Michigan State University not only has the nation’s top nuclear physics program, it’s also home to one of the field’s most prolific authors, B. Alex Brown. The professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who also works at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, has published over 800 papers during his career, including a paper 30 years ago that still shapes the way people talk about nuclear science today. The prominent journal Physical Review C is featuring that paper in a special collection of articles to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The U.S. Department of Energy has designated the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility. U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette announced the designation at a special ceremony held at MSU in a tent adjacent to FRIB on the 29th of September. DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar was on hand for the ceremony.

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University has reached another milestone on its journey towards completion. “FRIB,” as it’s commonly known, has been designated as a user facility by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science. That means researchers from around the world will have access to the giant particle accelerator that will produce rare isotopes not otherwise found in nature.

Michigan State University hit a new milestone as the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, better known as the FRIB is almost complete. On 29 September, FRIB became a user facility under the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. It’s the latest step for the federally-supported facility.

A $730 million state-of-the-art nuclear science research facility at Michigan State University got federal approval to welcome scientists from around the world and remains on target to open in 2022. MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams gained its official certification as an Energy Office of Science user facility from the U.S. Department of Energy.