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Princeton will compete to keep management of Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton, NJ, October 9: Citing 55 years
of success in making the
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) a world leader in magnetic fusion
energy research, Princeton University has announced that it will seek to
continue managing the lab after the University's current management and
operations contract expires.
"We are committed to making the strongest
possible case for continuing to manage PPPL, as we have done successfully for
many years," said Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman. "When the competition
is initiated, we will submit to the Department of Energy a detailed proposal
demonstrating how the laboratory will enjoy continued success under the
University's leadership. We are proud of the cutting-edge science and
engineering the laboratory has accomplished, and we have great confidence that
it will continue to make breakthrough discoveries in the years ahead."
PPPL is one of 10 national science laboratories
funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. The department has
initiated a series of competitive bidding processes for the management and
operations contracts for these laboratories, and to date has announced -- and in
some cases, completed -- competitions for eight of them.
The University learned in June that the
Department of Energy plans to hold a competition for a new management and
operations contract for the Princeton laboratory in spring of 2007. The
department has granted Princeton an extension of its current contract, which
ended Sept. 30, until the open bidding process is complete.
Princeton has managed PPPL since its origins in
1951, when Professor Lyman Spitzer, a founder of the field of plasma physics,
initiated the study of fusion at the University. The facility, which was
officially named the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 1961, performs
advanced research on fusion energy, an environmentally benign and abundant
energy source.
"Princeton's proposal to retain its management
and operations contract for PPPL will include innovative management initiatives
and exciting scientific plans that will position the U.S. to take best advantage
of the major international fusion energy initiative, called ITER, set for
construction in France," said Rob Goldston, director of PPPL and professor of
astrophysical sciences at the University. "Our plans will help position this
country ultimately to lead the world in the development of this important
science and technology."
PPPL has scored numerous major scientific and
technological successes, including deepening the theoretical understanding of
the very hot gases -- called plasmas -- that are used to produce fusion energy,
and also setting a series of world records in the production of fusion power in
experimental facilities.
The laboratory is currently operating a major
innovative research facility, the National Spherical Torus Experiment, and is
completing construction of a second critical facility for the study of fusion
plasmas, the National Compact Stellarator Experiment.
According to A.J. Stewart Smith, the Class of
1909 Professor of Physics and chair of the University Research Board,
Princeton's efforts to encourage collaboration among researchers around the
world have resulted in outstanding contributions over the years to all aspects
of the international magnetic fusion energy program.
"Researchers from around the world participate in
experiments at PPPL, and scientists from PPPL have performed work in Europe,
Japan, the Soviet Union and the current Russian Federation," Smith said. "They
have assisted on many of the world's leading fusion energy experimental
facilities."
Christopher Eisgruber, provost of the University,
said the achievements of the world-famous laboratory have been a major factor in
securing for Princeton "a top position among the world's great research
universities."
More than 230 graduate students have received
doctoral degrees from the University's Department of Astrophysical Sciences
Program in Plasma Physics since 1959. The students perform their thesis research
using PPPL facilities, guided by researchers at the lab. During its history, the
laboratory has generated a host of innovations in vacuum technology; mechanics
and materials science; electronics; computer technology; and high-voltage power
systems, in addition to many other fields.
"Princeton University is unswerving in its
dedication to provide the financial resources and staff support required to
develop a compelling proposal to continue to manage the Princeton Plasma Physics
Laboratory and to provide the conditions necessary to guarantee its continued
success," Eisgruber said.
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