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Fermilab's Contributions to Science and Society
The Department of Energy promotes scientific and technological innovation to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. As part of the DOE strategic goals, Fermilab's mission is to advance the understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and energy. Fermilab's world-class scientific research facility allows qualified researchers from around the world to conduct fundamental research at the frontiers of high-energy physics and related disciplines.
Scientific Discoveries
Establishing the Standard Model of Particles and Forces
In the last fifty years, scientists have made great advances in our understanding of energy, matter, space and time. Researchers at Fermilab and other DOE-funded institutions have played a significant role in developing a comprehensive framework that explains nature's particle zoo.
Discoveries at Fermilab
Thousands of scientists have used Fermilab's particle accelerators and experiments to study the universe at the smallest and largest scales. Here is an overview of the Fermilab top ten scientific accomplishments so far.
Fermilab Result of the Week
Every Thursday, Fermilab highlights a new result produced by one of its experiments. Each Result of the Week is a showcase of the scientific research and results achieved at Fermilab.
Technological Advances
Technology at Fermilab
The extraordinary technology developed for particle physics has often led to real-life applications. From accelerators for cancer treatment to the development of the World Wide Web at the particle physics laboratory CERN, applications have led to benefits for society in terms of health, security and economic well-being. Fermilab scientists have won fourteen R&D 100 awards, and the lab was home to the second World Wide Web homepage ever posted in the United States.
Accelerator Science in Medicine
The bold and innovative technologies of particle accelerators have created powerful new tools for medicine. Breakthroughs that allow physicists to unlock the deepest secrets of the universe continue to inspire advances in the understanding, diagnosis and healing of disease.
National Environmental Research Park
Fermilab is home to one of six National Environmental Research Parks established by the Department of Energy for studying some of the complex and poorly understood ecological issues that confront humanity. The Fermilab site plays a unique role as it contains most of the major types of ecosystems representative of the Midwest.
Why Support Science?
The U.S. federal government spends about $17 billion per year on basic research. Such large expenditures bring up the question: Why should society support the scientific enterprise? The motivations for science research vary from one field to another. Here is an overview.
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