Jefferson Lab photos/Aileen Devlin
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The Applied Research Center (ARC) is tying the knot with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Today, the City of Newport News announced the transfer of the Applied Research Center to Jefferson Lab and the DOE. The announcement was made in a ribbon-tying ceremony for the facility.
“Newport News is a hub of innovation and research, thanks in large part to Jefferson Lab’s robust educational and scientific offerings,” said Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones. “Since 1985, the city has invested more than $64 million in support of Jefferson Lab, including acquiring the facility’s land and constructing the Applied Research Center. We are pleased to grow the partnership with Jefferson Lab by conveying this building to them at no cost so it may become the public face of Jefferson Lab. This exciting new chapter will provide opportunities for residents and visitors to learn more about the lab and its importance to the city, Commonwealth, and world.”
Since May 1998, the 122,000 sq.-ft. Applied Research Center has offered the opportunity for business and research partners to make their home adjacent to the Jefferson Lab site. The ARC has hosted growing businesses and research groups from several local universities, including William & Mary, Old Dominion University, Hampton University and Christopher Newport University. Jefferson Lab also has occupied the facility throughout its history.
“The Newport News Economic Development Authority is committed to supporting the transformational research taking place at Jefferson Lab,” said Florence Kingston, Newport News Director of Development. “The city’s donation of the Applied Research Center building to Jefferson Lab ensures they have the space, capacity, and resources necessary to meet their growing mission. With the addition of the new High Performance Data Facility in the coming years, we anticipate that the Applied Research Center will become a hub for learning, collaboration, and discovery.”
The ARC is set to become the new gateway to Jefferson Lab. The facility will support Jefferson Lab’s campus expansion with a dedicated visitor center and science education center. It will also offer expanded, modernized and proximal office space, which will allow physics staff and visiting scientists a greater opportunity to foster scientific collaboration and discovery.
Renovation work on the ARC is planned over the next four years.
“We are proud to celebrate this momentous occasion with the Department of Energy, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the City of Newport News, William & Mary, Old Dominion University, Christopher Newport University and our other university and research partners,” said Jefferson Lab Director Stuart Henderson. “The physical growth of the lab, along with its recent growth in mission, ensures a bright future for Jefferson Lab, which in turn helps to build a bright future for Newport News.”
The addition of the ARC to the Jefferson Lab campus adds nine acres to the formerly 169-acre site. The expansion also comes at a time when the lab’s mission has grown. In October, it was announced that Jefferson Lab is diversifying its mission with the addition of the High Performance Data Facility Hub project.
More than 1,800 scientists worldwide conduct their research with Jefferson Lab’s unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), to probe the most basic building blocks of matter. These studies help nuclear physicists to better understand the particles and the forces that build our visible universe. The lab’s expanding mission in high performance computing and data science is centered on the HPDF, a $300-500 million computing and data infrastructure resource that will provide researchers with tools, methods and technologies to maximize the scientific value of data.
Further Reading
ARC Ribbon-Tying Event flickr album
ARC Nurtures Technology Transfer
ARC Ceremony Marks Beginning of Construction and Partnerships
Groundbreaking Planned for New $13.7m Applied Research Center in Newport News
Contact: Kandice Carter, Jefferson Lab Communications Office, 757-269-7263,
kcarter@jlab.org