Jim Thomas

JIM THOMAS - Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Experience: Twenty five years of experience in scientific research, teaching, R&D, and R&D management. Broad background in the scientific disciplines.  Scientific group leader. Experienced manager of R&D proposals and funding. Experienced manager of large and small scale science and engineering projects. Co-Convenor of the STAR Parity discussion group.  Ex-Chair of the RHIC and AGS Users Executive Committee.

Statement:  We have three major scientific challenges ahead of us.  The search for the Quark Gluon Plasma, the full exploitation of the RHIC spin program, and upgrading the detector to meet the challenges of the future.

I am impressed by our published data.  We have observed dense matter, it appears to thermalize rapidly, it flows, and it is rich in gluons. But we have not observed any data that suggests a simple first order jump in entropy.   It is not like we expected in the early days of the program.  We have observed unusual phenomena and they require new ideas to explain them.  I believe that we are looking at a new state of matter but that we haven’t characterized it yet.  If there is a phase transition, it is subtle and probably not  first order. This means we should look for correlated signals and we must learn to interpret them.  We will need high statistics, we will need to cover a wide range of beam-beam combinations, and cover a wide range of beam energies.  I am committed to the pursuit of this program and to stimulate, support, and encourage our best and brightest colleagues to analyze the data.

The spin program has just begun and I strongly support the full exploitation of the spin program. STAR has unique capabilities with the detectors full azimuthal coverage, the ability to measure small x, and the EEMC to study W physics. We can and will do an excellent job studying the gluon’s contribution to the spin of the proton and the structure function of the nucleus.

The third and final challenge is to upgrade STAR.  We need to nurture and guide the upgrade plan to ensure that it survives the various DOE long range planning exercises and later to ensure that it is properly funded.  The current upgrade plan is excellent but we should also stay flexible and be prepared to amend the plan if we discover new physics in the current  program. 

Leadership Questions: The Spokesperson leads the collaboration.  His/Her primary responsibility is to develop and lead the scientific program.  In consultation with the Council, (if it comes to pass) the Executive Board, and the collaboration, I will work to define the scientific priorities for STAR and then work with RHIC management and the STAR operations group to ensure that these goals are achieved.  I will encourage rapid and timely publications but also ensure that each institution and each individual gets a fair share of the credit for their work.  I believe that the Spokesperson and the Council should work together to increase funding for the STAR institutions and the field of Nuclear Physics, in general.  And I am committed to work to increase the visibility of STAR at BNL, at conferences, and in the community.

Supporting our people is especially important.  I feel that STAR should put special emphasis on helping people who are making career transitions.  Often this is a young person moving to a new job or moving up into a new position at his or her home institution. We need to identify these people and give them preference for talks and principle authorship and support their efforts to serve on national and international committees.

Enhancing the productivity of the collaboration is important.  Part of the Spokesperson’s job is to recognize that different institutions and collaborators have different strengths.  Often, these strengths are complementary and careful balancing of these strengths will ensure productivity. The Spokesperson also has the ability to lobby for national resources and the opportunity to distribute national resources to the institutions.  I will do this in a way that enhances the scientific output of the entire collaboration.

The creation of an Executive Board is an excellent idea if it can be formulated properly.  I will work with the Council to finish the discussion about the EB.  My belief is that the Council is for the discussion of institutional issues, the Executive Board is for establishing and managing broad scientific goals, and the physics working group leaders are for managing and executing specific scientific programs. 

Finally, I was asked to comment on the selection of deputies.  This is a complex issue.  I will work with the council to select scientists who complement my interests and skills in order to form a team that reflects the full scientific diversity of the STAR collaboration.

Education, Service, and Career History: Ph.D. in Physics, Yale University, 1982.  Postdoctoral Fellow, California Institute of Technology, 1982.  Robert Andrews Millikan Fellow, Caltech, 1983-1985.  Member of the Research Faculty, Caltech, 1986-88.  Physicist, LLNL, 1989-1991.  Group Leader for Heavy Ion Physics, LLNL, 1992-1996.  Staff Scientist, LBL, 1997-present.  Member of the STAR Collaboration and Deputy Project Director in 1997.  Co-Convenor of the STAR Parity discussion group, 1999-present.  Member and Chairman of the RHIC & AGS Users Group, BNL, 1998-present.  NASA/JPL Flight Readiness Review panel, 1988.  Principle Investigator for the Caltech/LLNL studies of Non-Newtonian gravity, 1988-1992. Member and Chairman of the lab wide LDRD program at LLNL, 1990-92.  Member of PHENIX Executive Council, 1994-96.  Member of the organizing committee, Quark Matter 95. Reviewer for the Royal Society of New Zealand, 1999-2001.  DNP Committee for APS Nominations, 2001-present.  Organized and chaired many workshops and meetings on heavy ion physics.  Over 80 professional publications, 30 invited talks, 20 publications for the public.  BBC-TV program “Defying Gravity”, 1989. Coach/Mentor to the Port Jefferson High School Robotics team, 2001-present.

 

Honors: A.W. Wright Fellowship, 1980-82. R.A. Millikan Fellowship, 1983-85. Outstanding Publication Award, 1990. Physics Distinguished Achievement award, 1993.

John Harris

John Harris - Candidates’ Statement

 

1.       The candidate’s qualifications to become Spokesperson.

I am a recognized expert in heavy ion physics with a broad view of the field, STAR’s place in it, and the direction in which STAR should be heading. I have successfully led STAR as spokesman from the development of an initial concept, through design, approval, construction, commissioning, and extraction of first physics results. Although I have been spokesman for a long time, and people do ask why I would want to continue, my mission is not yet complete. I wish to lead STAR for one more term, to complete the first phase of the physics plan set forth at its inception. In addition to having a physics vision, the spokesperson must bring together diverse opinions and interests, and lead the collaboration to make decisions that optimize its physics capabilities in the broadest sense. I hope within the next couple of years to bring STAR to a mature detector and collaboration, which operates smoothly and produces valuable physics in a collegial environment.

2.       The candidate’s vision for STAR and considerations about what are the most serious challenges facing STAR in the near term (~1 year) and longer term (~5 years).

Vision:

Over the next five years, we need to complete our initial physics mission (survey of high density matter at RHIC) and be on our way to understanding the spin of the proton. We must continue to make changes in course to address ever-changing conditions, and actively establish and work on longer-term physics and detector developments for STAR.  To accomplish our initial physics mission we must: 1) map out the soft physics regime through systematic studies over Ös and a variety of colliding systems (pp, pA, AA); 2) perform a thorough study of the high p_T single-particle physics regime, utilizing various colliding nuclear systems (including pp and pA) for control of geometry; and 3) initiate and be well into A_ll measurements in our spin physics program. This will only be accomplished over the next five years time. In order to address changing conditions, we must optimize our triggering capabilities, and increase our data rate and analysis capabilities. This will allow us to minimize an increasing variance among experiments regarding RHIC operating parameters (systems and energies). With regard to longer-term developments, we must immediately undertake a process to identify and agree upon STAR’s long-term physics goals (for 5 – 10 years from now) and how to accomplish them in terms of detector upgrades.

Challenges:

We are presently producing exciting new physics in STAR. However, we are in a difficult and complicated "growing stage", much akin to one’s adolescence. We have begun to reap the rich physics fruits of our extensive labors, and are trying to plant, nurture, and ensure new and future physics harvests in a rapidly evolving environment. More specifically, we are currently doing many diverse things: 1) extensive physics analyses, 2) writing papers, 3) operating the STAR detector under continually changing conditions (collider and new detectors), 4) installing and understanding new detectors, 5) developing new online/reconstruction/analysis software to integrate new detectors and extract physics from them, 6) developing short-term upgrades to improve data rate, analysis, and physics capabilities, and 7) developing a long-term physics plan for STAR which also requires considerable detector R&D. 

Our first challenge and always of highest priority is to continue to identify clearly our physics goals as the “physics picture” at RHIC develops, and to do everything possible to ensure that we can accomplish them. This involves balancing conflicting needs within STAR, prioritization of STAR resources, and significant work to ensure that RHIC running fulfills the needs of our physics program. We must get the software into shape and stable for future reconstruction, simulations, and analysis. We must upgrade our data rates throughout to meet the demands of our physics program. Finally but perhaps most urgently, we must define and agree upon our long-term physics vision (for 5 - 10 years from now), and the detector approach to accomplish it.

3. The major issues facing the Collaboration that the Spokesperson would intend to address.

The spokesperson working in concert with the Council should strive to address the following major issues. Manpower issues: We have yet to identify sufficient collaboration manpower resources to meet all of the challenges (above) that face us. To address this, we must get more people involved in all aspects of STAR, formally define and monitor manpower contributions (“service work”), revisit authorship requirements and associate it to a minimum effort on STAR, and readdress the approach to scheduling shifts on the experiment. Sociological issues: In every large group or collaboration of intelligent people working towards a common overall goal, there are differing needs and priorities that result in differences of opinion on matters of seemingly great importance. We continue to have vigorous, healthy discussions on software implementation, beam use proposals, triggers, run plans, analyses, physics paper drafts, and other issues of priority, to name a few. It is an ongoing challenge to ensure that such discussions continue in STAR in a atmosphere of mutual respect, where everyone’s opinions can be heard and evaluated objectively. To address this, we must strive to maintain open discussion, consideration of issues, and decision-making in a collegial atmosphere. Other sociological issues: We must continue to pay close attention to our need to develop the careers of students and young physicists, and groom the next generation of leaders in STAR. We must seek new ways to promote young people to leadership positions, professional positions, talks, and ensure appropriate credit and recognition. We should include non-Council members on the Talks Committee. Physics issues: More guidance will be needed on how to best present our physics results in publication. We have begun to consult with the Physics Working Group Convenors at an early stage of each paper to try and bring about a more coherent and effective approach in our publications. We will need to monitor and optimize our paper-writing and review process within STAR as it evolves. To establish a long-term physics vision for the collaboration and a commensurate detector plan with R&D, we must have a Spring Workshop on the future physics and detectors of STAR. In preparation for this Workshop, members of the collaboration must be challenged to develop their own future physics views including supporting physics argumentation and simulations.

4. Comments about the role of the Spokesperson.

The role of spokesperson in a broad sense is to lead STAR to accomplish its physics goals. The spokesperson represents the collaboration to the general public, to RHIC and the other collaborations, and at the highest levels of BNL, DOE, and the NSF. The spokesperson must assimilate the many issues of the day in STAR, set priorities, and address the critical issues in a timely and effective manner. The spokesperson must have a broad view of the collaboration in order to establish committees and choose appropriate committee members to evaluate and decide on important issues in STAR (physics, technical, and otherwise). An effective spokesperson is hands-on and must interface actively with collaborators at many levels. No level of formal policies or rules can anticipate the many special cases that arise for the spokesperson. Above all, the spokesperson must have the confidence of the collaboration, to make decisions that are urgent or when a consensus cannot be reached, and must work closely and effectively with the Council and the collaboration to best accomplish STAR’s goals.

5. Any comments related to the structure or role of STAR management (e.g. deputies or other positions in the management team) including a potential STAR Council "Executive Board".

The recent changes in STAR management were made to better address the issues and challenges stated above. I believe in promoting young people, and that the members of STAR management will be successful in addressing the issues of STAR. The management team is a well-known commodity. Regarding what is better termed an "Advisory Committee," from the outset I have consistently supported the concept of an appropriately chosen group advisory to the Spokesman, and I hope to be able to formally inaugurate this committee soon.

Tim Hallman

Dear STAR Council Members and STAR Collaborators,

The capabilities and scientific program of RHIC are evolving rapidly, presenting important new challenges that STAR must meet to be successful in the future. Soon we will be challenged to answer the question, as definitively as possible, what scientific evidence there is from STAR for the creation of the quark-gluon plasma. To continue to be fully productive as the luminosity of RHIC increases and spin physics and proton-nucleus running become more prominent, we will need to quickly develop a plan to evolve our trigger, DAQ, and analysis production capabilities. Shortly we will be challenged to assess and prioritize new scientific measurements that will extend STAR's physics reach significantly in the next 5 years, even as we strive to analyze and publish quality science from data already in hand. To meet these, as well as other important challenges, strong scientific leadership will be required to utilize the full intellectual "horse power" of the collaboration.

Specifically, if elected as STAR Spokesperson, I envision a number of topical workshops and regularly scheduled open physics meetings to draw upon the strength of the full collaboration to:

 i) develop a strategic plan regarding the measurements that will provide the strongest possible insight by STAR into the search for the quark gluon plasma and the spin structure of the proton

ii) provide a critical assessment of the corresponding beam use requirements and provide justification based on compelling fundamental scientific arguments that will allow us to successfully compete with our colleagues before the BNL Program Advisory Committee

iii)develop a detailed plan (including prioritization) for the implementation of physics triggers in advance of the next running period

iv) develop a critical assessment and prioritization of future scientific measurements (and corresponding upgrades) that will extend STAR's scientific reach in the next 5 years.

 

In addition, I plan to be personally involved, at a detailed level, in trying to insure adequate effort on science analyses (including e.g. the ultra-peripheral program), on construction projects which are ongoing, and on service tasks requiring manpower. It is particularly important that the construction, installation, and commissioning of the barrel and endcap electromagnetic calorimeters proceed according to plan, and that sufficient effort is devoted to understanding the response of those detectors in order to exploit the rare probes, high pt measurements, and spin physics measurements they will provide.

As both the STAR Spokesman and the BNL STAR Group Leader I will be in a unique position to effectively advance STAR's physics/resource interests, and to closely follow issues of importance to STAR. I will work diligently to develop a close communication with each STAR institution in order to understand, support, and facilitate its scientific and technical goals. I will work proactively to insure the equitable distribution of talks, and that young scientists in particular receive the visibility and recognition so important for their careers. Most of all I will work diligently to insure that the environment in STAR is one in which the diversity of intellectual interests is fully represented, and in which the Collaboration membership feels excited, engaged, and empowered to participate fully in the present and future scientific program.

To achieve this, I will work in full partnership with the STAR Council to select deputies and establish a management team that provides outstanding science leadership, that is representative of the Collaboration as well as the entire spectrum of physics interests in STAR, that is balanced in its approach embracing the full diversity of views and opinions in the Collaboration, and that works proactively through workshops and open meetings to be inclusive and involve the Collaboration fully in reaching important decisions and plans affecting the governance and scientific program of STAR. I will employ an open management style, similar to that proven effective in establishing and managing the operations groups for STAR. In particular, I will seek, through self assessment and dialog to further improve the process for producing science in STAR, and to maximize the scientific and technical productivity of STAR while maintaining quality assurance and intellectual freedom for those who carry out the analysis.

These goals are indeed challenging, and to help achieve them I will actively seek the advice and counsel of the STAR Council, and the STAR Executive Board once it has been established, as well as soliciting direct feedback from the general Collaboration membership.

I bring to this task ten years of dedicated effort working closely with the Collaboration membership toward the success of STAR. In addition, I bring extensive experience in science leadership as a member of the STAR management team, as Interim STAR Spokesperson for a period of one year, as the leader of the BNL STAR group which includes 35 scientists, engineers, and professionals, as a member of the U.S. Nuclear Science Advisory Committee, and as the Chairman of the Program Advisory Committee for Particle Physics of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. Most importantly, I bring a deep and abiding appreciation of the importance of the STAR scientific program and of the responsibilities of the STAR Spokesperson in insuring its success. My commitment to this task will be complete; I will work to meet this challenge with every ounce of energy that I have, and will make it my personal responsibility to understand deeply all issues impacting the success of the STAR program, vigorously and continuously fighting for those things important for STAR's success. A particular focus will be insuring the broad dissemination of STAR scientific results outside of the Collaboration and the visibility of STAR scientists. My commitment to this task will transcend institution and career, and my willingness and ability to fight for the things important for the success of STAR will not be influenced by those considerations.

In this moment we have a unique opportunity to make an important contribution to our fundamental understanding of nature, and to justify the trust that has been placed in us to use the precious resources we have been allocated to search for truth and understanding in the best interest of mankind. As Spokesperson of STAR I will work tirelessly to make STAR everything that it can be, and to insure the STAR scientific program is a success we can all be proud of well into the future. I ask for your support for election to the position of STAR Spokesperson.