Social and Special Events

Immediately following the NSS Plenary Session on Monday (10 November), we will be holding the traditional NSS luncheon in room 6A. During the latter part of the lunch, we will have a short awards ceremony followed by a special luncheon speaker. This year we were determined to find something different - something both relevant and highly entertaining - and we believe that we have found a truly unique and exciting presenter!

We are certainly looking forward to seeing you at the 2014 NSS Luncheon.

Rock Guitar in 11 Dimensions - Dr. Mark Lewney

'Rock Doctor' Mark Lewney presents the physics of rock guitar using riffs from AC/DC, Slayer and Jimi Hendrix through amplifiers turned up to 11. A vibrating string is a beautiful mathematical object whose 'bound states' provide an invaluable and intuitive paradigm for people interested in physics. Holographic analysis of guitar bodies then applies the same principle to two or three dimensions, and then extending it to 10 or 11 dimensions provides a possible candidate for Quantum Gravity. Less a lecture and more of a performance, simple props such as a music box, a slinky, a bullwhip and a brick on a rope are used to explain complex concepts like impedance matching, acoustic singularities and the Higgs field, culminating in a dramatic finale.

Biography

Dr Mark Lewney studied physics at Edinburgh University and a PhD in Guitar Acoustics at Cardiff University before winning FameLab, a nationwide competition to find new science presenters in the UK. He has since appeared on TV (search "Einstein Meets Hendrix") and at conferences and festivals worldwide including Tokyo, Las Vegas and Montreux Jazz Festival in 2013. He has now left academia to work at the UK Patent Office dealing with new inventions in telecoms - a kind of Einstein in reverse.

The RTSD Luncheon will be held at Seattle’s Space Needle on The SkyLine level. The SkyLine level offers a private space for the RTSD event with good food, service and excellent views. The Puget Sound and Lake Union rooms at the SkyLine level are available for this event between 11:30 – 15:30. Lunch will be served buffet style, starting at 12:15. Please use the special elevator inside the ground floor of the Space Needle to access the SkyLine level. Attendees of the RTSD luncheon will have complimentary access to the Space Needle’s Observation Deck. Once on the deck, take time to soak in the spectacular 360o view of the Emerald City. On a clear day you will see downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, surrounding mountain ranges, dormant volcanoes, and islands. Museums and other attractions are within a 5-min walk for those who have more time to explore. Note that the Space Needle is located about 1 mile from the Convention Center. Suggested forms of transportation include walking (15-20 min), the monorail ($5 each way - 5 min) with stops 2 blocks from the Convention Center and at the Space Needle, and by taxi ($6-7 each way – 5 min). No buses have been arranged due to the short distance. Tickets for the event are expected to sell out, and attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets during pre-registration. See you on November 11th!

Our MIC Banquet will take place on Friday November 14th at the Seattle Museum of Flight in the most dramatic and largest exhibit area, the Great Gallery, with over 40 aircrafts hanging from the steel & glass ceiling, along with more aircraft along the outer edge of the gallery. This will be a great opportunity to connect with old or new colleagues, enjoy some of Seattle’s excellent gastronomy and listen to great Jazz: We are very fortunate to have the Garfield High-School Quintet on the program for the evening.

The main exhibits will be open throughout the evening, with docents available to answer any questions you may have. Two exhibits not to miss: The Red Barn, the original Boeing manufacturing plant where they built their first planes; and the Personal Courage Wing with WWI & WWII aircrafts displayed throughout the gallery along with personal stories of the individuals that were involved in the war.

There will be an exhibitor-sponsored reception on Tuesday evening for all attendees and their companions. This is a great opportunity to meet with representatives from the industrial exhibition in a casual atmosphere. Light refreshments will be served.

Join us for the Conference Reception on Wednesday evening in Halls 6C and 6E. This complementary event will feature dinner and entertainment for all attendees and their companions. Enjoy the relaxing and fun atmosphere while meeting with other colleagues and making new friends.

We are pleased to welcome you to the Women in Engineering (WIE) Session. This special session provides an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and experiences from their careers in an informal setting. In this session, we will share a preview of a film about the woman workforce in information technology. We will also discuss how to encourage young women to choose science and engineering as a career, as well as how to improve the progression of women in order to minimize the movement of women out of these fields.

Guest speakers with outstanding careers in scientific laboratories, industry, and government have been invited to give brief presentations on what they have done to get where they are today and how they have addressed the inclusion of women in their teams. These women and men are role models for generations to come. There will be keynote presentations, followed by a panel discussion on relevant issues of importance, not only to the society of women in science and engineering, but also to the general public. Students who are beginning their careers in these areas are invited to participate in the panel discussion. We hope that the WIE Session will help foster efforts to counter a recognized trend in which more developed and affluent countries have fewer women pursuing careers in science and engineering. We encourage all members of the NSS, MIC, and RTSD communities to attend this important and informative event.

The IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Science Society (NPSS) promotes the activities of the IEEE Young Professionals (former: GOLD - Graduates of the Last Decade) program. A special reception will be held on Thursday, November 12, from 19:00 to 22:00. Refreshments will be served and attendance is free but restricted to IEEE Young Professionals members.

In a comfortable and casual atmosphere, warm relationship between the attendees will be easily established. After a short welcome address, the participants will be invited to take refreshment while listening to speakers who look back on their careers in both academia and industry. Their brief talks will focus on what were the steps they have undertaken to get to where they are today.

Over the past few years, the reception for young professionals at NSS-MIC has proven to foster direct contact between young professionals and colleagues at the peak of their careers. Therefore, if you are an IEEE Young Professionals member or have joined the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences society at the conference, you are welcome to participate. If you wish to become an IEEE member, please check the IEEE website (www.ieee.org) for more information. Or, even easier, visit us at the IEEE membership/Conference Information and Promotion desk.

Still not convinced to attend? Here is a statement by an attendee of an earlier event: “I really enjoyed the short talks given by professionals. The talk I liked most was the one given by a representative from Siemens Medical Solutions. He is working in a field I have always been excited about, and where I would like to work after having completed my Ph.D. I got some valuable hints on how to get closer to my goal”.

Chairs: Charalampos Tsoumpas University of Leeds (c.tsoumpas@leeds.ac.uk), Kris Thielemans, University College London (k.thielemans@ucl.ac.uk)

STIR is Open Source software for use in tomographic imaging. Its aim is to provide a Multi-Platform Object-Oriented framework for all data manipulations in tomographic imaging. Currently, the emphasis is on image reconstruction in emission tomography (PET and SPECT) but other imaging modalities can be added in the future. During this annual meeting experienced users and developers will present their recent work with STIR with technical emphasis on software and algorithmic development. Additional time will be allowed for discussion between the speakers and the audience. If interested in presenting contact the chairs before the 15th of September.

The event is free but priority will be given to those that have reserved as only limited space is available. For up-to-date information please always check STIR website: https://stir.sf.net.

OpenPET is a general purpose, open source readout electronics system for high performance radionuclide imaging that is under development by LBNL. It consists of circuit boards, firmware and software for people who are building prototype PET and SPECT imagers. The first version of OpenPET was released in June 2014. At this OpenPET users group meeting, we will give an update on the status of OpenPET and will have reports from our current users. All are welcome to attend. For more information, check out our website at https://openpet.lbl.gov.