DEIJ Colloquium: Voices from US National Laboratories
Part 1: The Fermi and Lawrence Livermore National Labs
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Webinar
Researchers from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) discussed their work involving engineering and computing, their specific roles in the lab, and how they create inclusive workplaces to maintain the high-level of expertise needed to address national and global challenges.
Abstract
The US National Laboratory system, 17 entities developed starting in the mid-20th century, have served as leaders in the country’s scientific and engineering efforts. Currently, these labs have worked on critical scientific challenges from combating climate change to discovering the origins of our universe. For these complex research and development challenges, the labs use a “multidisciplinary approach that places an emphasis on translating basic science to innovation” (National Laboratories | Department of Energy).
This colloquium is the first of a series that attempts to capture the diverse voices of those who do this important work. In Part I, Tufts is pleased to welcome engineers and scientist from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois and Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) in California. Lab representatives will speak to the work their labs do that involve engineering and computing, their specific roles in these efforts, and how they and their labs seek to create inclusive work places and cultures to maintain the high-level of expertise needed in addressing national and global challenges.
About the Speakers
Jennifer Chikelu
Jennifer Chikelu is a Mechanical Fluids Engineer at Fermilab, where she specializes in the design of cooling skids and the maintenance and operation of fluid cooling systems. She plays a vital role in the design of cooling skids for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF), which are crucial for cooling key equipment such as the Horns. Jennifer holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University, graduating in 2018, and has been a mechanical fluids engineer since 2019.
Marisol B Gamboa
Marisol B Gamboa is the Computing Workforce Manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she is responsible for overseeing the organization’s workforce planning, hiring, and recruiting activities. Marisol participates in several institutional committees and manages the Computing Scholar Program, which consistently accounts for one-third of the Lab’s student interns and is a critical hiring pipeline. Marisol has 20+ years of technical and managerial experience at LLNL, including assignments supporting the National Ignition Facility and Global Security. She has led software teams, been a program manager/principal investigator, and had several roles in line management. Marisol was co-director of the Data Science Summer Institute, a member of the Lab’s Science Education Program Advisory Council, and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Lucy Nobrega
Lucy Nobrega is a principal engineer at Fermilab specializing in ultrahigh vacuum design for particle accelerators. She currently leads the Vacuum Group of the PIP-II Project, Fermilab’s new linear accelerator based on superconducting radio-frequency technologies, and manages fabrication procurement and cleanroom groups. Lucy holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology and has been specializing in vacuum engineering since 2001. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, biking, backpacking and sharing her love of the outdoors as an Assistant Scoutmaster and Crew Advisor with Scouting America.
About the Labs
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Since 1967, Fermilab has worked to answer fundamental questions and enhance understanding of everything we see around us. As the United States' premier particle physics laboratory, they do science that matters. They work on the world's most advanced particle accelerators and dig down to the smallest building blocks of matter. They also probe the farthest reaches of the universe, seeking out the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Fermilab's 2,160 employees include scientists and engineers from all around the world. Fermilab collaborates with more than 50 countries on physics experiments based in the United States and elsewhere.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
For more than 70 years, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has applied science and technology (S&T) to make the world a safer place. The Laboratory’s enduring ideals guide their mission-driven work while fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace culture. LLNL applies cutting-edge science and technology to achieve breakthroughs in enterprise resilience and counterterrorism, defense and intelligence, energy security and climate resilience to produce fundamental science discoveries and faster innovation cycles. The Laboratory's ability to put ideals into action enables continued progress and the translation of innovations into impact.