Ge-STAR Collaboration Summer Meeting 2026

Jul 13, 2026, 8:00 AM → Jul 14, 2026, 11:55 PM US/Central

Patterson Hall-117 (University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD)

Dongming Mei

Monday, July 13

Opening

Welcome, meeting orientation, and revised agenda overview

Convener: Dongming Mei

Session 1: Ge-STAR Science Drivers: Dark Matter Science

Collaboration-wide science context for Ge-STAR

Convener: Joel Sander (University of South Dakota)

Session 1: Ge-STAR Science Drivers: Science Talk - Neutrino Science

Collaboration-wide science context for Ge-STAR

Convener: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota)

Session 1: Ge-STAR Science Drivers: Science Talk - Ge-Based Medical Imaging and Social Impact

Collaboration-wide science context for Ge-STAR

Convener: Dongming Mei

9:55 AM Coffee Break

Session 2: Collaboration Status and short RT Summaries: Annual Report

Year 1 status, milestones, issues, and Year 2 priorities

Convener: Dongming Mei

Session 2: Collaboration Status and short RT Summaries: RT1 Short Summary

Year 1 status, milestones, issues, and Year 2 priorities

Conveners: Dongming Mei, Varghese Vaidyan

Session 2: Collaboration Status and short RT Summaries: RT2 Short Summary

Year 1 status, milestones, issues, and Year 2 priorities

Conveners: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher

Session 2: Collaboration Status and short RT Summaries: RT3 Short Summary

Year 1 status, milestones, issues, and Year 2 priorities

Conveners: Etienne Gnimpieba, Xinhua Bai

Session 2: Collaboration Status and short RT Summaries: Cross-RT Coordination-Near-term dependencies, shared resources, and decisions needed across RT1, RT2, and RT3

Year 1 status, milestones, issues, and Year 2 priorities

Conveners: Dongming Mei, Etienne Gnimpieba Z. (University of South Dakota), Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher, Varghese Vaidyan, Xinhua Bai

11:50 AM Lunch Break

Session 3: RT1 Working Group Report and Year 2 Plan: RT1 Summary-progress, bottlenecks, Year 2 priorities

Short RT1 summary followed by focused technical reports and action planning

Conveners: Dongming Mei, Varghese Vaidyan

Session 3: RT1 Working Group Report and Year 2 Plan: Zone Refining: Year 1 Progress, impurity removal, process limitation, and Year 2 milestones

Short RT1 summary followed by focused technical reports and action planning

Convener: Austin Warren (Univ of South Dakota)

Session 3: RT1 Working Group Report and Year 2 Plan: Crystal Growth: available crystals, growth quality, crystal selection, and detector-grade material needs

Short RT1 summary followed by focused technical reports and action planning

Convener: Sanjay Bhattarai (University of South Dakota)

Session 3: RT1 Working Group Report and Year 2 Plan: Li Diffusion and Contact Development: process status, performance issues, and next fabrication steps

Short RT1 summary followed by focused technical reports and action planning

Convener: Kunming Dong

Session 3: RT1 Working Group Report and Year 2 Plan: Quantum Simulation: Ge quantum-device modeling, phononic structures, and Year 2 simulation deliverables

Short RT1 summary followed by focused technical reports and action planning

Convener: Athul Prem (University of South Dakota)

Session 3: RT1 Working Group Report and Year 2 Plan: DSU AI Coordination: AI-ready data, model integration, and the RT1–RT3 interface

Short RT1 summary followed by focused technical reports and action planning

Convener: Varghese Vaidyan

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: RT2 Summary

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Conveners: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: Available Crystal for Fabrication of Detectors

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Convener: Sanjay Bhattarai (University of South Dakota)

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: Performance of HPGe detector fabrication infrastructure; limitations and possible solutions

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Convener: Kunming Dong

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: ICPC Fabrication

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Convener: shasika Panamaldeniya (University of South Dakota)

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: Ring Contact Fabrication

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Convener: Kunming Dong

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: Strip Detector Fabrication

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Convener: Anupama Karki

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: RT2 Focused Discussion, GeGl data presentation as a guideline

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Conveners: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher

Session 4A: RT2 Detector Fabrication and Characterization: Detector-fabrication and characterization action items

Short RT2 lightning talks followed by focused detector-fabrication and characterization discussion

Conveners: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher

3:45 PM Coffee Break

Parallel Session A: Faculty-Only Closed Discussion

Funding strategy, regional collaboration opportunities, AI-ready America initiative, coordination of FEC applications, combined outreach activities, Physics PhD program improvement, shared infrastructure, and Year 2 decision points

Convener: Dongming Mei

Parallel Session B: Junior-Member Session

Lab visits; 3-minute flash talks on student/postdoc research; peer networking; junior-member feedback and collaboration ideas without faculty present

Convener: Narayan Budhathoki (University of South Dakota)

6:00 PM Collaboration dinner

Tuesday, July 14

RT2: RT2 Recap-Brief recap of Session 4A and goals for Session 4B

Conveners: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher

RT2: Performance and simulation of LBNL cryostat

Convener: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota)

RT2: Introduction of Jing's 12-inch cryostat for strip detector characterization

Convener: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota)

RT2: Performance and simulation of GeGI

Convener: Shawn Bauer

RT2: Compton Imaging Simulations & Synthetic Image and ML Model to Predict Tumor Size and Location

Convener: Mahiuddin Ahmed (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology)

RT2: Compton imaging working principle and algorithm survey

Convener: Md Rahman

RT2: Genat4 simulation on human phantoms

Convener: Robert McTaggart

RT2: RT2 Focused Discussion

Conveners: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher

RT2: RT2 Action Items

Conveners: Jing Liu (University of South Dakota), Juergen Reichenbacher

RT3 Working Group: RT3 summary: progress, bottlenecks, Year 2 priorities

RT3 summary: progress, bottlenecks, Year 2 priorities

Conveners: Etienne Gnimpieba Z. (University of South Dakota), Xinhua Bai

RT3 Working Group: Feature Extraction, Predictive Modeling, and Detector Optimization

RT3 summary: progress, bottlenecks, Year 2 priorities

Convener: Matthias Plum (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology)

RT3 Working Group: Generative AI and Descriptor Modeling for Realistic Germanium Detector Event Simulation

RT3 summary: progress, bottlenecks, Year 2 priorities

Convener: Varghese Vaidyan

RT3 Working Group: Roundtable Discussion

RT3 summary: progress, bottlenecks, Year 2 priorities

Conveners: Etienne Gnimpieba Z. (University of South Dakota), Xinhua Bai

10:05 AM Coffee Break

Session 7: Education, Outreach, and Workforce Development: Education, outreach, workforce development, junior-member feedback, and Year 2 outreach plans

Education, outreach, workforce development, junior-member feedback, and Year 2 outreach plans

Convener: Joel Sander (University of South Dakota)

Session 8: Faculty Discussion Report-Out and Collaboration Action Plan: Report-Out I

Report results from the faculty-only closed discussion and convert them into collaboration-wide action items

Convener: Dongming Mei

Session 8: Faculty Discussion Report-Out and Collaboration Action Plan: Report-Out II

Report results from the faculty-only closed discussion and convert them into collaboration-wide action items

Convener: Dongming Mei

Session 8: Faculty Discussion Report-Out and Collaboration Action Plan: Final Action Confirmation

Report results from the faculty-only closed discussion and convert them into collaboration-wide action items

Convener: Dongming Mei

11:55 AM Take-Home Lunch Box / Adjourn

12:10 PM National Music Museum Visit

There is free access for participants of the USD-organized collaboration meeting.