VOL. 8, NO. 2 • SPRING/SUMMER 2004

Continued on page 2

PPPL to Host U.S. 

ITER Home Office

On July 13, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) officials announced that PPPL will host the U.S. project office 

for ITER, a major international fusion experiment. PPPL, 

in partnership with DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory 

(ORNL), will be responsible for overseeing the U.S. ITER 

Project Office and providing it with the requisite staffing 

and facilities.

 “The United States and our international partners are in 

talks to launch ITER, a critically important experiment to 

test the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a source of electricity and hydrogen,” Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham 

said.

 “Throughout its history, Princeton Plasma Physics 

Laboratory has earned a reputation for the highest-quality 

science and top-flight management,” Secretary Abraham said. 

“Ever since fusion research began at Princeton University in 

1951, our nation and the world have looked to this facility’s 

researchers for scientific and engineering insights that will 

enable mankind to realize the benefits of fusion, the energy 

that powers the stars and the sun.”

 “That is why I am pleased to announce that, after careful review, we have selected the Princeton Plasma Physics 

Laboratory/Oak Ridge National Laboratory partnership to 

run the U.S. ITER Project Office,” Secretary Abraham said. 

“I am confident that our partners in the ITER negotiations 

will recognize our choice of PPPL/ORNL to manage the 

U.S. participation in ITER for what it is: the clearest possible indication that our Nation takes ITER — and our role 

in ITER — very seriously.”

 PPPL Director Rob Goldston said, “PPPL is very pleased 

to have been selected to host the U.S. ITER Project Office in 

partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We had 

very highly qualified competition, and so we are particularly 

pleased with the outcome of the selection process. The efforts of the U.S. in support of ITER will be nationwide and 

we will be drawing on the capabilities of the whole U.S. 

fusion research community.”

The chance to tour a fusion machine and play with plasma — the fourth state of matter — drew about 

2,000 visitors to the Open House at PPPL on Saturday, 

June 12. The Laboratory’s visitors, ranging from tots to 

seniors, walked around the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), learned about the physics behind sports 

Continued on page 3

Open House Draws 

Crowd of 2,000

During a cryogenics show, PPPL's Ray Camp helps an Open House 

visitor dip flowers in liquid nitrogen, which makes them brittle.
PPPL NEWS • Spring / Summer 2004 Page 2

The PPPL NEWS is issued by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a research facility supported by the United 

States Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University. Correspondence and requests to reprint material 

should be directed to: Information Services, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, NJ 08543; 

telephone 609-243-2750; fax 609-243-2751; e-mail pppl_info@pppl.gov .

PPPL NEWS

Information Services Head: Anthony R. DeMeo

Editor/Writer: Patti Wieser

Photographer: Elle Starkman

Layout and Graphics: Gregory J. Czechowicz 

and Patti Wieser

 The U.S. ITER Project Office at PPPL will be responsible for project management of U.S. activities to support 

construction of this international research facility. These 

will include securing technical assistance from the U.S. 

fusion community; procuring and shipping U.S. hardware 

contributions; arranging for U.S. personnel to work abroad 

at the ITER site; representing the U.S. with the international 

ITER organization on construction and preparation for ITER 

operations; and coordinating and integrating the U.S. fusion 

community’s ITER project activities with the international 

ITER project.

Sauthoff Named Project Manager

 PPPL’s Ned Sauthoff has been named Project Manager 

and ORNL’s Carl Strawbridge has been named Planning 

Control Manager.

 Sauthoff said, “Our team is thrilled to be selected to 

serve. ITER is important not only because of its fusion 

science and technology, but also for the new paths it will 

blaze for international collaborations. ITER’s success will 

demand coordination of project activities by six nations or 

groups of nations, who together will provide components 

for the assembly and operation of the world’s first magnetic 

fusion burning plasma experiment.”

 Present activities for the team include technical and 

organizational action to enable an efficient start of construction. These include:

● Building a multi-institutional U.S. project team.

● Exploring strategies for acquiring the challenging components that the U.S. will provide to ITER.

● Identifying and mitigating risk to ensure ITER’s success.

● Engaging industry in prototyping the manufacturing 

methods and qualifying suppliers of high-tech components and materials.

 The PPPL/ORNL 

proposal was one of 

three proposals submitted by DOE national 

laboratories to lead the 

Project Office. The two 

other proposals were 

from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Idaho National 

Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. 

The applications were 

reviewed by a merit 

ITER

Continued from page 1

Ned Sauthoff

review committee, which was appointed on April 12 by 

Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, Director of the Office of Science. 

The committee was comprised of six members — five current senior DOE federal officials and one retiree, who were 

selected for their experience overseeing complex projects. 

The panel included legal advice. The review panel conducted 

a rigorous, objective and fair review of the three proposals 

and forwarded their evaluations to Dr. Orbach, who made 

the final selection.

 On January 30, 2003, President Bush announced that the 

U.S. was joining the negotiations for the construction and 

operation of the international magnetic fusion experiment 

ITER. There are two competing sites to host the $5 billion 

test bed for harnessing nuclear fusion to generate electricity. The European Union has selected Cadarache, France, as 

its candidate site; Japan’s contender is Rokkasho. The U.S. 

supports the Japanese site.

Priority One

 The ITER international fusion experiment was priority 

one in Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year 

Outlook, a proposed portfolio of 28 new facilities and upgrades of current facilities that Secretary Abraham released 

in November 2003 to serve as a roadmap for future scientific 

facilities to support DOE’s basic science and research mission and to help the Department plan its future scientific 

investments. ●
Page 3 PPPL NEWS • Spring / Summer 2004

games, and participated in tabletop demonstrations about 

electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and common plasmas, 

as well as in hands-on safety activities. “We had a great 

time showing our Laboratory to our neighbors, entertaining 

children with our science, and explaining fusion energy,” 

said PPPL Director Rob Goldston.

 Added John DeLooper, PPPL Associate Director of 

External Affairs, “An Open House lets us show the community what we do at PPPL and spread the message about 

fusion. Our staff, students, and guests all had a great time 

together.” DeLooper headed the Open House efforts.

 Open House guests talked to PPPL researchers about 

fusion and the Laboratory’s progress while taking selfguided tours of NSTX, smaller experimental areas, and the 

test cell where a new experimental facility, the National 

Compact Stellarator Experiment, will be built. The event 

also featured activities ranging from cryogenics shows that 

demonstrated how ordinary objects behave in strange ways 

when cooled to the temperature of liquid nitrogen (-320 

degrees Fahrenheit) to tours of the Hall Thruster, a plasmabased propulsion system for space vehicles such as satellites. 

Other popular features included a lecture, “Lighting a Star 

Open House

Continued from page 1

At right, Emily Margolis (right) helps a young visitor with a prototype 

of a vehicle propelled by human-powered wings designed by PPPL's 

Dave Cylinder. The prototype was among the Science Education 

demos at the Open House.

PPPL is part of two consortiums whose projects have been selected by the DOE Office of Fusion Energy 

Sciences for the Scientific Discovery through Advanced 

Computing (SciDAC) program. The principal investigator 

for each is from PPPL. The two new SciDAC projects 

are: “Center for Extended Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) 

Modeling” and “Gyrokinetic Particle Simulations of 

Plasma Turbulence and Kinetic-MHD Physics,” each of 

which will be funded at approximately $1 million per 

year for the next three years.

 The Center for Extended Magnetohydrodynamic 

Modeling is a consortium of PPPL, Science Applications 

International Corporation, the University of Wisconsin, 

the University of Utah, Utah State University, TechX 

Corporation, the University of Colorado, New York University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, headed 

by Stephen Jardin of PPPL. It is aimed at developing 

powerful simulation codes for studying the macroscopic 

dynamics of MHD-like phenomena in fusion plasmas, 

such as sawteeth, tearing modes, resistive wall modes, 

fast-ion modes, disruptions, edge localized modes, and 

pellet fueling.

 The Gyrokinetic Particle Simulations of Plasma Turbulence and Kinetic-MHD Physics project is a consortium 

of PPPL, the University of Colorado, the University of 

California-Irvine, the University of California-Los Angeles, Columbia University, and the University of Tennessee, led by W.W. Lee of PPPL. The goal of this project 

is to develop gyrokinetic particle simulation codes to 

carry out simulations of turbulent transport to investigate 

plasma confinement properties of burning plasmas, such 

as ITER.

 “We are very pleased that these two proposals in which 

the PPPL Theory Department and PPPL Computational 

Plasma Physics Group are playing a key role were the ones 

selected by the review committee. It makes it even more 

rewarding that we were able to line up such a great group 

of collaborators from other laboratories, universities, and 

industry. All of this talent will be needed to carry out the 

ambitious work that is promised in the proposals,” said 

Jardin.

 Although the principal investigators of both proposals are from PPPL, the funding will be widely spread 

among all of the participants, with PPPL receiving less 

than 30 percent of the total funding. These two projects 

were selected from a total of seven proposals following 

a rigorous review process. ●

on Earth,” by Rob Goldston; fire extinguisher training; and 

computer-controlled milling machine demonstrations. Along 

the route, there were a variety of energy and plasma-related 

exhibits, as well as displays about PPPL departments and 

activities.●

PPPL Joint Advanced Computing Projects Chosen
PPPL NEWS • Spring / Summer 2004 Page 4

NASA Names Telescope after PPPL Founder

NASA has named a major new space telescope after PPPL founder Lyman Spitzer, Jr. The Spitzer Space 

Telescope, formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, is one of three companions to the Hubble Space 

Telescope. Spitzer, a giant in theoretical astrophysics and 

plasma physics who died in 1997, first advocated placing 

observatories above the Earth’s atmosphere.

 “The Spitzer Space Telescope takes its place at the 

forefront of astronomy in the 21st century, just as its 

namesake, Dr. Lyman Spitzer, Jr., was at the forefront of 

astronomy in the 20th,” said NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Science Ed Weiler.

 “Lyman Spitzer was the father of space telescopes,” 

said Neta Bahcall, a Princeton University professor of 

astrophysics who worked closely with Spitzer for many 

years. Spitzer proposed the idea of launching a telescope 

into space in 1946, long before the technical capacity 

existed, and worked for decades to convince political 

and scientific doubters of its worth.

 “It is very appropriate that this massive undertaking, 

which has been so successful and so revolutionary for our 

understanding of the universe, is commemorated with the 

name of Lyman Spitzer,” said Scott Tremaine, chair of 

astrophysical sciences at Princeton.

 The Spitzer Space Telescope is the fourth observatory to be launched under NASA’s Great Observatories 

program. The first of the series was the Hubble telescope, 

which was launched in 1990 and observes the visible and 

ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The 

second was the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, which 

was taken out of orbit in 2000. The third is the Chandra 

X-Ray Observatory. Each type of radiation allows scientists to observe different aspects of the solar system, the 

galaxy and universe.

 The infrared portion of the spectrum is particularly 

important for studying the birth of stars and galaxies, 

which are shrouded in dust clouds that block most visible 

light but not the infrared. It also will allow scientists to 

observe relatively cool objects, such as very small stars 

only slightly bigger than planets, as well as objects at the 

farthest reaches of time and space.

 Spitzer was one of the world’s leading scientists in 

studying the interstellar medium — the gas and dust 

between stars — and understanding how stars and galaxies formed from this material. The infrared telescope, 

which was launched in August after more than 20 years 

of planning, is expected to advance this line of research 

dramatically.

A 50-year Odyssey

 The idea of putting telescopes in space and avoiding 

the blurring effects of the Earth’s atmosphere had captured 

Spitzer’s imagination for five decades. In a 1946 report 

under Project Rand, and more than a decade before the 

launch of the first artificial satellite, he proposed the development of large space telescopes that would overcome 

astronomical “seeing” problems, increase the wavelength 

coverage available and function better in the stability of 

low-gravity environment. He eventually steered the development of the Hubble Space Telescope through several 

difficult stages of development and refurbishment. After 

Hubble was launched, Spitzer participated in brainstorming ways to repair a flaw in the telescope’s mirror.

 The first images from the Spitzer Space Telescope 

were released December 18. The infrared space telescope 

project is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

in Pasadena, California. Science operations are conducted 

at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute 

of Technology in Pasadena. ●

Lyman Spitzer, Jr., founded PPPL in 1951 and served as the Lab’s 

Director for several years..

By Steven Schultz

Photo by Denise Applewhite
Page 5 PPPL NEWS • Spring / Summer 2004

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Laboratories house world-class facilities where more than 

30,000 scientists and engineers perform cutting-edge research spanning DOE’s science, energy, national security, 

and environmental quality missions. Interested in the latest 

achievements of the National Laboratories? Then visit the 

DOE Pulse at: http://www.ornl.gov/news/pulse/.

NCSX Vacuum Vessel Prototype Arrives

I

s it art? Is it furniture? No — it’s a prototype of a National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) vacuum vessel section. The curved piece of inconel prominently displayed in the PPPL Lobby was manufactured by Major 

Tool and Machine in Indianapolis and delivered to PPPL in April. Above, some PPPL members of the joint PPPLOak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) team checked out the new arrival. From left are Mike Zarnstorff, Charlie 

Gentile, Hutch Neilson, Phil Heitzenroeder, H.M. Fan, Craig Prinski, Tom Brown, Lew Morris, Henry Carnevale, 

Marianne Tyrrell, Jerry Levine, Fred Dahlgren, Eric Fredrickson, Larry Dudek, Don Monticello, Chang Jun, Mike 

Viola (seated), Rob Goldston, Ron Strykowsky, Judy Malsbury, Art Brooks, Frank Malinowski, Wayne Reiersen, 

Bob Simmons, David Mikkelsen, Irving Zatz, Martha Redi, Mike Kalish, Allan Reiman, Erik Perry, Gary Oliaro, 

Neil Pomphrey, Mike Messineo, Rich Hawryluk, and Bruce Paul.

 Team members presently are comparing the supplier’s dimensional inspection data with the project’s design model. 

“The dimensional inspection of complex-shaped NCSX parts and their comparison with design data is a nontrivial 

technological challenge and an important component of the project’s manufacturing development program,” said 

NCSX Project Head Hutch Neilson. ●

Special credit goes to The Oak Ridge National Laboratory NCSX vacuum vessel 

design team, which includes Mike Cole, 

Paul Goranson, Jim Lyon, Brad Nelson, 

and David Williamson.
PPPL NEWS • Spring / Summer 2004 Page 6

Post-Zwicker Named 

Science Education Head

PPPL’s Andrew Post-Zwicker (above) has been appointed Head of the Laboratory’s Science Education Program. 

Post-Zwicker is responsible for overseeing educational 

programs for teachers and for kindergarten through college 

undergraduate students, as well as for implementing new 

educational initiatives at the Lab. Present programs range 

from comprehensive workshops for students and teachers, to 

the National Undergraduate Fellowship Research Program 

and the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships, to 

the New Jersey regional competition of the National Science 

Bowl® and the Science-on-Saturday lecture series.

 Post-Zwicker joined PPPL’s Science Education Program 

in 1997 as a Senior Program Leader and became Lead Scientist for the program in 2000. Since coming on board, he 

has created the Plasma Science Education Laboratory at 

PPPL, as well as the Plasma Camp and Plasma Academy 

programs, which are intensive summer programs for high 

school teachers and students, respectively.

 After receiving a bachelor’s degree in physics from 

Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1986, 

Post-Zwicker went on to receive a master’s and a Ph.D. in 

physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1988 and 1992, 

respectively. ●

Moten Heads Diversity 

Efforts at PPPL

PPPL Employment Manager Andrea 

Moten recently assumed additional responsibilities as the 

Laboratory’s Diversity 

Officer and Hispanic 

Employment Program 

Coordinator.

Diversity Officer

 As Diversity Officer, Moten oversees 

the Laboratory’s diversity efforts, including 

diversity training for 

staff and recruitment 

of diverse applicants. 

She works with management to ensure that the pools of applicants are diverse 

and that a fair search is conducted. Hiring scientists requires 

additional efforts on her part, such as attending conferences 

for minority students and professionals, and developing ties 

with institutions that serve minority and nontraditional students.

“Having diverse pools is the result of prework, that is, 

developing contacts, attending job fairs, and visiting educational institutions before we have job vacancies,” said 

Moten.

Hispanic Employment Program Coordinator

 As the new Hispanic Employment Program Coordinator, Moten coordinates PPPL’s support of the Department 

of Energy’s nascent Hispanic Employment Plan and ensures 

that the plan is part of the work force planning process. The 

plan, approved by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, establishes a path for addressing Hispanic under-representation 

in the DOE by proposing methods to break down artificial 

barriers to the recruitment and hiring of Hispanics. According to statistics, Hispanics are not represented in the DOE 

work force in proportion to their numbers in the civilian 

work force.

 Moten, who has 15 years of experience in the field of 

human resources, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an M.B.A. in management from Seton Hall 

University. She came to PPPL in 1998 after working for four 

years at Princeton University’s Human Resources Office. In 

2000, she received Professional in Human Resources and 

Equal Employment Opportunity certifications. ●

Andrea Moten
Page 7 PPPL NEWS • Spring / Summer 2004

PPPL Welcomes Students for Summer Programs

This summer’s National Undergraduate Fellowship (NUF) and Science 

Undergraduate Laboratory 

Internship (SULI) college students arrived at PPPL in June. 

The students participated in 

a one-week intensive course 

on plasma physics and fusion 

engineering before beginning 

nine weeks of research on 

various projects at PPPL and 

other institutions. At right are 

the NUF and SULI participants for 2004. Twenty will 

be at PPPL until the end of 

August. ●

Students Show Science 

Projects to PPPL Staff 

Seven area students exhibited their science projects at PPPL on April 7 during the Laboratory’s annual Science 

Day Fair. The Science Fair honors the winners of PPPL’s 

Corporate Awards, who were chosen among student exhibitors at the Mercer Science and Engineering Fair at Rider 

University and the North Jersey Regional Science Fair 

at Rutgers University in March. Above, Katie E. O’Mara 

describes her project, “How Effective is the Airborne Propagation of Maple Seeds?” to PPPL’s Dave Cylinder at the 

Lab’s Science Fair. ●

On March 24, about 200 female students, grades 8-12, attended the “Expand Your Horizons Mini-Conference 

for Young Women in Science, Mathematics, and Technology” 

at PPPL. The conference, hosted by PPPL’s Science Education Program, Director’s Advisory Committee on Women, 

and Director’s Minority Advisory Committee, included talks 

and exhibits. Students were from area schools; presenters 

and exhibitors were from Bristol-Myers Squibb, the CWA 

Apprenticeship Program, the Engineering Education Service 

Center (Oregon), the Fashion Institute of Technology, FMC, 

the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 

the New Jersey State Musuem, PPPL, Princeton University's 

Geosciences, Rutgers University, and Yale University. Above, 

students check out exhibits in the Lobby. ●

Lab Hosts Conference 

for Female Students
PPPL NEWS • Spring / Summer 2004 Page 8

Awards ● Awards ● Awards Nobel Laureate Russell 

Hulse, a scientist at PPPL, 

recently was elected a Fellow 

of the American Association 

for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Hulse was 

cited for the “discovery of 

the pulsar in a binary system 

and the resulting evidence for 

gravitational energy radiation.” Hulse won the 1993 

Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Princeton University 

At a White House ceremony 

on May 4, PPPL scientist 

Jonathan Menard received 

the Presidential Early Career 

Award for Scientists and Engineers. Menard was among 

58 researchers supported by 11 

federal agencies who received 

the award. The Presidential 

award is the highest honor 

bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists 

and engineers who are beginPPPL honored its inventors in June at the twentysecond annual Patent Awareness Program Recognition Dinner at Princeton University’s Prospect 

House. The event honored those who disclosed 

inventions during Fiscal Year 2003. Those recognized include Michael Anderson, Alexey Balakin, 

Andrew B. W. Bigley, Manfred Bitter, Christopher 

Brunkhorst, James E. Butler, Wonho Choe, John 

Desandro, Ilya Dodin, Eliot Feibush, Nathaniel 

J. Fisch, Gennady Fraiman, Charlie A. Gentile, 

David J. Geveke, Kenneth W. Hill, Michael Kalish, 

Scott Klasky, James Kukon, S. G. Lee, Margaret 

E. Lumia, Vladmir Malkin, Earl S. Marmar, Dana 

Mastrovito, Doug McCune, Lewis Meixler, Masayuki Ono, Robert F. Parsells, Jean-Micael Rax, 

John E. Rice, Lane Roquemore, Charles Skinner, 

and Brent Stratton. ●

The inventors at the Patent Dinner are, from left, Charles Skinner, Scott Klasky, Margaret Lumia, Doug McCune, Kenneth Hill, Eliot Feibush, 

Manfred Bitter, Christopher Brunkhorst, Dana Mastrovito, Masayuki Ono, Andrew B.W. Bigley, Lewis Meixler, and John Desandro.

ning their independent careers. The same day, Menard also 

received the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Early 

Career Scientist and Engineer Award. Both the Presidential 

and Department of Energy awards cite Menard for performing studies to optimize the stability of fusion plasmas and 

providing the heart of the physics basis for a new, spherical 

plasma fusion reactor. 

Jon Menard Professor Joseph Taylor for their 1974 discovery of the first 

binary pulsar — a twin star system that provides a rare natural 

laboratory in which to test Albert Einstein’s prediction that 

moving objects emit gravitational waves, as well as other 

aspects of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Russell Hulse

PPPL recently received two safety awards from the State 

of New Jersey. State officials gave the Lab a “Recognition 

Award” for achieving an away-from-work lost-time incidence rate of 3.0 or less during calendar year 2003. The 

Lab also received a “Commissioner of Labor Award” for 

the National Spherical Torus Experiment Project for working three consecutive years, 2001 through 2003, without an 

away-from-work lost-time injury or illness.

The Plainsboro Township Committee recently presented 

PPPL’s Site Protection Division with a “Resolution of 

Appreciation” for the Laboratory’s Commitment to the 

Community through its Emergency Services Mutual Aid 

Program. PPPL’s John Bavlish and Jim McGuire accepted 

the award from Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu and Plainsboro 

Director of Public Safety Cliff Mauer.

 The resolution noted that PPPL and Plainsboro Township 

have a mutual interest in maintaining public safety within 

the Township and that the Lab has provided mutual aid to 

Plainsboro’s police, fire, and emergency medical services for 

more than 25 years. According to the resolution, the Lab’s 

“expertise in the area of disaster and major emergencies is 

a valuable asset to Plainsboro’s emergency services.”