Last stop of last week's tour around the UK was Didcot, Oxfordshire, where a meeting would be held. Somewhere along the road I suddenly realized the workshop would take place at the Diamond Light Source facility, "the most expensive research facility presently funded by the UK government" (proudly, the headline should certainly add despite current economic difficulties). Well, it was such a privilege to be there - I felt both proud and moved on arrival.
There are lots of discussions on whether maintaining replicated synchrotron sites makes any sense, but the science done at those facilities does usually justify the investments - if it's prosaic money what we're talking about (it seems hard to believe nowadays there was once a time when money wasn't such a big issue). It's the beauty of the site what matters and the challenges it may help tackling, and that's what one feels on arrival. The quietness of the site is also quite impressive, the highest sound around coming from the European Space Agency flag flapping at the edge of a post at the entrance.
On the way back to the station after a fruitful meeting, some impressions were gathered on the other Didcot impressive 'facility', the coal thermal power station that can be seen from miles away. It's quite unusual to find such a facility so close to a town, and this station has indeed left its trademark on the village.
'You get used to it blocking out sight in six months'. 'There's not too much wind here so sometimes the smoke coming out of the chimneys will stay around for quite a long time'. 'There are times in winter when all you see is the tip of the chimneys'. 'Although it was fairly pioneering when built, it eventually became quite outdated and it was supposed to be decommissioned in four-years time, now they're debating again on the schedule'. The cab driver did not particularly oppose the power station -probably bringing in some jobs to the local community- but he frowned when asked on whether it might be some kind of local landmark.
Forgot to ask him about the synchrotron.
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