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UNIVERSITY FUSION ASSOCIATION

http://depts.washington.edu/ufa


E-mail Newsletter
Aug. 29, 2008
sent by S. Knowlton, UFA President

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Items:

1. Program news from OFES
2. Solicitation for new OFES director



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1.	Program news

	Gene Nardella, Acting Associate Director of OFES since Aug. 
1, informed US fusion program leaders in a conference call on Aug. 28 
of two ongoing activities that should be of interest to UFA members. 
Regarding the first item, OFES has been directed by the House 
Appropriations Committee to describe a credible US plan for a 
world-leading fusion program.  This plan is due to Congress by Mar. 
1, 2009. (One would hope the credible aspect would include 
appropriating funding for the negotiated US commitment.)  Due to the 
limited time available, OFES will produce the report itself, with 
Curt Bolton will chairing the writing effort. Input to the report 
will largely be drawn from recent planning and programmatic 
documents. OFES plans to present the report to FESAC at their next 
meeting on Nov. 6-7, 2008. The report to Congress is forecast to be 
only 10-15 pages; more detailed strategic planning will follow.

	The second item concerns the OFES plan to carry out a 
Research Needs Workshop (ReNeW). This first workshop will focus 
exclusively on MFE science; later ones will address the needs of 
Basic Plasma Sciences and HEDLP.  This workshop is currently 
scheduled for June 7-13 at the Marriott North Bethesda Conference 
Center in Bethesda, MD.

	The workshops represent a continuation of the planning and 
prioritization activity that was foreshadowed in the language of the 
Orbach's 2007 and 2008 charges (DEMO and Toroidal Alternates) to 
FESAC.  In those charges, it was stated that further requests would 
be made to provide details of the activities that would be needed to 
carry out the plans and priorities identified in the responses  to 
the original charges, e.g., the 2007 Greenwald panel report 
(DOE/SC-0102), and the Hill panel report (due Oct. 2008; see 
http://fusion.gat.com/tap/ for interim reports).  My understanding is 
that the ReNeW is intended to be issues-driven workshop with regard 
to how to more deeply address the scientific and technical problems 
identified in previous reports and identify questions of priority and 
timing in resolving them in a Snowmass-style format.  It is not 
explicitly intended to promote and compare prospective specific new 
facilities (though it surely cannot be avoided).

	OFES is in the process of defining the specific goals and 
expected product of the workshop, and more information should be 
available in the coming weeks.  The important aspect of informing you 
now, before the workshop plans are finalized, is that a great deal of 
work will proceed before the actual workshop takes place next June. 
OFES envisions that the workshop will attempt to integrate 5 major 
themes into a long-term strategic plan.  They are:

1.	Creating High-Performance Steady-State Plasmas
2.	Taming the Plasma-Materials Interface
3.	Harnessing Fusion Power
4.	Role of Alternate Confinement Concepts
5.	ITER/Burning Plasmas

You'll likely recognize the first three to be the themes identified 
in the Greenwald panel report and the fourth to be the theme of the 
Toroidal Alternates panel.  OFES intends to select chairs and 
co-chairs for each theme (as well as ones for the workshop itself) by 
Oct. 1.  These individuals will be expected to organize sub-panels 
that will provide input to the June workshop where integration  is 
expected to take place.  A workshop report is expected to contribute 
strongly to the annual OFES strategic plan that is submitted to OMB 
in September (thus dictating the timing of the workshop).

Attendance at the workshop itself will be by invitation only, with an 
anticipated attendance of 200-300.  Whether one attends or not, the 
process will clearly engage most of the MFE research community.  So 
you should begin thinking about which theme(s) you could contribute 
to, and make suggestions to Gene Nardella on potential choices for 
theme chairs and co-chairs.  I am sure he would also be willing to 
take suggestions and questions on the process and goals of such a 
workshop, particularly as the office's plans are refined and made 
more public; his e-mail is

Gene.Nardella@science.doe.gov

I will continue to report to you on the details of this workshop as 
they become available to me.

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2.	Dr. Patricia Dehmer, Deputy Director for Science Programs in DOE's
Office of Science has issued a request to identify promising 
candidates for the post of Director of OFES.  Her letter to the 
community is copied below, and the ad for the position is attached to 
this newsletter.  I hope you will seriously think of potential 
candidates within and outside the university community and forward 
these suggestions to her.

>Dear Colleagues,
>
>I am writing to request your help in identifying candidates for the 
>position of Director of the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) 
>within the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science. 
>The FES program is the nation's leading program devoted to research 
>in plasma sciences, fusion sciences, fusion engineering sciences and 
>technology, and high-energy-density physics.
>
>I am seeking suggestions for candidates for this position, including 
>self nominations.  Each individual suggested will be sent a letter 
>providing information on the position and how to apply and will be 
>encouraged to submit an application.  Please send your suggestions 
>to me at 
>patricia.dehmer@science.doe.gov, 
>with e-mail addresses for all candidates, by Tuesday, August 26th.
>
>The FES program supports work to advance plasma science, fusion 
>science, and fusion technology to establish the knowledge base 
>needed for a fusion energy source and to advance the understanding 
>of plasma and high-energy-density states of matter. The program 
>supports several plasma-confinement research facilities, which serve 
>as national user facilities. It also supports the U.S. part of the 
>construction and operation of the ITER experiment; a joint program 
>with the National Nuclear Security Administration on 
>high-energy-density laboratory plasmas; and the initiation of the 
>Fusion Simulation Project, which is developing integrated computer 
>models for ITER. Annually, more than 1,000 researchers from 
>universities, national laboratories, and industrial laboratories 
>receive support from the FES program.
>
>The Director of FES is responsible for the overall management of 
>this program including: strategic program planning; budget 
>formulation and execution; project management, including management 
>of the ITER project; program integration with other Office of 
>Science activities and with the DOE technology offices; interagency 
>and international liaison; and management of the federal and rotator 
>technical and administrative staff in the FES program office.  For 
>more information on the program please go to 
>http://www.ofes.fusion.doe.gov/.  
>
>The incumbent serves as one of six Associate Directors of the Office 
>of Science.  The position is within the ranks of the U.S. 
>government's Senior Executive Service (SES); members of the SES 
>serve in key positions just below Presidential appointees. 
>
>The job announcement, which will be open until October 22, 2008, can 
>be found at 
>http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=74588661&AVSDM=2008%2D08%2D07+00%3A03%3A01&Logo=0&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&customapplicant=15513,15514,15515,15669,15523,15512,15516,45575&q=Germantown%20MD
>
>Please feel free to share this letter with your colleagues.  I thank 
>you for your help, and I look forward to receiving your suggestions.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Patricia Dehmer
>
>*************************************
>Patricia Dehmer
>Deputy Director for Science Programs
>Office of Science
>U.S. Department of Energy
>1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.
>Washington, DC 20585-1290
>Phone: (202) 586-5430 in Forrestal
>Phone: (301) 903-5316 in Germantown
>Fax:  (202) 586-4120 in Forrestal
>E-mail: 
>patricia.dehmer@science.doe.gov