Anonymous Donor Saves Last U.S. Particle Physics Lab From Going Under

daily tech ^ | 6/2/2008 | Jason Mick

[Flavius]

article physics is one of the most intriguing scientific fields, probing the nature of the very makeup of the universe itself. However, over the last half decade, due to the growing economic crisis and various items such as war funding taking precedence in government budgets, the budget to help the U.S. stay leaders in the field of particle physics has been slipping.

The U.S. currently is down to only one remaining particle physics lab, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois, associated with the University of Chicago and the lab was looking to be on the way out. It had started in February rolling furlough program that slashed already scarce employee pay by 12.5 percent and forced them to take periodic unpaid leave.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Particle physics is what gave us mass spectroscopy, x-rays, electron microscopy, MRI's, CAT scans, etc., which is what resulted in the abilty to do some amazing healthcare and separate materials for making usless toys like computers. ;)

It would have been better if 20 billion of the half trillion dollars used to make the failed HIV vaccines were used to build the SST so that particle physics could get back on track.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Particle physics is what gave us mass spectroscopy, x-rays, electron microscopy, MRI's, CAT scans, etc., which is what resulted in the abilty to do some amazing healthcare and separate materials for making usless toys like computers. ;)

Nope. Wrong. All physics is not particle physics, by any means, which is what you're actually saying. And there were a few OTHER sciences involved (like chemistry). Building gigantic accelerators buried in giant holes in the ground in Texas was and is ludicrous. (and it would still be ludicrous if located elsewhere in the US besides Texas).

[<1/1,000,000th%]

So you’re saying electrons, protons and neutrons aren’t particles?

How quaint.

[Wonder Warthog]

"So you’re saying electrons, protons and neutrons aren’t particles?"

No. I'm saying spending billions of dollars to have accelerator physicists play games is a waste of time and money that can be better spent in other legitimate areas of science. And those "accelerator physicists" might be better served (and do more good) spending time working on Bussard's new approach to fusion energy--which we need a great deal more than we need to find the "Higgs boson".

[AndrewC]

Scientists do not seek the support of the minority of Americans who are anti-science luddites like you.

You don't know crap about me. And what gives you the right to speak for all scientists in the fashion you have? I don't see any refunds to the "undesired" taxpayers from any scientists.

[AndrewC]

Howdy partner! Nice to converse with you. I hope you are having a blessed and joyous time of life.

God bless you and your family.

Andy, the “Luddite”

“Now where’s my danged pitchfork?”

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Thanks.

God bless you and your family too.

“Now where’s my danged pitchfork?”

LOL!

[AFreeBird]

I’m just a little uncertain about experiments designed to figure out the Big Bang and how our universe happened, and where it’s going in the (very, very, very distant) future.

It's not so much the destination, but the road that get you there where you discover all sorts of new and fascinating things.