RHIC/AGS Users’ Executive Committee Activities 2015-16

Justin Frantz, 2015-16 RHIC/AGS UEC Chair RHIC S&T Review Practice Session 2

BNL 8/17/16

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∗ No formal registration to “User’s group” ∗ Elected User’s Executive Committee composed of 18-20 members (next

slide) represent the interests of about 1500-2000 people ∗ About > 1000 RHIC Experimental Users (STAR/PHENIX/sPHENIX) ∗ Accelerator Scientists: RHIC AGS/ATF: 100 NSRL ~500 ∗ ~100 theorists in the field who have entered User’s DB by conference

attendance or BNL Computing ∗ We also try to advocate for ~all theorists in our field (200 more?)

∗ Good lab support - BNL GUV Center provides dedicated staff: Kelly Guiffreda, Director Kathy Nasta, etc. assisting in all functions ∗ We could NOT function effectively without this substantial support!

∗ RHIC collaborations (e.g. STAR, (s)PHENIX) have some infrastructure to address some issues UEC advocates for, so our role is especially important to the other groups (accelerator scientists, theorists)

RHIC/AGS Users UEC

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∗ UEC has had 18-20 members (including 3 chairs) ∗ chair elect, current chair, outgoing chair ∗ UEC had four working groups until 2015 : 1) Meetings,

Communications, Outreach 2) Quality of Life 3) Funding, Politics & Programmatics 4) Site Access & Science

∗ Previous Main functions: ∗ AUM and Open Forum mtg org ∗ Advocate for user issues as they arise

∗ Increase Lately in Responsibilities Membership Increase ∗ DC Nuclear Physics Outreach Day: Started in 2013 ∗ Formation of Diversity WG: July 2015 much work to be done! ∗ Much BNL infrastructure (Dorms, CDC, etc.) is hitting

“critical endpoint”

UEC Basics Increasing Activities

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Add membership

∗ Number of Big QOL Issues/Activities 2014-16 ∗ Increasing budget pressures - Highlight a few on next slides

∗ Good Engagement by the lab -- will need to continue. Meetings

with management have increased: Monthly meetings Facilities and Operations Assoc. Lab Director Amy Nunizata & Other Directors ∗ Other BNL UEC’s participate ∗ Regular visitors: Bob Lincoln, CHRO, updates us on Child Dev Center,

Special Project Director Lanny Bates on Discovery Park Project ∗ Tighter feedback loop on Food Services recently UEC met with food

vendor Metz representatives ∗ Former “quarterly” meetings with Deputy Director Bob Tribble still

occasionally happen. Doon also visited our regular monthly UEC mtg

Quality of Life & Lab Engagement

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∗ Invaluable resource to many RHIC employees and users ∗ On-site regular childcare ∗ Drop-in service also available and by utilized by visitors ∗ Important to retain young talent (often especially women) at the lab and in our

field! ∗ Steadily increasing costs, service reductions, dropping enrollment severe

negative feedback loop ∗ CDC Vendor (Bright Horizons) must pay higher wages due federal on-site

guidelines higher cost ∗ Self organized parent group + All BNL User Groups Campaign to save

∗ Lab has addressed need for better communication with these groups

∗ BNL recognized need to maintain and will subsidize up to $150K to run

∗ Long term sustainability may depend on further DOE subsidization funds being applied for Please highlight in review report!

BNL Child Development Center

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∗ Food vendor crisis/ change 2015-16

∗ Spring 2015 : old Vendor closes Brookhaven Center/asked to be released from contract

∗ The Center was only dinner/evening food option on site ∗ UEC User surveys , BNL Consultants - big issues: food quality/service, addressing

more diverse customer base, availability at wider hours ∗ New vendor Metz Inc. ~Aug 2015 -- more responsive to customer base –

innovations, but bringing back customers still work in progress Lab/Vendor in close consultation with UEC’s

Food Services Issues

Cafeteria insta-feedback installed New Metz 24 hr Micromarket

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∗ Decaying Physical Infrastructure – 70-yr old Buildings @ End of Life

∗ Keenest Need: Dormitories ∗ Number of Dormitory spaces closed in last ~12 yrs ∗ Often not enough dormitory space : e.g. summers

∗ Discovery Park Project: Move Office Space Dorms Just Outside Main Gate Lab/Public Shared Use Model

Dormitories & Future “Privatization”

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∗ Most important traditional UEC function: Meetings/Outreach ∗ Annual User Meetings and other events (generally sponsored by BSA-RHIC)

∗ 2015-16 Several Important Forums for discussions on the future of RHIC

Work in progress many scientifically valuable conversations/proposals

Meeting/Communications WG

2015 Open Forum @ DNP Conference 2016 Open Forum @ DNP Conference

Special Addition RHIC Future Session @ Users’ Mtg ‘16

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∗ ~Sole Financial Sponsor : BSA/RHIC Mtg continues to be important for RHIC program ∗ 2015 10 years of Perfect Liquid

∗ BNL Distinguished Lecture AAA CEO/Former Congressman Rush Holt drew audience from outside RHIC/outside public

∗ Science Highlights : First look at Run15 p↑+A results, Chiral Magnetic results, First looks at long AuAu Run 14 data: Heavy Flavor

∗ 2016 RHIC in Femtobarn-1 Era ∗ End of PHENIX Data taking and PHENIX 25th Anniversary ∗ Diversity Half-Day Workshop and post-plenary Panel Discussion (discuss later) ∗ New policies for harassment implemented ∗ Science Highlights:, Fast Run 16 dAu Energy Scan results, More Run 14 AuAu Heavy Flavor

results ∗ 2 Days Workshops, 1.5-2 Days Plenary

∗ Workshops in Usual Areas: Hard/Heavy/Onia/Spin/Flow ∗ Special workshops focus on QGP in small/asymmetric collision systems; Global Data Analysis

techniques; Beam Energy Scan; EIC; Thermal Photon Puzzle;

2015/16 User Meetings The past two User’s meetings contained special components and were especially well attended

Special Outreach: Poster Design by Pratt Institute of Design

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∗ DC Nuclear Physics Outreach Days have been worthwhile

∗ > 60-70 volunteer scientists from across nation, 25 from RHIC, each year promoting nuclear physics

∗ Great interactions also with other groups in NP

∗ New RHIC Info sheet

Meeting/Communications WG

2016 75 Delegates , RHIC 27, FRIB 24, Jlab 24

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New Outreach Fact Sheet !

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∗ Officially Formed July 2015

∗ Partially reaction to 2015/2010 STAR/PHENIX/BNL “Site visits” by APS Committee on the Status of Women in Physics Critical mass of interested people

∗ Sexual Harassment: UEC members know it’s a problem in some sectors of our field outside of RHIC – vigilancy e.g. for conferences held at the lab

∗ Sexual orientation: UEC members have had anecdotal indications of possible field-wide skewed representation

∗ These examples and others: formation was overdue…

NEW: Diversity WG

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Harassment warning

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∗ Site Visits: Summer 2015. Reports ~Nov 2015 ∗ Details of reports left to collab reports

∗ We made the reports from both collaborations available to the entire UEC and Diversity WG

∗ We had some initial reaction discussions in ~February ∗ However, detailed processing of the reports to find key

areas where UEC can help is still yet to be done ∗ Reports were fairly positive: equally high priority for BNL 2010

Site Visit Followup ∗ Several of our members are on sPHENIX and have been happy

to see that the reports have influenced the formation of sPHENIX by-laws and Executive Board formation, through juniors inclusion etc…

2015 APS CSWP Site Visits

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∗ Lots of Activities and Many Fronts already: ∗ Working in consultation with BNL Diversity Office !!! ∗ Data Gathering / Publishing Plan Part 1 near completion

∗ Diversity breakdown for Different User communities including Theorists ∗ Part 2, 3, more ! (More Detailed Publications Collaborations Data?)

∗ Lactation Room(s) : Our actions started a process that has led to a new Lactation Room to appear in the Physics Building soon ∗ Funding of small renovation of this room needs resolved: critical need ∗ Identified good lead for another new one on RHIC Ring (1005)

∗ Sexual Harassment : ∗ More prominent warnings at all BNL/RHIC events! (already discussed) ∗ User Agreement Info / Registration Changes (appearing soon)

∗ There is some work here to finish up in each of these areas

Status of Diversity WG Work

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∗ More detailed follow-up of Site Visit reports ∗ New lab activities in the direction of diversity sound promising—

we will participate ∗ Unique Role to help with collaboration reports

∗ New Ideas from User’s Mtg Diversity Workshop/Panels ∗ AUM Diversity Events Highlighted: ∗ Implicit biases Links to areas to be put up on our website? ∗ Sexual Harassment: problems better understoodContinue

developing policies ∗ Proof of Representation for Women Problem: AUM Sessions

Provided body of convincing arguments that there is a problem with representation of Women in Physics Provide summary?

Diversity : Lots Left TODO!!!

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∗ RHIC/AGS UEC Activities have been increasing – new needs that impact the science mission of RHIC ∗ Outreach, User infrastructure at Lab, Diversity

∗ BNL / RHIC Support of these activities has been great ∗ Communication between UEC/Lab management on many issues

has also been increasing and good – this needs to continue ∗ Further BNL and DOE support for specific Quality of Life and

Diversity Issues themselves will be needed: ∗ CDC Needs Continued Subsidies to Stay Open ∗ Lactation Room ∗ Diversity

Outlook

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