March 4, 2005
Today was the date of the famous dedication of the NuMI Beamline and MINOS experiment. I have to confess that of the three experiments I have been on so far in my carreer, this is the only one that has started off with a dedication. Probably this has something to do with the fact that this experiment cost 50 to 75 times more than each of the earlier experiments I was on, and also took much much longer to build--there are folks who have been working on this project for over a decade!
So how do you dedicate a beamline and neutrino detector? Apparently you do this by inviting the congresspeople from the districts of your beamline (Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert) and your far detector in Minnesota (Representative Jim Oberstar) to attend a dedication ceremony. Once you find a date when both folks can make it, you invite various other dignitaries and everyone else who has contributed to the experiment. So picture an 800-person auditorium packed with engineers, technicians, draftspeople, riggers, welders, operators, geodecists (folks who align things), administrative assistants, physicists, and finally about 60 MINOS physicists in either skirts or jackets and ties sitting down in front.
Both representatives gave speeches, and folks from the Office of Science, and from the Department of Energy and of course the Laboratory Director chimed in as well. People were making a big deal about neutrino physics being the next big thing at Fermilab, and how Fermilab was now going to be the world leader in neutrino physics. To be honest, I kept wishing I could record and play back later all of these speeches, given how tough it's been to get funding for Minerva, a new experiment using the same beamline!
If you're particularly daring in planning this dedication you ask the representative from the beamline district to push a button on a laptop screen which actually results in protons being sent down the beamline to ultimately make a neutrino beam. Then you ask the detector district representative to push another button which shows at least the near detector measuring neutrinos that come from that beamline. Then everyone breathes a sigh of relief when it all works out as planned, and everyone piles out of the auditorium to be greeted by a lab-wide party with food and drinks and live music and dancing!
But the most moving part of this dedication for me was when one of the heads of the experiment (Stan Wojcicki ) read a letter on behalf of the other head (Doug Michael), who could not be there because of his chemotherapy treatment in Los Angeles. Even though the auditorium was packed, there were so many folks who could not attend this dedication--from the other ~150 physicists on MINOS who couldn't fly in just for the afternoon, to all the Fermilab day care teachers I was hoping could come (but who 
still had to watch the kids so they couldn't come) to my dear friend and colleague Nancy who flew to New Hampshire to see her father who I pray is recovering from pneumonia. What Doug said in his speech was that this experiment has brought together a new community of people who have been strengthened by working together, and that the lab itself (and in fact the country) will benefit 
from the fantastic input of those folks who come for the science we can do at this new facility. I can't really do his speech justice, but over the weekend I wrote Doug to ask him if I could reprint his speech here, and he very kindly agreed. So I will hand this off to Doug now, since I think he says it best.
Dear Distinguished Guests and Colleages,
As many of you are aware, I was diagnosed in early February with multiple non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I received the first chemotherapy treatment on February the 10th and already am feeling much better. The prognosis for complete remission for this kind of cancer is good, but that of course will take some time.
I was hoping to come to Fermilab to join you for the MINOS/NuMI dedication ceremony. Unfortunately, the logistics of my treatment have required that I remain in Los Angeles this week. However, I have asked Stan to convey to you a few comments on my behalf.
First, through the representatives of government at Fermilab today, I'd like to thank the American people for funding our research. I find that when I talk to people about the science that we do there is interest and pride that we, as a nation, are able and willing to pursue new and fundamental scientific knowledge. Although many do not understand the details, the American people seem to understand that fundamental science is worth pursuing and is important to the future of our country. We need to push back frontiers of our knowledge. More practically, basic scientific research proves to be a wise investment for the future through creation and development of new technologies to which it invariably leads. Thank you for the opportunity you have given us to pursue this remarkable science.
Next, I would like to express deep respect and personal thanks to my colleagues both within and outside MINOS for your support, not only over the last couple of months but over the last decade of building this facility and experiment together. Scientific results are of course the goal, but they come only at the end of a long and arduous process. It is only possible to get there by working together with people of great skill and diligence. The end result may be just a hard number, but the process is intrinsically human. It is a pleasure to have so many fine colleagues with whom to share this work.
Finally, in my recent diagnosis and treatment I have frequently found myself marvelling at the technology that is available for 21st century medical care. It is very gratifying to me to know that many of the basic ideas and techniques for modern imaging equipment were either first developed IN our own field of high-energy physics or BY people TRAINED in our field. I have gotten a first-hand view of the remarkable achievements in the engineering, technology, chemistry, and medicine which enable us to effectively treat diseases like the one that I have. And just as in physics, the glue that brings it all together and makes it work are dedicated and skilled professionals. Just as in our own field, the combination of technology and people can produce fantastic results.
I am eager to get back to Fermilab as soon as possible to help push forward with the exciting enterprise which is being dedicated today. I will see you soon. Doug
Hello Debbie,
I met you a few weeks ago (April 13) when I brought my Girl Scout troop #424 to Fermilab. Thank you so much for taking the time to come and speak with the girls to help them earn their Science Discovery badge. I know that they enjoyed the time they spent with you. There are quite a few of them who are interested in science. Hopefully, meeting with an actual female scientist with reinforce their interest.
I was out here at your weblog to see if you had posted the picture we took of you and the girls but I couldn't find it. If you did put it up somewhere could you direct me to it? I know the girls would get a kick out of it.
Thank you again for your time.
Sincerely,
Paula Hebert
Posted by: Paula Hebert | April 26, 2005 at 06:39 PM