Employment Offer Letters to be Sent Week of December 2
FermiForward will be providing employment offer letters to the Fermilab workforce the week of December 2. The purpose of these letters is to facilitate the transfer of employees from Fermi Research Alliance to Fermi Forward Discovery Group (FermiForward). Employees need to respond via Workday by the deadline stated in the letter (there will be limited exceptions to this for people currently out of office). Additional information can be found in the Questions-and-Answers section on the FermiForward website at www.fermi-forward.org.
Fermilab Staff Meets FermiForward
This week, representatives from FermiForward met and engaged with Fermilab staff at an all-hands meeting hosted at the laboratory. The meeting involved FermiForward’s senior management team, led by Director Lia Merminga, along with representatives from the partners that make up FermiForward --- the University of Chicago (UChicago), Universities Research Association (URA), Amentum and Longenecker & Associates (L&A). Approximately 400 people attended in person, with another 1,400 participating online.
FermiForward has “a bold vision for a new era of scientific discovery at Fermilab, that focuses on some of the most fundamental scientific questions in the 21st century,” Merminga said. “FermiForward brings a culture and approach to implement our vision for world-class particle physics by integrating research, operations and business services into a single enterprise to support the Fermilab mission, further enhanced by strengthened governance structure and processes.”
During the meeting, Deputy Lab Director for Science and Technology Bonnie Fleming outlined FermiForward’s vision to continue Fermilab’s groundbreaking science, including in neutrino science, Higgs Boson, muon science, the dark universe and accelerators. These will be combined with pursuing research in cutting-edge technologies like quantum science, artificial intelligence/machine learning and microelectronics. “I am personally really excited about our science program ahead,” Fleming said. Deputy Director for Operations Greg Stephens discussed how FermiForward will work to strengthen operations and business systems to provide “a strategic advantage for driving the lab forward.” Deputy Director for Projects Arkadiy Klebaner and LBNF/DUNE-US Project Director Jim Kerby discussed how FermiForward will better enable Fermilab to carry out a variety of large-scale projects. “The U.S. taxpayers put their faith in us,” Kerby said. “I look forward to helping you deliver this great project and continue great science.”
The success of high energy physics is tied to the success of Fermilab, said URA President and CEO John Mester, who participated along with UChicago Associate Vice President for National Laboratories Tracey Quinn. Senior executives from Amentum and L&A also took part, explaining why their companies were interested in supporting Fermilab. “You guys do really cool stuff,” Amentum Senior Vice President Jeff Kerridge said. Outlining how L&A will support enhanced operations, L&A President Martin Schneider said, “We’re never going to let financial, safety, procurement or project management issues stand in the way of the science.”
Transition Update
We are closing in on the beginning of our third month of the contract transition process that will lead to FermiForward becoming the management and operating contractor for the lab, beginning Jan. 1., 2025. The transition teams are successful in their goal of carrying out activities with as little impact as possible on employees, staff, users, and the public.
This week’s highlights include:
Transition activities to date have been accomplished safely. All meetings have started with timely and helpful safety shares.
Transition documentation is nearly halfway complete, counted by deliverables submitted and blue sheets completed.
Project management continues to review and walk down major construction projects and subprojects.
FermiForward Team Visits LBNF/DUNE Facility
Several members of the FermiForward transition team visited the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) on November 11-14. Team members included Mike Bonkalski, David Miller, Fabiola Delgado, and Frank Sheppard. They toured the facility, met with project personnel, ES&H, and procurement representatives, and visited with the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, which operates and maintains the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF).
The group’s focus was to see the LBNF facilities firsthand to better understand the mission and challenges associated with Fermilab's critical line-item capital project. The transition team’s objective is to conduct due diligence on the contract and identify any risks and potential opportunities for improvement for the incoming FermiForward leadership team.
FermiForward team members were impressed with the LBNF visit, noting the following:
The underground facility and progress in excavation are extremely impressive.
Facility conditions are very orderly, and lighting and safety precautions are high quality.
Critical components such as the hoist and cage are upgraded and appear well maintained.