BNL Home
Saturation: Recent Developments, New Ideas and Measurements

Visiting Brookhaven

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is located in Suffolk County on Long Island, 120-miles east of New York City. The Lab's 5,265-acre site is near the island's geographic center. The Lab is located in the township of Brookhaven, and has its own post office designation, Upton. The zip code is 11973-5000.

From above, Long Island looks like a giant fish, with a forked tail on the "East End" -- the North Fork is rural, and the South Fork has many famous "Hamptons" resort towns. The Peconic Bay and Shelter Island are between the forks. Brookhaven is 15 miles to the west of the forks, and about 60 miles east of New York City.

  • Aerial view of BNL - The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (top, center) is 2.4 miles in circumference, and dominates Brookhaven's 5,265-acre campus.
  • BNL From Space - The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider ring can be easily seen as a small round white circle on the top right of this satellite image.

Brookhaven is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's multidisciplinary research laboratories, and is dedicated to basic, non-defense scientific research. You'll often hear the Department of Energy referred to as DOE. Brookhaven is operated by Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), a not-for-profit research company founded by the Battelle Memorial Institute and the Research Foundation of the State University of New York on behalf of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. About 3,000 people work here, and more than 4,000 others visit each year for days, weeks, or months to perform scientific research or attend conferences. To learn more about what the Laboratory is all about, explore the Brookhaven homepage.

One of the strongest recommendations anyone can make about coming to Brookhaven for a visitor is to bring a car. The Lab has many amenities, but not everything you'll need, and the nearest stores and towns are several miles away. Please note that the inclusion of a commercial establishment such as a restaurant doesn't indicate an endorsement by the Laboratory.

General Information


Long Island (major roads only):  GIF | PDF

Computer Access
Three computer terminals are located in Berkner Hall for internet access or accessing your email during the meeting. You may also use the network jacks to connect your own laptop.

Faxing Documents
A fax machine is located in Berkner Hall for those who require faxing services. The phone number is (631) 344-2069. See the Conference Desk for assistance in using the fax machine.

Top of Page

Last Modified: October 29, 2021