Number: 03-47
Released: June 6, 2003
Contact: Diane Greenberg, 631 344-2347 or Mona S. Rowe, 631 344-5056

Summer Sunday Tours at Brookhaven Lab, July 13 – August 24

UPTON, NY - This summer, Sunday tours of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory will feature exciting interactive exhibits and an inside look at a different Laboratory facility each Sunday, including the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, the world’s newest and biggest particle accelerator for nuclear physics research.

The Lab will be open for tours on seven consecutive Sundays, from July 13 to August 24. Tour hours are between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Admission is free and no reservations are needed, but to be admitted on site, all visitors age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.

Produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and funded by the National Institutes of Health, a hands-on exhibit called “Brain Matters” offers visitors the opportunity to explore the wonder of the brain and test their skills in solving challenging “brain twisters.” Also, an exhibit about the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to a Brookhaven Lab scientist will be on display, and the Camp Upton Historical Collection will feature memorabilia from World Wars I and II.

With new special effects this year, the “Whiz Bang Science Show” — popular with both adults and children — will be shown at 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. every Sunday during the summer program. Both children and adults will enjoy lively interactive demonstrations of basic scientific principles. How does a “Bernoulli blower” float a beach ball in the air? What’s a corrugaphone and how does sound travel through it? These are just a few of the intriguing items to be covered in the show.

The tour schedule is as follows:

July 13 — Chemistry

See glassblowers in action, learn how nylon is made, and tour the Laser Electron Accelerator Facility — the fastest device in the U.S. for studying chemical reactions — and more.

July 20 — Energy & Environment & Weather

Learn about the Lab’s natural resources and environmental science programs, find out how to recycle household hazardous waste, and tour the National Weather Service. Watch a weather balloon launch at 3 p.m.

July 27 — Family Fun Day

Visit the Lab’s Science Museum, which features hands-on exhibits that are especially fun for children. Learn about some of the Lab’s educational programs and contests. Listen to live local bands, playing from noon to 4 p.m.

August 3 — National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) & Nanoscience

See the light! Discover how infrared, ultraviolet, and x-ray light produced in the NSLS is used for scientific research in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and many other fields. Lean about nanoscience, the study of materials the size of a few billionths of a meter.

August 10 — Magnet Division

Brookhaven scientists build huge, super-cold, superconducting magnets that guide subatomic particles around accelerators at nearly the speed of light. Come see how these incredible high-tech magnets are made for accelerators around the world.

August 17 — Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)

RHIC collides subatomic particles at high energies in an effort to recreate a hot, dense matter that has not existed since the beginning of the universe. Tour this world-class accelerator and learn how it helps physicists explore the subatomic world.

August 24 — Fire, Security & Plant Engineering

Take a look at Brookhaven Lab’s emergency response equipment and new command post. Learn how to protect yourself from identity theft, and view displays on firearms training and fingerprinting.

For more information about Brookhaven’s free Sunday tours, call (631) 344-2651. Brookhaven Lab is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

> High-resolution, 300 dpi jpeg version of the picture above. Any publication that uses the photo must include credit as follows: Exhibit produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and made possible with funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies. Brookhaven also builds and operates major facilities available to university, industrial, and government scientists. The Laboratory is managed by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited liability company founded by Stony Brook University and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization.