Michael Vineyard, the new chair of
physics, said it simply after getting an email from a student who attended a
recent open house at the department: “Here's a request I haven't gotten before.”
“My grandmother has always been
interested in quantum physics,” the prospective student wrote. “She's done a lot of self study and knows the location of all the particle accelerators in the
world. Her 76th birthday is this coming Saturday and I was wondering if it
would be possible if you could show her the lab at Union. This would mean so much to her and would be an amazing birthday present.”
And from Dean of Arts and Sciences
Charlotte Borst, tasked with allocating valuable lab space: “Who says that our
science facilities don't have widespread appeal?”
Vineyard couldn't arrange to show
the accelerator this Saturday, but said “I would be happy to sometime next
week.”