A Tour into Science Land

We had a wonderful--if not whirlwind visit to Berkeley. Devin was a worthy tour guide of both the area & also his work world. In keeping with our norm of public transit only, the Bay area is an easy accomplishment. Aside from aging (therefore noisier) trains, BART is great--and our feet got a great springtime workout as well! Good food, good sights, great company--thanks, Devin!

I don't pretend to understand more than just the basic ideas that Devin is addressing in his internship--but I can attest to the complexity, challenge & specialization of the world he's immersed in for this five months. Wow--in the light-spectrum laser world, he is working on--and measuring with--concepts that had hardly been guessed at when I was a science student are just business as usual. I know that in the world of time frames Devin deals with, decades ago is ancient history, but from here it seems like giant strides in a brief time!

The other thing that struck me was that his 'lab world' has gone from cavernous rooms and mechanisms (at the linear accelerator) to miniature fields of complex optics & lens--yet both dealing with particles, waves, and spans of time that are smaller than one can hardly conceive of. There does seem to be a certain level of faith involved, but also a great deal of certainty & confidence as to the road ahead. Through it all, Devin is quite unassuming and patient & with a grin and a shrug lets you know 'it's no big deal'--to him, that is! What an experience! And what a great place to be right now. (More about the tourista stuff next post.)

One of the experimental set-ups in the lab

The insert box that comes with parts ordered by hardworking interns!

(Know your customer!)

Devin in his office (there's a commanding view out that window!)