11/25/2009 - Bend

by Matt McDonald

Ryan Carroll, a 2001 Mountain View High Graduate stands at the middle of the world's largest science project in Switzerland.

"What does he do...I can't really explain it," said Sue Carroll, Ryan's mother.

"I don't understand it very well at all," said Tom Carroll, Ryan's father.

This from his parents, Sue Carroll a kindergarten teacher in Bend, Tom Carroll a professor of economics at COCC. They say the physics of the ten billion dollar LHC or Large Hadron Collider is best described by the physicists themselves.

"Twenty kilometers of tunnel under ground. Designed with mind to send protons around"

With over eighteen thousand views, the LHC rap is a Youtube hit, explaining how scientists like Carroll will use the LHC to smash sub atomic particles at high speeds, perhaps discovering clues to the origin of the universe. The LHC was shut down for a year with mechanical problems but is now back up and running. Giving Sue Carroll all the more reason to go online to check on her son.

"There are camera's set up so you can watch what they're doing. Anyway, there's one where he works sometimes," said Sue Carroll.

Despite the family jokes, she says she doesn't check that often, really. In January, Tom Carroll thinks at last his son's part of the over sixty country project will be tested.

"They've written programs, that when the particles collide, they're going to be looking for patterns. That's my understanding. What those patterns tell them? I don't know," said Tom Carroll.

Perhaps Ryan Carroll can explain his job to his family when he's home for Christmas.

To follow the LHC project and watch video of the upcoming experiments visit the official website at http://lhc.web.cern.ch/lhc/