Michigan State University will compete for a half-billion dollar federally funded Facility for Rare Isotope Beams in response to a Funding Opportunity Announcement issued by the United
States Department of Energy.
The application is being prepared by the staff of the MSU-based National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, which already is considered the nation’s premier rare isotope beam facility. MSU would manage and operate the new facility for the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab has 60 days to complete a detailed response to the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement.
“This is an important project for American science and for the state of Michigan,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “MSU is the ideal location for this facility. We have an international reputation for top-quality science in this field and a history of exemplary management of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.”
Simon said MSU’s tradition of providing educational access to the world-class facility has positively influenced development of America’s next generation of nuclear scientists and noted that the federal government has an important opportunity to further goals of the American Competitiveness Initiative -- an outgrowth of the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report from the National Academies -- which specifically calls for higher education institutions to be able to give students world-class education and research opportunities in the sciences.
“The future engagement of undergraduate and graduate students -- and even those in middle and high school -- in hands-on science is critical to America,” she said.
The project is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs and significant positive economic impact over the next two decades. In addition, it could lead to spinoff applications in a variety of science- and technology-focused areas. The DOE estimates FRIB will have an estimated 400 to 500 users per year with up to approximately 100 users on-site at any given time.
MSU is forming an advisory committee of top state leaders to help Michigan make the strongest case possible with federal officials to select MSU and Michigan as the site for FRIB.
The DOE has indicated it plans to decide a location for the facility later this year. A white paper prepared by NSCL with input from its users helped the U.S. science community make the case for the less costly FRIB after DOE decided in 2005 not to move forward with the $1 billion Rare Isotope Accelerator.
Based on a powerful new linear accelerator, FRIB will help address vital issues in nuclear science, exploring fundamental questions about the origin of the elements and the evolution of the cosmos. The facility will provide capabilities unmatched at other facilities in the world. It will also ensure ongoing U.S. capacity to innovate in basic nuclear science, a field that underpins applied work in materials science, medical treatment and diagnosis, and national security.
A 2007 report of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee to the DOE and the National Science Foundation called NSCL at MSU “the nation’s premier rare isotope facility.” MSU educates about 10 percent of the nation’s nuclear science PhDs, and its nuclear physics graduate program is ranked second in the nation, behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, by U.S. News & World Report.
“America needs this facility,” said National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory Director Konrad Gelbke. “MSU’s expertise and demonstrated track record in operating a successful user facility allows us to prepare a powerful proposal to win this important project.”
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