I Love You, CERN

So, at the end of World War II, science had this huge black eye. I mean, the most famous scientist of the day had just helped create a weapon that basically destroyed an entire city. Nothing this destructive had ever been dreamed of (much less witnessed) by human beings, before. So, as I say, science had a black eye. People didn't really trust scientists. I mean, the guys we had always looked to as the enlightened few, those who lit the dark corners of human imagination had just used that enlightenment to create a truly horrifying weapon.

So, CERN was created. It was created as a haven for pure science. This is where the smartest men and women in the world go. They get to work on pure theory, never having to chain themselves to the dreary world of the possible. To bolster faith in science, a policy was made at CERN that nothing, and I mean NOTHING is secret. Everything is out in the open for all the world to see. The only places the public is not allowed to go at CERN are places that are dangerous. Usually, there is a clear wall that lets you see into these areas, since you can't physically go into them. I saw an interview with the director of CERN, he said he is constantly amused by people asking permission to take pictures of things and seeing the surprised looks on their faces when the answer is "Absolutely. Take all the pictures you want."

Well, CERN (along with umpteen countries and countless companies funding them) built the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This is the world's largest particle accelerator. The previous holder of that award went to the Tevatron at Fermilab just a little ways out of Chicago. The LHC is something like 3 times the size of the Tevatron. The Tevatron can impact particles at an energy of .98 Teraelectron volts (TeV). The LHC will, theoretically, be able to impact particles at an energy of 14 TeV (it has already surpassed the Tevatron, by impacting at 1.18 TeV). UPDATE: The LHC now impacts at 7 TeV, and will continue at this energy until 2013 when it starts back up after a 2 year shut-down. This accelerator will be able to re-create conditions in the universe roughly 1 millionth of a second after the big bang. Now, I'm a science nut. I love to follow information about new scientific breakthroughs. The LHC has been a constant source of entertainment for me for many years now. The best part about it all? CERN has made the project completely transparent. Go to Google Image Search and do a search for LHC. There are literally thousands of pictures out there. If you go visit CERN, you can actually go into the control rooms, and if they aren't too busy, those aforementioned smartest people in the world will be happy to tell you how things there work.

I have never wanted to visit Europe so bad in my life. If I were to take a trip to Europe, the first stop would be just outside Geneva on the Franco-Swiss border to visit the 17 mile ring that is an average of 300 feet underground. To stand in front of the Atlas impact point and just look up at this massive testament to man's drive to know how things work. To talk to a collection of the world's smartest people, and pit my intellect against theirs (not that I think I'm as smart as them, more to see how long I can follow their conversation without getting lost).

CERN very much accomplished its self-appointed crusade. They made science respectable, again. And they did it without keeping a single secret.

I love you, CERN.

-Chris