On Long Island, Friday marked the project launch of a new facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory that will allow scientists across the globe to look inside the deepest inner workings of atoms and molecules.
Paul Dabbar is President Trump’s Under Secretary of Science. He said there has been a race between countries to be home of the one-of-a-kind nuclear physics research facility.
Dabbar bashed a “communist” competitor who alleged that the U.S. would not be able to fund and collaborate on a project before them.
“Individual and intellectual freedom is required for what we do here everyday. Without such freedom, there would have been no Shakespeare. No Rousseau, No Newton. No Einstein. No Jobs, and no Musk. Freedom is the foundation of creativity,” he said.
Dabbar said the collider could bring understanding to what holds the universe together when construction is finished over the next decade.
Big Picture
U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) said the data that the collider collects will allow scientists to make revolutionary discoveries in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology, among others.
“This is an initiative that is certain to change the world,” Zeldin said, “It’s going to change humanity.”
The collider will allow scientists to look at subatomic particles. From there, it could change how science is used to address today’s problems.
New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hocul said the launch is redemption for an uncertain year in science amid the nation’s handling of coronavirus.
“In scientists we trust," she said. "All others, verify.”
Local Impact
The U.S. Department of Energy selected BNL as the site for building the one-of-a-kind nuclear physics research facility in January. With that brings a $1 billion capital investment to Long Island.
The state has pitched in $100 million over 6 years for this project. The launch is expected to bring 4,000 high paying construction and research jobs over the next decade.
“It was a multiyear fight to deliver the Electron Ion Collider for Brookhaven National Labs,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). “For years I made the case to the federal government that BNL has the talent, the technology and the track-record to make the most of this national project. The Lab is used to taking on big projects, critical research and the most serious questions science can pose. The DOE got it right by selecting Brookhaven and this multibillion dollar federal investment into Long Island will guarantee Brookhaven National Lab continues to be a world class research facility for the next generation.”
