One minute with Paul Gentry, mechanical support technician

How long have you been here?

I’m going on 36 years this October 13.

What brought you to Fermilab?

It was a different, scientific opportunity in a field I was doing previously, and I wanted to see what the lab does. I had worked with mechanical tools and assembly, but I wanted something different. I wanted to grow my expertise and see how far I could go with what I know.

“I had worked with mechanical tools and assembly, but I wanted something different.”

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

Right now it’s pretty easy-going because we’re in a transition. Back in the day, in the mid-1990s, I used to drive the magnet mover in the Main Ring tunnel, and we would replace magnets. It was a 17-hour job, and we would stay all day, all night. Now everything is nice and easy and being updated at a good pace. It’s totally different from what it was years ago.

What are some projects you’re working on now?

We’re trying to build the Muon Campus for the new muon experiments. We’ve updated what used to be the Main Ring tunnel, and we’re building the new magnets for the muon projects. I was here when we first started building the old magnets for the tunnel, and now I’m seeing them come out. It’s kind of like a love-hate relationship. I loved it while it was being built and used, but I hate to see it go.

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