Fermilab TodayFriday, August 26, 2005  
Calendar
Friday, August 26
3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break -
2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 p.m. Joint Experimental Theoretical Physics Seminar - 1 West
Speaker: D. Ambrose, Fermilab
Title: Top Mass Measurement with Dilepton Channel Using Template Methods
Speaker: D. Whiteson, University of Pennsylvania
Title: Top Mass Measurement with Dilepton Channel Using Matrix Element

Monday, August 29
3:30 p.m. Director's Coffee Break -
2nd Flr X-Over
4:00 p.m. All Experimenters' Meeting -
Curia II
Special Topic: New Optics for the Tevatron
Note: Particle Astrophysics Seminars will resume in the Fall

Weather
WeatherChance Thunderstorms  82º/66º

Extended Forecast

Weather at Fermilab

Security

Secon Level 3

Cafeteria
Friday, August 26
Beef Pepper Pot
Buffalo Chicken Wings $4.85
Cajun Breaded Catfish $3.75
Sweet and Sour Pork Over Rice $3.75
Honey Mustard Ham and Swiss Panini $4.75
Double Stuffed Pizza $3.50
Carved Turkey $4.85

The Wilson Hall Cafe now accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express at Cash Register #1.

Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Cafeteria
Wednesday, August 31
Lunch
Grilled Duck Salad with Green Beans
Pear Almond Strudel

Thursday, September 1
Dinner
Caponata
Grilled Scampi
Orzo with Arugual and Parmesan
Cassata

Chez Leon Menu
Call x4512 to make your reservation.

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Novel Introduces Fermilab
To the Pre-Teen Crowd

Things Not Seen
Fermilab is well-known in the scientific community, but one novelist may soon expand the Lab's fame to a new audience: pre-teens. Things Not Seen, a young-adult novel by Andrew Clements, focuses on Bobby Phillips, the 15-year-old son of a Fermilab physicist, and his remarkable problem. One winter day, Bobby wakes up to discover that he is invisible.

Seeking support during his difficult time, Bobby befriends Alicia, the blind daughter of a University of Chicago astronomer. Together, they gather clues about Bobby's "disappearance," complementing the scientific theories their fathers use to in their own efforts to figure out the problem. The search for answers—and a cure—becomes even more urgent when Bobby's neighbors, his school, and even Children and Family Services start wondering where he is.

Things Not Seen is told from the perspective of a confused and lonely teenager, who is bound to question and doubt the authority of his parents. Bobby is frequently cynical about his father's scientific mind, making sarcastic comments such as, "And Dad's atom-smashing team—well, we all know how vital that is to everyone." But in the end, Bobby loves and learns from his parents, applying scientific methods to his own search for answers, and even throwing some physics jargon—like "muon" and "meson"—into his tale.

Clements does a good job of balancing electric fields and solar showers with teenage crushes and Instant Messenger conversations, making the book extremely accessible to his pre-teen audience. Fermilab and physics deserve more time in spotlight, but perhaps young readers' interest will be piqued by the book's details about the scientific community. "I've found some good books on Dad's shelves—Richard Feynman especially," Bobby says. "He's this very funny physicist—which are not words that usually go together."
—Elizabeth Wade

Smoke Testing in Village Sanitary Sewer System
If you notice a bit of smoke drifting up from Village drains or manholes this morning, don't panic! Beginning at 9:30 a.m., FESS and Sewer Systems Evaluations, Inc. will begin performing smoke testing of sections of the Village sewer system. Testing will begin on the east side of the Village and may expand to other areas if significant leaks are not initially found. Building managers have been notified and efforts are being made to identify and notify those with respiratory problems. If smoke is detected in a building, please open a door or window. It will dissipate quickly, as each test is very short. To prevent smoke from coming up through floor drains, sinks and other plumbing fixtures, pour water into drains to make certain traps are full. During the tests you may also notice smoke coming from the plumbing vent stacks on roofs, from the ground, and sanitary manholes.

ILC Newsline
GDE Organizes to Address The Questions of Universe
In a key milestone for the Global Design Effort for the proposed International Linear Collider, the 49 members of the ILC GDE met face to face for the first time during the Snowmass ILC Workshop in Colorado August 14-27. The Snowmass workshop marked the first meeting for the members of the GDE, drawn from some 25 laboratories, universities and institutes around the world.

"Meeting together in the same room was an important step in getting organized and focusing our efforts in the same direction," said GDE Director Barry Barish.

Read More

In the News
From PhysicsWeb,
August 18, 2005

Astrophysicist John Bahcall dies at 70

John Bahcall, one of the world's leading astrophysicists, has died at the age of 70 from a rare blood disorder. Bahcall, who was based at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, was best known for his theoretical work on solar neutrinos. He was also president elect of the American Physical Society and had served as president of the American Astronomical Society between 1990 and 1992.

In 1964 Bahcall and Ray Davis Jr of Brookhaven published back-to-back papers in Physical Review Letters that essentially defined what became known as the solar neutrino problem.

Read More

On the Job With: Transportation Services
Transportation Services
Members of the Transportation Department pose outside Warehouse 2, a center of activity for their division. From left to right standing are Dave Myers, Art Fehrman, Harold Scheppman, Dennis McAuliff, Frank Jackson, Claudie King, George Davidson, Jon Rushford, Calee Cartee, Brian Niesman and Archie Beasley. Sitting are Kathy Flores (left), Marilyn Collins, Lorraine Walter-Smith. Not pictured: Foreman Tom Smith. (Click on image for larger version.)
You may not know all of them by name, but the faces of the Transportation Services Department's (TSD) staff are familiar to everyone at Fermilab. The personnel of the TSD is responsible for distributing mail, delivering packages and other materials around the lab, maintaining the fleet of 229 vehicles, 100 forklifts, and 50 trailers, and organizing all the components of international shipping. This group works hard to make sure every aspect of lab transportation goes smoothly. "Every day is a little bit different," said Department Head George Davidson. "But a lot of what this department does is highly physical work."

While some responsibilities involve operating forklifts, mobile cranes, and heavy trucks, others are entirely administrative. A shipment from Texas to CERN was organized by Fermilab's TSD, and it never even passed through the lab. The Vehicle Maintenance, Distribution, Traffic, Receiving and Mailroom groups within this department vary in risk level. But all members of the department take their safety seriously and recently celebrated 1,000 DART days, or days without work time lost due to injury.

The TSD recently evolved out of the old Support Services Section. With this change, the department has become more specialized and more focused on meeting the needs of the Laboratory. The Traffic group has also encountered many changes as a result of new Homeland Security regulations. "We are keeping up with the administrative changes, but the people that work for us are really the ones who get everything done." The Traffic group is currently involved in shipping materials to Colorado for the Snowmass conference. The personnel of the Transportation Services Department are well trained and prepared to help keep Fermilab moving forward and providing the best possible service to the lab.
—Amelia Greene

Announcements
Life Insurance Plan Open Enrollment
The plan representative from Life Insurance Company of North America will be in Wilson Hall at the One West conference room to give two presentations today. The first presentation is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and second for 1:30p.m. You can access further information on the Benefits Office Website.

Power Outage
The power will be cut to EAD Operations Center (although there should be a generator there to keep power up for the network and computers) on Saturday, August 27, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Bristol Renaissance Faire: Kenosha, WI
The Bristol Renaissance Faire offers 50 food booths and over 180 high quality arts and crafts shops. The Faire runs through September 5 on Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day Monday 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. (rain or shine). Discounted Tickets are available in the Recreation office Tuesday through Thursday, $15.75 for adults and $7.50 for children. Payment by cash or check only in the Recreation office.

TimeLine Theatre: Copenhagen
Copenhagen is a powerful drama that explores an enduring mystery of modern scientific history. In 1941, German physicist Werner Heisenberg made a mysterious trip to Copenhagen for a meeting with his Danish mentor, Niels Bohr. What was said during their meeting is unknown, but their relationship, and the course of World War II was changed forever. Theater Thursday patrons will enjoy a pre-show reception on September 15 with appetizers from Blue Plate Catering, atomic cocktails, and even some fun with physics! Mingle with TimeLine Company members and associate artists and stay for a special post-show discussion with the show's cast and crew. For more information, call 773.281.8463 and mention Theater Thursday.

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