One of the cooler things I've done was several training shifts in the ALICE control room. Most of the time not much is happening in there (data is taken during 'runs' that can last 5 or 6 hours) and it is only when changing what data to take or if something happens with the LHC beam that you need to do much. It's a good time to do some work as long as you keep an eye on what is happening at your station.
My first batch of training (which I did a bit last week as well) was finishing up my DQM training. DQM is Data Quality Management, or quality assurance for those of you familiar with the term. It requires a bit more attention than the other shift I trained for. There are six screens with various interfaces open on them (six screens mounted so each screen can be rotated separately is really quite awesome and I'm thinking of getting such a setup for my desktop at home), and you have to make sure that various agents are still running (agents are programs handling everything else that is going on), you have to watch for errors popping up in the log (which you also have open) and, most importantly, there are about a hundred histograms to check periodically. These are all at a glance once you get the hang of it, but it can still take 15 minutes or so to click on each detector's specific tab and look at the histograms for that detector. You want to make sure they are updating and that they have no problems (generally they pop up an alarm if they do have a problem). There are a lot of things to keep track of here.
The other shift I was training for was actually more fun: DAQ or Data AcQuisition. This is the station that starts those data runs I mentioned and really is the post with the most action when things are happening. Since the whole purpose of this experiment is to take data, this is the central station in the place and the shift leader keeps close tabs on what is going on here (which is good because in general the shift leader is the most competent person in the room). The shift leader during my training shifts was a hilarious short italian (?) guy with white hair and a respectable mustache with a great sense of humor. The shifter training me was a Slovakian tech nerd with absolutely epic hair and beard. I had more fun here than training for DQM (except the few hours I had sitting at the station with a beautiful Italian woman). Between data runs, there is nothing to do at all but make sure errors aren't cropping up so I actually started an outline for my thesis (which hope to have finished by the time I meet with my thesis committee shortly after finals).
Beyond training, I did have some real fun with the people living with me. We put up Christmas decorations! Me being the one American in the house, and Americans (apparently) being rather more obsessed with Christmas decorating than most Europeans (though you wouldn't notice it compared with this group, whatever Yiota says about Americans), I was "in charge", that is Senior Chairperson of the Subcommittee for the Purpose of Putting Lights Trees. This definition of "in charge" means the task has been delegated to me to make it the way Yiota wanted it. It was quite a lot of fun! I even have some battle scars (well, scratches). Sadly I haven't gotten pictures of the outside at night, but the inside has a lot more stuff on it. Back yard is a tree with lights and the front has a huge garland with the same. Here are pictures of our task!
The intrepid group! Left to right: Marillys, Katarina, Moritzo. While I was bringing the last few boxes down from the attic (which is fun because the ladder descends through a trap door in the ceiling), they started sorting things. Well Marillys and Moritzo did. Kati was taking various plastic animals out of their boxes and playing with them (a regression to when she was 6 no doubt)
Our Fearless Leader, Santa hat and all. Here we have some of the decorations up! Nice garlands on the back door there and a few on various objects that were handy and needed things that sparkle draped on them.
Marillys and Katarina with further Santa hats and a tree! This is one of the trees (artificial, sadly) that I was Chief Person in Terms of Illumining Aesthetics and String-Based Photon Production Bulbs for.
Moritzo was in charge of Window Partial Coverage and Decal Positioning in the kitchen, as well as one of the important members of the Garland Committee that we all assisted in(headed by Yiota).
The finished product! Well, one angle of it. I was Plant Bowman Extraordinaire, and Marillys and Katarina handled Lighted Garland Operations for this picturesque scene as well as Petite Tree Ornamentation and Placement.
Until next time friends and family! Ciao!
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