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News Tip

 


December 20, 1999

For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Editor: Cheryl Dybas

Magnet Lab Sets Record in Peak-Field Test

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has set a record in creating a powerful magnetic field. In testing this week, a hybrid magnet that has been in development since the early 1990s reached a peak magnetic field of 44.2 Tesla. This is the strongest continuous magnetic field created to date in a scientific laboratory, and represents a remarkable engineering achievement. Ultimately, the large hybrid magnet is expected to achieve 45 Tesla or more, almost a million times as strong as the Earth’s magnetic field.

The NSF-supported laboratory, with locations in Florida and New Mexico, conducts magnet-related research and provides high magnetic fields as a user facility for U.S. and international researchers. Research in high magnetic fields is critical to modern technologies and scientific research because it provides an additional means for scientists to study matter at the molecular level. The hybrid magnet will be used for research in condensed matter physics, materials science, chemistry, and ultimately, the biological sciences. [Amber Jones]

For more information on the laboratory, see: http://www.nhmfl.gov/

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POWRE Awards Still Help Promising Women Succeed in Science, Engineering

One hundred-fifty-nine promising women in fields of science and engineering nationwide will share in about $11.5 million in awards over the next 12 to 18 months through the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education (POWRE).

Women represent half the U.S. labor force, but only 22 percent in science and engineering occupations, according to the NSF’s report, Women Minorities and Persons with Disabilities, 1998.

NSF, through POWRE, seeks to increase the participation, prominence and influence of women in the science and engineering workforce, and to develop academic and institutional leaders in research and education.

Thirty of the new POWRE awardees are in engineering fields (about 18 percent). Women have been traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering, especially in engineering, where women account for only nine percent of the engineering workforce (in 1995). They also represent just 12 percent of the postsecondary engineering teachers. POWRE is one of many NSF programs designed to provide educational and career opportunities for women. [Bill Noxon]

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Officials Pen Agreement on U.S. LHC Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Energy have signed an agreement on U.S. participation in research conducted with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC, being constructed at the CERN high-energy physics lab near Geneva, Switzerland, is designed to collide proton beams at the highest collision energies ever obtained, providing a wealth of data on the smallest building blocks of the universe.

The memorandum of understanding signed December 13, 1999, at NSF establishes mechanisms for managing the U.S. LHC program and defines the two agencies’ roles in scientific and technical activities, including computing and physics research.

NSF is contributing $81 million toward fabrication of the detectors. In addition, NSF will provide support for research teams conducting experiments and analyzing data. [Amber Jones]

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