[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 118 (Friday, July 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H6178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 LASER INTERFEROMETER GRAVITATIONAL OBSERVATORY NAMED HISTORIC SITE BY 
                       AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY

  (Mr. NEWHOUSE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Laser 
Interferometer Gravitational Observatory, or what is known as LIGO, for 
its achievements in the field of gravitational discovery.
  The American Physical Society recently named LIGO, which is located 
in my district in Richland, Washington, as a historic site for its 
groundbreaking detection of gravitational waves. These waves passed 
through the Earth on September 14, 2015, nearly 100 years after Albert 
Einstein predicted their existence. This discovery has opened up new 
opportunities for learning about the universe.
  I am amazed by the work being done in central Washington. In addition 
to this recognition, three LIGO scientists, Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, 
and Kip Thorne, also received the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics.
  A plaque that will be placed at the site reads: ``The precision 
required to detect these tiny disturbances in space-time, caused by 
emerging black holes, was made possible by the coordinated labor of 
over 1,000 scientific and technical workers.''
  I want to thank the American Physical Society and the Nobel Committee 
for recognizing the hard work and dedication of these men and women, 
and I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating LIGO's scientists 
and employees.

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