Cultural and Technological Journeys with Particle Accelerators

One of the pleasant side-effects of being involved in the business of particle accelerators has been being exposed to a large number of companies and institutions distributed far and wide in varied geographical and cultural environments.  It has been a very interesting experience, for example, to discover the large selection of dairy products available for breakfast at my hotel in Jyväskylä, Finland (and such a delicious breakfast with fresh baked rolls, meats, fish, and cheeses).  If it is winter, then I get to walk across the adjoining frozen lake to the university.  This is simply marvelous!  There are so many enjoyable things to do such as river rafting nearby, and then a sauna afterwards.  I am always stunned to see the large ski jump above the skyline.  The university of Jyväskylä has two cyclotrons, the K130 used for nuclear physics and material science experiments, and the MCC30/15 intended for radioisotope production.  Interestingly, this latter cyclotron from the Efremov Institute in Russia was given to Finland as a portion of its World War II reparations payment.  The university also has a 1.7 MV Pelletron Tandem Accelerator used for materials physics research, and a Varian cLINAC 1200 with electron energies of 6, 9, 12, 16, and 20 MeV.

Many of the articles we will be posting in this Accel-Link communications forum will be profiles, interviews, commentaries, or articles featuring people from many locations around the world involved in the particle accelerator business.  Some will be well known with international reputations, but most will be students or staff who are behind the scenes, but who have important roles in this accelerator business.  We will highlight geographical and cultural aspects of their lives as well as their particular job within the overall particle accelerator ecosystem.  We will describe the type of accelerator used, and its application.  It is often, to me at least, surprising to realize an accelerator for a particular application is located where it is.  They can be in remote locations in the mountains, at a seaport, or in the most densely populated areas in a central business district.

This forum will explore areas of the particle accelerator world of interest to me.  Particularly in the area of new technology developments that can do a better job in accomplishing existing applications such as but not limited to ion implantation, medical radioisotope and stable-isotope production, therapy, or contraband detection.  Topics, of course, would include any new applications that add value to our society.  However, now at this point in my career, I wish to focus more heavily on other factors.  I believe it is important to explore uses where particle accelerators can contribute to reducing pollution, resource utilization, and energy usage.  Similarly, ways in which particle accelerator technology can be improved to limit resource and energy consumption in their operations will be investigated.  Furthermore, end of life considerations for accelerator equipment during early design stages shall be emphasized, and strategies for recycling equipment or re-using equipment will be considered.

We will also explore the education and training of the next generation of technologists, engineers, and scientists as well as other key contributors.  Articles exploring where we are now with regards to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) will be posted.  Ideas regarding what can be improved going forward will be put forth as part of our programme.  Personal experiences will be included as well as reviewing existing policy in institutions, companies and governments.  It is encouraging to see grant applications in Canada now typically include sections for how the research will facilitate or foster EDI, and applications can and will be rejected if these sections are weak.

Well, I am looking forward to posting many articles, interviews, and profiles in this Accel-Link forum for communications about the business of particle accelerators.