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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 93 (Thursday, May 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27678-27680]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11664]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Strengthening U.S. Academic Programs in Accelerator Science

AGENCY: Office of High Energy Physics, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The Office of High Energy Physics (HEP), as the Department of 
Energy's (DOE or Department) lead office for long-term accelerator 
research and development (R&D), invites interested parties to provide 
comments on proposed policies, practices and mechanisms which DOE-HEP 
may implement to foster robust academic R&D and workforce development 
in this vitally important high technology area.

DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before June 
18, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons may submit comments only by email. 
Comments must be addressed to 
AcademicAcceleratorScienceRFI@science.doe.gov, with the subject line 
``Academic Accelerator Science RFI Comments''.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Bruce P. Strauss, (301) 903-3705, 
AcademicAcceleratorScienceRFI@science.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Challenge

    Accelerators play a key role in the discovery sciences, including 
High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Basic Energy Sciences. Modern 
discovery science accelerators are high technology instruments of 
remarkable complexity, having advanced over eight orders of magnitude 
in energy since their invention. Aggressive reinvention of the 
underlying technology has driven improvements in this science, and has 
required sustained investment in accelerator science R&D that advances 
the methods, materials, and understanding of accelerator science.
    Accelerator Science is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses 
the design and improvement of particle accelerators, the development of 
new methods of charged particle production and manipulation, and the 
development of unique supporting technologies needed for accelerators. 
Significant career specialization has evolved as the demand for ever 
greater performance has required reaching deep into mathematics, 
computation, materials science, plasma science, radio frequency 
technology, superconducting materials, laser engineering, and a variety 
of other disciplines. The accelerator science workforce must be capable 
of spanning both the breadth and depth of the subject matter needed to 
build discovery science accelerators. It must also possess the range of 
skills and proficiency levels needed to support operating accelerators 
for science, medicine, industry, security, defense, and energy & 
environmental applications.
    National laboratories, academia, and industry each play vital, 
mutually reinforcing roles in the success of the accelerator-based 
discovery sciences, and in providing the scientific and technological 
advances necessary to sustain U.S. leadership in this area.

[[Page 27679]]

With an estimated 30,000 particle accelerators operating worldwide, 
there is a significant--and growing--need \1\ for a technically 
competent workforce that can design, install, operate, upgrade, and 
repair accelerators.
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    \1\ ``Accelerators for America's Future'', workshop report, 
http://science.energy.gov/~/media/hep/pdf/accelerator-rd-
stewardship/Report.pdf, (2009).
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    A High Energy Physics Advisory Panel subcommittee, in 2014, 
identified the present deficit in the accelerator science workforce as 
an area of special concern, both for its impact on the Office of 
Science mission, and for its broader consequences.2 3 
Approximately 10-12 accelerator science Ph.D.s graduate each year in 
the U.S., nearly an order of magnitude less than Europe. This is 
traceable to the small number of U.S. universities that have 
accelerator faculty and offer instruction in accelerator science.
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    \2\ ``OHEP Workforce Development'', Report presented to HEPAP 
May 22, 2014, http://science.energy.gov/~/media/hep/hepap/pdf/
May%202014/Patterson_HEPAP_DOEWorkforce_v1-1.pdf .
    \3\ ``HEP Workforce Development Needs'', report of the HEPAP 
subcommittee, June 30, 2014, http://science.energy.gov/~/media/hep/
hepap/pdf/Reports/OHEP_Workforce_Letter_Report.pdf .
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The Response

    The Department, acting through the Office of High Energy Physics in 
the Office of Science, is considering funding practices and mechanisms 
which DOE-HEP could implement to help ensure continued world-class 
accelerator R&D and the training of a world-class accelerator 
workforce.
    Request for information: The objective of this RFI is to gather 
information about the current state of academic practice and policy 
surrounding accelerator science (as defined above), and to elucidate 
potential mechanisms to strengthen academic programs in accelerator 
science at U.S. institutions of higher education. Please note that this 
is not a request for information about specific scientific research 
topics. Submissions arguing the merits of specific lines of scientific 
research will be disregarded as unresponsive.
    The questions below are intended to assist in the formulation of 
comments, and should not be considered as a limitation on either the 
number or the issues that may be addressed in such comments. The 
Department will make all comments available to the general public.
    The DOE Office of High Energy Physics is specifically interested in 
receiving comments pertaining to any of the following questions:

Increasing the Recognition of Accelerator Science in Academia

    1. Does your institution regard accelerator science as an academic 
discipline? Why or why not?
    2. If your institution offers graduate training in accelerator 
science:
    a. What is the core curriculum shared by all accelerator students, 
regardless of specialization? (e.g. What is the common coursework taken 
by all accelerator students?)
    b. How often do students change fields to study accelerator 
science? From which fields do these students typically come?
    c. Is your accelerator science program primarily located in the 
physics, applied physics, or engineering department, or in a 
combination of two or more of those departments?
    d. What incentives would increase the likelihood that your 
institution would hire additional accelerator science faculty?
    e. Is there an on-campus particle accelerator that is dedicated to 
accelerator science R&D? If not, do you make use of accelerator test 
facilities at U.S. national laboratories?
    f. How often do collaborations occur between accelerator science 
and other programs at the university?
    g. Does your institution actively seek out corporate sponsorship 
for an accelerator science program? Do private companies actively 
recruit students from your accelerator science program?
    3. If your institution no longer offers graduate training in 
accelerator science, why was the program terminated?
    4. What funding sources for accelerator science are you aware of?

Integrating the Roles of the Universities and the U.S. National 
Laboratories

    5. How can the national laboratory system be best utilized by the 
university accelerator science community?
    6. What are the current barriers (e.g. technical, operational, and 
economic) that prevent closer collaboration between universities and 
the national laboratories?
    7. Does your university accept accelerator course credits from 
other institutions?
    8. Do accelerator science students at your institution routinely 
take courses and training elsewhere?
    9. What could be done to strengthen the participation of academia 
in the operation and improvement of existing national laboratory 
accelerators?
    10. Considering disciplines, other than Accelerator Science, what 
mechanisms are in place at your university for collaboration with 
national laboratories? Could these mechanisms be extended to 
accelerator science?

Contemporary Models of University Accelerator Science

    11. What examples exist of thriving academic accelerator science 
programs?
    a. Are there policies at your university specific to the 
accelerator science program that are essential to its success?
    b. Are there scholarships, endowed chairs, or other awards and 
positions that give special recognition to accelerator science?
    c. Are there barriers to having accelerator scientists serve as PI 
or Co-I on proposals?
    d. Is conversion from research faculty to full faculty in 
accelerator science possible? How many faculty members have attempted 
the transition, and how many have succeeded?
    e. Are there specific attributes of the institution's culture that 
contribute to the success of the accelerator science program?
    f. Are there joint appointments with a nearby national laboratory 
or a private company engaged in accelerator R&D? How many?
    12. Are there successful examples of academic programs from other 
technologically-oriented disciplines that you believe are relevant to 
establishment or improvement of an accelerator science program? What 
key attributes make the program successful? (See 11(a)-(f) above).
    13. Are there successful examples of academic accelerator science 
programs from other countries that you believe are relevant to the U.S. 
system? What key attributes make the programs successful? (See 11(a)-
(f) above).

Possible Mechanisms To Encourage Academic Accelerator Science

    14. What specific, cost-effective actions could be taken to:
    a. Raise the academic status of accelerator science? Examples in 
this category might include: Funding named accelerator science faculty 
positions or named scholarships.
    b. Improve the business case for accelerator science in a 
university setting? Examples in this category might include grants and 
practices designed to increase interactions with private industry.
    c. Encourage students to choose a career in accelerator science and 
technology? Examples in this category might include a grant for young 
faculty to conduct R&D in accelerator science, a tuition stipend for a 
co-terminal master's degree, or grants to develop instructional 
materials.

[[Page 27680]]

    d. Increase the enrollment in education opportunities at the 
baccalaureate and master's level?
    e. Increase the availability of hands-on training opportunities in 
accelerator technology?

Other Factors

    15. Other than the actual award of funding, is there any specific 
funding agency behavior that impacts positively or negatively on the 
success of an accelerator science program?
    16. Are there other factors, not addressed by the questions above, 
which contribute to the strength or weakness of U.S. academic 
accelerator science?
    This RFI is issued to gather information that may be used to help 
formulate DOE-HEP funding practices and grant mechanisms to strengthen 
academic accelerator science.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 30, 2015.
James Siegrist,
Associate Director, Office of High Energy Physics.
[FR Doc. 2015-11664 Filed 5-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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