Watching that
thing that you
have conceived
actually work as
planned is the
drug that keeps
makers, scientists, engineers,
and artists
addicted to
what they do.
MASSIVE MARVEL: (clockwise from top) The heaviest
piece of the Compact Muon Solenoid particle detector being lowered into place; in order for technicians
to get around the 27-kilometer tunnel that houses
the LHC, various methods of transportation must be
employed; when this photo was taken, the main barrel
of the Atlas detector was yet to be installed, giving
impressive views of the eight torodial magnets.
Photography courtesy of CERN ©
if that were the biggest problem I had turning on a
machine like that, I’d be stoked.
Apart from just impressing me with wonder,
the LHC project makes me feel good about being
human. That we can imagine, theorize, model, and
understand our universe. That we support science
and knowledge. That multinational teams of exceptional individuals can work harmoniously to make
something profound.
It gives me hope that we can actually solve
humanity’s larger challenges: water, energy, and
sustainability.
Make something beautiful. Make it work.
Saul Griffith is a co-author of Howtoons, a MacArthur fellow,
and CEO of a wind-energy startup.
Make: 27
