In February 2019, several Ivy Tech students took a field trip to Fermilab near Chicago. Fermilab is America's particle physics and accelerator laboratory. Details about the trip can be found in the documents below. The trip was coordinated by Dr. Carmen Paniagua (mpaniaguaquinon@ivytech.edu) and Sam Teye (steye@ivytech.edu).
"The incredible work that they are doing at Fermilab was truly a sight to behold. The amount of sophistication and delicacy that goes into setting up the equipment and then interpreting results is astounding. It would be my dream to one day work there." -- Daniel L.
"When I visited Fermilab, I learned that there is more to a dew drop. A dew drop is a water molecule that breaks down to a hydrogen atom, which is made up of quarks and gluons in a proton. Amazing, right? My favorite part of the trip was being 350 feet underground. I think I can manage living underground now. LOL!" -- Sainquta J.
"I want to thank you for such a nice trip to Fermilab. It answered a lot of questions I had about neutrinos and Particle Acceleration. ... The Fermilab tour guides were very informative and I enjoyed them sharing their knowledge with us. I hope that another trip is planned again for other students who have an interest in Physics. Thanks again. I plan to take my son (13) there on his upcoming vacation He is now interested. Paying it forward on the knowledge." -- Tammy C.
"The tour started on the 15th floor of Wilson Hall. The view from the top Wilson Hall overlooks Fermilab's 6800-acre site where scientists study the mysteries of matter held by individual particles inside the atom's nucleus. ... We finally visited the ROC-East remote operation center for the compact muon solenoid (CMS) experiment where they keep US scientists and technicians virtually connected to activities at the Large Hadron Collider (LHS) at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. The ROC at Fermilab remotely supports the CMS experiment located 4000 miles away in Cessy, France. This allows physicists in the US to help operate the CMS detector and monitor the LHC accelerator. In all, our tour guides and research scientists were all knowledgeable and passionate about their work and research." -- Sam T.
"On February 22nd, 2019, I along with a dozen Ivy Tech students went to Fermilab, home of America's particle accelerators. It is also the campus for a range of researchers, scientists, and other analysts who work cooperatively with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe. The value of this trip, both to me personally and to other Ivy Tech students, cannot be overestimated. It was both exhilarating and inspiring to witness the world of advanced science in action." -- Kasandra H.
"I did like seeing the different equipment being used and the exhibits on the top floor." -- Kristi M.
"I think the field trip was a positive experience, and the Fermilab trip should be done on an annual basis for students. ... For those studying physics, math, or computer science, it can be inspiring to see a practical application for the material learned in class. Ultimately, the overall trip was a good time that should be done again in the future, if possible." -- Eric J.
