This week on television, there is a movie that should delight US LHC blog fans. It’s about the particle physics community in the US, at Fermilab, and the work people are doing there. Also, a lot of friends of mine are in it! 🙂
From what I’ve read on the website and seen in the preview of the film, the film focuses on the people doing research at Fermilab and the circumstances they find themselves in: the kinds of questions they want to answer, the position of Fermilab researchers as the LHC starts up, the worries people have about funding and the future of the field.
It looks like the movie has some similar goals to this blog — showing not just the science, but the people behind the science. From the movie’s blog, one of the filmmakers describes his interactions with audiences at the screenings this way:
There is a consistency in the questions we’re asked, whether in Chicago, Vancouver, or Norway. One of the first to come up is “where did you find this topic?” Often the way the question is asked implies “where in the world did you find this topic?” Or even “what on earth were you thinking?”
It seems to be a predictable pattern: the general public is astonished to find that a) scientists are people not that different from everyone else, and b) that their lives involve exciting stories. It reveals the extent of the disconnect many people seem to have regarding science…
“The Atom Smashers” starts tomorrow, Tuesday, in most cities, so set your VCR/TiVo/tune in if you can! You can find out when the film is airing on PBS stations near you by checking this website.
