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Dissemination of Program Outputs

The current publications and engagement activities of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) are scientifically focused. An opportunity exists to provide materials to familiarize those who are not already aware of the impact and importance of NCNR’s work. Tracing the evolution of the research from current projects to final applications in everyday life would improve the general public’s understanding of the impact of NCNR for fundamental research in this area.

This chapter addresses the fourth issue in the statement of task (see Chapter 1), assessing the effectiveness with which NCNR disseminates its program outputs. That portion of the statement of task asked three sets of questions: (1) How well are the NCNR’s instrument development activities and research programs driven by stakeholder needs? (2) How effective are the mechanisms by which the NCNR provides access to its instrument suite by a broad subset of the scientific community? Are these mechanisms sufficiently comprehensive? (3) How well does the NCNR monitor the scientific use and impact of its facility? How could this be improved? This chapter answers these questions.

STAKEHOLDER INFLUENCE ON NCNR’S INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES RESEARCH PROGRAMS

As part of the preliminary planning for a new neutron reactor, a scientific community workshop called “Neutrons for the Future” was held in fall 2023 to gather community input. The workshop included 12 breakout groups that explored drivers for future neutron research, identified the necessary characteristics of instrumentation and facilities, and generated ideas to minimize disruption during any transitions to new instruments or facilities. NCNR will subsequently conduct an assessment of needs for neutron research to support the overall NIST mission.

The panel met with members of the NCNR User’s Committee to learn about their experience working with NCNR facilities and staff. The feedback was very positive. NCNR staff was described as very helpful; they worked with users as partners, ensuring that they are able to acquire and analyze high-quality data. The users also commended the staff’s aftercare—that is, data analysis and preparation of manuscripts after experiments were performed. They noted that NCNR staff also developed new sample environments to improve the efficiency and versatility of data collection; this was highly appreciated by users. The users also commended the willingness of staff to provide valuable help to them despite the fact that they were short-handed.

MECHANISMS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ITS INSTRUMENT SUITE

During the reduction in onsite access owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCNR staff performed many experiments on a mail-in basis. This was particularly effective for hard matter experiments and minimized the backlog. However, since the unplanned shutdown following the February 2021 reactor event, even with the resumption in onsite activities, there has been virtually no experimental activity. Meetings with the User Committee, graduate students, and postdocs revealed significant efforts by NCNR staff to assist users in acquiring beamtime at other facilities, including international facilities, during

NCNR’s unplanned shutdown. It is apparent that NCNR staff made notable efforts to mitigate the impacts of the interruption in the availability of neutrons.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Most of the education and outreach activities at NCNR are performed under the auspices of the Center for High Resolution Neutron Scattering (CHRNS), a partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NIST. One of the four main objectives of CHRNS is “to contribute to the development of human resources through educational and outreach efforts.” These efforts are recognized as being integral to the success of CHRNS, particularly as a means to grow a diverse facility user base and to recruit enthusiastic, qualified staff.

NCNR’s instrument scientists play a crucial role in bringing new faculty and graduate student users up to speed in conducting neutron scattering experiments. A key aspect of this is one-on-one user training by an NCNR instrument scientist before, during, and after the user visits NCNR to perform experiments and collect data. NCNR staff scientists frequently teach courses or give lectures on topics including scattering theory and techniques at universities nearby NCNR and at other schools around the nation and internationally. This personal interaction is vital for expanding the user base to research groups that have not previously done neutron scattering, and it is also important for the new students of established research groups. Fully staffing instrument scientist positions is vital for maintaining capabilities for a positive new user experience.

Outreach is clearly a priority to NCNR. Community engagement and developing the next generation of scientific expertise is a critical part of NCNR’s mission, and NCNR hosts and participates in a commendable number of outreach activities that serve to engage with a wide variety of students, teachers, and researchers that expose students to neutron physics and serve to attract the next generation of neutron scientists. Of particular note is the CHRNS summer school, which has open invitations across both academia and industry to teach about applications of neutron scattering to soft matter. This past summer more than 80 people applied for the summer school, which shows how highly it is regarded by the community. It is the oldest neutron scattering school in the United States, with three-quarters of the participants returning as users. More importantly, more than 40 percent of graduate students who attend use neutron techniques after receiving their PhD. In addition, many graduate students from various universities—including the University of Delaware and the University of Maryland—have worked directly at NCNR. Typically, members of underrepresented groups make up more than 30 percent of the 30–40 participants that attend each year, and, more generally, NCNR has excellent outreach to traditionally underrepresented groups. The length of the school is 1 week, and the attendance is limited to 30–40 students each year to ensure that each student receives individualized attention and is fully engaged. A hallmark of this school is hands-on training.

The panel collected the following numbers that quantify some of NCNR’s outreach efforts. A partnership between CHRNS and the Interdisciplinary Materials Research and Education Laboratory at Fayetteville State University involved 11 people. The CHRNS Summer School on Neutron Scattering served 128 students over the past three sessions combined. Various other NCNR workshops, schools, and tutorials have reached more than 450 people. Four graduate students funded by the NSF INTERN program have either participated or will participate in NCNR programs once access to neutron beams is restored at NCNR. Over the past two summers, 33 undergraduates have had research experiences through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and approximately 5 high school students annually participate in the Summer High School Internship Program. While several presentations to the panel followed the career path of some past graduate students and postdocs, a more formal tracking program could improve the measure of NCNR’s impact and reduce unnecessary attrition of neutron scientific talent.

NCNR also hosts a number of National Research Council postdocs (funded by the National Research Council Research Associateship Programs). Of the graduate students and postdocs with whom

the panel spoke directly, all were positive about the engagement with NCNR staff, specifically citing the community as being broadly welcoming. Many expressed the desire to work at NCNR, NIST, or other federal facilities after their tenure, which is a testament to the staff culture.

CHRNS has routinely provided facility tours to middle school, high school, and college students, reaching hundreds of students each year. Staff typically develop presentations, demonstrations, and other activities that are targeted to diverse groups of visitors and inform them about neutron scattering and its applications. Staff members also routinely travel to schools and organizations to give presentations and participate in other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related activities such as judging regional science fairs, school career days, and other school-related events. Additionally, an effort is made to routinely seek out and provide to underrepresented student groups tours, demonstrations, and onsite tutorials.

CHRNS has successfully partnered with two important NSF programs serving minority institutions: the Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials Research program “to enable, build, and grow partnerships” and the Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology program “to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions.” CHRNS has ongoing Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials Research program activities with Fayetteville State University, and it partners with two recipients of Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology grants, Morgan State University and California State University, San Bernardino.

NCNR also actively disseminates research findings, increasing the number of publications in particular with high impacts in the areas of energy materials, catalysis, and battery research, showcasing its commitment to knowledge sharing and collaborations.

MONITORING THE SCIENTIFIC USE AND IMPACT OF THE FACILITY

NCNR tracks the impact of its publications, and many of them are impactful based on the number of citations they attract. In 2022, there were five highly cited publications (i.e., having 21 or more citations each by the time of this assessment in 2023). In 2021, there were five such publications, with two of these having more than 100 citations by the time of this assessment in 2023. In 2020, 11 publications had more than 100 citations each by the time of this assessment in 2023.

However, the materials provided to the panel make no mention of patents of records of invention resulting from work done at NCNR. Accordingly, NCNR would benefit from tracking patents and records of invention. It could also increase the promotion of patenting the new devices and techniques that it develops throughout the course of its activities.

nSOFT is an industrial consortium, unique among neutron-scattering user facilities, designed specifically to engage industry in neutron scattering. Traditional measures of productivity may not capture the impact of the program and the 2018 National Academies’ assessment report on NCNR cited a need to develop appropriate metrics to define success (NASEM 2018). The report states that

This panel supports the intent of the panel that authored the 2018 assessment report. Professional outside organizations with experience in conducting broader impact surveys may be better suited to the task of obtaining the appropriate data than NCNR staff who are currently performing this function.

REFERENCE