Bjørn S. Nilsen

The Ohio State University

Department of Physics

Physics Research Building

191 W. Woodruff Ave.

Columbus, OH 43210-1117, USA

Tel. (614) 292-6551 E-mail: nilsen@mps.ohio-state.edu

Fax. (614) 292-7557 or Bjorn.Nilsen@cern.ch

Education

Ph. D., Physics, University of Minnesota, June 1994. Advisor–Prof. C. J. Waddington

M. S., Physics, Michigan State University, June 1987 Advisor–Prof. B. G. Pope

B. S., Physics, California State University, Sacramento, June 1985.

Research Experience

Instructor and Research Associate 2: Relativistic Heavy ion Group, ALICE Collaboration. The Ohio State University, Department of Physics, Physics Research Building, 191 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus, OH 43210-1117, 2008-Present.

While continuing the supervision and final developments for the ALICE Inner Tracing System Alignment Monitoring System and other ITS software issues at about a 50% level I have started to teach two courses for the physics department. One is a general education level course on The World of Energy, and also a majors/engineering level introductory course on wave and modern physics.

Research Associate 2: Relativistic Heavy ion Group, ALICE Collaboration. The Ohio State University, Department of Physics, Physics Research Building, 191 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus, OH 43210-1117, 2005-2008.

While continuing the activities below, I have assisted with the continuing development and installation of the ITS alignment monitoring hardware system. Now part of the thesis of David Truesdale. Continuing work on a new ITS 3D detailed geometry, detector detail simulation and developing methods to align the 2198 silicon detectors of the ITS using tracks. Management of the ALICE computing provided by OSC, which stated in 2000, continues and has become more important now that ALICE is so close to data taking. I have been responsible of keeping OSC's resources available to ALICE, in particular writing new proposals for the continued use of OSC's resources by the ALICE collaboration.

Research Associate 2: Relativistic Heavy ion Group, ALICE Collaboration. The Ohio State University, Van de Graaff laboratory, 1302 Kinnear Rd., Columbus, OH 43212, 2001-2005 (then moved to new building).

In addition to continuing my activities described below, I have incorporated the Ohio Supercomputer Center and its resources into ALICE. Helped to Introduce US Grid activities into ALICE and have taken the pioneered lead in the development of ALICE US computing. Coding up a new 3D detailed geometry of the ALICE Inner Tracking System, ITS. Developed some initial software image manipulation software using Microsoft .net and DirectX facilities. Done most of the design of a system to monitor the position of objects at a distance to better than ½ micron, using the 3D Pro Engineer Wildfire CAD system.

Postdoctoral Researcher: Relativistic Heavy ion Group, ALICE Collaboration and recently the STAR Collaboration. The Ohio State University, Van de Graaff laboratory, 1302 Kinnear Rd., Columbus, OH 43212, 1998-2001.

Institute representative to the ALICE Inner Tracking System, ITS, from The Ohio State University, Co-leader of the ALICE ITS's software development. Member of the ALICE Off-line computing board, and the ALICE world computing working group. Developing a hardware alignment monitoring system for use with the ALICE ITS. Developing a detector alignment software technique for the ALICE ITS. Developed and testing of the ALICE pixel stand-alone vertex finder. Developed software data structures for the simulation of the ITS for the ALICE detector simulator, AliRoot. Aided in the drafting of a proposal to build the third layer of the ALICE ITS at The Ohio State University. Testing of the ALICE detector simulation software GALICE, now called AliRoot. Set up the ALICE computing and software development, C++, environment at The Ohio State University. Participated in the high-energy pion beam testing of prototype silicon drift detectors and electronic for the third and forth layers of the ALICE ITS.

Postdoctoral Fellow: Space Science Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 1994-1998.

Performed measurements and analysis of the produced particles and electromagnetic showers from high-energy cosmic ray interactions found in the balloon born Japanese-American Cooperative Emulsion Experiment (JACEE) to determine their energy. Contributed to the analysis of the cosmic ray elemental, all particle, and energy spectra (between 10¹³ – 10¹⁶ eV). Participated in the construction and launch of one of JACEE's Antarctic balloon campaigns. Adapted an automated technique, developed for accelerator heavy ion emulsion experiments, for finding and measuring secondary particle tracks in nuclear emulsion. Designed and developed software and hardware for the automated microscope system used to make measurements in nuclear emulsions from the JACEE and the Krakow Louisiana Minnesota Moscow (KLMM) experiments. Participated in the analysis of particles from 158 GeV/c per nucleon lead-lead central and semi-central collisions in nuclear emulsion with the KLMM collaboration. Performed Monte Carlo calculations using FRITIOF and VENUS for the study of produced particles in lead-lead and other interactions. Supervised undergraduate students doing some of the measurement for KLMM, JACEE, and other work. Helped to design and run an experiment to study the energy dependence of peripheral gold interactions in many different targets at the AGS for the Ultra-Heavy Ion Collector collaboration (UHIC). Wrote and maintain C and FORTRAN software libraries use by the LSU emulsion group. Set up and administered a networked system of 5 PC's running OS/2.

Research Assistant: Cosmic Ray Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 1989-1994.

Measured and analyzed charge changing cross section data for 0.5-1.5 GeV/nucleon krypton and silver, obtained at the Bevalac, using FORTRAN and some C code for the High Energy Astronomical Observatory Ultra-Heavy Nuclei collaboration (HEAO3 HNE). Aided in the design, installation, and analysis of an experiment to measure 10.6 GeV/nucleon gold cross sections at the AGS for the UHIC collaboration. Designed and built light integrating Cherenkov detectors for use in determining heavy ion fragment charges. Set up, and administered a VAX cluster.

Research Assistant: High Energy Experimental Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 1988-1989.

Helped analyze lepton pairs from Υ(4S) meson decay from the CLEO II experiment using FORTRAN and FLEX code.

Research Assistant: High Energy Experimental Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, 1986-1987.

Simulated electromagnetic showers produced by direct photons at the CERN ISR using the EGS 4 Monte Carlo code for the CMOR collaboration. Analyzed the software trigger code for the large Fermilab collider experiment D0.

Teaching Experience

Instructor: For the Fall of 2008, I am teaching two courses for the OSU physics department. A General education course "The World of Energy" and a section of the waves and modern physics section of the introductory physics for majors and engineers.

Substitute Teaching: January 2001, substituted for one week in OSU's introductory physics course (E&M section). September 1997, substituted for two week in LSU's general physics course.

Teaching Assistant: School of Physics and Astronomy University of Minnesota: 1987-1988.

Taught introductory physics laboratories, graded modern physics home work and exams, and taught recitation sessions for a calculus based introductory physics course.

Teaching Assistant: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University: 1985-1986.

Taught recitation sessions for a non calculus introductory physics course, taught introductory physics laboratories, ran help sessions, gave and graded exams for an independent study physics course covering a wide variety of physics and related materials.

Honors and Affiliations

Graduated with honors, California State University, Sacramento, 1984

Sigma Pi Sigma, Physics honors society, California State University, Sacramento, 1984

American Physical Society, member