Martina Martinello (PHYS Ph.D. ‘16) has won the 2018 Particle Accelerator Science and Technology (PAST) Doctoral Student Award “for contributions to physical understanding of limiting factors in SRF [superconducting radiofrequency] cavities.” The PAST award is given annually to one recent doctoral student by the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society.

The IEEE PAST Committee established the award to recognize significant and innovative technical contributions to the field of particle accelerator science and technology as demonstrated in a student’s doctoral thesis.

Martinello was nominated by her Illinois Tech thesis adviser John Zasadzinski, the Paul and Suzi Schutt Endowed Chair in Science and professor of physics, and received strong letters of support from leaders in the field including scientists at Fermilab, where she performed her thesis research. Zasadzinski commented, “SRF cavities are an enabling technology for all future particle accelerators, and Martina’s research identified trapped magnetic flux as the main source of degradation. She also developed a method of fast cool down, exploiting thermal gradients to remove this trapped flux. The importance of her research to the employment of SRF cavities in large accelerators cannot be overstated.” Martinello is also a recipient of a Peoples Fellowship at Fermilab.

The PAST awards will be presented at the 2018 International Particle Accelerator Conference, which will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from April 29–May 4.