JEFFERSON LAB HOSTS OPEN HOUSE APRIL 26

The U.S. Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab, including a $600 million electron accelerator, or "atom smasher," will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 26. Researchers at the lab, including Old Dominion University physics faculty, will demonstrate the latest physics research and technology developments underway there. Located in Newport News, the lab is used by an international community of 1,500 scientists.

In addition to the electron beam accelerator, visitors to the "Science is Cool" open house will be able to see two of the lab's experimental halls, the free-electron laser facility and the accelerator assembly area, where components for the accelerator are assembled and tested. The lab's medical-imaging equipment will be displayed, and lab staff will give the ever-popular liquid nitrogen demonstration throughout the day.

ODU physics faculty members are leaders in research at Jefferson Lab using over 10 percent of its experimental resources. The Department of Energy (DOE) recently renewed the ODU experimental nuclear physics group's research grant of $535,000 for 2003-04. This is the fourth largest out of 87 DOE and National Science Foundation non-accelerator grants in medium-energy nuclear physics.

Free parking will be available at Canon Virginia at 12000 Canon Blvd. in the Oyster Point area of Newport News. Free shuttle buses will take visitors on the three-minute ride from the Canon parking lot to the lab. For more information, visit the Web site http://www.jlab.org/openhouse/.