State of the job.

Here is a brief description of Nevis Labs from a Columbia page:

Nevis Laboratories is Columbia University's primary center for the study of high-energy experimental particle and nuclear physics. Approximately 12 faculty members, 14 postdoctoral research scientists, and 20 graduate students, supported by a 10-member engineering and technical staff, engage in the preparation, design, and construction of high-energy particle and nuclear experiments and equipment. These experiments and equipment are transported to major national accelerator laboratories for data collection; the data resulting from these experiments are then processed and analyzed using the extensive computer systems at Nevis. Experiments are currently taking place at Fermilab in Chicago, Illinois; CERN in Switzerland; and Brookhaven National Lab on Long Island in Upton, New York.

Nevis Laboratories are located on a scenic 60-acre estate originally owned by the son of Alexander Hamilton. The duPont family of Delaware donated the estate to the University in 1934, and construction of physics facilities at Nevis began in 1947. In the early 1950's Dwight D. Eisenhower, then President of the University, inaugurated what was then the world's most powerful cyclotron, which was eventually retired in 1978.

It was a gorgeous fall day when I arrived at work on Sunday (at 9 AM rather than 4 AM), so I decided to walk to the old cyclotron, which is just a short stroll down this path:

The cyclotron building is unprepossessing:

The lab itself, where I work, can be seen at the end of the path. It's an odd place, cutting-edge science and old... ... ... old ... (do I really want to know)?

As if it weren't creepy enough, especially at 04:15, the lab is haunted! It's true. When I walk in, I can hear the ghost, wandering and whistling. At first I just assumed the whistling was made by some esoteric equipment, but it moves around, one side to the other, closer and further. It isn't really scary, it's interesting, the past, the present.

FM2 is on Layer 61 today. It seems like it grew up fast. We're already preparing it for the intermediate mandrel, and after Thanksgiving both optics will be in dodecants. I already decided that I'll have to go in even earlier to ensure that the grinds are done on time, but I don't care about that.

This morning I was loading spacers and thinking about this blog post, and I thought what I always think: How lucky is this? I'm amazed they even allow me to step foot here, and yet I'm part of something important.

Maybe someday my ghost, too, will wander the lab, full of wonder, and whistling.