Hundreds learn legacy of Louis Rosen

May 25, 2011—Rosenfest Lectures, in honor of Louis Rosen, the Father of the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF), now known as the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), gave the public a rare opportunity to hear about the eclectic science conducted at LANL’s signature science facility.

Rosenfest included presentations by former Lab director John Browne; Terry Wallace, LANL's principal associate director for Science, Technology and Engineering; former LANSCE director Paul Lisowski; current LANSCE director Kurt Schoenberg; and Louis Rosen's brother, Bernie Rosen.

In addition, Rosenfest hosted the Rosen families, together with the families of  J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves. During Rosenfest, life-size bronze statues of Oppenheimer and Groves were presented to Los Alamos County by the Los Alamos County Art in Public Places organization. The statues can be viewed at historic Fuller Lodge in downtown Los Alamos.

The Lab also gave a gift to the county: the public was invited to take a rare, guided tour of LANSCE, after Rosenfest. Public tours of LANSCE have not been offered for over a decade. Approximately 300 people, including children, took the tour.

One participant remarked, “The tour was excellent—LANSCE staff members were enthusiastic about their projects and worked diligently to answer questions. The guides were organized and the tour flowed smoothly. I can imagine that it's a huge logistical and security challenge to open the facilities to the public—thank you for doing so!”

The Rosenfest Lectures were held May 18-20 at Fuller Lodge. For more information on the event, visit the Rosenfest Home Page.

Listen to interviews with Rosenfest participants on Radio Station KRSN:

• Amber Hardy and Terry Rosen (grandchildren of Louis Rosen)

• Paul Lisowski