The ILC Test Area - Meson Detector Building is one of the new facilities that will help Fermilab's user community participate in R&D activities.

As time marches closer to making a decision on siting and building the International Linear Collider, the number of scientists working on the project will have to dramatically increase. From the graduate student to the senior physicist, large numbers of scientists will have to be recruited to design, build and eventually operate the machine. Over the past year, particle accelerator schools have taught new students about the ILC, but other efforts beyond the classroom are also happening, such as Fermilab's ILC Task Force.

In May 2006, Fermilab Director Pier Oddone and Fermilab Deputy Director Young-Kee Kim appointed a broad cross-section of scientists to evaluate the lab's current plan for the ILC, to determine how to increase Fermilab scientists participation in linear collider activities and enhance collaborations with the university community. "We wanted representation from all of the divisions at Fermilab, and we wanted to work with the particle physics community from the very beginning," Kim said. The task force membership includes 10 Fermilab scientists and 11 experts from SLAC, Argonne, and universities, who bring valuable insights into what the user community needs to effectively participate, such as enhancing facilities by providing test areas and computing abilities for detector and accelerator R&D.

Charged with writing a plan that outlines how to increase laboratory particle physicists' involvement in the ILC, the committee divided itself into four working groups to recommend specific ILC projects in which Fermilab scientists can collaborate with university groups. "Right now there are not enough Fermilab scientists involved with the ILC for what we are going to need in the future," said Fermilab's Mike Lindgren, who chaired the task force. "One good way to figure out what will attract people is to take physicists who are not involved and ask them that question. The more I learned, the more I realised the challenges for the ILC. Scientists like challenges."

Breaking with tradition, the task force selected young scientists to be the leaders for the four working groups: Accelerator, Beam Instrumentation, Detectors and Test Beam Facilities. Given a long list of questions, the working groups met on a regular basis to identify places where Fermilab physicists can get involved with the ILC. "There are huge lists of tasks out there that need to be done for ILC R&D," Lindgren said. "We have to think hard about what needs to be done and which things are well suited to our strengths and not being done already. We want to collaborate with others in the community to be good partners in making the ILC a reality."

The task force presented a preliminary report to the Fermilab Director on 15 July and plans to submit a final report this month. The task force's recommendations will be published in a public document later this year. "Establishing this kind of task force is tremendously insightful for motivating scientists," Lindgren said. "It gives them the opportunity to put their shoulders in the harness and pull."

-- Elizabeth Clements