A Note from Steve Dierker
July 13, 2011
Steve Dierker
On Sunday, July 24, the public is invited to Summer Sunday at NSLS and NSLS-II. Although this has been an annual open house at NSLS for years, this is the first time we will welcome the public into NSLS-II. Over 100 of us in the Photon Sciences Directorate have volunteered to help with the day’s activities, which will include interactive displays, science talks, and tours. Last year, we hosted over 1,000 visitors. We are ready for a big crowd again.
Tomorrow, a small but special group of visitors — the Newsday editorial board – is coming to Brookhaven Lab to learn about science programs and major facilities, including NSLS and NSLS-II. Serving Long Island and New York City, Newsday has reported regularly on research at NSLS and on progress at NSLS-II. We have also been supported by positive editorials looking forward to the exciting science that NSLS-II will enable.
Our Photon Sciences Directorate and the user community we serve have certainly accomplished much that is worthy of headlines in Newsday and other news outlets, locally, nationally, and internationally. Just two weeks ago, for example, a German mining publication reported on a detector developed by Peter Siddons and colleagues for use at the Australian Synchrotron and at NSLS. What is the connection with mining? According to an expert in gold exploration quoted in the article, the Maia detector has revolutionized the way researchers map trace elements in mineral exploration and ore samples. The Maia detector won a prestigious R&D 100 Award, announced by a Brookhaven press release in June.
Many news articles and editorials are triggered by the Lab’s press releases. You can find them listed on our Photon Sciences website.
Telling the story of our good work is one of the ways in which we inform and educate our current and potential sponsors — including, ultimately, the public at large — about our accomplishments and plans. Talking with visitors from Newsday, hosting the upcoming NSLS/NSLS-II Summer Sunday, publishing eNews every month — these are other forms of communications that are important for nurturing good relations with our many stakeholders.
Here is yet another example. Today, from 1:05-2 p.m., Pete Siddons is doing a live radio interview at WLNG. He and Nora Detweiler, Community Relations, will be at WLNG’s studio in Sag Harbor to promote Summer Sundays and talk about science at the Lab. Pete, of course, will describe his award-winning Maia detector and explain how it’s used to probe archeological and historical artifacts, including a painting by Rembrandt. To listen to the program live, tune in to 92.1 on the FM radio dial. If you’re on your computer, go to the WLNG website and click on the play button in the box on the right.
2011-2491 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
