Philosophy
Fermilab
Wow, a back to back science offering from PBS. Tonight on Independent Lens is a program called "The Atom Smashers".
"The Atom Smashers"
And co-director Clayton Brown's blog
the atom smasher
Who knew smashing atoms together would be so interesting?
With all the hoopla lately over the possible end of the world and the recent launch of CERN's new Large Hadron Collider, this movie's release was timed pretty well.
The Atom Smashers follows a group of physicists who are all involved in research at Fermilab to look for the famed Higgs Boson, or "God Particle", well before the folks in Europe started looking. But instead of just chronicling the hunt itself, the documentary examines the daily lives of the men and women who have devoted their careers to look for something they don't really know exists. An apt quote from the movie goes, "It is difficult to see a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat."
Instead of wearing white lab coats and pocket protectors, these career-long geeks are shown not to be anything near society's stereotypical perception of scientists. They play in rock bands, dress like skaters, dance in salsa clubs (albeit badly), and fly model airplanes. They have relationships with each other that come under strain with project deadlines and conferences. The researchers are seen as human beings with super-human determination.
In addition to the personal struggle to maintain normal lives, the scientists come under intense pressure with reduced funding and program cuts from the Bush administration. It points out the irony about how the people making the decisions for scientific funding don't fully understand the underlying principles of the science that is being researched. They also feel the heat as they compete with the impending completion of the European machine, in a race that is seen as "competitive collaboration".
Being an engineer myself, I related to this piece quite well and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with an ounce of inner-geekdom. Any film where you can just sense the tension on screen is a good film in my books. The documentary also does a great job of examining the question of "why" and the whole purpose behind the decades-long search for the elusive particle.
It's unfortunate however that the ending is open ended. But then again, that's all due to timing, as the search for the "God Particle" continues...
- Fermilab...a New Documentary Film
"Fermilab documentary offers inside look" A new documentary about the people and science of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is now available on YouTube. by Andre Salles February 12, 2013 Symmetry When Clayton Brown and Monica Long Ross were commissioned...
- Higgs Boson Announcement...the Drama Is Not Effective
"Physicists to Make Major 'God Particle' Announcement Next Week" by Jeanna Bryner December 8th, 2011 LiveScience Scientists at the Swiss lab that hosts the world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), will announce their...
- The "face Of God" Not To Be Revealed Just Now
"Hints fade of elusive physics 'God particle'" by Kerry Sheridan August 23rd, 2011 AFP International scientists searching to solve the greatest riddle in all of physics said Monday that signs are fading of the elusive Higgs-Boson...
- "and In This Corner...fermi National Accelerator Laboratory"
One begins to wonder if blood letting will occur? The Higgs boson [God Particle] is the prize and the race between Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the LHC is on. One problem...the LHC is down for maintenance thus FermiLabs has currently an...
- "the Atom Smashers"--eccentric
Now I know why they ran this so late last night. "The Atom Smashers" was a study of eccentric physicists and the race to discover the Higgs Boson--overall somewhat boring. It is a small world of theoretical physicists and the question here, especially...
Philosophy
"The Atom Smashers"--tonight on PBS
FermilabWow, a back to back science offering from PBS. Tonight on Independent Lens is a program called "The Atom Smashers".
"The Atom Smashers"
And co-director Clayton Brown's blog
the atom smasher
"Review: The Atom Smashers"
by
Duran
October 1st, 2008
by
Duran
October 1st, 2008
Who knew smashing atoms together would be so interesting?
With all the hoopla lately over the possible end of the world and the recent launch of CERN's new Large Hadron Collider, this movie's release was timed pretty well.
The Atom Smashers follows a group of physicists who are all involved in research at Fermilab to look for the famed Higgs Boson, or "God Particle", well before the folks in Europe started looking. But instead of just chronicling the hunt itself, the documentary examines the daily lives of the men and women who have devoted their careers to look for something they don't really know exists. An apt quote from the movie goes, "It is difficult to see a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat."
Instead of wearing white lab coats and pocket protectors, these career-long geeks are shown not to be anything near society's stereotypical perception of scientists. They play in rock bands, dress like skaters, dance in salsa clubs (albeit badly), and fly model airplanes. They have relationships with each other that come under strain with project deadlines and conferences. The researchers are seen as human beings with super-human determination.
In addition to the personal struggle to maintain normal lives, the scientists come under intense pressure with reduced funding and program cuts from the Bush administration. It points out the irony about how the people making the decisions for scientific funding don't fully understand the underlying principles of the science that is being researched. They also feel the heat as they compete with the impending completion of the European machine, in a race that is seen as "competitive collaboration".
Being an engineer myself, I related to this piece quite well and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with an ounce of inner-geekdom. Any film where you can just sense the tension on screen is a good film in my books. The documentary also does a great job of examining the question of "why" and the whole purpose behind the decades-long search for the elusive particle.
It's unfortunate however that the ending is open ended. But then again, that's all due to timing, as the search for the "God Particle" continues...
- Fermilab...a New Documentary Film
"Fermilab documentary offers inside look" A new documentary about the people and science of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is now available on YouTube. by Andre Salles February 12, 2013 Symmetry When Clayton Brown and Monica Long Ross were commissioned...
- Higgs Boson Announcement...the Drama Is Not Effective
"Physicists to Make Major 'God Particle' Announcement Next Week" by Jeanna Bryner December 8th, 2011 LiveScience Scientists at the Swiss lab that hosts the world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), will announce their...
- The "face Of God" Not To Be Revealed Just Now
"Hints fade of elusive physics 'God particle'" by Kerry Sheridan August 23rd, 2011 AFP International scientists searching to solve the greatest riddle in all of physics said Monday that signs are fading of the elusive Higgs-Boson...
- "and In This Corner...fermi National Accelerator Laboratory"
One begins to wonder if blood letting will occur? The Higgs boson [God Particle] is the prize and the race between Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the LHC is on. One problem...the LHC is down for maintenance thus FermiLabs has currently an...
- "the Atom Smashers"--eccentric
Now I know why they ran this so late last night. "The Atom Smashers" was a study of eccentric physicists and the race to discover the Higgs Boson--overall somewhat boring. It is a small world of theoretical physicists and the question here, especially...