The folks at SLAC got a treat today – a special sneak preview of the upcoming NOVA documentary : Einstein’s Big Dream. Part of the flick was filmed at SLAC last spring, which is why we pulled off this special viewing with the film’s director gig. We viewed a 35 minute excerpt of the 2 hour film. Looking around the packed auditorium, I’d have to say that everyone was riveted. It was a good show, but let’s face it, most of us were sitting there, waiting for SLAC to make it’s appearance! Finally, in the last 5 minutes, SLAC and SLAC physicists Caolionn O’Connell, Stephon Alexander, (both of Quantum Diaries fame) and Michael Kelsey were featured. The auditorium broke out in major applause, laughter, and whistles.
My impression? I liked it and will tune in on Tuesday to view the full-length version. Overall, they emphasized the role of women in science throughout history (highlighting some unsung heros), perhaps, to be honest, to a bit of an extreme. I left the room thinking men got a bit short-changed. But what they captured best, is how engrossed us physicists become when we are entangled in a problem. They accurately demonstrated how The Problem becomes our main focus in life, no matter what distractions are going on about us. And how we don’t rest until it is solved.
The film mixes full drama – with script and actors – with the usual talking heads that we are used to in a science documentary. And from the parts I saw, it does this well. It began as a full costume period piece, with Einstein in 1905. It then went through the development of each component of the famous E=mc^2 equation, including the `2 is for squared’ part which I really liked. Each component had its own historical rendition with real actors and credited Faraday, Lavoisier, Roemer, and a French woman – du Chatelet – for discovering the various pieces of The Equation. Next it explored the consequences of The Equation, starting with Lise Meitner’s realization of nuclear fission. For modern times it included the Good and the Bad, with the Bad being The Bomb and the Good represented by The Future, which was equated with SLAC.
So, why SLAC? This came up during the Q&A session after the screening. Answer: Wanted a place that was relevant to The Equation, so was looking for an accelerator. Wanted an accelerator that had a new project, answering interesting questions (was intrigued with BaBar focusing on the matter anti-matter asymmetry of the universe). Wanted a great combo of talent and personalities that would look good on screen (say no more – SLAC’s the place!). Wanted a good visual impact to end the film. Wanted something different from Fermilab and CERN (no comment). Seems that SLAC fit the bill and fulfilled its role wonderfully. Course, I’m not biased or anything….
See the film: Tuesday 11 October on a PBS station near you.
October 6th, 2005 at 7:55 am
Hey Joanne,
Like the issue Clifford makes note of in racial divides, should we not kill the gender issue as well?
And on this note, recognition of the struggle of each of us, and honoring, of the “year of physics.”
October 6th, 2005 at 9:46 am
Plato… the way to kill the “issue” is to fix the problem: acheive balance. Until then, the issue should stay alive.
-cvj
October 6th, 2005 at 12:49 pm
Do I think “injustice” in terms of “continuing to create” racial and gender divisions. Of course. These are coverings, as far as I am concerned.
What is that underneath them, sure, balance, and how to deal with them. That we are “all the same” not in terms of our experience but “struggles about life.” Not her experience and his, but indeed “in all emotive and mental struggles” to overcome those issues.
Sort of like “getting to the center” and working outward like Sean’s sand mandala. While the lives might be different, it’s the same plan. What’s on the outside of that circle, is the covering.
While I am not a buddhist, clearly these values mean something to me.:)
October 7th, 2005 at 11:50 am
JoAnn — This is a tangent, but I’ve been wondering whether people at SLAC are very much aware of the book “Beamtimes and Lifetimes,” and if so what they think of it.
I’m not going to be able to watch on Tuesday (I’m going to see Doctor Atomic, as it happens), but I hope I can catch this documentary at some point — sounds interesting.
October 7th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
janet! Please tell us what you think of Dr Atomic when you retrun from it.
Also, PBS tends to over-repeat their programmes until you’re thoroughly sick of them, and so there’ll no doubt be several opportunities to see the show again, and again, and again, and again, and ….
-cvj
October 7th, 2005 at 8:32 pm
Janet,
No, I, at least, am not aware of the book. Can you describe it?
And, please do report on what you think of the opera! I’ve been debating whether to go (opera tickets are not free).
October 9th, 2005 at 3:33 pm
Beamtimes and Lifetimes is a book about physicists at SLAC by an anthropologist, Sharon Traweek. It was based on the research she did for her PhD in anthropology at Stanford. It was published nearly 20 years ago, so I’m not sure if it’s still in print, and the gender politics in the field have probably changed a lot since it was written.
I’ll report on the opera. I’m really excited about it!
October 9th, 2005 at 5:41 pm
I second the recommendation of Beamtimes and Lifetimes, it’s a great book. You can get it from amazon, at least.
And the gender politics haven’t changed that much.
October 11th, 2005 at 11:52 pm
[...] You may have seen some discussion in the comments of other threads about a new PBS programme entitled “Einstein’s Big Idea”. JoAnne mentioned her thoughts about it in her post last week. It’s basically a docu-drama, in the sense that they’ve written scripts, designed sets, sprinkled in extras, and generally tried to make the settings, characters, and circumstances all seem more accessible than just having a bunch of talking heads. They spend a lot of time describing and dramatising the conversations and discoveries of several other pieces of physics (conservation of energy, electromagnetism, Maxwell’s demonstration that light is electromagnetism, etc) that lead up to the famous E=mc^2 equation. I have to say that this is a very very good way of presenting this material, and overall I think it is quite successful. [...]
October 12th, 2005 at 2:02 am
[...] Watched the NOVA special on Einstein’s Big Idea and saw the stuff missing from our special sneak preview at SLAC. [...]