INSIDE2 Sloan Digital

Sky Survey

4 D. Allan Bromley

5 Italy’s New Collider

6 “I Was a Flack for the Top Quark”

10 Physics andthe Press

by Sharon Butler, Office of Public AffairsNeutrinos, those antisocial particles that

refuse to interact with anything, are streamingall around—and through—us, but we knowvery little about them.

That may soon change, however. OnOctober 13, President Clinton signed theappropriations bill for the U.S. Department ofEnergy, allocating $5.5 million in fiscal year

Volume 20 Friday, November 21, 1997 Number 23

Pho

to b

y R

eid

ar H

ahn

NuMI Gets RollingWith the first installment of DOE funds, NuMI moves from proposal to bona fide project.

f

1998 for Fermilab’s Neutrinos at the MainInjector collaboration and making NuMI nolonger just a proposal but a bona fide project.If funding holds up over the next several years,experimenters hope to begin taking datasometime in 2002.

And then perhaps we’ll know whetherneutrinos have mass.

continued on page 8

Lab crewdescend an old mine shaft to anexperimentalhall 2,400 feet below groundin Soudan,Minnesota.

Pho

to b

y Fr

ed U

llric

h

FermiNews November 21, 19972

by Sharon Butler, Office of Public AffairsAttempts to map the sky are as old as the

hills, but the one that presaged modern-dayefforts was the Carte du Ciel.

Formally organized in 1887, the Carte duCiel project was to involve 17 observatoriesscattered throughout the world, all withidentical telescopes consisting of standardrefractors with 13-inch-diameter lenses and 11-foot focal lengths. Astronomers of the dayintended to produce both a small-scalephotographic atlas of the sky and a catalog ofstars, with their positions and brightnesses.Scheduled to be finished in five years, acompleted Carte du Ciel never materialized.

Still, the Carte du Ciel was the first attemptto chart the universe on such a scale. And it seta precedent for later surveys, like the map ofthe northern hemisphere done by the PalomarObservatory in the1950s.

Enter now the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, acollaborative effort of eight universities andresearch institutions that promises to set a newstandard.

For, as speakers at a recent director’sreview meeting at Fermilab emphasized, thisnew Survey will have no parallel anywhere in the world.

One quarter of the skyWhen completed, the Survey will

systematically chart one quadrant of the entiresky to an unprecedented level of resolution,producing a detailed map and determining thepositions and absolute brightnesses of morethan 100 million celestial objects.

The Survey will also measure the distancesto a million of the nearest galaxies, providing athree-dimensional picture of the universethrough a volume 100 times larger than anyexplored to date. The project will also recordthe distances to 100,000 quasars, among themost distant objects known, giving a uniquelook at the distribution of matter at the edge of the visible universe.

Fermilab’s contributionsThe review meeting, held on November 3,

was a chance to brief not only members ofFermilab but also Jim Crocker, the Survey’snewly appointed associate director for programmanagement. Crocker most recently served asprogram manager for the European SouthernObservatory but perhaps is best known forproposing the method that succeeded incorrecting the initial blurry vision of theHubble Space Telescope.

The meeting was also the first time thatFermilab staff working on the project hadassembled in one room for a major review.People all across the Laboratory are designing,constructing and assembling bits and pieces ofthe 2.5-meter telescope destined for ApachePoint Observatory, in New Mexico.■ Under Don Petravick, head of the HighPerformance and Parallel ComputingDepartment, staff from the Computing

Mapping the SkyFermilab reviews the status of the Laboratory’s contributions to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY

The 2.5-meter telescopefor the Sloan Digital SkySurvey at Apache PointObservatory in NewMexico.

FermiNews November 21, 1997 3

One milestone has just passed. PrincetonUniversity, one of the Survey’s collaborators,delivered to the observatory the imagingcamera—the most complex camera ever built.In the next month, Fermilab staff will hook upthe data acquisition system.

“We’ll find out if this thing really works,”said Kent. Simulations were done, but“experience shows that simulations never testall of the possible features in the final system.”Moreover, because the algorithms used toselect objects for spectroscopy need to be thesame from the beginning to the end of theSurvey, the system has to work soon after thetelescope is running. “Fixes can’t be made asyou go along,” Kent said.

In spring, the telescope should have whatastronomers call “first light”—when the opticsare installed and light passes through to makethe first focused image. Soon thereafter,Fermilab’s controls and interlocks system forpositioning and moving the telescope will beconnected and the software tested andadjusted.

Excitement is growing, then, asinstruments begin to assemble on themountaintop in New Mexico to construct atlast the long-awaited carte du ciel.

Now is when, Kent acknowledged,“morale goes up and, as the systems are put tothe test of fire, panic sets in.” ■

Division have constructed the data acquisitionsystem for processing the 10 to 20 terabytes of data the Survey is expected to accumulate.This system will take the photons of light fromcelestial objects after they have been convertedinto digitized signals, or pixels, and recordthem on magnetic tapes. ■ Under astronomers Steve Kent and BrianYanny, of the Experimental AstrophysicsGroup, staff from Fermilab’s ComputingDivision and other institutions in thecollaboration are developing the software foroffline analysis. This software feeds the digitizedinformation from the magnetic tapes into data-processing “pipelines,” which will convert thepixels into a form astronomers can use toidentify and measure the properties of stars,galaxies and quasars. For example, the monitortelescope pipeline, currently under the directionof astronomer Douglas Tucker, will analyze thedata from the monitor telescope at ApachePoint Observatory to produce a record ofchanges in the transparency of the atmosphere.Using these data, astronomers will be able toaccurately calibrate an object’s brightness, asmeasured by the main telescope.■ With overall coordination of task managerBill Boroski, of the Technical Division,members of Fermilab’s Beams, Particle Physicsand Technical divisions are creating severalsystems for use with the spectrograph, a devicethat will record the spectrum of light to analyzethe distance, composition and age of eachcelestial object. One such system is the fibermapper, associated with huge aluminum platesthat will be inserted at the focal plane of thetelescope. About the size of a large pizza pan,each plate is drilled with 640 holescorresponding to the positions of selectedgalaxies, quasars or stars in the sky. Into theholes, astronomers will fit optical fiber cables torecord the light. The fiber mapper is thebookkeeper, letting the astronomer knowwhich cable went into which hole,corresponding to which celestial object.Fermilab staff are also building the controls andinterlocks that will drive the telescope’s motors,precisely controlling both the speed anddirection of the telescope as required for eachlong sweep of the sky.

MilestonesThe project will hit several important

milestones in the next several months. “We’vereached a stage where, all of a sudden, peopleare bumping into each other,” said Kent.

Astronomer Allyn Smith,from the University ofMichigan, examines themonitor telescope formeasuring changes inatmospheric conditions.

A tape cartridge tohold the data forabout half a night’sobservations.

Pho

to b

y R

eid

ar H

ahn

Pho

to b

y R

eid

ar H

ahn

FermiNews November 21, 19974

Bromley Speaks on Federal Role in U.S. Research

research as a fraction of the grossdomestic product has fallen to half ofwhat it was thirty years ago.

“At the same time, our taxation,financial and regulatory policies haveoffered American industry no incentiveto reverse its current policy of cuttingback on the investments in long-term,high-risk research that were onceprevalent. Today, the vast majority ofthat kind of research is carried out withfederal funding in our universities andnational laboratories. In fact, a recentsurvey has shown that almost threequarters of the citations listed in U.S.

At a U.S. Capitol news conference on October 22, physicist D. AllanBromley, president of the AmericanPhysical Society, joined the presidentsof other scientific societies to speakabout the role of science research inthe United States. The occasion wasthe announcement of the NationalResearch Investment Act of 1998, also known as the Gramm-LiebermanBill, for the two senators who co-sponsored the legislation. The bill calls for doubling federal researchspending in basic scientific researchover the next 10 years. Bromley’sremarks follow:

“Senator Gramm, SenatorLieberman, colleagues, members of thepress, ladies and gentlemen, this isindeed an historic occasion. Science hasbrought us to the threshold of a goldenera. We have a robot exploring Marssending the pictures back live to ourtelevision sets and computers. We havethe knowledge of the world at ourfingertips. Our nation is more secure andmore prosperous than it has ever been.

“My colleagues and I, the leaders of105 professional societies, representingmore than 3 million engineers,mathematicians and scientists, havegathered here today to renew ourcommitment to the investment in scienceand technology, a commitment that hasmade America the envy of the world. Fordecades, whenever our nation has calledfor assistance—to fight disease, to secureour shores or to improve our economicwell being—America’s scientists haveresponded.

“Today, with no enemy threateningour shores, with our nation’s economycontinuing to experience unprecedentedgrowth and with more and moreAmericans living beyond the Biblical fourscore years, it is easy to be lulled into afalse sense of security that our future isfirm and assured. But the truth is thatour extraordinary technological progressof recent years, which has producedcountless benefits for our people, has hadits roots in the research investments wemade as many as three decades ago.Today, the rate of federal investment in

industrial patent applications nowreference publicly supported research inour universities.

“Economists tell us that since theend of World War II, technology hasproduced more than one half of ournation’s economic growth. Today,technology is widely credited withsustaining the six years of strongeconomic growth and increasingproductivity, which have led to the lowrates of inflation and unemployment thatwe now enjoy.

“Economists also tell us that thesocial rate of return of our investments inbasic research—the underpinning oftechnology—is extremely high. Somebelieve that it exceeds 50 percent; fewbelieve that it is lower than 20 percent.

“So today, we, the leaders of ournation’s major science, engineering andmathematics societies have gathered hereto issue a “Unified Statement” calling fora doubling of the federal investment inresearch over the next decade. Weapplaud Senator Gramm and SenatorLieberman for taking the lead in co-sponsoring legislation that strives toachieve this goal in the area of civilianresearch.

“We all recognize that turning thoselegislative words into a reality will not beeasy, particularly when budgets areconstrained and many worthy programsare competing for scarce federal dollars.But all of us also recognize that withoutsustained economic growth, driven bytechnological innovation and seeded bythe fruits of long-term research, thebalanced budget agreement recentlyadopted has little chance of becoming asustainable reality. It is for this reasonthat we have gathered here at theCapitol today.

“Finally, I believe that I speak onbehalf of all of my colleagues when I saythat in the future our nation’s scientists,engineers and mathematicians will dotheir utmost to maximize the return onthe federal research investment, just asthey have done in the past.

“I thank you all for coming and forthis opportunity to speak on thisimportant matter.” ■

“…Whenever our nation

has called for assistance—

to fight disease, to secure our

shores or to improve our

economic well being—

America’s scientists

have responded.”Ph

oto

by

Bo

b P

alm

er

FermiNews November 21, 1997 5

Collision Imminent Near RomeFrascati physicists reach milestone.

by Judy Jackson, Office of Public AffairsMatter is about to meet antimatter at

a rendezvous in the Roman hills.Late in the evening of October 25,

physicists at Italy’s Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, near Rome, reached a major

milestone in the commissioning of thelaboratory’s new electron-

positron collider, DAΦNE. “During a shift

started at 2 p.m., the510-MeV electronbeam has been

transported to theinjection point of the

electron Main Ring,”wrote project leader Gaetano

Vignola in a report toFrascati’s director Paulo Laurelli.

“With the rf cavity off, it waspossible to keep the beam inside

the ring for about 0.3 milliseconds,which is the maximum value allowed by theenergy loss due to the emission of synchrotronradiation and the aperture of the vacuumchamber.”

In a congratulatory message to Laurelli,Fermilab Director John Peoples wrote that “the next few months should be very excitingat Frascati.”

Indeed they should. By mid-November,Frascati physicists hope to begin acceleratingbeams of positrons, the antimatter counterpartsof electrons, in a separate ring. In the next year,they plan to bring the electrons and positronstogether in collisions at the world-record-breaking design luminosity of 1032 cm-2/sec.(“Inverse centimeters squared per second” arethe units of initial peak luminosity in a collider;they correlate with the number of particlecollisions that occur.)

Physicists will use the DAΦNE collider tostudy the matter-antimatter asymmetry calledCP violation in the decay of neutral K mesons,in experiments complementary to those atFermilab’s KTeV fixed-target experiment.DAΦNE will produce copious quantities of phi (Φ) mesons, which decay to kaons.

“DAΦNE will produce lots of phi mesonsand in very clean conditions,” said KTeVcospokesman and University of Chicagophysicist Bruce Winstein. “The phi decays to atwo-particle coherent superposition of K-longand K-short, allowing many beautiful andprecise tests of CP and CPT symmetries. TheKLOE group will be making these tests andmeasurements in a way that has only beendreamed about up until now. Those of usattempting similar studies here at Fermilabeagerly await the imminent commencement ofthis new program.”

The connection between Frascati andFermilab is a strong one. In 1979, for example,Frascati physicist Paolo Giromini was the thirdcollaborator (“after Alvin Tollestrup and HansJensen”) to join Fermilab’s CDF collaboration.Frascati scientists now number 16 amongCDF’s 450 collaborators, and Frascati physicistsand technicians built many critical parts of theCDF detector.

Giromini takes a strong personal interest inhis colleagues’ achievements at DAΦNE.

“I have a wager with Vignola,” he said.“He bet me that they would achieve the designluminosity of 1032 by Christmas of next year.The winner gets to take any number of friendsto dinner at the loser’s expense.”

To dinner where?“In Rome, of course,” Giromini said. ■

Fisheye view of theDAΦNE hall aftercompletion ofconstruction in August 1997.

Rome

Pho

to c

ou

rtes

y o

f La

bo

rato

ri N

azio

nal

i di F

rasc

ati

•Frascati

FermiNews November 21, 19976

by Donald Sena, Office of Public AffairsThe best lesson I’ve ever received about

clichés wasn’t in my college journalismclasses—it was on the Fermilab basketballcourt.

As I squared up to guard one of thenation’s preeminent astrophysicists in a game, I got too close to him, thinking he wasn’tgoing to get around me. However, a flawlesscrossover move sent me moving one way whilehe slid the other for a clean lay-up.

So much for the notion of nerdy physicistsin white lab coats.

But the cliché-busting didn’t end there. Atthe world’s highest-energy particle accelerator,I encountered physicists battling office politics,experimenters with a passion for birdwatching,project managers juggling busy family lives andeven a scientific collaboration with a residentrock and roll band.

To those who make Fermilab and thephysical sciences a part of their daily lives, theseactivities are not surprising. However, to someon the “outside,” the stereotype of a scientist isall they have to draw upon. When it comes toresearch, the layman is even more at a loss. But the evidence, both anecdotal and statistical,tells us that laymen—who pay for basic researchwith their taxes—have a thirst for science; to the volunteers at Fermilab’s recent OpenHouse, this was more than evident. Yet a gapremains, a disconnect between scientist andlayman that allows the clichés to persist and thefunding to fluctuate. Fortunately, a simple

remedy exists—a bridge, if you will: sciencecommunication.

Communication, whether speech, writingor images, helps people understand the benefitbehind the science and the passion behind thescientist. True, particle physics is complicated,but people are willing to put in the effort andtime to learn. A physicist may have to explain aconcept two or three times to an audience of ninth graders or work with a newspaperreporter until the scribe can write about CPviolation in simple terms, but the end result is often a nugget of enlightenment and a dashof passion for the physical laws. This under-standing brings those on the outside closer toFermilab’s sophisticated work, while openingpeople’s imaginations and expanding theirknowledge.

Show me the moneyIf the wonderment doesn’t grab you, how

about the money?The U.S. federal budget is broken down

into two parts: entitlements and discretionaryspending. During the Kennedy Administration,the entitlements, or mandatory spendingportion, totaled only 17 percent of the budget,leaving the rest for discretionary spending.Now, entitlements occupy more than 65percent of the budget. Of the remaining 35percent, about half goes to defense spending,leaving only about 17 percent for the rest ofthe government, including science, education,infrastructure and other federal programs.

“I Was a Flack for the Top Quark”

When former Washington Post reporter Don Sena came to work in

Fermilab’s Office of Public Affairs in the summer of 1995, he didn’t

know a quark from a hole in the ground. His assignments soon took him into a

hole in the ground—the Tevatron particle accelerator—to learn first-hand the

workings of the science of high-energy physics so that he could help Fermilab

explain its research to the rest of the world. Soon he was tossing off terms like

“lepton,” “charmonium” and “CP violation” as though he had been speaking

physics all his life. Last week, Sena returned to journalism, leaving behind these

parting thoughts on the art of science communication.

Don Sena, formerassistant head of public affairs atFermilab.

Pho

to b

y R

eid

ar H

ahn

FermiNews November 21, 1997 7FermiNews November 21, 1997 7

Government representatives who supportscience, from senators to aldermen, arepractically begging scientists to get out of theirexperiment halls and share their work withothers. These representatives generally thinkscience is good for the nation, but they need toconvince their constituents that basic researchdeserves funding. As one congressman said tome last year, “How can I convince the farmerin Indiana that basic research is necessary?”

At every political/science forum I attendedin the past two years, the government speakersurged physicists to explain what they do andwhy it is important. Those representatives needthe support of their constituencies to keepfunding science. Money for basic science onceflowed with little impediment. But the presenteconomic forces don’t allow that luxuryanymore. As the discretionary budget continuesto shrink, the competition for that small slicecontinues to grow.

Getting the word outCommunication can take many forms.

For some of us, it means standing in thebackground. By following physicists around,asking the same question four different ways,sending frantic e-mails for last-secondexplanations and observing the events at theLab, I was able to immerse myself in the innerworkings, filter out the jargon and write simplyabout complicated topics. Mostly the wordsfilled the pages of FermiNews, which is read by

school teachers, congressmen, reporters,scientists and my mother, who was quick topoint out when I didn’t explain the sciencesufficiently. These stories set out to record, inchby inch, the daily grind at the Laboratory alongwith the lofty goals—as we attempted to shedlight on the personalities as well as the research.

Although the science community is movingin the right direction with respect tocommunication, much work remains. Forexample, the Neutrinos at the Main Injectorproject will challenge the entire Laboratory’soutreach capability. A beam of pure muonneutrinos speeding underground from Illinoisto Minnesota will surely raise the eyebrows ofmore than just one Wisconsin dairy farmer. But open and informed communication aboutneutrinos and their elusive properties will showpeople the benefits of this research and ease ourneighbors’ concerns. If even a few people moveacross the bridge to understanding Fermilab’spurpose, then the communication is worth the time and effort. Scientists addressing aclassroom or city council meeting, judging at ascience fair, giving a tour of the Lab or talkingto reporters about their work also help peoplemove across that bridge.

And maybe sometime, somewhere,someone will give a physicist the properrespect—especially when he dribbles into thefront court to set up the offense. ■

September 1995: Martha Krebs, head of DOE’s Office of Energy Research, with Fermilab physicist Steve Holmes and others in the prairie during Fermilab’s 1995 on-site review. Sena, in background, takes notes.

April 1997: Sena with Kamal Seth, ofNorthwestern University.

April 1997: Kamal Seth(left) and Jack Gibbons(center), director of theExecutive Branch’s Officeof Science and TechnologyPolicy, walk with FermilabDirector John Peoples inthe Main Injector tunnel.Reporter Sena hustles to keep up.

June 1997: James White, from the Texas A&MUniversity, escorts Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tx.)through the DZero detector, as Sena strains tofollow the action from the background.

Pho

tos

by

Rei

dar

Hah

n

FermiNews November 21, 19978

COSMOS and MINOSAccording to Gina Rameika, project

manager for NuMI, the $5.5 million will pay for engineering and design work on the1.2-kilometer tunnel that will house the NuMI beamline.

Two experiments are planned for this newbeamline. Both are designed to test whetherneutrinos oscillate—or change from one kind,or flavor, to another—and hence have mass.

One is called the short-baselineexperiment, “short” because the distance from the source of neutrinos to the proposeddetector, COSMOS, is only about onekilometer. Experimenters will direct a nearlypure beam of muon neutrinos at a target andlook for oscillation between the muon and theelectron neutrinos. These are the neutrinos thatsome physicists believe may account for someof the dark matter, the bulk of matter in theuniverse that astronomers are unable to see but know exists.

The other experiment is called the long-baseline experiment, “long” because the targetis 730 kilometers away, in a former iron mine inSoudan, Minnesota. The Soudan mine is nowan underground state park run by theMinnesota Department of Natural Resources.It also houses a giant one-kiloton detector(called Soudan 2), which has been used tosearch for evidence of proton decay and now isinvolved in studies of atmospheric neutrinos.

For this experiment, two very similarMINOS detectors will be used, one placed atthe end of the beamline on the Fermilabproperty and a larger one in a proposed hall inthe Soudan mine. Experimenters will comparethe properties of the neutrinos as they leave theFermilab site and when they arrive in Soudan,counting at each site the number of electron,muon and tau neutrinos. If electron or tauneutrinos appear at Soudan, the experimenterswill know that the neutrinos oscillated, and thatneutrinos therefore have mass.

Construction and batsThe $5.5 million gets NuMI started, but

funding is critical to keep the project movingon schedule. According to Rameika, civilconstruction of the tunnel here and of thecavern at the Soudan mine is slated to begin infiscal year 1999, in winter or early spring. Thebulk of construction work for the detectorsshould take place in fiscal year 2000. By fiscalyear 2001, experimenters hope to get what iscalled “beneficial occupancy” of the Fermilab

NuMIcontinued from page 1

Pho

to b

y R

eid

ar H

ahn

Pho

to b

y Fr

ed U

llric

h

continued on page 11

At Soudan, iron ore was once loaded onto trains from this structure. The mining facility was closed in 1962.

Wheels like this one in the headframe (background) raise and lower theelevator that carries tourists and workers down into the historic Soudan mine.

FermiNews November 21, 1997 9

A doorway (inset) leads to the Soudan 2 lab, located in an excavated hall of the former iron mine.

The 1-kilotondetector in theSoudan 2 lab wasbuilt to search forevidence of protondecay. It is nowemployed in thestudy of atmosphericneutrinos and will bemodified for use inthe MINOSexperiment.

Pho

tos

by

Rei

dar

Hah

n

10 FermiNews November 21, 1997

For his master’s thesis in journalism,former Fermilab journalism intern EricBerger chose to study the complex andoften ambivalent relationship betweenthe particle physics community and themedia. Berger used the results of aquestionnaire distributed at Fermilab and at CERN, the European PhysicsLaboratory, to probe physicists’ opinionson a number of issues related to theirtrade and the media.

By Eric Berger, Reporter, Houston Chronicle

In the fall of 1996, a total of 451particle physicists, 134 of them fromFermilab, responded to my 40-statementsurvey on the media. Although only alow percentage of the distributed surveyswere returned, the large number ofresponses did allow me to draw someconclusions from the results.

The physicists who responded didnot believe that the media, in general, adequately cover particle physics.Moreover, physicists rated the existingcoverage as not good. As severalrespondents noted, some publicationsand broadcast programs do an excellentjob and others a poor one, making itdifficult to venture opinions on theamount and quality of media coverage of physics. Yet the best physics mediacoverage, including publications such asthe New York Times and Science andtelevision programs such as Nova, reach limited audiences. The generalconclusion stands: people do not receivemuch, if any, quality physics news.

Still, particle physicists believe theirwork merits public interest andunderstanding. Indeed, respondentswholeheartedly disagreed with thenotion that their research lies so far outof the public realm that any potentialmedia coverage is meaningless. Fromresponses to other statements, thephysicists who took part in my surveyseemed willing to do their part to assistand improve media coverage of particlephysics.

Physics and thePress

Pho

to b

y R

eid

ar H

ahn

FNAL CERN

Without government funding, most basic research 4.72 4.75could not be conducted.

The mass media, like newspapers and television, 2.12 2.27provide an adequate amount of physics coverage.

The quality of mass media physics coverage is good. 2.09 2.18

Physics and physics research should receive more 3.84 3.86mass media coverage.

I would welcome the next contact with a journalist. 3.79 3.77

Mass media coverage of physics is not important. 1.72 1.91

Mass media coverage of physics is important for 3.83 3.74physicists.

Mass media coverage of physics research ultimately 3.92 3.87helps physicists obtain government/public funding.

As a physicist, I dislike the idea of speaking to the 2.38 2.35media because they will probably make an error.

By focusing on a specific topic, the mass media 4.11 4.04raise public interest in that particular topic.

It is not important for physicists to learn 1.62 1.74how to discuss their research in terms clear to non-scientists.

Most particle physics research is too far removed 1.93 2.07from public knowledge to make mass media coverage of it have any value.

Twelve statements from the questionnaire 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree

Lunch served from11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

$8/personDinner served at 7 p.m.

$20/person

For reservations, call x4512Cakes for Special Occasions

Dietary RestrictionsContact Tita, x3524

-Lunch

WednesdayNovember 26

Cheese FondueCaesar Salad

Pineapple Slices

DinnerThursday

November 27CLOSED

Happy Thanksgiving!

LunchWednesdayDecember 3

Game Henswith Mango Rum Glaze

Green RiceCorn and Red Peppers

Chocolate Almond Mousse

DinnerThursday

December 4Smokey Clam Chowder

Grilled Duck Breastwith Sherry Beurre Blanc

Wild Rice with Woodland MushroomsBrussel Sprouts with Bacon and LemonMocha Butter Cake

with Chocolate Ganache

-

-

-

-

FermiNews November 21, 1997 11

First, a full three quarters of thosesurveyed said they would welcomecontact with a journalist, a findingconsistent with studies that havelooked at scientists from otherdisciplines. Along the same lines,scientists said they did not mindspeaking to the media despite thepossibility of the journalist’s making anerror. Finally, nearly every respondentfelt the need for physicists to learnhow to discuss their research withoutjargon, in terms clear to nonscientists.

In the study, essentially all thesurvey’s participants said they couldnot conduct their research withoutgovernment funding. How dophysicists continue to convincelegislators to fund their experiments?The majority of respondents felt mediacoverage, to some extent, helpsphysicists obtain funding. Also, theparticipating physicists believe that, byfocusing on a particular topic, themedia raise public interest in thattopic. The general tenor of mysurvey’s results suggests a “we’d ratherhave it than not” attitude towardmedia coverage.

Who bears responsibility forpromoting the field of particle physicsand conveying both its economic andintellectual benefits? Physicists bear it,of course, alone and collectively,through their representativeorganizations and respective societies.Yet I believe they should realize theyhave a potential ally in journalism. By working with journalists, allowingthe media into their labs, taking thetime for accurate explanations ofconcepts and helping the media findthe “news,” scientists can spread themessage of particle physics. Sciencejournalists, conversely, must be willingto commit time to visit labs, talk with scientists and make sure theirrepresentations of concepts do notoffend the scientists who are quoted.The benefit for the media, of course, isa chance to tell potentially fascinatingstories never told before.

The physicists who responded tomy media survey seem simply to wanta fair shake and a consistent forum forsharing their research, a request towhich science journalists can andshould assent. ■

tunnel and the Soudan hall, allowing installationof the detectors and beamline components, aprocess that takes about a year. Finally, Rameikasaid, “the goal is to begin commissioning [turningthe beamline on and getting the detectorsworking] in late fiscal year 2002.”

But first, excavation of the tunnel here atFermilab is waiting for DOE’s budget for fiscalyear 1999.

And construction of the hall in the Soudanmine is waiting for a requested $3 million fromthe University of Minnesota.

Construction in Soudan may also have to waitfor the Little Brown Myotis bats that live in the54 miles of tunnels in the former mine. Accordingto Bill Miller, manager of the undergroundSoudan 2 lab, this is the largest bat habitat in theupper Midwest. Bats from as far as 250 miles awaycome to roost in the Soudan’s caverns.

Trouble is, the bats begin hibernating inSeptember, and finally rouse themselves at the endof April. If construction should begin during thattime, the bats might wake and fly to some quieterplace, meanwhile using up too much of theirstored food supplies to survive the winter. Theycould very well die.

One solution is to begin constructionbetween May and August. That way, the bats willfind another roosting spot before any damage isdone.

But even if construction needs to beginearlier, Miller claims there shouldn’t be a problem.Just make a lot of noise in September before thebats settle down to sleep.

And how does Miller propose generatingnoise? Set up a stereo system, he said, and “playsomething obnoxious like heavy metal.” ■

NuMIcontinued from page 8

In exhibits at the Soudan Underground MineState Park, dummy miners push carts of iron ore.

FOR SALE■ ’96 Suzuki Swift, 11K miles. Almost new,$8,500. Contact Alberto, x3589 orsantoro@fnal.gov.■ ’95 Dodge Caravan, 40.5K miles. Very goodcondition, $10,000. Contact Alberto, x3589 orsantoro@fnal.gov.■ ’87 Honda Civic, 127K miles, 4 dr, new brakes,new tires, $3,000. Contact Alberto, x3589 orsantoro@fnal.gov.■ ’87 Chevy Blazer, has 158K miles but a newfactory-installed motor with 30K miles on it, $3,000.’86 Ford Tempo, $500. GE hotpoint stove, $50.Call Robin, x3377.■ Four American racing equipment aluminumwheels, 15" x 8", with P275/60R15 BF GoodrichT/A radial tires. Fits full-size Chevy truck (5 lugs).Never used in winter. $400. Contact x4396, (630)859-8596 or pritchard@fnal.gov.■ PC, Packard Bell, 100 MHz Pentium, 2 HD(one is 1.2 GB, other 2.0 GB),CD-ROM and 3.5 d.driver, BJ-C610 Cannon printer and a multimediacomputer station. All for $1,500. Call Alberto,x3589 or santoro@fnal.gov■ Atomic Arc 195 skis, Salomon 547 sportbindings, size 12 US or 13 EU Trappeur 2000boots (also have poles, ski & boot bag), $200 obo;Head skis older-style bindings, $25; Kenwoodmulticomponent stereo system w/cabinet, includeslinear-tracking turntable, amplifier ka-94, synthesizeram/fm tuner kt-54 (memory holds 14 am & 14 fmstations), graphic equalizer ge-34, dual-deck cassetterecorder kw-64w, cd player dp-840, 2 4-way 150-watt speakers jl-840. $1,500 obo. Contact Terry,x4572 or skweres@fnal.gov■ Gravely convertible lawn tractor, 12 hp B&S,walk behind with sulky, dual wheel with chains, 40" mower deck, 30" snow thrower, old but ingood condition, $750. Contact Mark, x4776 ormarkl@fnal.gov.■ Moving sale: small TV, $90; Samsung microwave,$50; Hoover Eureka Boss, $50; Hamilton Beachblender, 10 speeds, $15; Betty Crocker toaster, $10;iron & board; $10. All together, $200. Everything is1.5-2 years old and seldom used. Must go beforeThanksgiving! Contact riotto@fnas07.fnal.gov,stropolo@uic.edu or (630) 416-2180 after 7 p.m.■ Moving estate sale: China cabinet, buffet, tables,lamps, 2 sets china, sterling-silver tableware, silver-plate tableware & serving pieces, 2 antique lacetablecloths. Antique rocker, stool and pillow. Maplerocker, antique “grandma” rocker. Child’s solidwood table & chair, antique child’s chairw/needlepoint seat, porcelain 14-pc child’s tea set.Oak desk, credenza, 5-drawer dresser, double dresserw/mirror. Whirlpool compactor, small kitchenappliances. Hummel figurines, jewelry & so muchmore. For appointment, call (630) 896-8052. Please leave message.■ House, 5 mins from Wilson Hall in Wind MillCove, Batavia. This 4-bdrm colonial is on a quietcul-de-sac w/ beautifully landscaped fenced-in yard.Many upgrades incl. a fireplace in family room, 2-1/2 baths, 2-car garage and a full basement, pluscentral air conditioning. $219,500. Call Jim, (630) 879-6246.

Published by the Fermilab Office of Public AffairsMS 206 P.O. Box 500 Batavia, IL 60510630-840-3351ferminews@ fnal.gov

Fermilab is operated by Universities Research Association, Inc.,under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy.

✩ U.S. GOVERNMENTPRINTING OFFICE: 1998--646-054/80005

50% TOTAL RECOVERED FIBER

10% POST-CONSUMER FIBER

FermiNews November 21, 199712

C L A S S I F I E D S

M I L E S T O N E SRETIRING■ Arthur Gilbertson, ID #348, on November 14,1997, from TD/Material Control group.

■ Jean Lemke, ID #57, from the Director’s Office,on November 21, 1997.

HONORED■ Fermilab, by the American Heart Association, for employee contributions in 1997.

LAB NOTETUITION REQUESTS DUEA reminder to students needing tuitionreimbursement advances before the end of the year:In order to ensure your request is processed thisyear, advance requests must be turned in byWednesday, December 12. Forms received after thisdate will be processed in January. Thank you foryour cooperation.

DECEMBER 4Wellness Works presents: Changing Personal Habits,Melissa Wolf, 11:30–1 in 1 West.

DECEMBER 12Fermilab International Film Society presents: Night of the Hunter, Dir: Charles Laughton, USA(1955). Admission $4, in Ramsey Auditorium,Wilson Hall at 8 p.m.

ONGOINGNALWO coffee mornings, Thursdays, 10 a.m. in the Users’ Center, call Selitha Raja, (630) 305–7769.In the Village Barn, international folk dancing,Thursdays, 7:30–10 p.m., call Mady, (630) 584–0825; Scottish country dancingTuesdays, 7–9:30 p.m., call Doug, x8194.

CALENDAR

With the holidaysapproaching, FermiNewswill be published on arevised schedule. The next two issues will appear on December 12, 1997, andJanuary 9, 1998.

The deadline for theFriday, December 12,1997, issue of FermiNewsis Tuesday, November 25.

Please send your articlesubmissions, classifiedadvertisements and ideasto the Public AffairsOffice, MS 206, or e-mail ferminews@fnal.gov.

FermiNews welcomes letters from readers. Please include yourname and daytimephone number.