For years, rumors of what went on behind the security fences around Argonne National Laboratory were as hilarious as they were diabolical.
People whispered about scientists performing weird nuclear experiments on deer that made the animals’ coats turn white. Outsiders squinting for a better view spoke of a hidden nuclear reactor tucked between the Spartan buildings.
Argonne apparently has heard enough. During the Cold War, scientists clearly had embarked on some very confidential and weighty endeavors, but the laboratory’s agenda has changed dramatically since then.
On Friday, Argonne will make that change very public by opening an estimated $1.5 million visitor-information center that is expected to serve as “a window into and onto the laboratory,” according to Dean E. Eastman, Argonne’s director.
“We want Argonne to become much better known to the public and business,” Eastman told about 80 people gathered in the center for a pre-opening ceremony Thursday morning. “And, by achieving that, to erase our old image as the `secret, government lab behind the fence,’ or worse, the `nuclear lab doing classified research with dangerous materials.’ “
To that end, Argonne has assembled an array of gadgets and exhibits, ranging from a weather balloon floating near the ceiling and a fossilized stump from the Arctic Circle to a hands-on demonstration of filtering and focusing light and electron beams.
A computer station linked to an electron-microscope laboratory allows visitors to observe and control experiments from the computer, while talking with Argonne material scientist Nestor Zaluzec, who runs the lab. His Tele-Presence Microscopy (TPM) project also offers a web site (http://tpm.amc.anl.gov) allowing anyone with access to the World Wide Web to tap into his lab.
There are exhibits on Argonne’s history and ecosystems, models of protein and nuclear reactions, a video theater, a display of a process developed at the lab that expedites assessments of hazardous waste sites. Another display shows a phosphate ceramic that sets at room temperature and can be used for road building, particle board, ceramic tiles and the disposal of low-level radioactive and hazardous waste.
And there’s a learning lab, 20 computer stations that Argonne officials hope will introduce visitors to the Web and video conferencing for interactive experiments–all in the name of promoting science, with Argonne as its friendly conduit.
That theme fits the primary mission of the center, which is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is designed to present science, technology and history in an attention-grabbing, hands-on, interactive way, Eastman said. The focus will be on students and teachers.
Jessie Kelliher, a 4th grader at Central School in Lemont, is a new believer in the cause. She was in the center’s learning lab, connecting with the American Girls Collection Web site and a few other addresses. It was her first formal introduction to the World Wide Web.
“It’s got a lot more pictures than I thought it would,” said Jessie, who was invited to the opening ceremony with about 20 of her classmates in Central’s gifted program. “And it has a lot more information than I thought, a lot more information.”
In keeping with its more open ambience, Argonne has loosened its visitor’s policy. Badges once required for all visitors will be unnecessary for most people who have business with the lab during the work week. That measure is expected to ease access for 60,000 of the estimated 70,000 visitors to the lab each year, Eastman said.
Juxtaposed with the festive atmosphere were the large thoughts from academia. Hugo F. Sonnenschein, president of University of Chicago, which operates the laboratory with the U.S. Department of Energy, spoke about mankind’s responsibility for its history and future.
“Mankind is substantially able to shape its future,” he said. “This is what sets us apart from other creatures and other works of God. At the end of the day, it is science that most enables us to shape our future. This center will help spread the understanding of science, and in particular, Argonne science.”
Sonnenschein’s sentiments were contagious. After his brief remarks, Eastman stepped to the lectern and said the center might look complete but is far from it.
“We intend the Argonne Information Center to be a work-in-progress,” he said, “to evolve and change as science, our visitors and society’s needs change. What I’m saying is that Argonne’s commitment to continuous improvement doesn’t begin inside the main gate next door. It begins right here.”
