UChicago awards $225,000 to Fermilab-University collaborators

Three teams of University and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory researchers—one group that includes a researcher from Argonne National Laboratory—recently received $225,000, collectively, in Strategic Collaborative Initiative seed grants from the University, following a rigorous competition managed by Fermilab and the University. One of the teams received second-year funding.

The 2013 recipients include:

  • Project: An advanced, five orders of magnitude dynamic range, wafer-scale pixel system for X-ray science
    University of Chicago Investigator: Keith Moffat, Louis Block Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
    Fermilab Investigators: Grzegorz Deptuch, engineer IV, Particle Physics Division; Argonne Investigator: Robert Bradford, assistant physicist, X-ray Science Division
  • Project (funded for a second year): Development of low noise electronics for the first direct dark matter search using CCDs
    University of Chicago Investigator: Paolo Privitera, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics
    Fermilab Investigators: Juan Estrada, scientist II, Particle Physics Division and Gustavo Cancelo, engineer IV, Scientific Computing Division
  • Project: SCENE: SCintillation Efficiency of Noble Elements
    University of Chicago Investigator: Luca Grandi, Assistant Professor of Physics
    Fermilab Investigator: Stephen Pordes, scientist II, Particle Physics Division

The Strategic Collaborative Initiatives Program began in 2006 when the University renewed its contract with the DOE to manage Argonne. It includes collaborative research projects, strategic joint appointments and joint institutes. The University extended the program to Fermilab when it became co-manager of the lab in 2007.