In Brief

On November 25, 1997, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Brookhaven Science Associates, a team led by the Batelle Memorial Research Institute of Columbus, Ohio, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, will operate the laboratory. Core universities associated with BSA include Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Princeton and Yale. The new team will take over operations in 60 days, with a five-year, $2 billion contract to be awarded in January. It was clear that BSA was favored by most of the laboratory scientists. The presidents of both Stony Brook and Batelle had previously stated that restarting the fast-flux beam reactor would be a high priority if BSA were chosen ("What's New," August 1, 1997). BSA picked John Marburger, a former President of Stony Brook, to be Director. He is highly experienced. During construction of the SSC, Marburger was chair of the Board of Trustees of Universities Research Association, which managed the ill-fated project.

This action follows termination of the contract with Associated Universities Inc. John Marburger, the laboratory's new director (past president of SUNY-Stony Brook for 14 years) described the four goals of the new management: providing a new leadership team; continuing cutting-edge science; attention to environment, safety, and health issues; and "a solid and productive relationship with the community." "We cannot operate a public facility without public support," he said.