A Chance to Serve…

1. Introduction Some selected committee highlights. Postscript Saxonfest 30/5/08 Brian Foster Oxford Unversity A Chance to Serve… Brian Foster - Saxonfest

2. Extracts from archeology in the Foster Archive of UK particle physics committees. His Glasgow committee work will be covered after lunch. I will concentrate on the other stuff - mostly, but not exclusively - pp. It takes longer to read the section of David’s CV relating to committee and “pro bono” work than I have for my talk! Introduction Brian Foster - Saxonfest

3. But first – extracted from the Oxford NPL archive. The way we were Brian Foster - Saxonfest

4. The regular crisis in pp was in full flow at this point – SERC were worried about growth in contribution to CERN due to weakness of pound. Sir John Kendrew chaired committee that recommended 25% in domestic spend and tried to implement 25% cut in subscription. The whole community, including David, were mobilised. David was my first boss – I worked on TASSO as RAL RA from 78 – 82 until moving to IC and then getting lectureship in Bristol in 84. Kendrew Brian Foster - Saxonfest

5. One of the initiatives of those days was writing to MPs. From archives Brian Foster - Saxonfest

6. Cutting the domestic spend by 25% was the easy part. Then the government tried to bully CERN – Abragham. Post Kendrew Brian Foster - Saxonfest

7. David played an important part in initiatives at this time, such as foundation of IoP HEPP group. The trench warfare continued for several years. Post Kendrew Brian Foster - Saxonfest

8. Glasgow hosted us in 1987. This to quote KS, was still BD. In the midst of all this excitement, PPC still found time for its programme of visits to groups. Glasgow in Kendrew era Brian Foster - Saxonfest

9. He was however in demand outside the UK, and began a long involvement with ECFA and its many organs in 1986 – utilising expertise on tracking detectors as Chair of LHC tracking WG. As an SERC employee, David was, if not ineligible, then at least not encouraged, to serve on SERC committees. Planning for the future Brian Foster - Saxonfest

10. At this point the avalanche began. Unusually, David made Chairman of the PPC without having served as a member. He became PPC chair in 1992 and ex officio member of first NPB and then PSAB. He had to cope with his share of the perennial crises – including threats to withdraw from LHC. In 1990, David came to Glasgow as Kelvin professor. Once this was known, he was immediately inducted into PPESP, 89-92. The committee years Brian Foster - Saxonfest

11. As so often, I followed in David’s footsteps – in 1996 I succeeded him as PPC Chair and then became Co-Chair of SC. In the middle of his term, PPARC was formed. David played a crucial role as midwife – laying foundations for atmosphere of respect & trust with astronomers that persists to this day. The committee years Brian Foster - Saxonfest

12. We had lots of fun, since I also attended Council as co-chair of SC. In 1997 David became a member of PPARC Council, where he served for 4 years. He was also a distinguished chair of the PPARC PUS panel. The committee years Brian Foster - Saxonfest

13. In CERN itself, David has had a most distinguished record, as DRDC member, SPC member 1993-98 and member of Review Committee in 2002. He was also a PRC member at DESY and is currently a member of IUPAP C11 Commission. In all of these roles, David strongly interacted with UK policy on CERN; he attended UKCC and was an advisor to the delegates to CERN Council, attending Council and Committee of Council. The committee years Brian Foster - Saxonfest

14. Outside RC’s, David’s contributions bewildering in variety. Council of RSE, External Examiner at Oxford, British Council, 1996 RAE. Many services to Anglican Church. David is chair of the King’s College London Redundancy Committee! Going well beyond particle physics, David also had two terms on the Council of the former CCLRC – 2000-2001 and 2005-2007. He was Chair of PPUAC for many years. He has also served the MRC as a member of “Discipline Hopping Awards Panel” and Adv. Group on Technology. The committee years Brian Foster - Saxonfest

15. Current University positions: Head: Experimental Particle Physics Research Group 1990 – Chair: Recruitment Advisory Panel from Jan 2006 Convener: Deans’ group 2005- Member: Research skills training group 2004- Member: Research Planning and Strategy Committee 2005- Member: Scottish Univ's Environmental Research Centre Mgmt C’ttee 2005- Member: Gifford Lectures Committee (Natural Theology) 1993 - I promised I wouldn’t talk about this – but one anecdote. University Committees Brian Foster - Saxonfest

16. “Saxon Glasgow” Google “Saxon Glasgow” gives: Brian Foster - Saxonfest

17. David, I hope your wise counsel will continue to be available to us in the crises of the future! Thank you from us, your colleagues, but most of all, from UK particle physics – it would have been a different, and poorer, discipline, if you hadn’t been among its leaders for so many years. A quote from Andy Parker “I recall working with David on the Particle Physics Committee of the SERC and then PPARC during the mid-nineties. David was Chair for part of this time. There was one of the periodic funding crises, and for a time the UK participation in theLHC was in question. Just after the news came through that this threat had been removed, I was sitting in my rooms in Cambridge having a post-meeting drink with David. As we raised our glasses he said "It's not every day you save a whole scientific discipline...". We all owe a great debt to David for his sterling work in that crisis.” Ave atque vale Brian Foster - Saxonfest