New York State is making a $100 million investment in Brookhaven National Lab to strengthen its Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) project. It is expected to be a significant scientific and economic shot in the arm for the Long Island economy.
"In addition to the technological breakthroughs that the EIC project will bring in energy, science, medicine, the project will also result in the creation of thousands of jobs," said New York State Senator Dean Murray.
Opened in 1947 at what was then the U.S. Army’s former Camp Upton, Brookhaven National Lab was started to harness nuclear energy for the greater good in the years following WWII. Today, it is one of 10 national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the federal Department of Energy's Office of Science. More than 2,500 people work there.
Researchers, scientists and high tech technicians engage in pioneering experimentation primarily to develop new technologies.
“Brookhaven National Laboratory and the pioneering work done there is of tremendous value to our town, our state, our country and our world. The research and breakthroughs achieved will advance our society, help our world and help unlock the mysteries of our universe,” said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico.
The $100 million state investment will help construct four new research buildings within four years on the current campus, with 14 total expected to be built as part of the Electron-Ion Collider project.
Up until now, research that was done focused on creating a better understanding of the electromagnetic force between the nucleus of an atom and all of the electrons that circle it. This led to breakthroughs in the computers and smartphones we use today.
The future of the Electron-Ion Collider project literally goes much deeper from a scientific perspective. The EIC project helps scientists go inside the nucleus and its protons and neutrons, similar to how an MRI provides a far clearer picture than an X-ray machine.
“Suffolk County remains world-renowned for its contributions to the history of science and technology,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romine.
“The science we support today will trigger benefits for our society tomorrow, benefits that will impact medicine, human health, energy, and national security. Securing BNL’s place in the world is securing our future, and I am proud to support this funding, and the lab it promotes,” concluded New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio.