Rochester - Three faculty members and MSU President M. Peter McPherson testified before the state Senate Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee on Friday about the state of science research at MSU.
McPherson, Cyclotron director Konrad Gelbke and faculty members Shelagh Ferguson-Miller and Jack Harkema spoke to the committee for 30 minutes about research and the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator project.
“The Rare Isotope Accelerator is the nation’s highest priority for nuclear science research,” Gelbke told the committee.
The accelerator is a nearly $900 million U.S. Department of Energy project that is currently without a home. MSU is competing with the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago for the project.
Gelbke said MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory has helped the university make strides in nuclear research. U.S. News & World Report ranks MSU’s nuclear physics program as second to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The accelerator is the necessary next step, Gelbke said.
“We really need (the accelerator) in order to get the whole job done,” he said. “MSU has the scientific and technical talent to do this project.”
McPherson said support for the accelerator is becoming more widespread.
“People are beginning to understand what a huge and driving high-tech and science component we have at the university,” he said. “The magnitude of this project stimulates everybody.”
Steve Webster, MSU vice president for governmental affairs, said efforts to convince the state Legislature of the project’s worth have gone well.
“From the time that this was placed in the governor’s budget we’ve heard nothing but support,” Webster said. “It’s been bipartisan, and it’s been from members of both the House and Senate.”
Webster also said efforts are underway in Washington to convince Congress of the project’s worth. Some labor unions and business leaders already support bringing the accelerator to MSU, he said.
“It’s remarkable in the width and depth of its support among the body politic of this state,” he said.
State Sen. John Schwarz, chairman of the subcommittee, said the fact that MSU is under consideration for the project speaks well for the school.
“Having MSU be a top competitor for the RIA is terrific,” the Battle Creek Republican said. “The universities need champions in the Legislature. If they don’t have those people there, it doesn’t bode well for the universities.”
The Legislature and Gov. John Engler proposed an appropriation of $2 million toward the planning phase of bringing the project to MSU.
Schwarz said the accelerator could lead to groundbreaking discoveries at MSU, like that of cancer drug Cisplatin during the early 1970s.
“There will be other Cisplatins out there,” he said. “The investment we make in research is well worth it.”
The discovery of life-saving drugs and other technology makes continued support of Michigan’s universities from the Legislature is critical, Schwarz said. MSU owns the patent on Cisplatin, which means the university receives royalties on the product.
“That’s what’s supposed to happen,” Schwarz said.
