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Fermilab scientist Jessica Esquivel donned a superhero costume to celebrate diversity in STEM, nerdiness and science at Wakandacon in Chicago.

The funding supports initiatives in the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing. Fermilab scientists and engineers are simulating advanced quantum devices that will in turn improve particle physics simulations. They’re also developing novel electronics to work with large arrays of ultracold qubits.

For years, U.S. institutions have been working to upgrade the hardware in the behemoth CMS particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider, enabling it to profit fully from the LHC’s increasing collision energy and intensity. With CD-4 approval, the Department of Energy formally recognized that the USCMS collaboration, managed by Fermilab, met every stated goal of the upgrade program — on time and under budget.

The first major superconducting section of the PIP-II accelerator has come to Fermilab: the first of 23 cryomodules for the future accelerator. The cryomodules’ job is to get the lab’s powerful proton beam up and moving, sending it to higher and higher energies, approaching the speed of light. This first cryomodule also represents a successful joint effort between Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab to design and produce a critical accelerator component for the future heart of Fermilab.

A new machine learning technology tested by Fermilab scientists and collaborators can spot specific particle signatures among an ocean of LHC data in the blink of an eye, much faster than standard methods. Sophisticated and swift, its performance gives a glimpse into the game-changing role machine learning will play in making future discoveries in particle physics as data sets get bigger and more complex.

Fermilab researchers have announced first results from IOTA, the lab’s newest particle accelerator. The first run, which included observations of single electrons circulating in the ring, illustrates the exciting potential of the versatile machine, both in advancing quantum science and improving accelerator beams.

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to learn about the mind-bending concept of relativity when it first made a splash in public consciousness, come to Fermilab’s latest history exhibit. See works written by Einstein and read the public response to his groundbreaking theory.

At the event, Fermilab scientists discussed challenges related to diversity in STEM, promoted opportunities to visit and intern at the lab, and dazzled crowds with science, liquid-nitrogen demonstrations and even an original Black Panther-inspired costume.

Tran’s $2.5 million award will fund the development of new ways to handle the massive amounts of data that particle physics produces and to expand investigations of Higgs boson physics.

Machado’s $2.5 million award will fund theoretical physics research to get the most out of Fermilab’s exploration of neutrino science. He plans to collaborate with scientists at Fermilab and other institutions to develop ideas that will guide experimentalists in addressing one of nature’s most mysterious particles.