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New
Release -- Superconductor Week does not edit or endorse the following
news release:
FSU
takes a major scientific step forward, lures Applied Superconductivity Center
from Wisconsin
Tallahassee, FL, Oct 6: It's a major coup for
Florida
State
University
- and one that holds significant potential for breakthroughs in a variety of
scientific endeavors. "It" is
Florida
State
's new Applied Superconductivity Center (ASC), which soon will be setting up
shop in
Tallahassee
's
Innovation
Park
, near the Florida A&M University-FSU College of Engineering and across the
street from the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, with which it will join
forces.
ASC has been headquartered at the
University
of
Wisconsin
in
Madison
for more than two decades. However, FSU administrators made a successful push
to lure the entire center to FSU, where the ASC will become a materials research
division of the magnet lab.
"This will increase our capabilities even more in terms of materials
science," said Kirby Kemper, FSU's vice president for Research.
"Researchers at the magnet lab, for instance, are hoping to build the next
generation of superconducting magnets. The
Applied
Superconductivity
Center
will develop the new materials so that they can do that.
"We're also excited about the development of new materials for instruments
for medical science," Kemper added. The ASC will "build on top of what
we already have" in terms of materials science research at FSU's Center for
Materials Research and Technology and at several programs within the College of
Engineering.
FSU President T.K. Wetherell shared Kemper's excitement over the center's
selection of FSU as its new home.
"This is frontier instrumentation that will be shared by researchers from a
number of disciplines," Wetherell said. The center's relocation to FSU is
"a major step forward in our move toward recognition as one of the top
research universities in the nation," he added.
According to its Web page at the
University
of
Wisconsin
, ASC's mission is to "advance the science and technology of
superconductivity and particularly superconductivity applications. We do this by
investigating low-temperature and high-temperature materials through our
research grants, our collaborations with other universities, national
laboratories and industry. We continually educate postgraduate, graduate and
undergraduates by our research and by our public service."
Ching-Jen "Marty" Chen, dean of the
College
of
Engineering
, and Chiang Shih, chairman of the college's department of mechanical
engineering, also were heavily involved in negotiations to bring ASC to FSU.
"The
College
of
Engineering
joins the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in welcoming the move of the
Applied
Superconductivity
Center
to
Tallahassee
," Chen said.
"This is an excellent example of multidisciplinary collaboration between
the sciences and engineering. The affiliation of ASC with the
College
of
Engineering
amplifies many ongoing efforts in material engineering research in the
college and the magnet lab."
Four top ASC researchers, including Director David C. Larbalestier, will begin
relocating by January 2006. They will be followed over the next six months by
eight post-doctoral researchers, several highly skilled machinists and a few
graduate students. In all, ASC may bring as many as 30 researchers to
Tallahassee
, along with some $2 million in research grants and another $2.5 million worth
of precision laboratory equipment.
Larbalestier is viewed by many of his peers as the leading researcher in the
United States
, and possibly the world, in the basic research of practical superconducting
materials for magnets and power applications. Over a 35-year career, he has
profoundly influenced the development of high-field magnets for high-energy
physics and other applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), that
have evolved from them. Among the highlights of his career is his election in
2003 to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering.
"We anticipate that the leadership of Dr. Larbalestier and his colleagues
will enhance our visibility as the center for material engineering research both
nationally and internationally," Chen said.
Magnet lab Director Gregory S. Boebinger expressed his enthusiasm over the
prospect of making significant advances in magnet research with the help of ASC.
"All superconducting technologies, from levitating train projects to
next-generation power lines to the construction of research magnets such as the
powerful superconducting magnets at our own magnet lab, owe a debt to the
research of David Larbalestier and the
Applied
Superconductivity
Center
," Boebinger said. "So the future is bright for FSU as we work to
pioneer the development of new materials."
Local business officials offered praise over the ASC's arrival in town, as well
as FSU's work to bring it to
Tallahassee
.
"The Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County (EDC) is
excited with this impressive level of investment and ongoing million-dollar
payroll that will leave a lasting and positive influence on our regional
economy," said Brad Day, executive director of the ECD. "With the
recruitment of research and development activities like this, our community
continues to earn its reputation as a technology-rich economy."
Thomas A. Barron, chairman of the Innovation Park Board of Governors, expressed
optimism that the new center will help
Innovation
Park
become a strong engine for economic growth within the community.
"The Leon County Research and Development Authority is pleased with the
announcement of the new research initiative that FSU is making today,"
Barron said. "We are particularly grateful for the decision to locate this
team and project at
Innovation
Park
. FSU continues to be a strong partner in the research-oriented economic
development of the park and the community. We will make every effort to leverage
future development opportunities off of this exciting new project."
The
Applied
Superconductivity
Center
will be housed in the
Shaw
Building
, located at
2031 E. Paul Dirac Drive
in
Innovation
Park
. FSU will immediately begin the process of customizing the building to meet ASC
needs.
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