications

13 Mar 20157

Great Ingredient #5: Multiple stakeholders & customers

• USPAS should not be a DOE-only servant– It must provide training & development for the accelerator community that

DOE stewards

• A key ingredient has been, therefore, the ability to accept students from “anywhere” …– …and the ability to accept $$ from “anywhere” and it has NOT been a “pay to

play” model

• By serving the broad community, USPAS demonstrates more impactful value, addresses a larger potential future workforce, and cross-pollinates a greater set of research areas driven by accelerators

• Ex. Cornell, IU, Maryland, MSU, and DOD have all contributed intellectually and/or financially to USPAS

13 Mar 20158

Challenges

• The cost of anything & everything is a challenge these days– Instructors “time & travel” is covered by home lab and this is a

good model– What else can be done for free? What drives the costs? What

parts of the management & oversight are absolutely essential?

• At a lab, not at a lab, or near a lab?– Labs frequently host summer schools & collab mtgs – Cornell course was substantially enhanced by “field trip” for

hands-on learning at CESR control room– Fermilab has substantial assets that could be platforms for

learning

13 Mar 20159

As long-time host…

• Hosting the USPAS Office – Adds prestige and recognition to Fermilab– Demonstrates commitment to broader community

– Lab covers overruns or excesses, financially and/or spiritually– By waiving overhead fees, other parts of the lab subsidize

USPAS via shared services (travel, accounting, IT, and so on)

• We have been proud to host the Office– And we would be willing to do it again!

13 Mar 201510