Fermilab hosts hadron physics school Aug. 16-27

The fifth annual Hadron Collider Physics Summer School will take place at Fermilab Aug. 16-27.

For the next two weeks, Fermilab's conference rooms and cafeteria are going to get a little crowded.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 16, more than 150 advanced theoretical and experimental Ph.D. students and first or second year postdocs in particle physics will gather at Fermilab for the fifth annual Hadron Collider Physics Summer School. Students attending the school, which runs from Monday through Friday, Aug. 27, will learn about practical theoretical and experimental high-energy physics.

"The school gives students a foundation that they don't necessarily get from the coursework at their university," said school co-chair Andreas Kronfeld. "The students attending will learn things imperative to their professional development."

The organized set of lectures is roughly divided between experimental and theoretical topics. Although the curriculum resembles that from previous years, this year's curriculum boasts some added features. Students arriving on Monday, Aug. 16, have the option of spending the day learning how to do Monte Carlo simulations, which scientists use to aid the interpretation of their results.

In addition to the Monte Carlo workshop, Kronfeld and co-chair Doug Glenzinski have also added lectures about non-hadron collider topics. Students will hear lectures about neutrino oscillations, dark matter searches and the connection between astrophysics and high energy physics.

"We added these lectures so that we could offer the students a more well-rounded view," Glenzinski said. "These are important areas where the laboratory and other high-energy physics institutions will be focusing their efforts."

Students will be bussed onto the site, so the school should not affect parking. Lectures will adjourn at noon most days for lunch, so the cafeteria will be more crowded at that time than normal. Students will eat lunch at 12:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20 and 21.

All school lectures will be available via streaming video.

Two colloquia on Wednesdays Aug. 18 and 25, and a Joint Experimental Theoretical Physics seminar on Aug. 20 are associated with the school. These seminars are open to the public. Anil Kakodkar from the Department of Atomic Energy in India will give the Joint Experimental Theoretical Physics seminar on Friday, Aug. 20.

-- Rhianna Wisniewski

Air quality action day

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air quality action day for the Chicagoland area. Today's conditions are unhealthy for sensitive groups. Active children and adults, and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Please postpone to the extent possible those activities that degrade the air quality, such as mowing, structural painting and deferrable auto/truck usage. Avoid vehicle idling and refueling. Learn more

Spotlight on summer interns

Individuals interning at Fermilab this summer gathered for a group photo. This summer's interns come from all over the U.S. and from around the world. Some of the countries represented in the photo include: Scotland, Nepal, Singapore, China, Mexico, Italy and Russia, all of which have formal programs; and South America, Poland and India, which have informal programs.

Win a free lunch for two: take Chez Leon's survey

Chez Leon, Fermilab's on-site gourmet restaurant, would like to hear from you, even if you've never eaten at the restaurant. Please complete the online Chez Leon survey to provide valuable feedback, including meal selections, days, times and other options. The names of those who take the survey will be entered into a drawing for a complimentary lunch for two.

Death of the Big Bang, or the problem of time's beginning

From 13.7 Cosmos and Culture,
an NPR blog, Aug. 11, 2010

The Big Bang is all but dead and we do not yet know what will replace it.

There are those who will tell you that Cosmology - the study of the Universe entire - has become an exact science. They will tell you that this grand and all embracing field has, in the last 50 years, moved from the realms of philosophical speculation into the purest domains of science via exacting confrontations between theoretical models and high-resolution data. You should know that they are right.

For the first time in the long march of human thinking we are now, finally, able to construct a detailed and verifiable account of cosmic history.

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