Dark Genius
by H. Peter Alesso
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GENRE: Fiction
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BLURB:
To the
insatiably curious—science is the greatest adventure. So, when scientists at
CERN announced the discovery of the ‘God’ particle in 2012, all the world
wondered, “How did they find it?”
A decade
later, despite his past academic failures and egregious family circumstance,
Andrew Lawrence embarked on a journey of discovery, competing against rival
scientists to be the first to solve the greatest unsolved mystery of the
universe—dark matter—and win the ultimate prize; the Nobel.
Emma
Franklin, a PhD candidate at Harvard, developed software for detecting particle
reactions using a quantum computer. To the amazement and excitement of the
scientific community, her work revealed two possible bumps in the energy curve
that were not predicted by any established theory.
At MIT,
Lawrence created a model that predicted the scattering processes of a dark
matter supersymmetry particle. Though his early work was disparaged, he
improved his theory and found that it predicted the data Emma had discovered.
Their professional collaboration deepened into a personal relationship, but
when critical data was stolen, Emma found evidence that incriminated Lawrence.
Though she withheld the impeaching material from the authorities, she felt she
could no longer trust him.
Despite
their troubled partnership, and notwithstanding the complexities of nature,
Lawrence and Emma persevered against the egos, jealousy, and envy of rivals, on
their exhilarating quest to find the ‘Holy Grail’ of physics
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EXCERPT
In one well-lit corner, Professor Stanley Prost sat
at his desk studiously examining a computer screen. His long straight nose,
jutting prominent chin, and carbon black eyes, gave the appearance of a man not
to be trifled with. He held his hand to his brow, masking his eyes, as if to
conceal his innermost thoughts. However, his red pitted skin and the twitchy
lips destroyed any semblance of a distinguished pose. His overweight frame and
slumped shoulders made him look like a bloated figure despite his close-cropped
hair and clean-shaven face. An expensive, but ill-fitting suit, hung like a
sack over his body leaving an overall appearance of discomfort.
While Prost rapidly slid his finger across the
computer screen, Lawrence stood waiting like a statue. He let his gaze wandered
to the scene visible from the window—scampering students making their way on
their personal college adventure.
Finally, without extending his hand, or looking
directly at his visitor, Prost ordered, “Sit.”
“Thank you, Professor,” said Lawrence in a clear
strong voice, despite a peculiar stir of emotions—doubt, tension, apprehension.
He had prior experience with this man—with unhappy consequences.
Prost leaned forward and curled his lip as he spat
out the words, “Your postdoc appointment was made by the Professor Lloyd—during
my absence—without any input from me.”
Lawrence’s eyes darkened to match his tousled hair,
but he remained quiet for what seemed a portentous moment. He clenched his
teeth and was self-conscious of a bead of sweat on his brow.
Prost waved his right hand in the air and said, “I
took no pleasure in the failing grades I gave you, some years ago. Your
dismissal from MIT was unfortunate, but I wasn’t the only professor who was
disenchanted with a prodigy who skipped classes, took exams cavalierly, and
disrupted class with impertinent questions.”
Lawrence shifted in his chair, uncomfortably.
I’m to be rebuked for the sins of the past.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
As
a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso
has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of
scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of
supercomputers, workstations, and networks. He graduated from the United States
Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines
before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has
published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and
conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of ten books.
http://www.hpeteralesso.com/images/pete2.jpg
Email:
h.alessocomcast.net
https://www.amazon.com/H.-Peter-Alesso/e/B001HCY45M/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1482982330&sr=1-3
The buy link for Dark Genius:
The buy link for Dark Genius:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
The author will be
awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter
during the tour.
