| Rounds says Italian lab looking forward to DUSEL development, economic impact obvious |
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| Written by Wendy Pitlick |
| Tuesday, 22 June 2010 |
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LEAD On a recent trip to Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, Gov. Mike Rounds came back with a clear sense that the local community hails their lab as the long-term, economic engine for the area.
Located in a small, mountainous, agricultural area that is surrounded by a forest, Gran Sasso Lab rests between the small communities of L'Aquila and Teramo, and is about 75 miles from Rome. With 4,593 feet of rock coverage, the lab is currently the deepest underground laboratory in the world for particle and astrophysics experiments, and it is operated by the Italian government. It is this lab that is being used as a model for the proposed deep underground science and engineering laboratory, which, if built, will take Gran Sasso’s place as the deepest underground lab in the world and will be operated by the United States government. Rounds recently visited the lab while in Switzerland for a Council of State Governments economic development mission, a trip that also took him to CERN laboratory in Geneva, which houses the largest particle accelerator in the world. At both stops Rounds said he was struck by how much officials at Gran Sasso and CERN know about what is going on with the effort to develop the DUSEL. “They look at the Homestake location as being the site in which expansions of existing experiments and the next generation of experiments will occur,” Rounds said. “They were excited about the possibilities of another national laboratory to provide additional chances to do larger and more refined, or the next generation of experiments that they are working on. What I came away with was this is not pie in the sky stuff. This is well thought out, well reasoned science at probably its best in terms of finding out what dark energy really consists of and finding out what dark matter is and how much dark matter is made up of neutrinos in the universe.” While visiting with lab and government officials at Gran Sasso, Rounds said he also had the opportunity to talk with some local business people in the town. He was struck by their enthusiasm for the Italian lab. “They clearly appreciated the economic stability for that area that was provided by the laboratory employment,” Rounds said. “The local individuals were clearly appreciative of the laboratory and the amount of economic activity there. The community has identified the lab as their primary economic engine in the long term.” Because an earthquake devastated the community last year, Rounds was unable to view an accurate picture of the businesses and industry that resulted from the lab, since the area is still rebuilding. However, Rounds said he saw first-hand the many jobs and opportunities for local contracts that come with an underground laboratory, as well as the many educational opportunities. From equipment maintenance and construction for the actual facility, to manufacturing parts for the science experiments — work that is often done as part of a student learning experience at universities — Rounds said there are opportunities for all kinds of trades and skill sets. From electricians and HVAC specialists, to electrical engineers and welders, Rounds said local contractors provided many of the services. “You’re talking about technicians that actually follow up on and maintain the equipment on a regular basis,” Rounds said. “These are all jobs that will require ongoing and continuous work being done from people at the local level. So you’re not only going to have the employees who are there full time, but you’ve also got to have the ongoing contractual relationships with local contractors and service providers that in most cases are right there in the local community. So it is a very positive thing for the local community.” In visiting Gran Sasso, Rounds said he wanted to send the message that the DUSEL will not compete with the Italian laboratory. That message was received, he said, as Italian officials expressed their support for the American proposal. Gran Sasso National Lab, Rounds said, is currently full of science experiments and does not plan to expand. Therefore, the Sanford Lab will provide much needed space for experiments that expand on what is currently being done at Gran Sasso. Further, Rounds said the Sanford Lab and the DUSEL will be filled with experiments. “Based upon our current projections and the amount of money available to us we will be full also for the foreseeable future,” Rounds said of the lab at Homestake. “So we really wanted to talk about how we could coordinate and learn from one another. I found a very welcoming group of administrators and leaders from the laboratory there.” Gran Sasso National Laboratory, Rounds said, is located directly off of an Interstate highway. In fact, vehicles as large as a semi truck can drive right off the highway and into the underground laboratory on a one-way street that loops around the lab and out onto the same highway. It is a huge laboratory, Rounds said, with multiple Quonset-type structures measuring 100-120 meters long. |
