Neutron Sciences 2008 Annual Report - 17.79 MB - Spallation ...

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USER PROGRAM 2008 ANNUAL REPORT
Igor Zaliznyak, SHUG Executive Committee
Chair, left, with colleagues Alexei Tsvelik,
middle, and Dmitri Kharzeev, right. All are
research staff at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
ORNL NEUTRON SCIENCES neutrons.ornl.gov
From the SHUG chair
In August 2008, SNS
reached ~40% of
its planned operating
power, and that
number continues to
climb. Operations
at both SNS and
HFIR are becoming
more and more
reliable, and the
number of instruments
available
to users is increasing.Running
a smooth
user program
on such a
large scale,
and within
the tightly
regulated environment of the
national laboratories, is a complicated task
that requires close cooperation with the user community.
The SNS and HFIR User Group (SHUG)
Executive Committee strives to provide a direct link
between users and the facilities, lobbying for the
interests of users by supplying facility managers with
the user perspective on various choices and needs for
future development.
ORNL Neutron Sciences continues to demonstrate
its commitment to working with users in several
ways. Funding has been provided for user support
and education. Several research support programs
are also in place, such as the Clifford Shull Fellowship
and an extensive undergraduate summer
research program. To support HFIR users, new office
space has been set up, providing a pleasant and
efficient work environment. In addition, the Webbased
proposal management and submission system
is running quite smoothly and provides users with a
convenient interface for submitting their proposals.
SHUG has provided input on the system throughout
the development process and will continue to do so in
the future.
As new instruments and capabilities are being
developed, user participation is paramount, particularly
in the area of software development. Neutron
Sciences staff strongly encourage user engagement
by providing multiple feedback methods, including
postexperiment surveys, direct communication with
instrument scientists and User Office representatives,
as well as feedback through the Neutron Sciences
Web site (neutrons.ornl.gov). As a core group of
users, we SHUG members must take full advantage
of these opportunities to contribute to the program.
Our participation will help attract new users, which
is vital for the continued success of neutron science
at ORNL.
Wishing you success and a lot of fun in your experiments
at SNS and HFIR,
Igor Zaliznyak
Brookhaven National Laboratory
SHUG Executive Committee Chair