Michigan State University - Red Cedar Log Yearbook (East Lansing, MI)

Page 30 text:

26 MSU Shares Technological Adventure with Country A technological adventure became reality in East Lansing in September 1982, as the long-planned MSU cyclo- tron was inaugurated and MSU leaped ahead of world nuclear technology. The cyclotron, officially the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), according to Director Henry Blosser, is intended for use in studying “the nucleus of the atom in situations which have not been previously accessi- ble.” Dr. D. Allan Bromley, professor of physics at Yale, said that the new MSU cyclotron was an intellectual and tech- nological adventure for the scientists and that discoveries made at the labora- tories would affect not only nuclear sci- ence, but other sciences as well. “It certainly is an adventure,” Blosser said, “whenever you can step off and do something new. We're very fortunate that we're able to do that.” But the facility isn’t restricted to free use by MSU scientists. Researchers who wish to use the cyclotron for their experi- ments must submit a proposal to the fa- cility’s committee which will review the proposals. Then, the community will Jack Klee award the use of the cyclotron on the basis of the expected effectiveness of the suggested research. In the ‘first wave” of experiments, about 40 percent of them involve MSU personnel, Blosser said. “It’s like it’s a national facility, so any- one in the country has access,” Blosser added. Basically, a cyclotron is a producer of accelerated atomic particle beams. Explained simply, a low speed atomic particle beam starts in the center of the cyclotron. It is rotated, sped up and then is sent out toward a target. Once the beam is out of the cyclotron, the re- searchers can apply the beam to a number of experiments, according to Blosser. About 95 percent of the research being done at the facility involves nucle- ar studies. Only about five percent is being done for medical or agricultural knowledge, he added. Blosser said the facility was being used for basic research, which is looking into the fundamental units of matter. Our technology of today, he explained, is based on basic research of 20 years ago. “Because it’s basic research, we don't know what we can learn,” he said. The MSU cyclotron is the highest energy of any such cyclotron in the world, Blosser said. It is rated at 500 mil- lion electric volts and will be part of a coupled pair of cyclotrons at MSU. The other cyclotron is an 800 million electric volt facility under construction, which should be ready for use in 1985. The idea for the cyclotron came from MSU president John Hannah in 1956, who sent the physics department a memo suggesting that they consider such a program, Blosser said. Blosser speculated that Hannah’s motive was that he wanted something to boost MSU's image. The planning of the facility began in fall of 1973, as studies of the project were begun. Construction of the first cyclotron began in August of 1977, at a cost of $17.8 million. It was partially fi- nanced by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foun- dation, Blosser said. “Hank Blosser is to be congratulated,” said Bromley, “for the NSCL a nd for bringing the U.S. to anew scientific fron- tier. There’s an exciting time ahead for us.” Jeff Juterbock

Page 29 text:

Karen Bailey Bill Brooks Bill Brooks 25

Page 31 text:

aay eer Jack Klee OTOL RRL I OFT Ts Jack Klee 27