Berkeley National Lab officials on campus
Mississippi State is hosting officials from one of the world’s leading research facilities this week.
During the visit on Monday [Feb. 10], university faculty, staff, administrators and students will be meeting with leaders and researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to explore partnership and funding possibilities, among other topics.
Though not a public event, local industry and government representatives are invited to participate.
Specifically, the visit is designed to:
--Inform MSU researchers about Lawrence Berkeley’s resources, facilities and proposal process;
--Develop and vet potential proposals with Lawrence Berkeley personnel; and,
--Identify new and facilitate existing research collaborations between the land-grant university and the multidisciplinary science and engineering research center located near the University of California, Berkeley campus on a 200-acre site.
Free online registration may be completed at http://www.tfaforms.com/314074.
“Lawrence Berkeley has infrastructure and expertise that coincide with Mississippi State’s research strategic plan and programs,” said Jason Keith, director of the MSU Energy Institute, who is coordinating the visit.
“These programs include renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, computational science, nanomaterials and materials science, among other areas where MSU researchers have an interest,” added the director of the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, where he holds the Earnest W. Deavenport Jr. endowed chair.
Lawrence Berkeley is part of the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science. It is managed by the University of California and is charged with conducting unclassified research across a wide range of scientific disciplines. In Fiscal Year 2011, the lab’s annual budget topped $800 million.
Last fall, Mississippi State hosted a similar visit by researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary science and engineering research center located at Argonne, Ill., near Chicago.
“Argonne’s visit was very productive, and we anticipate a similar experience with Berkeley Lab in a few weeks,” said David Shaw, MSU’s vice president for research and economic development.
Shaw said the university is “very pleased that we have another opportunity to broaden a relationship with a top-tier federal research lab.”
Jim Laird | Public Affairs
