America's first national laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is one of the U.S.
Department of Energy's largest research centers. It is also the nation's first
national laboratory, chartered in 1946.
Recognized for its excellence in connecting basic research to innovative technology,
Argonne is a direct descendant of the University of Chicago's Metallurgical
Laboratory, part of the World War Two Manhattan Project. It was at the Met
Lab where, on Dec. 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and his band of about 50 colleagues
created the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction in a racquets court
at the University of Chicago. Fermi believed that a collaborative approach
to science would deepen understanding and result in greater value. Over the
years, Argonne has embraced Fermi's beliefs, creating one of the world's broadest
scientific institutes, bringing together many areas of science, engineering
and technology.
Today, the laboratory has about 2,800 employees, including about 1,000
scientists and engineers, of whom about 750 hold doctorate degrees. Argonne's
annual operating budget of about $530 million supports upwards of 200 research
projects, ranging from studies of the atomic nucleus to global climate change
research. Since 1990, Argonne has worked with more than 600 companies and numerous
federal agencies and other organizations.
Argonne occupies 1,500 wooded acres in DuPage County, Ill. The
site is surrounded by forest preserve about 25 miles southwest of Chicago's
Loop. The site also houses the U.S. Department of Energy's Chicago Operations
Office.
Commitment to safety
Argonne is dedicated to safety in all
our activities. Every employee, visitor, facility user and research collaborator
is expected to put safety above all other concerns. No job is important enough
to compromise the safety of our employees, guests or neighbors.
Research programs
Argonne research falls into five broad categories:
Basic
science seeks solutions to a wide variety of scientific
challenges. This includes experimental and theoretical work in materials science,
physics, chemistry, biology, high-energy physics, and mathematics and computer
science, including high-performance computing. This kind of basic
research brings value to society today by helping lay the foundation for tomorrow's
technological breakthroughs.
Scientific facilities like Argonne's Advanced Photon
Source help advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation
for the future. The laboratory designs, builds and operates sophisticated research
facilities that would be too expensive for a single company or university to
build and operate. They are used by scientists from Argonne, industry, academia
and other national laboratories, and often by scientists from other nations.
The laboratory is also home to the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source, the Argonne
Tandem Linear Accelerator System and other facilities.
Energy resources programs
help insure a reliable supply of efficient and clean energy for the future.
Argonne scientists and engineers are developing advanced technologies and systems
for a number of energy applications, including nuclear reactors, batteries and
fuel cells, transportation, and electric power generation and storage.
Environmental management includes work on managing and
solving the nation's environmental problems and promoting environmental stewardship.
Research in this area includes alternative energy systems; environmental risk
and economic impact assessments; hazardous waste site analysis and remediation
planning; electrometallurgical treatment to prepare spent nuclear fuel for
disposal; and new technologies for decontaminating and decommissioning aging
nuclear reactors.
National
Security has increased in significance in recent
years for the nation and for Argonne research. Argonne capabilities developed
over the years for other purposes are helping counter the threats of terrorism.
These capabilities include expertise in the nuclear fuel cycle, biology, chemistry,
and systems analysis and modeling. This research is helping develop
highly sensitive instruments and technologies to detect
chemical, biological and radioactive threats and identify their sources. Other
research is helping to detect and deter possible weapons proliferation or actual
attacks.
Industrial technology development is an important activity in moving benefits
of Argonne's publicly funded research to industry to help strengthen the nation's
technology base.
Argonne's Division of Educational Programs provides a wide range of educational
opportunities for faculty and students ranging from leading national universities
to local junior high schools. More people attend educational programs at Argonne
than at any other DOE national laboratory.
Argonne is a U.S. Department of
Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC.
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