32nd Midwest Theory Get-Together

25–26 October 2019, Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, IL USA

Introduction

The 32nd Midwest Theory Get-Together (MWTGT) is being organized by

• Mark Caprio (Chair)
• Stefan Frauendorf
• Grant Mathews
• Rebecca Surman

from the Nuclear Theory Group at University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. Administrative support for the meeting is being provided by

• Debbie Beres (Workshop Coordinator) ([email protected])

The MWTGT provides a unique opportunity for Midwest students, postdocs, and professors to present a concise talk on aspects of their research in a relaxed environment. A strong emphasis is placed on short talks that motivate why the research is interesting and explains any finding at a more general level (similar to a presentation at the DNP meeting).

It has become a tradition to couple the MWTGT with a similarly themed Physics Division colloquium. This year there will be an Argonne Director's Special Colloquium on Friday 25 October given by 2018 Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada. This Director's colloquium will start at 10:30am in the Building 402 Auditorium and all MWTGT participants are welcome to attend.

The MWTGT will be held in the Physics Division Auditorium in Building 203 at Argonne National Laboratory (directions are given below). The meeting will begin at 1:00pm on Friday 25 October and end around 12:00pm on Saturday 26 October. There will be an informal Get-Together dinner at Chuck's Cafe starting at 6:00pm on the Friday. If you would like to attend please email Mark Caprio.

Previous Midwest Theory Get-Togethers

If you would like to receive updates and information regarding this year's and future MWTGTs please join the mailing list.

List of MWTGT participants

Registration, Site Access, & Support

All meeting participants must complete the following two steps:

1. Email Debbie Beres ([email protected]) to let us know you will be attending the meeting, and if you are a student or a postdoc who plans on giving a talk please indicate this so we know to provide support (see below). Please complete this step as early as possible but AT LEAST THREE WEEKS BEFORE the meeting so we can get an idea of the number of participants.

2. Complete the site access/gate pass application found HERE. Please complete this step as early as possible but AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE the meeting to allow sufficient time for Argonne to process the gate pass. For the "Sponsor E-mail" use the email of Debbie Beres ([email protected]) and then click "Verify Sponsor E-mail".

Because of new DOE/Laboratory policies, meeting participants who are not U.S. citizens must submit an up to date Curriculum Vitae during the gate pass application process. Laboratory guidelines state that: "CV's must provide all science and technology specialties, all work positions with no gaps in time, and current/accurate names of all academic institutions attended." If you have any questions please email Debbie Beres ([email protected]).

When first arriving at Argonne all visitors should proceed to Visitor Reception Center (map) to collect their gate pass. Visitors arriving after 5:00pm or on the weekend can collect their gate pass from the Main/North Gate (map). The official Argonne welcome page can be found HERE. Further details about site access and required documentation are given HERE, e.g., non-U.S. citizens will require a valid original passport and appropriate visa to collect their gate pass, whereas U.S. citizens will require an acceptable form of photo identification such as a driver's license.

Support: We will provide up to $150 in support for any postdoc or student who gives a presentation at the MWTGT. This support can be used for any combination of up to two nights of accommodation and 1.5 days of per-diem (about $60 per-day) up to a maximum of $150. Participants are welcome to share accommodation expenses (e.g., by staying in double rooms) so that the limited support can stretch further. Please keep your accommodation receipt and if possible give the physical copy to Debbie Beres on the Saturday morning so we can begin processing the reimbursement.

Presentations & Meeting Agenda

The meeting will follow the usual format, that is, at the start of the meeting those wishing to make a presentation will be invited to write their name and talk title on the whiteboard. With that complete, the Session Chair will select a speaker to give their talk. This process will continue until all presentations have been made.

Talks are limited to 10 minutes (but can be shorter) and may address recent publications, work in progress, or rough ideas. Note, this time limit will be strictly enforced using a timer, we do this so everyone will get a chance to speak.

Please prepare your talk for a laptop presentation in the following way:

• We suggest no more than eight slides;
• Talk file must be in pdf format;
• Talk file must be uploaded to the Google Drive folder NO LATER THAN 8:00pm (CDT) THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER. Files arriving later will not be accepted. The link to the Google Drive folder will be emailed to all registered participants by Mark Caprio.

We strongly encourage all participants to keep the above rules in mind when preparing their talk, as you can expect them to be strictly enforced. In this way the meeting can proceed at an exciting pace and finish in a timely manner.

An approximate agenda for the meeting is:

• Friday:    13:00-15:00 talks; 15:00-15:30pm coffee break; 15:30-17:30 talks; close for the day;
• Saturday:   08:30-10:00 talks; 10:00-10:30am coffee break; 10:30-12:00 talks; close meeting.

This schedule may change slightly depending on the number of participants.

After the talks finish on Friday we plan to have an informal Get-Together dinner at Chuck's Cafe. Please see the email from Mark Caprio regarding RSVP details.

Accommodation

All meeting participants should book their own accommodation. There are numerous nearby options for accommodation and some examples where Argonne has a negotiated rate are listed HERE.

Off-site hotels include:

• La Quinta Inn Willowbrook: about 4 miles from Argonne and walking distance to some restaurants. Rate is about $68/night+tax. To book please call 630-654-0077 ext 5 (speak directly to the front desk) and request the Argonne Midwest Theory Get-Together room block, which will remain open until 4 October.

On-site at Argonne:

• Argonne Guest House: On-site restaurant and cafeteria, and walking distance to the Physics Division. Rate is $91.50/night+tax. To book please call 630-739-6000 or use the link HERE.

Please note, because of DOE/Laboratory policies, accompanying guests of MWTGT participants who are not U.S. citizens cannot stay at the Argonne Guest House. However, if you are attending the MWTGT both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens are welcome to stay at the Argonne Guest House.

Directions to Argonne & the Physics Division

Argonne's address is: 9700 S Cass Ave, Lemont, IL 60439. Directions and maps can be found HERE. The Main/North Gate of Argonne is located HERE, which has coordinates (41.717966, -87.97824) that can be used in the search field of Google Maps. As described in "Registration, Site Access, & Support" above, when first arriving at Argonne all visitors should proceed to Visitor Reception Center to collect their gate pass, or the Main Gate if arriving after 5:00pm or on the weekend.

The meeting will be held in the Physics Division Auditorium which is a short distance inside the front (south) entrance of Building 203. An Argonne map can be found HERE. Parking is available across the street from the front of Building 203.

Wireless Internet

The wireless internet service eduroam is available at Argonne. However, if you do not have access to this service alternative wifi instructions will be provided in the registration package.