MIT Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

MIT's Building 20: The Magical Incubator Story, Anecdote, or Reminiscence

Some Things You Should Not Do with a Screwdriver

Richard L. Benford
benford@space.mit.edu

I arrived at MIT in the spring of 1969 having been invited in for an interview with Professor Rainer Weiss. I found Professor Weiss, Rai, after several tries in the dark recesses of F-wing of Building 20. Rai had then a recently graduated student Shaoul Ezekiel, Ziggy, who was looking for a technical assistant to help build a laser stabilization system. Without much fanfare, and few if any forms to fill out, Ralph Sayers of RLE hired me as a technical assistant. Ziggy and I spent many long days building apparatus to try to stabilize the argon ion laser using the iodine fluorescent line. Most of our lasers were homemade in the old RLE glass shop by one of two glass blowers who displayed considerable skill in producing the weird and wonderful designs we had planned. It was here that I accidentally learned the power of capacitors, condensers in the old days, when I inadvertently short circuited one with a screwdriver! Normal vision returned after seeing bright spots for a few days and I was a little wiser and certainly much more careful with a screwdriver.

Ziggy went on to start his own lab while I remained with Rai to prepare and fly a new version of a balloon experiment to measure the cosmic background radiation. Rai, Dirk Muehlner and I flew this experiment over 20 times from The National Center for Atmospheric Research Balloon Base in Palestine, Texas. The balloon gondola that we constructed in 20, we tested by hanging from the ceiling using a giant screw hook and rope. Despite the weight of the gondola, about 500 lbs, the floor above did not sag at all, which was one of the beauties of 20 having been constructed of solid timber and closely spaced supports. In this lab we also began construction of a primitive gravity wave antenna, the forerunner of the current large and nationally funded experiment, made a reality by Rai's insight and drive.

Building 20 will soon be a memory, but I will always remember the building's ability to absorb the many punctuations to its structure, a hole here, another one over there, a water pipe extended, a few light fixtures that crashed to the floor, field mice and squirrels that ran along the pipes in the corridors and built nests in the old RLE tool crib. Despite the buildings shabby appearance it seemed a natural place to be, even the local fauna agreed by cohabiting with us.

So we say good-bye to Building 20 for we will not see a building like you again and we will miss you.

Special Note: I spent many (20) years in Building 20 and enjoyed almost every minute there. Prof. Weiss and his Cosmology group were a pleasure to work with.

The squirrels and mice were a common occurence in 20 in the early '70s as were lab rats! Occasionally, one or two would get out and be chased around the corridors by lab techs trying to return them to the cage. We always rooted for the rats.