Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

Nationwide assessment of leadership development for graduate students in the agricultural plant sciences.

Leadership development is a universally important goal across the agricultural plant science disciplines. Although previous studies have identified a need for leadership skills, less is known about leadership skill development in graduate programs. To address this, we constructed a mixed-method study to identify the most significant graduate school leadership experiences of scientists in the agricultural plant science disciplines. The survey was deployed to 6,728 people in the U.S. and received 1,086 responses (16.1% response rate). The majority of respondents reported that they were from one of the major agricultural states and employed at one of the agricultural plant science related doctoral universities, industries, or government. Results from this survey suggest that recent graduates were more engaged in graduate school activities that offered leadership development. Key experiences in graduate school were also identified that may be used to develop future leaders. Additionally, respondents reported the greatest barrier to providing leadership development for graduate students was that it is not part of their program curriculum, however current graduate students responded differently, and identifying lack of funding to support experiences as the greatest barrier. This survey also identified the top ranked professional skills considered most important for effective leaders in agricultural plant sciences as well as respondent-driven recommendations on how graduate programs can improve leadership development. Collectively, these results can be used in the future to identify priorities for skill development and opportunities for leadership training among graduate students within the plant science disciplines

Nationwide assessment of leadership development for graduate students in the agricultural plant sciences

Leadership development is a universally important goal across the agricultural plant science disciplines. Although previous studies have identified a need for leadership skills, less is known about leadership skill development in graduate programs. To address this, we constructed a mixed-method study to identify the most significant graduate school leadership experiences of scientists in the agricultural plant science disciplines. The survey was deployed to 6,728 people in the U.S. and received 1,086 responses (16.1% response rate). The majority of respondents reported that they were from one of the major agricultural states and employed at one of the agricultural plant science related doctoral universities, industries, or government. Results from this survey suggest that recent graduates were more engaged in graduate school activities that offered leadership development. Key experiences in graduate school were also identified that may be used to develop future leaders. Additionally, respondents reported the greatest barrier to providing leadership development for graduate students was that it is not part of their program curriculum, however current graduate students responded differently, and identifying lack of funding to support experiences as the greatest barrier. This survey also identified the top ranked professional skills considered most important for effective leaders in agricultural plant sciences as well as respondent-driven recommendations on how graduate programs can improve leadership development. Collectively, these results can be used in the future to identify priorities for skill development and opportunities for leadership training among graduate students within the plant science disciplines

Experiences in graduate school in the order of importance for leadership development.

Comparison of 17 graduate program experiences rated as not significant, significant, and very significant. Row count totals represent the number of respondents that rated each experience.</p

Management type versus number of activities with median, mean and standard deviation.

Management type versus number of activities with median, mean and standard deviation.</p

Frequency of respondents in management roles who performed activities during graduate school.

Frequency of respondents in management roles who performed activities during graduate school.</p

Recommendation for leadership development in academia and industry.

Comparison of percentage of respondents according to theming analysis based on qualitative recommendation responses from Overall (n = 331), Academia (n = 207), and Industry (n = 124).</p

Demographics of the respondents participated in the survey.

(A) Employment type distribution: Number of respondents to the survey, including both professionals and graduate students. (B) U.S. Geographic distribution: The U.S. map shows the widespread distribution of respondents in each state (not including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico). (C) Birth year versus Graduation Year: The year of graduation and birth of respondents was correlated.</p

Activities in graduate school.

A total of 665 participants responded that they participated in one activity or all of them. For Research (n = 656), TA (n = 471), Lecturer (n = 142), Outreach (n = 238), Extension program development/delivery (n = 194), Service (e.g. committees, clubs, governance) (n = = 378). Graduates from 1960 to 1989 (n = 167), Graduates from 1990 to 2009 (n = 279) and graduates from 2010–2019 (n = 219).</p