Wednesday, August 01, 2007

IT'S OPEN!



You can't have too many photos of our lovely synchrotron which opened on my birthday, now that's what I call a present.

It's taken 6 years and $220 million to build next door to Monash University in Clayton. Five beamlines are operational with four more coming online next year. Eventually there will be 20 beam lines running by 2017 and each beam line costs approximately $5 million.

Is it worth the money? A big resounding YES. Even with air travel, Australian is still a long way from the world's largest synchrotrons and scientists have to waste valuable time to get to them. Time on the machines' beam lines have to be booked months or a year in advance, add costs of travel, accommodation and wear and tear on the scientists themselves and it's worth every cent.

Australia has some of the best scientists in the world and this is going to make them better.

14 comments:

phil said...

Oh I remember the weekend when Victoria gazumped Qld and the other states and went it alone on building a synchrotron rather than participate in the bid process being run by the Feds. Much gnashing and wailing of teeth in Qld, we had it in the bag, man, in the bag.

I hope the wheels fall off.

Gnahs, wail.

See, you can still hear the echoes.

Not to detract from your sherry-enhanced celebrations, of course :-)

Anonymous said...

I was a tiny bit excited until I learnt that Indonesia has one already. Guess ours is bigger and better.

Unknown said...

Belated happy birthday. Hope things are great in your life. Life has been a bit full and I have not kept up with my blog reading.

Blessings and bliss

JahTeh said...

You know why you had it in the bag? Because JHo wanted the election to go his way so boosuck, Bracks went his own way. Anyway you could do with another one attached to James Cook Uni for algae studies.

Very different Andrew, ours is a third generation but still not as powerful as England, Japan or US but it's way ahead in infra-red beam use for biospectroscopy research.

Miss Eagle, Life at the moment is stuck in a cul-de-sac....albeit with a bottle of sherry.

Lord Sedgwick said...

"I was a tiny bit excited until I "

Think you should keep your excited tiny bits to yourself (or close personal - and understanding friends) Shirley me ole china. (You should know that hoary old saying about not frightening the horses.)

Anonymous said...

happy birthday. i told you the feds would come to the party. & queensland is a partner in the facility too - so pull yer head in phil

Middle Child said...

What is it? What is it? What is it? I truely do not know

R.H. said...

Well sugarplums I'm nailed to the wall at discovering me old mate markus and his team of schoolkid philosophers (and giant brains) at blog Laugharse Loony Pop have finally scaled the heights to their most sublime ever subject for discussion: BUMHOLE SEX!
Well golly me but I always knew one day Laugharse would justify it's vast claptrap with some world-shattering sociological breakthrough. Congratulations. I admire the hard work, and markus you can get fucked.

-Robert.
(Dept. for the Reconceptualisation of Phenomenological Reason. -Griffith.)

(And try saying THAT with a mouth full of peanuts!)

JahTeh said...

Rh, I couldn't say that with a mouth full of false teeth. I'll have to go and see what's put a burr under your saddle this time.

Now KK, don't upset the bananabender, it was all down to the rodent's manipulating and blackmailing that made Victoria go it alone thanks to an ex-Premier that has those things that go clank when he walks.

MC, For you, many boring posts on it are coming up. Stem cell research for spinal injuries are just one area that will interest you.

From what I've heard those 'tiny bits' could excite an elephant and frighten a horse. So, Sedge, Andrew sleeps with the blinds open, any chance of strapping a vid-cam to a seagull and finding out what's in these rumours?

Brian Hughes said...

We have our own particle accelerator here in the Fylde. It might be old and it might involve tying particles to the backs of trams by bits of string and then pushing them downhill for maximum acceleration, but it still shatters the little buggers! Especially when the tram hits a grockle at thirty miles an hour.

Lord Sedgwick said...

According to reliable reports that have come across my even more reliable desk (AKA the card table) it has little to do with "tying particles to the backs of trams by bits of string " but rather involves plying testicles to the backs of Reg Varney buses with bits of rusty barbwire as part of a revolutionary technique for shattering gallstones - along with the unsuspecting host.

(I believe this information to be true, accurate and reliable, but shall ask for comfirmation from Mick Keelty and his erstwhile mentor Inspector Clouseau.)

Lord Sedgwick said...

"any chance of strapping a vid-cam to a seagull and finding out what's in these rumours?"

Had thought of that. In the realm of "the early scavenger bird catches the worm", but thought Camera face ("Don't call me Shirley, call me Monty Python!") might take offence - and sue the pants off me.

(Fed you enough lines already Coppertop?!)

Anonymous said...

Talking about the Synchotron makes me miss Mallrat. Come back, Mallrat!

(Word verification = Owwez!!)

CIBalcony

JahTeh said...

What a lovely word is 'grockle' and I don't know why His Lordship came to mind when I said that. Are you going to do a 'Time Team' YouTube of the dig, Hughes, Sir?

CIB, didn't Mallrat have a bit of a blog stoush with someone?

Sedg, suing the pants off a bloke is not his style, more like to burn them off with his X-ray vision.