Pass the Salad—and a Piece of History

The only remaining piece of the Princeton-Stanford Electron-Electron Collider is a stainless steel bowl that served as a spare part. The bowl's twin is visible at the intersection of the two storage rings, where it formed part of the vacuum chamber in the machine's collision region. (Image courtesy of Stanford University. Click on image for larger version.)

by Jennifer Yauck

For years, whenever former SLAC director Burton Richter and his wife needed to serve a salad, they pulled out their large, stainless steel bowl. But when their recent move to a smaller residence prompted them to thin out their belongings, they decided it was time for the salad bowl to go—and Richter thought the perfect place for it was SLAC.

That's because the bowl isn’t technically a salad bowl at all, but the last remnant of the first colliding-beam machine ever built, the Princeton-Stanford Electron-Electron Collider. The machine, designed by Richter and his colleagues, forever changed the way particle physicists do particle physics.

In the early years of accelerator-based research, fixed-target machines, which fire a single beam of accelerated particles at a stationary target, were standard technology.

But in the mid-1950s, Richter and a group of Stanford and Princeton collaborators led by Princeton's G. K. O'Neill became interested in developing a new machine that would use two particle beams instead of one. The beams would be made to collide into each other as they circled in opposite directions in separate, intersecting storage rings. In 1958, the group secured funds to build such a collider at Stanford's High Energy Physics Laboratory, and with that, says Richter, "we started off to revolutionize the world." Read more...

Open Enrollment
Ends Tomorrow

by Kelen Tuttle

Open Enrollment, the time in which Stanford employees can enroll, review, or change their health and life benefits, comes to a close tomorrow. For anyone who hasn't yet updated their benefits elections, now is the time!

The 2007 benefits offerings are different from the 2006 offerings, so all employees are encouraged to explore their options. Most notably, Stanford will no longer offer medical coverage through Only@Stanford, the 3-Choice Medical Plan or Lumenos. These plans will be replaced with a Blue Shield PPO and a Blue Shield High-Deductible PPO. In addition, Express Scripts will terminate and prescription drugs will be covered directly through the medical plans.

Log onto BenefitSU to browse tailored information on each of the plans. The website also presents other important information, including changes to domestic partner eligibility and changes in the costs of various medical plans. Employees can also view a PowerPoint presentation listing this year's changes here.

The benefit elections on file as of midnight on Wednesday will stay in effect until the end of the 2007 calendar year, unless a major life event (for example, a birth, a death or a divorce) requires a mid-year change.

Employees who choose not to go through the enrollment process this year will have the same benefit plans, covering the same dependents, as they have now. Their monthly contribution will be adjusted to reflect 2007 costs.

Limited Parking in Lot C

Due to the Guest House renaming ceremony, Parking Lot C will be closed until 12:30 p.m. tomorrow. Learn more...

FOLA Offers Annual
SLAC Logowear Sale

Kingston Chan shows off his SLAC logowear.
(Click on image for larger version.)

Beginning this week, the Friends of the Linear Accelerator (FOLA) will take orders for Lands' End items embroidered with SLAC and LCLS logos. This annual sale offers everything from duffel bags to winter jackets.

The sale will take place in the lobby of the Guest House every lunch hour (Noon – 1:00 p.m.) starting on Thursday, November 16th, and continuing through Tuesday, November 21st.

Employee volunteers will be on-hand to guide shoppers through the latest Lands' End catalog and help place orders. All logowear will arrive in early December, in plenty of time for the holidays.

For more information, contact Daphne Mitchell at x5377 or dmitchell@slac.stanford.edu.

Safety Seconds

by John Cornuelle

In yesterday's edition, I wrote that the crash of the Concorde airliner in 2000 was entirely preventable. In June of 1979, an identical problem occurred: a tire exploded, tearing a large hole in the wing and allowing fuel to pour from the plane. Miraculously, in 1979 the fuel did not ignite. No corrective action for this and other similar incidents was ever taken.

Events (see all | submit)

November 14: (4:15 p.m.) Stanford Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium: Tony Tyson
November 16: (4:00 p.m.) "Recent Progress in the Theory of Gyrotrons and Orotrons"

Access (see all)

Announcements
(see all | submit)

Lab Announcements

Community Bulletin Board

News (see all | submit)

Congress's Sci-tech Agenda to Shift Under Democrats The Christian Science Monitor
Build Astronomical Observatories on the Moon? Physics Today
Recovering Pompeii Science Daily

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View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/

Pass the Salad—and a Piece of History The only remaining piece of the Princeton-Stanford Electron-Electron Collider is a stainless steel bowl that served as a spare part. The bowl's twin is visible at the intersection of the two storage rings, where it formed part of the vacuum chamber in the machine's collision region. (Image courtesy of Stanford University. Click on image for larger version.) by Jennifer Yauck For years, whenever former SLAC director Burton Richter and his wife needed to serve a salad, they pulled out their large, stainless steel bowl. But when their recent move to a smaller residence prompted them to thin out their belongings, they decided it was time for the salad bowl to go—and Richter thought the perfect place for it was SLAC. That's because the bowl isn’t technically a salad bowl at all, but the last remnant of the first colliding-beam machine ever built, the Princeton-Stanford Electron-Electron Collider. The machine, designed by Richter and his colleagues, forever changed the way particle physicists do particle physics. In the early years of accelerator-based research, fixed-target machines, which fire a single beam of accelerated particles at a stationary target, were standard technology. But in the mid-1950s, Richter and a group of Stanford and Princeton collaborators led by Princeton's G. K. O'Neill became interested in developing a new machine that would use two particle beams instead of one. The beams would be made to collide into each other as they circled in opposite directions in separate, intersecting storage rings. In 1958, the group secured funds to build such a collider at Stanford's High Energy Physics Laboratory, and with that, says Richter, "we started off to revolutionize the world." Read more...

Open Enrollment Ends Tomorrow by Kelen Tuttle Open Enrollment, the time in which Stanford employees can enroll, review, or change their health and life benefits, comes to a close tomorrow. For anyone who hasn't yet updated their benefits elections, now is the time! The 2007 benefits offerings are different from the 2006 offerings, so all employees are encouraged to explore their options. Most notably, Stanford will no longer offer medical coverage through Only@Stanford, the 3-Choice Medical Plan or Lumenos. These plans will be replaced with a Blue Shield PPO and a Blue Shield High-Deductible PPO. In addition, Express Scripts will terminate and prescription drugs will be covered directly through the medical plans. Log onto BenefitSU to browse tailored information on each of the plans. The website also presents other important information, including changes to domestic partner eligibility and changes in the costs of various medical plans. Employees can also view a PowerPoint presentation listing this year's changes here. The benefit elections on file as of midnight on Wednesday will stay in effect until the end of the 2007 calendar year, unless a major life event (for example, a birth, a death or a divorce) requires a mid-year change. Employees who choose not to go through the enrollment process this year will have the same benefit plans, covering the same dependents, as they have now. Their monthly contribution will be adjusted to reflect 2007 costs.	Limited Parking in Lot C Due to the Guest House renaming ceremony, Parking Lot C will be closed until 12:30 p.m. tomorrow. Learn more... FOLA Offers Annual SLAC Logowear Sale Kingston Chan shows off his SLAC logowear. (Click on image for larger version.) Beginning this week, the Friends of the Linear Accelerator (FOLA) will take orders for Lands' End items embroidered with SLAC and LCLS logos. This annual sale offers everything from duffel bags to winter jackets. The sale will take place in the lobby of the Guest House every lunch hour (Noon – 1:00 p.m.) starting on Thursday, November 16th, and continuing through Tuesday, November 21st. Employee volunteers will be on-hand to guide shoppers through the latest Lands' End catalog and help place orders. All logowear will arrive in early December, in plenty of time for the holidays. For more information, contact Daphne Mitchell at x5377 or dmitchell@slac.stanford.edu. Safety Seconds by John Cornuelle In yesterday's edition, I wrote that the crash of the Concorde airliner in 2000 was entirely preventable. In June of 1979, an identical problem occurred: a tire exploded, tearing a large hole in the wing and allowing fuel to pour from the plane. Miraculously, in 1979 the fuel did not ignite. No corrective action for this and other similar incidents was ever taken.	Events (see all \| submit) November 14: (4:15 p.m.) Stanford Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium: Tony Tyson November 16: (4:00 p.m.) "Recent Progress in the Theory of Gyrotrons and Orotrons" Access (see all) Parking Limited in Lot C Building 40 Construction Bldg 084 GLAST ISOC Facility Construction Bldg 084 Parking Spaces Closure Alpine Gate & PEP Ring Road Closed Gates 17 & 30 Open 24-7 Research Yard Bisected Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements LCLS Animation Available for Download Register for the GLAST International Science Symposium Community Bulletin Board Faculty Staff Help Center: Fall 2006 Workshops 35th Annual SLAC Run & Walk News (see all \| submit) Congress's Sci-tech Agenda to Shift Under Democrats The Christian Science Monitor Build Astronomical Observatories on the Moon? Physics Today Recovering Pompeii Science Daily
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	Tuesday - November 14, 2006