The next TIP will be published January 21, 2005. Story deadline January 11.

Kavli Contruction Phase II Begins

Construction on the Kavli facility has reached a new phase.

The Kavli parking lot is fully open and functional for all staff and visitors to use.

As work on the Kavli facility continues, construction activities will result in the temporary partial closure of the Visitor’s parking lot near the Main Gate, where the contractor’s trailer is currently located, to accommodate construction equipment.

The main asphalt walkway between the Visitor’s parking lot and the main campus area will be closed until the end of the construction project. A new temporary pathway to the new parking lot has been installed. Signs will be posted to assist staff and visitors as they adjust to the new route.

Officials of Universities Research Association, the consortium that operates Fermilab, recently announced the appointment of Piermaria Oddone as Fermilab’s next director. Currently the deputy director of LBNL, Oddone looks forward to the opportunity to serve as FNAL’s director.

High energy physics has remained Oddone’s first scientific love, and in talking about the move to Fermilab he stressed his desire to contribute to this field at a pivotal point in history. He sees his time overseeing all scientific programs at LBNL as a real advantage.

"We are living in a time of remarkable opportunity for particle physics," Oddone said. "The next few years will bring a revolution in our understanding of the universe. As one of the world’s great physics laboratories, FNAL will make vital contributions to the discoveries ahead. I am excited and honored to lead this unique laboratory during such an extraordinary era."

‘International Holiday Wishes’ is the theme of the annual SLAC holiday celebration to be held Thursday, December 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the SLAC Cafeteria. Watch the ID mail for flyers and raffle tickets. Forget your raffle ticket? Not to worry—raffle tickets will also be available at the party.

By popular demand, the Leonard Webb Quartet will be back. The movie Ice Age will be shown in Panofsky Auditorium. Drawings for great prizes will be held. A delicious holiday feast will be topped off by an array of gourmet pies and cookies and a choice of cold beverages, coffee, tea and mulled cider.

The Texas at Stanford symposium kicks off on December 13—not with 10-gallon hats and cowboy boots, but with black holes, string theory, the early universe and high energy particles.

The 22nd Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, first held in Dallas in 1963, comes to Stanford this year after traveling to cities around the world.

"The conference serves as an international summary and forum on recent developments in particle astrophysics, cosmology, astrophysics and gravity. In terms of the interface between these fields, it is the meeting in the world," said local organizing co-chair Elliott Bloom (GLAST/KIPAC).

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From childhood on we are fascinated by magnets, seldom realizing how intrinsic magnetism is to everyday life: refrigerator magnets, the compass, north and south poles, or even someone’s magnetic personality.

On Tuesday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. join speaker Joachim Stöhr (SSRL) in Panofsky Auditorium as he entertains and enlightens us on the complex phenomenon of magnetism, how much ongoing research deals with the topic and how deeply it penetrates our modern industrialized world.

Magnetism is of special interest to valley residents because, says Stöhr, "Most people think of Silicon Valley as building computer chips and they don’t realize that another very important part of a computer, namely data storage, is a big part of the importance of the valley. One could also call it Magnetic Valley."

Is the Universe a fireball or a fractal? Are the rules the same here as they are millions of light years from here? How did the Universe start? How will it end? Will it end? Is the Universe part of a Multiverse?

These are some of the big questions Andrei Linde (Stanford) will discuss in a free public lecture, entitled The Origin and the Fate of the Universe, at Stanford’s Kresge Auditorium beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15.

The lecture is part of the 22nd Annual Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics (see Texas, page 1). This is an international conference that features recent developments in cosmology and high energy astrophysics.

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