Inside Iowa State

Dec. 8, 2006

Ames Lab contract goes to ISU

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a five-year, approximately $30 million per year contract to manage and operate its Ames Laboratory to Iowa State University. The new contract will run from Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2011.

The contract award continues a long-standing relationship between the university and the federal government. Ames Laboratory was founded on campus in 1947, following work at Iowa State on the historic Manhattan Project. Iowa State has been sole manager and operator of Ames Lab's contract for the DOE ever since.

"We're very pleased that the Department of Energy has decided to continue its relationship with Iowa State," said President Gregory Geoffroy. "We have shown over a period of six decades our ability to manage and operate this important federal research facility, and it has been a valuable part of the education and research programs at Iowa State."

The Ames Laboratory seeks solutions to energy-related problems through exploration of chemical, engineering, materials, mathematical and physical sciences. Established in the 1940s with the development of the most efficient process to produce high-purity uranium metal for atomic energy, the lab now pursues a broad range of scientific priorities. Examples of research accomplishments include:

Lead-free solder that is stronger, easier to use and stands up better in high-heat conditions than traditional solder and is environmentally safe.

Material for magnetic refrigeration that improves refrigerator efficiency by an estimated 25 to 40 percent in large-scale refrigeration units and air conditioners.

A capillary electrophoresis unit that can analyze multiple chemical samples simultaneously. It has applications in the pharmaceutical, genetics, medical and forensics fields.

Photonic band-gap crystals that led to the development of the rapidly expanding field of photonic crystals, which are expected to have revolutionary applications in optical communications.

The Ames Laboratory also operates the Materials Preparation Center, which provides high-quality materials and unique characterization services to scientists throughout the world.

Many of Ames Laboratory's scientists also serve as faculty at Iowa State. The laboratory has a workforce of more than 440 full- and part-time employees. More than 250 of these employees are scientists and engineers. Approximately 20 percent of the laboratory's workforce is ISU students.

Although the initial contract period will be for five years, Iowa State will have the opportunity to extend the contract for incremental periods up to 15 years beyond the initial five-year term as an incentive for superior performance.

Iowa State won a five-year DOE contract to operate the Ames Laboratory. The lab has been on campus since 1947.

"We're very pleased that the Department of Energy has decided to continue its relationship with Iowa State. We have shown over a period of six decades our ability to manage and operate this important federal research facility, and it has been a valuable part of the education and research programs at Iowa State."

President Gregory Geoffroy