If you've never spent the day at the world's highest-energy particle accelerator, you don't know what you've been missing. Home to the Top Quark and the NuMI Neutrino Beam, Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory, in Batavia, Illinois is fun for geeks and non-geeks alike, thanks to community outreach activities dedicated to science, art and ecology.
The drive into Fermilab is akin to entering a forest preserve, rather than a world-renowned physics laboratory. Since its commissioning in 1967, Fermilab has been dedicated not just to particle physics, but also to aesthetic beauty and attention to the environment. For 30 years, volunteers have been working to restore and preserve the natural prairie surrounding the high-tech facility. At Fermilab, they're almost as serious about the prairie as they are about physics.
Public outreach is a high priority at Fermilab, with several programs designed for non-physicists. And even if you're not at all interested in physics, Fermilab probably has something for you. Fermilab's public areas were closed intermittently after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Starting in 2005, Fermilab has eased many of these restrictions, leaving most of the site's recreational areas waiting to be explored.
Fermilab's bike path is paved and, in true prairie style, flat, making for a relatively easy ride. Park your car at the Lederman Science Center and enjoy your bike ride past tall grass, native flowers, a herd of about 45 bison and Fermilab's high-powered Tevatron particle accelerator. Fermilab's bike trail might not be challenging, but it is certainly unique. The path, while not in total disrepair, has seen better days, so inline skaters may be in for a bumpy ride.
Although the Tevatron is underground, and therefore not visible from the public areas, there's plenty to see. Art-lovers will want to check out several sculptures that dot the landscape, including "Broken Symmetry," which straddles the road at the Pine Street entrance. Architecture fans can marvel at the late-modern architecture of Wilson Hall and the Feynman Computing Center (Wilson Hall is open to the public, but Feynman is not).
Near the main entrance sits the Lederman Science Center, a highly interactive collection of physics displays aimed at teaching K-12 students about what goes on at Fermilab. Though the center's target demographic is school children, it is equally informative for anyone with a limited understanding of particle physics. And admit it, you're no expert. This high-tech playground will give you hands-on lessons about top quarks, neutrino beams and particle collision. And even if all that is still over your head, at least you'll be able to play with some pretty expensive equipment.
If the physics thing is still not doing it for you, you can at least admire Wilson Hall's stunning architecture. From the atrium, you can see all the way to the top of the 16-story building and glimpse a bit of the second floor art gallery. The gallery is closed to the public except before and after special events. It has housed exhibits by Fermilab employees, as well as local and nationally recognized artists.
Centerstage Reviewer: Aimee Hall
