Nevada Silver and Blue - University of Nevada, Reno

On Campus
Terawatt Facility assembles ‘world-leading’ team
The study of High Energy Density (HED)
matter, recently dubbed “the X games
of modern science” by the National
Research Council, is one of the most
exciting frontier areas in modern physics —
and one in which the University of Nevada
Department of Physics is determined to be
a major player.
“We have assembled a world-leading team
of HED researchers, including two of the top
recognized experts in advanced computer
simulation worldwide: Dr. Hartmut Ruhl and
Dr. Yasuhiko Sentoku,” says Tom Cowan,
director of the physics department’s Nevada
Terawatt Facility (NTF). “Their expertise
complements the unique experimental
capabilities of the NTF, which has a highpower-pulsed
power machine that will be
coupled to an ultra-high intensity, shortpulse
laser presently under construction.”
The NTF will pursue a broad program of
advanced HED science including high-
It was déjà vu for the
200 4-H alumni, leaders,
youth and friends who
gathered on the shores of the
State 4-H Camp at Lake Tahoe
in October at the first
statewide Nevada 4-H
Reunion. The attendees had,
collectively, more than 1,000
years of 4-H membership,
representing youth education
in eight states. Some of the
families boasted several
generations of 4-H members.
A big drawing card was the
opportunity to revisit the
historic camp where many
alumni spent childhood
summers, dating back to the
1930s when the camp was
acquired by the university. In
those days, the sleeping
facilities were outside.
“The 4-H program has
grown from several hundred
members in the early 1900s to
more than 63,000 today,” says
Karen Hinton, a former 4-H’er
and dean of University of
Nevada Cooperative Extension,
8 Nevada Silver & Blue • March/April 2004
intensity laser-matter interactions, creation
and study of astrophysical plasmas in the
terrestrial laboratory, fusion energy research,
and the development of the next generation
of particle accelerators for research and
medical applications.
“Under the direction of Dr. Ruhl, the NTF
has begun developing a massively parallel
supercomputer, and has made a breakthrough
in the computational efficiency of
computer codes that simulate complex
plasma phenomena,” Cowan says. “This has
led to research collaborations with many
international and national laboratories for
the University of Nevada to provide state-ofthe-art
computer modeling for their
research programs.”
These collaborations include working
with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
and Osaka University, Japan.
— John Wheeler
4-H alumni return to the scenic shores of Tahoe
Attorney General Brian
Sandoval shows off the 4-H
Camp to his son, James (top)
and nephew, Tanner.
which develops a wide array of
programs at camp, in clubs,
and during and after school.
The 4-H experience has
shaped thousands of lives,
producing many notable
Nevadans who have become
state leaders and important
contributors to their communities.
Nevada Attorney General
and alumnus Brian Sandoval, a
“farmer at heart” who raised
sheep as a youth, proudly
showed his son and nephew the
cabins he occupied during
summer camp in the 1970s.
— Alice Good
Photos courtesy of Cooperative Extension
Photo by Jean Dixon
Nevada Terawatt Facility
researchers Yasuhiko Sentoku,
left, and Hartmut Ruhl.
A group of 4-H
Reunion
attendees who
were 4-H
members in the
1940s.
A group of 4-H Reunion attendees who were 4-H members in
the 1950s.