Chicago hosts Al Gore, thousands of scientists for AAAS conference

Every February, the American Association for the Advancement of Science organizes one of the largest and most diverse science meetings in the United States. This year, the conference will take place from Feb. 12-16 in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The conference brings together several thousand experts from many disciplines of science and science policy. The AAAS Family Science Days, Feb. 14-15, provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about science in a family-friendly atmosphere. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore will address conference participants on Friday night.

Fermilab, Argonne and the University of Chicago will have a strong presence at the conference. Fourteen scientists from Fermilab will participate in the various physics sessions, and the Fermilab Education Office will offer activities and science demonstrations at the Family Science Days. Highlights include presentations on neutrino physics and Project X; the latest results from the Tevatron collider experiments; the role of the computing grid in science; and the cosmology of the early universe. Jerry Zimmerman, our own Mr. Freeze, will entertain kids and adults with his cryogenics show.

This year's AAAS conference takes place in conjunction with the annual conference of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Several Fermilab scientists and educators will give talks and offer workshops at the AAPT conference, and more than 100 teachers and students will take a tour of Fermilab this week.

The AAAS Family Science Days are free of charge. The Hyatt Regency Hotel is located at 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago. Attendance of the AAAS science program requires registration.

-- Kurt Riesselmann

Collaboration between Fermilab, Indian institutions sets stage for future accelerators

The Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., today announced the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding with four Indian institutions. The MOU establishes collaboration in the areas of superconducting acceleration science and technology and in research and development of superconducting materials.

"Ushering in the next generation of accelerator projects requires an international effort," said Dr. Pier Oddone, director of Fermilab. "The collaboration between U.S. and Indian scientists helps set the stage for the global coordination required for future particle accelerators."

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CERN management confirms new LHC restart schedule

CERN management today confirmed the restart schedule for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) resulting from the recommendations from last week's Chamonix workshop. The new schedule foresees first beams in the LHC at the end of September this year, with collisions following in late October. A short technical stop has also been foreseen over the Christmas period. The LHC will then run through to autumn next year, ensuring that the experiments have adequate data to carry out their first new physics analyses and have results to announce in 2010. The new schedule also permits the possible collisions of lead ions in 2010.

In Chamonix there was consensus among all the technical specialists that the new schedule is tight but realistic.

"The schedule we have now is without a doubt the best for the LHC and for the physicists waiting for data," said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer. "It is cautious, ensuring that all the necessary work is done on the LHC before we start-up, yet it allows physics research to begin this year."

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DOE-BES report calls for more R&D funding

From AIP FYI, Feb. 9, 2009

A report from the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee's Subcommittee on Facing Our Energy Challenges in a New Era of Science calls for additional resources to confront energy, climate change, and economic challenges. "New Science for a Secure and Sustainable Energy Future" argues that the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) can provide "paradigm-changing breakthroughs: new ideas that 'change the rules of the game.'"

The report cites the nation's deepening energy/environment/economic crises as opportunities for revolutionary energy research gains. The U.S. "exceeds domestic production capacity by the equivalent of 16 million barrels of oil per day." In fact, "this deficit has nearly tripled since 1970." By 2030, U.S. demand for oil is expected to increase 15 percent. While fossil fuels "comprise 85 percent of the U.S. national energy supply," to sustain our environment the U.S. "must reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change." At recent peak prices, imported energy costs approximately $700 billion per year.

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