Politics is a lot tougher than physics. Burton Richter More Quotes by Burton Richter More Quotes From Burton Richter Innovation and renewal are required to keep a laboratory on the frontiers of science. Burton Richter renewallaboratoryinnovation Modern science is fast-moving, and no laboratory can exist for long with a program based on old facilities. Innovation and renewal are required to keep a laboratory on the frontiers of science. Burton Richter innovationlongmoving Starving the future to feed the present is a mistake - it leads to obsolescence and stagnation. Sometimes it is hard to make this understood. Burton Richter obsolescencemistakesometimes In 1948 I entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, undecided between studies of chemistry and physics, but my first year convinced me that physics was more interesting to me. Burton Richter technologyyearsinteresting I was born on 22 March 1931 in New York, the elder child of Abraham and Fanny Richter. Burton Richter marchnew-yorkchildren Since stepping down as laboratory director in 1999, I have devoted an increasing fraction of my time to international issues. I am involved with energy, environment, and sustainability issues, particularly as they involve new energy sources free of greenhouse gases. Burton Richter issuesenergydirectors While a lab Director can get done the things that he regards as important, he has the more important job of bringing out the best ideas of the broader scientific community. Burton Richter communityjobsideas Getting enough energy to satisfy the needs of the developing world without bringing on an eco-disaster is not going to be easy. It will require a marriage of science and technology with good international policy, something that is always hard to bring off. We need to get it right this time. Burton Richter technologyenergyneeds Is the sky falling? No. It's maybe drooping a bit. Burton Richter fallingmaybebitsky I got no thrill from solving an integral equation, but I did get a thrill from building an exotic piece of equipment that worked. Burton Richter gotgetthrillbuilding For nuclear power to have a future, we'll either need more Yucca Mountains or a way to decrease the stuff we put there. Burton Richter mountainsfuturepowerway While a lab director can get done the things that he regards as important, he has the more important job of bringing out the best ideas of the broader scientific community. I learned this early in my career while I was leading the construction of the SPEAR facility. Burton Richter bestjobcommunityideas In 1960, I married Laurose Becker. We have two children: Elizabeth, born in 1961, and Matthew, born in 1963. Burton Richter marriedborntwochildren During my years at the synchrotron laboratory, I had become interested in the theory of quantum electrodynamics and had decided that what I would most like to do after completing my dissertation work was to probe the short-distance behavior of the electromagnetic interaction. Burton Richter becomelikebehaviorwork During my first year as a graduate student, we worked on a measurement of the isotope shift and hyperfine structure of mercury isotopes. Burton Richter studentfirstyearstructure Total failure isn't something I want to spend a lot of time envisioning. I'm pretty sure I'll recognize it if it comes. Burton Richter somethingfailurewanttime Theorists can create all sorts of theories which go beyond the Standard Model. But there's not one bit of experimental evidence to point out which way you should go. Burton Richter beyondgoyouway What I found was that I thoroughly enjoyed the plumbing of experiment. Burton Richter experimentplumbingenjoyedfound What lots of people have been trying to do ever since is find what's beyond the current Standard Model. So far, it has stood impervious to all attacks. Burton Richter beyondfindtryingpeople What struck me first on reading the Ten Hoeve-Jacobson paper was how small the consequences of the radiation release from the Fukushima reactor accident are projected to be compared to the devastation wrought by the giant earthquake and tsunami. Burton Richter earthquakesmallmereading
