Friday, Jan. 27, 2012
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Have a safe day!

Friday, Jan. 27
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
Joint Experimental-Theoretical Physics Seminar - One West
Speaker: Huan Lin, Fermilab
Title: Gravitational Lensing and Cosmic Shear with the SDSS Coadd
5:15
After-hour shuttle
With pick-up in front of Wilson Hall, the free shuttle has service to SiDet, CDF, DZero and the User's Center.

Monday, Jan. 30
2:30 p.m.
Particle Astrophysics Seminar - One West
Speaker: Andres Plazas-Malagon, University of Pennsylvania
Title: Weak Lensing Pipeline Accuracy and Validation Tests for the Dark Energy Survey
3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over
4 p.m.
All Experimenters' Meeting - Curia II
Special Topics: T-1018: Spacordion Tungsten Fiber Calorimeter at FTBF; MINOS Plans to Remeasure the Speed of Neutrinos

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38°/21°

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Wilson Hall Cafe

Friday, Jan. 27

- Breakfast: Chorizo burrito
- Old-fashioned ham & bean soup
- Philly-style chicken
- Chicken pot pie
- Smart cusiine: Baked fish over rice
- Roasted veggies & provolone panini
- Assorted sliced pizza
- Carved baked ham
Wilson Hall Cafe Menu

Chez Leon

Friday, Jan. 27
Dinner
- French onion soup
- Medallions of beef with merlot sauce
- Potato gratin
- Steamed green beans
- Marzipan cake w/ bittersweet chocolate sauce

Wednesday, Feb. 1
Lunch
- Pork Schnitzel w/ noodles and browned cabbage
- Apple strudel w/ cinnamon cream

Chez Leon Menu
Call x3524 to make your reservation.

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Video of the Day

Missed the IARC ground breaking? Watch it here.

On December 16, 2011, Fermilab hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Illinois Accelerator Research Center. At the IARC, scientists and engineers from Fermilab, Argonne and Illinois universities will work side by side with industrial partners to research and develop breakthroughs in accelerator science and translate them into applications for the nation's health, wealth and security. A video of the ceremony is available here.
Wellness Feature of the Month

February wellness offerings, open athletic leagues and employee discounts

This month, the Wellness Office
will sponsor the following free events:

  • Weight Management Class from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, from Feb. 8 to April 25, in Curia II. Participants must sign up in advance, as there is limited space.
  • Qigong, Mindfulness & Tai Chi Easy® for Stress Reduction classes from 7 to 8 a.m. on Wednesdays in Ramsey Auditorium; and from noon to 12:45 p.m. on Fridays in Ramsey Auditorium.

Fitness classes:

  • Kyuki-Do martial arts class from 5 to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, Feb. 20 to March 28, in the Fitness Center. $55 per person.
  • Yoga from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, from Feb. 28 to April 17, in Ramsey Auditorium. $85 per person.

Athletic leagues:

  • Open basketball will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Fitness Center gym. Gym membership is required.
  • Open badminton will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Fridays in the Fitness Center gym. Gym membership is required.
  • Open volleyball will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays in the Fitness Center gym. Gym membership is required.

Employee discounts:

  • Disney on ice: Dare to Dream at the United Center from Feb. 1 through Feb. 12.
  • AMC & Regal movie tickets
  • More information can be found online.

In the News

Cosmic adventures for kids at Fermilab

From the Chicago Tribune,
Jan. 25, 2012

Classes, special events open up the natural world to students

The more her daughter's Chicago school cuts back on science education, the more Sally Berlin enrolls her in classes at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia.

"Last year, she took classes in weather, magnets, secret codes, insects and snow crystals," said Berlin of her daughter, Violet, 8. "This spring, she'll take the Fireflies class. And we'll go to the science fair where high school kids teach the younger kids the sciences."

"I liked the insects class the best," said Violet. "We used nets to get bugs out of the pond, then saw them under a microscope and identified them." Their trips to Fermilab include visits to see the flora and fauna at its native prairie. "I saw a baby coyote," reported Violet.

While the grown-ups at Fermilab research what the universe is made of, how it works and where it came from, children explore science and mathematics concepts at its Lederman Science Center and through its classes.

Lederman, an interactive children's museum, is open to the public Mondays through Saturdays. The newest of its 37 exhibits, "Shower With Cosmic Rays," teaches kids that we're surrounded by rays all the time, and "they're nothing to be afraid of," said Marge Bardeen, manager of Fermilab education. After they enter a showerlike booth, flashes of light crisscross their bodies to illustrate the rays.

At the other exhibits, kids can play "particle pool," use a Geiger counter, freeze time with a shadow wall and "bend the beam" to learn the effects of magnets.

Read more

Physics in a Nutshell

Dark matter: Are you serious?

This painting of the Milky Way galaxy is really quite misleading. Scientists believe that this beautiful spectacle makes up only a fraction of the mass of the galaxy.

We scientists have good reason to seriously believe that there is a totally invisible kind of matter in the universe that is about five times more common than the matter with which we are familiar.

As an analogy, that's like inviting a friend over for dinner with you and believing he brings five other invisible friends. Claims like this can get you committed.

On the other hand, there is strong reason to believe that we haven't lost our minds. The simplest evidence for the existence of dark matter comes from studying how fast galaxies rotate. The essential idea is identical to the following simple experiment: Tie a bucket containing sand to a string, and spin the bucket around. The string keeps the bucket moving in a circular path. If you spin too fast, the force will overcome the strength of the string. The string will break and sand will fly everywhere.

The same thing happens with galaxies. The gravity of the galaxy plays the role of the string, making the stars in the outskirts of the galaxy orbit in circular paths. If the stars move too fast, gravity isn't strong enough to keep the stars in their orbit and the galaxy would get ripped apart.

We measure the speed of stars as the galaxy spins and can estimate the amount of the mass in the galaxy by looking at the brightness of the galaxy and working out how many stars must be there. The result? Galaxies spin much faster than can be accounted for by the visible mass. These galaxies should tear themselves apart, but they don't.

The whole idea is that simple. We're forced to conclude one of a handful of options is true. First, perhaps we don't understand gravity as well as we thought. Second, perhaps our understanding of inertia, which governs how hard the star tugs on the metaphorical string of gravitation, is incomplete. The third option is that perhaps there is more matter in the galaxy than we think.

A recent observation of the collision of two clusters of galaxies, much like two flocks of ducks passing through one another, gave the strongest evidence so far that the third option was correct. It appears that a form of matter exists that experiences gravitation but doesn't give off light. This form of matter is called dark matter.

Read more

Want a phrase defined? Have a question? Email Fermilab Today.

—Don Lincoln

Announcements

Latest Announcements

Python Programming class - April 16-18

Artist reception - Feb. 3

Fermilab Arts Series presents Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Feb. 4

Argentine tango classes - Wednesdays, through Feb. 8

Outlook 2010: Intro. - Feb. 22

Embedded Design with LabVIEW FPGA and CompactRIO class scheduled - Feb. 23

Introduction to LabVIEW scheduled - Feb. 23

PowerPoint 2010: Intro. - Feb. 28

Word 2010: Intro Mar. 6

Excel 2010: Intro. - Mar. 8

Access 2010: Intro. - Mar. 14

FRA scholarship applications due Apr. 1

Fermilab Management Practices courses are now available for registration

"5 Treasures" Qigong for stress relief

January 2012 float holiday

NALWO - Volunteers needed for English conversation

Tax presentation for users and visitors

International folk dancing Thursday evenings in Kuhn Barn

Scottish country dancing Tuesday evenings in Kuhn Village Barn

Abri Credit Union Appreciates Our Members

Open badminton at the gym

Winter basketball league

Indoor soccer

Atrium construction updates

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