Herwig shared the impacts of neutron science with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm during a tour of SNS in November 2021. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Ken Herwig's scientific drive crystallized in his youth when he solved a tough algebra word problem in his head while tossing newspapers from his bicycle. He said the joy he felt in that moment as a teenager fueled his determination to conquer mathematical mysteries. And he did.
During the course of his career spanning two-and-a-half decades at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Herwig's passion for math translated into designing, building and rebuilding scientific instruments used to study the behavior of particles in the field of physics. As the first instrument scientist hired at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source, he built its first instrument, a backscattering spectrometer named BASIS. Herwig has also managed and mentored many staff, students and others along the way. He now serves as the technical director for the ORNL Second Target Station project.
“It was immediately clear when I first began working with Ken twelve years ago that he was not your typical neutron scattering scientist,” said Graeme Murdoch, Second Target Station director. “He clearly had the ability to see the bigger picture and make impactful long-term decisions. Since then, Ken and I have worked closely together on the Second Target Station. He is the go-to guy for neutron scattering at ORNL."
Herwig started studying neutrons in 1984 as a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was first introduced to the unique power of neutrons at Argonne National Laboratory when he used them to measure quantum mechanical properties of low-temperature solid hydrogen. While he was a postdoc, Herwig designed instruments to work out questions he wanted to ask. He sought to understand the interactions and fundamental properties of small molecules placed in confining geometries, such as small pores or on tiny surfaces.
He also built a simple diffractometer, an instrument that uses a particle beam to study materials, such as crystal structures, at the atomic scale. In a diffractometer, a beam passes through a crystal and the particles diffract, or spread, in patterns that paint a picture of the arrangement of the atoms in the crystal. The data collected from experiments on this kind of instrument strengthen innovation for clean energy, quantum computing and drug design.
When ORNL invited Herwig to join the SNS project in 1998, he says he could not refuse the allure of designing and building an instrument at a world-class user facility in a national laboratory.
“I saw a need for an instrument that would allow us to look at slow motions, which meant we needed higher resolution from the neutron perspective,” Herwig said. “But we needed to be able to look over a range of motions and a range of time scales that we couldn’t at the time. Reactor-based instruments had the high resolution but only a very limited dynamic range. This was the vision for BASIS.”
He then designed BASIS, which measures the motions of molecules exceptionally well.
“The scientific impact BASIS has compared to other similar instruments around the world is the best of its kind by a substantial margin,” said ORNL's Mark Lumsden, Spectroscopy section head for the Neutron Scattering Division. “That’s a testament to what Ken did. It’s also a testament to his ability to find excellent successors. A sign of a good manager is recognizing talent and bringing in the right people, and he’s done that very well.”
Herwig moved into management roles after building BASIS. He also participates in advisory committees for other neutron research facilities in the United States and abroad. He said his greatest influence lies in seeking talented people who help make neutron science at ORNL the prominent success it is today.
“Neutrons are not black-box science,” Herwig said. “You typically need an expert to help you understand data and to plan effectively. The instrument scientists at neutron facilities are critical to that success. As the lab’s capabilities expand, people don’t simply do more experiments — they ask harder questions. Without the instrument scientists, I don’t think you innovate. You don’t push the technique and the technology. And innovation is vital in this field because the science changes so quickly.”
Mentor and friend
Herwig’s reputation as a technical trailblazer matches his reputation as a generous and thoughtful leader. Long-time friend and colleague Michelle Kidder, a senior research staff member in ORNL’s Manufacturing Science Division, credits Herwig for guidance and support along the way.
“Ken has been an amazing mentor to me, and he advocates for the people around him,” Kidder said. “I can pose a science problem I want to understand, and, with enthusiasm, he will work with me to create a neutron scattering plan to monitor important molecular interactions and include things like design around new sample environments or sample preparation. He also has a knack for taking experiments beyond typical measurements to create bigger scientific impacts, like pushing the envelope for new science related to greenhouse gases, which has been a big focus of my career.”
As for next steps, Herwig has an easy answer.
“My entire career has been leading to this moment, this opportunity to play a big role in this critical project that will impact science for decades,” Herwig said. “I'm committed to the success of the Second Target Station and I want to see it marched through the critical decisions that are part of DOE's large science projects. Having the opportunity to work at SNS since the beginning — and now having that opportunity a second time for the Second Target Station — has far exceeded my greatest expectations. I see my path well-defined in front of me.”
SNS is a DOE Office of Science user facility. UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science — Sumner Brown Gibbs
