NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — A research facility on the Jefferson Lab campus in Newport News is helping to expand science education on the Peninsula.
“Many more exciting discoveries are on the horizon,” Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones said.
It’s all taking place at the Applied Research Center. Since the late 1990s, the center has welcomed opportunities for business growth. It has also hosted research groups from several local universities, including William & Mary, Old Dominion University, Hampton University and Christopher Newport University. Now, the facility will bridge the gap for new expansion.
“The City of Newport News is donating to the Department of Energy this fantastic building,” Jefferson Lab Director Stuart Henderson said.
The Applied Research Center will gain a new visitor center and science education center along with more office space. Jones said it will soon be the public face of the Jefferson Lab.
“With opportunity for residents and visitors to learn more about the lab and its importance to the city, Commonwealth and world,” Jones said.
Jones said this is a $10 million investment from the city. Henderson added the Department of Energy is investing nearly $90 million to renovate the Applied Research Center and other space on the Jefferson Lab campus.
“There’s so much data," Henderson said. "We need new facilities and new ways of analyzing that data to really get at those discoveries of tomorrow.”
"More than 1,800 scientists from across the globe come to Newport News to conduct research and probe the most basic building blocks of matter," Jones said.
Henderson said the Applied Research Center will soon undergo renovations over the next four to five years.