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4bd59dafcce65 The entire group on and around a solar calendar outside the Leon Lederman Education Center at Fermilab. It is NOT a solar clock. The shadow actually reveals the date !
Tana Kern and Dana Wright share a smile over lunch at FermiLab cafeteria.
Paul Brink, Annika Furnsinn, Sierra Gerry, Amanda Narverud smile in front of Wilson Hall displays at FermiLab.
Docent Larry Welsh uses pointer to show places on a scale model of the 7,000-acre FermiLab which consists mainly of native prairie completely surrounded by Chicago suburbs.
Jeff West students focus on activity inside the main control room which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at FermiLab.
Sierra Gerry stands next to poster of the Standard Model of Particle Interactions -- smaller quarks and leptons which make up such things as protons, neutrons, electrons and YOU !
Digital display in control room shows anti-protons are being produced.
Stephen Goodrick watches activity in the main control room.
Paul Brink, Matt Anderson, and Stephen Goodrick peer into the main control room at FermiLab which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Stephen Goodrick takes a closer look at the method used to treat soft tissue cancers such as prostate, stomach and breast.
Jeff West students listen to a docent explaining one of the unexpected products of pure research at FermiLab -- neutron therapy to effectively treat soft tissue cancers. Since neutrons are one of the sub-atomic products produced at FermiLab a medical office was installed to treat cancer patients right next to the anti-proton particle generator.
Exchange students Annika Furnsinn from Germany and Barbara Fontanelli from Brazil give thumbs up next to tanks of liquid nitrogen needed to keep superconducting magnets BELOW -100 degrees Celsius.
Amanda Narverud, Jana Domes, Sam Real, Ethan Donovan, and Malte Meiners listen to an explanation of how antiprotons are created and accelerated.
Sometimes work inside particle colliders must be done using remote control. Here students Malte Meiners, Paul Brink, Kaitlin West, Tanner Clark, Annika Furnsinn, Melanie Beeghly watch the challenge of remotely controlling a model.
Exchange student Barbara Fontanelli is all smiles to see her native Brazillian flag on the wall at D-Zero where collisions occur at FermiLab.
Matt Anderson's "cool shadow" is attractive to digital butterflies in an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.
The view is spectacular. Looking north you can see the outline of Lake Michigan against the dazzling lights of Chicago.
Friday evening the group took a fast elevator to the 94th floor observation deck of the John Hancock Tower. Andy Kern holds a spring scale so Sierra Gerry can measure the "G force" on the elevator.
Annika Furnsinn is also pleased to see her native German flag among the flags of 15 different countries currently conducting research at D-Zero.
The entire group on and around a solar calendar outside the Leon Lederman Education Center at Fermilab. It is NOT a solar clock. The shadow actually reveals the date !

Physics Student visit FermiLab outside Chicago

By Rod Smith

April 26, 2010

Jefferson West High School physics students and parents visited FermiLab outside Chicago in early April. This was the 9th consecutive year physics instructor Rod Smith has taken a group to spend a day touring what is now the world’s 2nd most powerful particle collider since CERN became operational recently in Switzerland.

 

There is no cost to the school district since students, parents and Smith pay their own way.

 

Students taking the Thursday overnight chartered bus ride from Meriden were: Matt Anderson, Melanie Beeghly, Paul Brink, Tanner Clark, Jana Domes, Ethan Donovan, Mark Flood, Barbara Fontanelli, Annika Furnsinn, Sierra Gerry, Stephen Goodrick, Tyler Holloman, Tana Kern, Clint Lee, Malte Meiners, Amanda Narverud, Sam Real, Daniel Sayles, Danielle Steffey, Jocelyn Torsten, Kaitlin West, Chris Wilke, Marissa Wright. 

 

Parents going were: Adam Kern, Karen Lee, Jerry Real, Karen Real, Frank Sayles, Dave Steffey, Betty Stiles, Dana Wright.

 

Saturday everyone broke into smaller groups to do a wide variety of activities before another overnight bus ride back to Meriden where they arrived just before sunrise. Different groups enjoyed combinations of such things as the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute, Navy Pier, Museum of Science and Industry, shopping and just experiencing the city of Chicago

 

On the way back Saturday evening everyone wrote down a couple of things on a post-it they will remember. "This was my favorite thing," said Smith. "It really is amazing all the different experiences in such a relatively short time. I read them to the group and we could not help but smile, laugh, be surprised and inquisitive about what others shared."

 

"Parents make this possible. Being able to break into smaller groups and tour the city is wonderful. It is not unusual for some to turn around and take a summer vacation to Chicago."

 

"I give people 3 promises before we leave," said Smith. 

 

#1 – Expect unexpected things to happen.

 

#2 – Seek to experience things special to Chicago – you can watch TV and sleep in Kansas ... Be polite but wary ... You will wish you had more time (i.e. – more money).

 

#3 – You will return exhausted with unparalleled life-long memories.

 

"I think everyone would agree with that after we got back."

 

Be sure to click on the image above and enjoy a slide show of pictures from the trip.

 
 

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