Submitted by Layne Droppers, Iowa State University, Class of 2018
After a weekend in one of the world’s most historic cities, the Davis-Bahcall Scholars have moved on to the next adventure of their journey. Monday morning we took multiple buses to reach our final destination of Assergi, Italy -- a small town in the mountains which houses the surface facilities of the Gran Sasso National Laboratory. The rural environment differs greatly from that of Rome, yet it is refreshing to be in such a beautiful, quiet place.
Monday afternoon started our first round of lectures, given by Dr. Carla Macolino on the current extent of neutrino physics and what big-picture questions that modern physics is attempting to answer with its current batch of experiments. Our lectures continued Tuesday morning with a talk on neutrino oscillations and concluded with a lecture on the search for Dark Matter and its applications here at Gran Sasso -- including The DarkSide experiment which Augustana College and Black Hills State University are a part of. The lectures concluded our activities at the surface lab, but our day was far from over.
After our lectures concluded at noon on Tuesday we took a cable car up into the mountains for lunch and an afternoon of fun. Upon reaching the top and realizing we may have been underdressed, we stocked up on hats and jackets at base camp, grabbed lunch, and then began our trek into the mountains. Our adventures varied from walking along the ridge of the mountains, scaling up the rocks to reach a hidden cave, and hiking to reach deposits of ice and snow. I can say that beyond a shadow of a doubt it is the most beautiful place that I have ever seen. And, to be honest, after the hot and humid days in Italy, the cold was refreshing.
Tomorrow we will get the opportunity to tour Gran Sasso’s underground facility and see the experiments that are taking place there. I’m excited for this opportunity, yet not quite ready for this experience to be over so soon. I am very glad to have been able to take part in a program that has allowed me to delve into real-world applications of science not only nationally, but internationally. The experience has truly been invaluable.
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| Gran Sasso National Park. Photo by Jack Storm |
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