Ocean View Beach Park
It’s Friday and the first week is coming to an end. But today we have a very special program coming up with Newport News. After a hearty breakfast and packed backpacks, we were off to Ocean View.
In sunny but windy weather, we made our first touches with the Atlantic Ocean at Ocean View Beach Park.
Jefferson Lab
Our journey continued over Chesapeak Bay to the other side to Newport News. In the Jefferson Lab we were warmly welcomed by Professor Helmut Baumgartner.
Prof. Baumgart received his B.S. degree in physics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, his M.S. degree in physics from Purdue University in Indiana, where he attended graduate school as a Fulbright Scholar, and his Ph.D. degree in semiconductor physics from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, while performing his Ph.D. research at the Max-Planck Institute of Solid State Research in Stuttgart. Following graduation he has held numerous R&D positions in the microelectronics industry.
As an introduction he explained the background, the structure and the four research goals of the institution. Quark Confinement, the Physics of Nuclei, tests of the Standard Model and the fundamental Structure of Protons and Neutrons. Then we were able to ask him our personal questions about research, studies and work in the USA.
After the introduction, we got a closer look into the microscope laboratory of the JLabs in the ARC Building. Using state-of-the-art technology, the researchers are able to make the invisible visible and to visualize structures on the computer and to analyze them. The start of materials research always begins in the laboratory, and nano electron microscopes make it possible to conduct new research for large companies.
We also got an insight into the heart of the lab, the particle accelerator. The area consisting of Linear Accelerator, Injector, Recirculation Magnets and the Experimental Halls are subterrestrial extended to a size of 214 acres. During a guided with the director Charles Reece tour through the SRF Institute, we were able to experience the production and composition of the cavity strings.
In the CEBAF Center, we learned about the historical development of Jefferson Lab on the basis of a timeline. The composition of the DEO Labs in the USA and the reason for the naming after Thomas Jefferson.
Christopher Newport University
Together with Prof. Baumgart we visited the Christopher Newport University. He introduced us to Prof. Tarek M. Abdel-Fatah, a professor of chemistry and biology, who took us on a tour of the university campus. The CNU is a public liberal arts university and the youngest comprehensive university in the commonwealth of Virginia with around 5.000 students.
The university, newly renovated 20 years ago, recalls the founding of the college in 1960 with its historic walls. The campus presents itself impressively with magnificant facilities, the latest technology and cleanliness. Unfortunately our next day went by much too fast. It was exciting to get such a deep impression of American research and with Christopher Newport University I definitely discovered the most beautiful campus for me.
