Cornell Cinema will present a free screening of the documentary The Accelerator on Tuesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. Producer David Raubach will attend the screening and participate in a discussion following the film.
The documentary explores the life and impact of Dr. Robert R. Wilson, a pioneering physicist whose legacy is deeply connected to Cornell. Wilson played a key role in the Manhattan Project before shifting his focus to accelerator physics, ultimately designing and overseeing the construction of the Cornell Synchrotron - which bears his name - and Fermilab, the U.S. government’s largest particle physics laboratory. He is also credited as the “Father of Proton Therapy” for his groundbreaking 1946 paper describing how proton beams could be used to treat cancer—an innovation that remains a standard of care at leading cancer centers today.
The Accelerator features never-before-seen footage and interviews with Wilson and the scientists he influenced, as well as archival material from the Manhattan Project. The screening offers a unique opportunity to experience the film before its public release and engage in conversation with its producer.
The screening is sponsored by the Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-based Sciences and Education (CLASSE).
Serge Petchenyi/Cornell University
From left, Xi Yang, PhD '10, senior lecturer of finance in the SC Johnson College of Business; Christine Ye; Christine Ye Award recipient Margaret E. Foster, doctoral candidate in communication; Cornelia Ye Award recipient Naman Agrawal, doctoral candidate in neurobiology and behavior; Cornelia Ye; and Derina Samuel, associate director of graduate student development at the Center for Teaching Innovation.
NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
Artist concept of the gas giant planet WD 1856 b orbiting a white dwarf star. The planet is 7 times larger than the Earth-sized white dwarf it orbits. WD 1856 b has methane and hazes in its atmosphere, which would give it a similar color to Saturn's moon Titan. The white dwarf formed from a star that died 5 billion years ago, and has been cooling ever since, giving it an orange colour similar to the Sun.
Sreang Hok/Cornell University
Dressed in clean-room suits, the Warrior-Scholar Project’s STEM boot camp cohort toured the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility.
