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	Tuesday, June 2, 2015

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Bison, birds and bugs at Fermilab's Family Outdoor Fair on June 14

The whole family can enjoy the activities at the June 14 Family Outdoor Fair. Photo: Cindy Arnold

What could be better than spending a fun-filled day outdoors and learning about natural science at the same time?

For the eighth year in a row, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is inviting families and scout troops to attend the Family Outdoor Fair on Sunday, June 14, from 1-4 p.m. The fair takes place outside the Lederman Science Center and highlights the plant and animal life found on the 6,800-acre Fermilab site in Batavia.

More than a dozen outdoor activities are planned for the fair, including a prairie scavenger hunt, a visit with Fermilab's herd of bison, and a performance by "Earth Singer" Dave Orleans. Kids can test whether they can run as fast as a bison, can sweep for insects and other critters, and thanks to the Naperville Astronomical Association, safely get a long look at the sun.

Once again, the Northern Illinois Raptor Rehabilitation and Education Center, along with local raptor trainers, will be on hand with live hawks, falcons and owls, as well as a collection of bird bones, feathers and hunting gear for children to enjoy.

"We want kids to come away with an appreciation of nature," said Sue Sheehan of the Fermilab Education Office. "There's so much to see. We want to show kids and parents that science is everywhere, even in their own back yards."

Photo of the Day

Angles of IARC

This is one of the IARC building's many good angles. Photo: Adam Bracero, TD

In the News

China exclusive: China plans to launch dark matter probe

From Shanghai Daily, May 30, 2015

SHANGHAI, May 30 (Xinhua) — Chinese scientists are planning to launch a dark matter probe satellite by the end of this year, researchers with the project announced on Friday.

The dark matter particle explorer (DAMPE) satellite will observe the direction, energy and electric charge of high-energy particles in space in search of dark matter, said Chang Jin, chief scientist of the project, at a press briefing held by the Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites (SECM).

Director's Corner

Run 2 of the LHC

Nigel Lockyer

This week, the eyes of the high-energy physics world are on CERN as the LHC experiments prepare to take their first Run 2 data. After a successful more-than-two-year shutdown for maintenance and upgrades, the first beams recirculated in the LHC on Easter Sunday, and test collisions at a new record energy of 13 TeV took place two weeks ago. The final milestone of the LHC restart will be the start of physics data taking, marking the beginning of another intense period for the LHC experiments' 10,000 collaborators.

The first run of the LHC was an unqualified success, highlighted by the 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson by the CMS and ATLAS experiments. Precise measurements of the Higgs are a major focus for Run 2, along with searches for new discoveries. Results from analysis of the data accumulated in Run 2 could have a significant impact on future directions in our field.

The P5 report's highest priority was full exploitation of the LHC, including upgrades to the detectors and accelerator, and it is one of our top priorities at Fermilab. Employees in many different roles across the lab have been crucial to the success of CMS, from detector construction and computing operations to the physics results of Run 1, and we remain committed to the experiment's success and to supporting the participation by all U.S. CMS collaborators. We are actively working on R&D and construction for detector and accelerator upgrades, including leading the LHC Accelerator Research Program targeted at the high-luminosity LHC era. We host many university collaborators in our LHC Physics Center, and our scientists work together with their colleagues on preparing for analysis of Run 2 data.

All of us at Fermilab and in the United States look forward to being part of the excitement of learning more about the Higgs boson and searching for new physics in Run 2.

In the News

CERN update: Large Hadron Collider ready for 'season 2', experiments to restart next week

From International Business Times, May 30, 2015

The event for which physicists across the world are waiting with bated breath is almost here. CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) — the world's most powerful particle accelerator credited with the discovery of the "God particle" Higgs boson in 2012 — will be back in action next week, the European research organization said in a statement released Friday.

"During the second run, up to one billion proton collisions could occur every second in the detectors," CERN said in the statement. Each beam in the collider, traveling close to the speed of light, will carry up to 2,800 "proton bunches," colliding at a record-breaking energy of 13 teraelectronvolts (TeV).

As CERN explains, the particles are so tiny that the task of making them collide is "akin to firing two needles 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] apart with such precision that they meet halfway."