From Time, Dec. 6, 2019: Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper summarizes the current state of the search for dark matter. Scientists can say with great confidence that we understand how and why our universe evolved over the vast majority of its history. From this perspective, the universe looks more comprehensible than ever before. And yet, not all is understood.
In the news
From Forbes, Nov. 29, 2019: Books by Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper and Fermilab Office of Education and Public Outreach Head Becky Thompson are selected for this holiday gift guide.
From UC Riverside, Dec. 4, 2019: The University of California, Riverside is participating in the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, which brings together more than 1,000 scientists from around the world to learn more about ghostly particles called neutrinos.
From Rapid City Journal, Nov. 28, 2019: The Ross and Yates Shafts were built in the 1930s and served as powerhouses for Homestake Mining Company for years. When asked what is most remarkable about these shafts, the experts unanimously agree — the engineering and craftsmanship that allow these shafts to be used to this day by Sanford Underground Research Facility.
From CERN, Dec. 3, 2019: Large-scale scientific facilities, such as those for conducting particle physics research, are financed by society. A team of economists recently performed a cost-benefit analysis of upgrading the Large Hadron Collider. They concluded that the socioeconomic and cultural benefits gained from the project — not including potential scientific discoveries — exceed the total pecuniary investment.
DOE has awarded a $1.9 million grant to Northern Illinois University and the Illinois Institute of Technology for the training of next-generation workers in accelerator science and technology. The program will cover student tuition costs for two years and fund paid research assistantships at Fermilab and Argonne. Physics professors Michael Syphers and Philippe Piot, both experts in particle accelerator research and technology, are leading the effort at NIU.
From DOE, Dec. 2, 2019: in a bipartisan vote of 70-15, the United States Senate confirmed Dan Brouillette to be the 15th U.S. secretary of energy. An official swearing in will take place at a later date. Prior to confirmation, Acting Secretary Brouillette served as the deputy secretary of energy under Secretary Rick Perry.
From AAAS, Nov. 26, 2019: Fermilab scientist Vladimir Shiltsev has been elected a AAAS fellow. Fellows are elected each year by their peers serving on the Council of AAAS, the organization’s member-run governing body. The 2019 group will receive official certificates and rosette pins in gold and blue, colors symbolizing science and engineering, in a ceremony on Feb. 15, 2020, during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle.
From WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, Nov. 25, 2019: Fermilab scientist Dan Hooper spends his time contemplating the biggest mystery of all: how the universe came to be. In this 7-minute television segment, he outlines four big fundamental puzzles stumping cosmologists right now. He also explains these mysteries in his book “At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of our Universe’s First Seconds.”
From Gizmodo, Nov. 25, 2019: The oldest particle accelerator at CERN, home to the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, is celebrating its 60th birthday. It’s still running. The Proton Synchrotron accelerated its first protons on Nov. 24, 1959. It was the world’s highest-energy accelerator when it first began running.