Northwestern Club of Chicago Hosts Argonne National Laboratory Tour
On Saturday, March 8, 2008, the NU Club of Chicago hosted a tour, buffet luncheon, and panel discussion at Argonne National Laboratory for more than 100 guests from the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Rockford chapters. Led by Northwestern alumni employed at Argonne, the tour offered a comprehensive overview of the functions of Argonne’s facilities and scientific mission within the areas of basic science and applied science. The guides provided an inside look at equipment and how scientific tests are conducted annually by more than 3,000 global users from industry, science, academia, and government laboratories.
To begin, the large group of Northwestern guests was divided in two. One group viewed the Advanced Photon Source (APS), provider of this hemisphere’s most brilliant x-ray beams. These beams, used for all disciplines of scientific research, are used to find out more about the structure and function of materials in the center of the Earth and in outer space. Dr. Dean Haeffner (McC91), APS Sector Coordinator, served as the special tour guide, leading the group onto the APS floor, where they observed a real-time APS science team from Northwestern University Material School conducting experiments. With the APS data, researchers at Argonne could impact the evolution of combustion engines and microcircuits, aid in the development of new pharmaceuticals, and pioneer nanotechnologies on the smallest scales.
A second portion of the tour offered an opportunity to view ATLAS (Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator Facility), the world’s first superconducting linear accelerator. Physicists from all over the world use ATLAS to study the properties of the nucleus and the core of atoms.
Post-tour, Northwestern guests participated in a buffet luncheon, which included a lively panel discussion with four distinguished Argonne-employed alumni: Dr. Stuart Stock (McC77, 78), Northwestern research professor in Material Science & Engineering; Dr. Dean R. Haeffner (McC91), physicist/sector coordinator, X-Ray Sciences Division, Argonne; Dr. Luis Nunez (KSM05), chemist, Physical Sciences Directorate, Argonne; and Dr. Laural Briggs (McC73, 78), nuclear engineer, Argonne. The panel provided an insightful review of their career tracks at Argonne as well as the continuing strong science and business relationship between Northwestern University and Argonne.
Many thanks to the panel, the staff of Argonne Laboratory, and the many volunteers who graciously gave time on a Saturday to make this tour a memorable experience.
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