Fermilab and its publics: Sublime rhetoric and the social construction of particle physics (Illinois)

This study explores the relationship between Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the various publics it serves. Through the use of textual analysis and interviewing, this study examines how rhetoric of the sublime is used to communicate the worth and specific nature of particle physics research to non-scientists. The results of the study indicate that the general public does not respond to this rhetoric, but rather reframes the issue in terms of technological benefits to be gained from continued funding of physics research.