CERN has a fan-base.  I think this is clear.  There are consistently many tour groups found on the grounds of the lab, oggling and snapping photos of smelly scientists, lovely buildings, and mysterious dipoles.

But it’s important to realize something: CERN tends to shower its fair share of praise on others, as well.  When Tom Hanks came to CERN, the whole lab was watching.  When the LHC re-turn-on was successful a few weeks ago, all eyes were on Steve Myers and his team of experts (I actually considered asking Stevie for his autograph…).  And now, we have a celebration ongoing which makes Oscar night look like a 6-year-old’s birthday party at the skating rink.

Not only is CERN breaking world records in the field of accelerator science, but also in the “number of Nobel Prize laureates sitting in the same room” category:

nobelFrenzy

A plethora of badasses.

These demi-gods are here as a part of the celebration of 50 years of a quite remarkable high-energy physics program at CERN: From the PS to the LHC: 50 Years of Nobel Memories in High-Energy Physics (ProTip: PS stands for “proton synchrotron,” which was the first accelerator here at CERN)

Disclaimer:

These men are truly amazing.  Their work has contributed (greatly) to the advancement of one of the most fascinating fields of physics the world has ever seen.  Their pioneering accomplishments should not be undersold.

Rant:

When these people show up, CERN-ites effectively turn into crazy teen-age girls from a 1960s Beatles concert.  The festivities span two days, with a series of lectures, given by those pictured above, covering the history and development of high-energy physics in the context of CERN.  In addition, there was a gala held in their honor last night in the ever-famous Restaurant 1.  Actually, the event completely shut down R1 operations around 14:00 (it was scheduled to start at 19:00), at which time appeared a new collection of decorated tables, old equipment from previous accelerators and detectors, and various interactive stations that visitors could visit to hear about what’s currently going on with the LHC.  The best part: crowds of visitors (I’ve never seen most of the people at this party), huddled around the laureates, drooling over every word they spoke.  I didn’t quite understand the fandom.

Okay, so it wasn’t all that bad.  There was a SHITLOAD of free food — which was French and delicious — and an ASSTON of free wine — which was pretty good, too.

If you’d like to keep up with the festivities, take a gander at these links: