Kurt RiesselmannOn April 20, Fermilab participated in the National Lab Science Day hosted by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in Washington, D.C. The event showcased the research facilities and capabilities of the 17 DOE national laboratories. It was an opportunity for scientists to explain to members of Congress and their staff the cutting-edge research that takes place in the national lab system and highlight DOE’s role as a powerhouse of science, technology and engineering.
The event, held in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, started with remarks by Secretary Moniz and several congressmen, including — from Illinois — Senator Dick Durbin and Representatives Randy Hultgren and Bill Foster.
Led by Deputy Director Joe Lykken, Fermilab scientists contributed to three of the exhibit areas set up for the event: Facilities, Computation and “Science and the Universe.” Two other themes, Energy and Environment, completed the exhibit areas.
The “Science and the Universe” area featured research from the smallest building blocks of matter to the largest structures of the universe, covering DOE’s research in fields such as high-energy physics, nuclear physics and basic energy sciences. Bonnie Fleming of Yale, recently appointed deputy chief research officer at Fermilab, guided Secretary Moniz and members of the U.S. Senate and House on virtual tours of particle detectors at Fermilab and the Large Hadron Collider, complete with particle tracks created by neutrino interactions. Fermilab’s Juan Estrada showed particle detector technologies and explained the leading role that DOE national laboratories play in dark matter and dark energy research.
The “Science and Facilities” area highlighted the more than 30 user facilities located at DOE national labs. Stephen Brooks from Brookhaven and I staffed a table that featured an SRF particle acceleration cavity and a 50-inch monitor with 3-D videos of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and an animation of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility.
The title of the “Science and Computation” area was “Revolutionizing Science by Integrating Experiment, Computation and Big Data.” Demos and videos explained the role of supercomputers, networking and exascale computing in discovery science and the impact that cutting-edge computation has on economic competitiveness and national security.
The feedback on this National Lab Science Day has been extremely positive. The labs put together an exciting set of exhibits that were engaging and represented the full breadth and capabilities in science across the national lab complex.
I’d like to thank the many people who contributed to creating the Fermilab exhibit items, shipping them to D.C. and staffing them during the event. Enjoy the photo gallery that my colleagues and I put together with highlights of the event, focusing on the Fermilab-related contributions.
Kurt Riesselmann is the deputy head of the Fermilab Office of Communication.
Secretary Moniz takes a virtual tour
Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz takes a virtual tour of a neutrino detector, led by Fermilab scientist and Deputy Chief Research Officer Bonnie Fleming. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Particle detector tours
Monitors provide a 2-D glimpse of what people see as they take a 3-D virtual tour of a particle detector. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Collisions in 3-D
Attendees view in 3-D particle collisions created with the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Photo: Brookhaven National Laboratory
DOE facilities
Fermilab's Kurt Riesselmann, left, and Brookhaven National Laboratory physicist Stephen Brooks talked to people about two DOE facilities, the planned Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility as well as the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The display included part of an SRF acceleration cavity. Photo: Energy Sciences Coalition
Dark matter and dark energy
Fermilab scientist Juan Estrada explains the leading role that DOE national laboratories play in dark matter and dark energy research. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Particle detector technologies
One display highlighted particle detector technologies used in dark energy and dark matter research. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Cosmic web
DOE Office of Science Deputy Director for Science Programs Pat Dehmer views "The Cosmic Web." The object depicts the distribution of matter in our universe, both dark and visible. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Touch table
An interactive touch table displayed videos of research related to the "Science and the Universe" theme. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Talking science
David MacFarlane, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's associate lab director for particle physics and astrophysics, talks with attendees at National Lab Science Day. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
A great turnout
Numerous policymakers turned out for National Lab Science Day, which was held at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Opening remarks
Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois, was one of several congressmen who spoke at the opening of National Lab Science Day. Logos of all 17 DOE national labs are visible in the background. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Panel discussion
Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz talks about science in the national interest with MaryAnn Wright of Johnson Controls, Sharon Glotzer of the University of Michigan and Paul Alivasatos of Berkeley Lab. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Nuclear physics
DOE Office of Science Deputy Director for Science Programs Pat Dehmer checks out a display on nuclear physics research at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
Computation
The "Science and Computation" exhibit area highlighted research on supercomputing, networking and big data. Simulations done with national-lab computers have revealed that adding an eighth of an inch of foam to army helmet pads improves protection from impacts. Photo: Argonne National Laboratory
National laboratory map
There are 17 national laboratories. Want to learn more about them? Check out this symmetry article.
