Kane County Chronicle, January 4, 2005
Physicist passionate
about world around him
By GAIL JARDINE
Shaw News Service
For Don Lincoln, the universe is a wonderful and exciting place. However, he is filled with questions about it.
Why are there only three dimensions? Why can we only go forward in time and not backward? How and why did the universe come into existence?
"Many of these questions are the same ones I explored in philosophy classes in college," Lincoln said. "The difference is that with science, you can get definitive answers."
Lincoln pursues these questions and many more every day in his work as a particle physicist at Fermilab, where he is responsible for several multi-million dollar, high-tech projects. His current research investigates the highest energies accessible by modern equipment.
Lincoln grew up in rural New Hampshire, walking everywhere and wandering in the woods.
"Sometimes we lived in town, sometimes in the country. Off and on, we had horses and pigs," he said. "But it was a great place to grow up. My family lived in the same town for hundreds of years. Our Revolutionary War ancestors were buried just 5 miles away."
From age 6, Lincoln was an avid reader and finished a book a day, mostly science fiction titles.
"My folks couldn't afford to keep me in books," he said, "and I went through the library pretty fast, even though I read some of them three and four times."
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Lincoln's drive to master difficult skills led him to pursue archery. He was youth New Hampshire champion for several years and Northeast champion for one year. His mentor was his grandfather, a highly competitive man.
"He was unbeatable," Lincoln recalled. "He was the Northeast regional champion and frequently shot perfectly. I couldn't beat him. No one could."
Lincoln's father had worked in a carnival at one time, and the family lived across the street from the field where a carnival came each year.
One day, his father said, "I got a job for you," and Lincoln found himself spending the summer as a "carny," traveling around New England operating carnival rides.
"My mother had a conniption," Lincoln said. "Many of the workers were old hobo types. We got paid by the day, not the week. The guys would get their $10 at the end of the day, drink it up, and come back to work the next day.
"They were colorful people. Many were running from one thing or another . heartbreak or a brush with the law. They were hard, crusty guys who had lots of stories.
"I was glad when the summer ended," he said. "I got a little more reality than I needed at 16, but I don't regret it for a minute."
The scientific world
Lincoln attended Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. He double majored in math and physics and minored in philosophy/religion and political science.
"I was very interested in civil rights and liberties," he said
At Rice University in Houston, Texas, he obtained a master's degree and doctorate degree in physics. Though he was enrolled at Rice, he actually did his work at Fermilab where he developed his mastery of particle physics. Ever the non-conformist, Lincoln defended his master's thesis in a local bar.
"I made sure to buy each member of the committee a pitcher of beer." he said. "The thesis defense went smoothly."
After earning his doctorate degree in 1993, he joined the University of Michigan for post-doctoral work. Again, he did his actual work at Fermilab.
"This where the action is," he said.
In 1994, Lincoln began seeing the world when he went to Russia to speak at a conference. He also visited Milan and Tokyo. He has skied the Swiss Alps and seen Mt. Fuji,
"It's even more breathtaking than the photographs," he said.
One February, Lincoln went to Siberia.
"I spoke at a research institute on the kind of instrumentation we have at Fermilab," he said. "In February, it was 30 below zero, but there was no wind. When I walked around without a hat, everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but I was used to windy Chicago winters.
"It's a poor country, but they were spectacular hosts," he said. "They took us some place every night. One time, when returning from a trip we passed the local opera house, which was closed for the season. One of us asked about the local opera company and they somehow arranged for a private performance the next night."
"When the drinking started at the banquet, there was a certain degree of national honor at stake. The Germans couldn't let the Russians or the Japanese win, etc. I did my best to make America proud."
Lincoln said he also loves the elegance, mysticism and spirituality of Japan.
"When you get away from the cities, the monasteries and gardens are beautiful. If you mention something you like, the Japanese will do everything they can to see you get it. It's a beautiful country, but I wouldn't want to live there. The culture is a bit too rigid."
While in Japan, he went to watch a karate class. He has practiced the art for a number of years.
"When you see someone who's good, you know he has studied for a long time. If you don't do it right, it doesn't work. When you practice, it becomes right."
A family and book of his own
Lincoln was giving a talk to a Mensa group in Arlington Heights when he met his wife, Diane. The couple has been married for 5 1/2 years and have a son Davy, 2. Diane has two other children, Veronica, 15, and Tommy, 19. Completing the family is a cat named Cat.
One of Lincoln's passions is communicating fascinating science to the public. He has given scientific lectures on three continents and many countries. Intent on knowing each audience's level of interest, he has talked extensively to teachers, children of all ages and many adult groups.
"There is a subset of people out there who are utterly fascinated with learning about science. I love to share my knowledge with those people who are interested and to share my excitement with kids," he said.
"Like me when I was growing up, many young people are fascinated by all sorts of science stuff . like teleportation, warp drive, time travel and black holes. I thought it was wonderful, and I bought Omni magazine every month, but I really had no one to explain things to me. My parents weren't educated people, and even my teachers didn't know much about it.
"Every so often, I meet someone who really wants to know! I get e-mails from kids who have been turned on by one of my talks, and I see kids . and adults . out there who are just thirsting to know more about these things."
Lincoln said he has found that most books offer a very low level of information, and textbooks are too technical. The lack of information prompted him to write his own book.
In "Understanding the Universe: From Quarks to the Cosmos," Lincoln talks to science enthusiasts in a non-technical way that takes them to the frontiers of knowledge.
"It's a combination of what happens at the smallest sizes, hottest temperatures, and highest energies," he said. "It is the story of the birth of the universe itself."
Info box:
Don Lincoln's book, "Understanding the Universe: From Quarks to the Cosmos," will be featured in January as one of 12 books selected for 2005 by the Scientific American Book Club. It is available on Amazon.com and at barnesandnoble.com and at Barnes and Noble in Geneva Commons. He will sign books at the Geneva Commons store from 1 t 3 p.m. Jan. 15. For guest speaker information, e-mail Lincoln at lincoln@fnal.gov.
Donald Lincoln
Last modified: Wed Mar 23 10:53:09 CST 2005