Science-on-Hudson: A History of Nevis Labs

Doctor William Seligman, Columbia University

The lectures are free. Register here. These talks are popular and space is limited, so we cannot accommodate anyone who does not register in advance.

From one tree to thousands, from the revolution of a nation to evolutions in science, from ghost dogs to ghostly particles: we'll visit the story of how the Nevis estate started from a small part of a British land grant to a center of high-energy physics. We'll follow the path that starts with Alexander Hamilton and his birth on Nevis Island, to his son James Hamilton's purchase of the Nevis estate in 1835, to the donation of the estate to Columbia University in 1934, to the construction of what was then the highest-energy particle accelerator in the world.

There'll be a look at the architectural features of the Hamilton House at Nevis, which influenced the design of other buildings on the Nevis estate, including the physics research centers built 110 years after the original mansion was constructed. We'll also have an overview of the scientific research done at Nevis from the start of the cyclotron in 1950 to the present.

About Science-on-Hudson

Welcome to our public lecture series, held at 7PM every second Thursday of the month during the school year. Our own Columbia University physicists and scientists will present an overview of the international and local experiments that our world-renowned research teams are working on: Big bang cosmology, dark matter, neutrino physics, particle colliders, biophysics, astrophysics; we’ll cover them all!

Everyone is welcome. These talks are intended for a general audience. Lectures last approximately 60 minutes with time afterwards for questions/answers and discussions.

Refreshments will be served prior to each event.

The lectures are free. Registration is required. These talks are popular and space is limited, so we cannot accommodate anyone who does not register in advance.

If you would like to support our efforts, a tax-deductible donation can be made below. Any support would be greatly appreciated.