The School Bell Beckons!

Don Cossairt, Fermilab

If you wish to receive more education about the accelerator technology that you encounter every day at work, I highly recommend the U. S. Particle Accelerator School (USPAS) as a place to go accomplish that. The USPAS is operated by a consortium of national laboratories and universities. Its normal mode of operation is to conduct two-week sessions covering a variety of topics. There are generally two such sessions offered annually, one in the summer and the other in the winter, at locations across the U.S. Academic credit is available for these courses as the USPAS offers a Masters Degree in Beam Physics and Technology through Indiana University. The web page of the USPAS where you can read more about it is at: http://uspas.fnal.gov/index.shtml.

The next session of the USPAS will be held in San Francisco, CA in January 2010 and is sponsored by the University of California at Santa Cruz. The “particulars” with further links to the individual courses and provision for electronic enrollment are on the following web page: http://uspas.fnal.gov/programs2/2010/ucsc/index.shtml. As is the usual practice, some of the courses are offered for the full two weeks while others are given for only one week. Thus, a student could take two of the one-week courses or one two-week course. While the work is intensive, the courses are always well-presented and are well-received by the students. A course of special interest to the readers of this newsletter is that on “Radiation Physics, Regulation, and Management” to be taught by Vashek Vylet of JLAB and me. The course description can be found at: http://uspas.fnal.gov/programs2/2010/ucsc/courses/radiation_physics.shtml. Other courses offered in this session of the school might also be of interest to this readership. The enrollment for this session of USPAS is now open, go for it!

Including myself, most people involved in radiation protection at particle accelerators that I have known entered this field with an education in health physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, or nuclear engineering. Very few of us have ever studied accelerator physics in any systematic, formal way. Yet, every day that we carry out our professional duties we interact with people who are experienced in accelerator physics. Those of us who work at accelerators used in research also count among our associates folks who are diligently trying to advance accelerator technology to new levels of performance. Accelerator science, just like our own field, carries its own jargon and terminology that needs to be understood to accomplish the overall goals of efficient, effective, and safe accelerator operation and development. Sometimes the jargon of the two disciplines even overlaps, with enhanced confusion the result. For example, an accelerator physicist might measure a small angular deflection in “milliradians”, readily and usually shortened to “mrad” and thus confused with a measurement of absorbed dose. Good background knowledge and effective communication is vital to the success of any enterprise!