Thanks to the work of the physics department, NIU now is a full member of an international organization that boasts Cal Tech, MIT, Berkley, Brown and Princeton as members.

The organization is the Universities Research Association, a group founded in 1965 by Lyndon Johnson’s Science Advisory Committee and the National Academy of Sciences, the group responsible for managing and operating research facilities in America. Currently in the URA, there are 89 universities, including NIU, from 34 states, plus schools from Canada, Italy and Japan.

“Admission to URA represents recognition by the scientific community for the strength and vitality of the research programs at NIU,” said Gerald Blazey, a presidential research professor of physics. “The vote of confidence will help attract researchers and students alike to the growing program.”

Physics professor David Hedin said for the past decade, the department has become well established through work with Fermilab, a lab dedicated to high-energy physics located in Batavia, about 35 minutes away from NIU.

“Becoming a full member of the University Research Association is, in some sense, an acknowledgment of the success that NIU has at developing this program,” Hedin said.

Blazey and Hedin spend much of their time at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory working with students and faculty from around the world. Its grounds cover 6,800 acres, and the lab currently contains the largest above-ground high-energy accelerator in the world.

“NIU is the closest university to Fermilab,” Hedin said. “I’m on an experiment right now with 550 other physicists. Among these are students from the

Netherlands, Germany and France. They come there because it has the world’s highest energy accelerator. NIU students only have to go 35 miles, and these other students sometimes move to Batavia for two or three years to do work related to their research. They all come to us.”

Hedin was hired by NIU in 1987 to aid the department in expanding research opportunities at Fermilab.

“At that point, we were given provisional membership in the University Research Association because, in some sense, we hadn’t begun yet,” Hedin said.

Now, 13 years later, NIU has made great strides in building a first-rate physics program, Hedin said. NIU recently developed a state-approved Ph.D. program in physics and, in conjunction with the work at Fermilab and status of full member in the URA, NIU likely will attract more qualified students and faculty.

“The strengthened relationships between NIU, URA and Fermilab will be an asset to the already very active high-energy physics program at NIU,” Blazey said.

While NIU is riding high on its success, the study of physics is volatile because so much research depends on available technology, resources and researchers. There are plans for large accelerators in Europe, so Fermilab is planning to add to their facility.

“We plan to continue our research at the frontier of fundamental particle physics, but the physics department is also initiating a new emphasis on accelerator physics,” Blazey said. “This is an extremely interesting field with applications in pure and applied science and medical research. Our collaboration with URA and Fermilab will permit NIU to build a strong and exciting program for undergraduate and graduate students.”

Regarding Fermilab’s future, Hedin said the entire international particle physics community is trying to put together what comes next.

The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is open to the public, and allows either self-guided tours or reservations for researcher-guided tours. Fermilab is open everyday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the Fermilab Web site at http://www.fnal.gov, or call (630) 840-5588.