GRASP Workshop and the connection between Rice and Utrecht

This week the Institute for Gravitational and Subatomic Physics, cleverly abbreviated to GRASP, holds its inaugural workshop. GRASP, formally known as SAP (you can guess what that stands for), previously known as Vakgroep Kernfysica, is a research institute within Utrecht University's Departement Natuurkunde (Physics Department).

Its history is impressive, going back to people like Ornstein at a time when the department was still situated in the old city center of Utrecht at the Bijlhouwerstraat, built in 1875 upon insistence by Buys Ballot (who was a meteorologist with a remote interest in experimental physics). There is much more to read about this beautiful building at this link. What is interesting is to read the comments by Prof. Jan Kuperus: unbeknown to me and likely many people that walk in the park on top of it, the lab hosted a small particle accelerator. Raimond Snellings delivered a great historical account in his opening talk.

The GRASP Opening Workshop was held in yet-another-impressive building in the old inner city of Utrecht: the Paushuis, a building built in the early 16th century for the Dutch pope to live. But never ended up doing so. Ah well, a great place for a very informative workshop on the aspects of gravitational waves and heavy-ion physics, the two main pillars of the GRASP institute.

courtesy of Raimond Snellings