Celebrating a Job Well Done and the Future at the Interdisciplinary Science Building

Dedication Ceremony Held at Brookhaven Lab's New Facility for Energy Research on April 11

ISB dedication ceremony enlarge

Ready for some ribbon cutting at the new Interdisciplinary Science Building for energy research at Brookhaven Lab on April 11 are: (from left) Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine; Brian Beedenbender, chief of staff for Representative Tim Bishop; Kyle Strober, a representative from the office of Senator Charles Schumer; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Brookhaven Site Office Manager Frank Crescenzo; New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele; HDR Architecture, Inc. Principal and Senior Vice President Ahmad Soueid; Assistant Laboratory Director for Facilities & Operations Lanny Bates; New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle; Kristen Walsh, a representative from the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; Associate Director of the Office of Safety, Security, and Infrastructure for the DOE Office of Science Marcus Jones; Associate Laboratory Director for Global and Regional Solutions Gerald Stokes; ISB Project Manager Peggy Caradonna; Brookhaven Lab Director Doon Gibbs; Associate Laboratory Director for Basic Energy Sciences James Misewich; Brookhaven Science Associates Vice Chair and Stony Brook University (SBU) President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.; DOE Brookhaven Site Office Federal Project Director Gail Penny; SBU Provost and Senior Vice President For Academic Affairs and Vice President For Brookhaven Affairs Dennis Assanis; Assistant Laboratory Director for Community, Education, Government & Public Affairs Margaret Lynch; Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman; E.W. Howell President Howard Roland; and Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker.

More than 150 people—including representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Brookhaven Science Associates, elected officials, and members of the Brookhaven Lab community—gathered in the lobby of the new, world-class Interdisciplinary Science Building for energy research during a dedication ceremony held on April 11.

Multidisciplinary research teams will work together at the ISB to tackle America's most pressing energy challenges. Specifically, scientists will engineer and optimize materials with the goal of developing breakthrough technologies for batteries, biofuels, and solar panels. The ISB contains 87,700 square feet of office space, 60 standard laboratories, and four specialty labs: a humidity-controlled dry room and two ultra-low vibration laboratories connected via a vacuum-locked system to a laboratory customized for a process called molecular beam epitaxy.

A dedication ceremony was held at the new Interdisciplinary Science Building for energy research at Brookhaven Lab. Speakers included Lab Director Doon Gibbs, Department of Energy (DOE) Brookhaven Site Office Manager Frank Crescenzo, Brookhaven Science Associates Vice Chair and Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, and Associate Director of the Office of Safety, Security, and Infrastructure for the DOE Office of Science Marcus Jones.

"It's a building in which basic scientists as well as folks focusing on applications all across the board can meet together and work on a common goal," said Brookhaven Lab Director and master of ceremonies Doon Gibbs.

"We hope these interactions are going to spark unexpected, game-changing discoveries that will emerge through collaboration, conversation, and sharing our expertise—not just in house but reaching out to the larger community, to industry, to universities, to other national labs, and more broadly," Gibbs added, as he also noted the ISB's close proximity to the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), and NSLS-II.

Gibbs then told the audience that he was extremely proud of everyone who contributed to the total 244,000 hours worked to build the facility without sustaining any lost time injuries.

DOE Brookhaven Site Office Manager Frank Crescenzo spoke next. (video)

"Congratulations to the many Laboratory and department professionals who envisioned the need for this facility and made certain that it was delivered on time, on budget and safely. This is a job well done," Crescenzo said.

Brookhaven Science Associates Vice Chair and Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. then spoke. (video)

"What we have in this building today is really a symbol of Brookhaven's future and its ongoing commitment to innovations and breakthroughs in science," Stanley said. "The ISB is going to be a center. It's going to host research that addresses long-range problems, but also immediate needs for the country in areas like energy."

Stanley also noted the strong ties between Brookhaven Lab and SBU and the economic importance of their endeavors, as he said that Long Island can become a center for energy research, renewable energy research and green energy.

New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle then took to the stage and told the audience, "The synergy and the collaboration and cooperation between BNL and Stony Brook is key—just think of the nucleus of research that we have. You represent what's great about Long Island." (video)

Next, Laboratory Director Gibbs returned to the stage to read remarks from Bill Brinkman, outgoing director of the DOE Office of Science, who was unable to attend the ceremony. (video)

ISB

The new world-class Interdisciplinary Science Building at Brookhaven Lab is an 87,700-square-foot facility containing 60 standard laboratories, four specialty labs, and offices, where researchers will collaborate to tackle America's most pressing energy challenges.

"The building we are dedicating today represents a new enhancement to the future of science. It will house scientists from several disciplines to work on interdisciplinary projects that may change the world," Brinkman wrote. "Whether it is high vacuum MBE technologies, ultra-high-resolution electron microscopy, or nanoscience technology investigating the nature of superconductors, storage batteries, or neurobiology it will be of the high standards that Brookhaven represents.

"Efficient and carbon free use of energy is surely a great challenge to the science and technology community," Brinkman continued. "The laboratories have the opportunity to make a difference and this new facility will certainly make this happen here at Brookhaven."

Associate Director of the Office of Safety, Security, and Infrastructure for the DOE Office of Science Marcus Jones spoke next. While offering his congratulations to everyone involved in building the ISB, Jones discussed how the science and discoveries made at the ISB will likely yield unexpected results that can be developed into technologies that will benefit future generations. (video)

"I do really appreciate all the work that you all do here, I am very proud of this building," Jones said.

Dignitaries who also attended the event included Kyle Strober, a representative from the office of Senator Charles Schumer; Kristen Walsh, a representative from the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; Brian Beedenbender, chief of staff for Representative Tim Bishop; New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele; Suffolk County Legislators Sarah Anker and Jay Schneiderman; and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine.

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