In July, MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon kicked off a statewide tour aimed at educating economic and political leaders and urging them to support the facility. She’s made stops in Detroit and Grand Rapids this month campaigning for the project.

MSU’s nuclear physics graduate program is ranked second in the nation, but Fineis said the Cyclotron needs FRIB in order to remain a national leader in the field.

“FRIB would make Michigan the destination for cutting-edge nuclear science, attracting the best scientists to come do research,” she said. “This could very well be Michigan’s new industry to specialize in.”

And that’s why Fineis has taken it upon herself to spread the word about FRIB.

While Simon has toured the state during the past month, Fineis started the FRIB student advisory committee with the goal of sparking interest within the student body.

“I firmly believe that students care about what is happening at our university, and so far this has been confirmed based on the great response I’ve received working on this campaign,” she said. “It’s also about school pride. We think our school is the best and we want it to continue to be known as the best and get better.”

Rare isotopes are unique nuclei not usually found on Earth. They exist for less than a second and are involved in cosmic processes such as exploding stars.

These isotopes can help answer fundamental questions relating to the origin of the universe and also have uses in fields ranging from medicine to national security.

Scientifically, the project would advance MSU’s nuclear physics program, allowing researchers to make discoveries in a number of different fields.

“The medical diagnostic isotope business in the U.S. is currently a multibillion-dollar-a-year enterprise,” physics professor Brad Sherrill said. “The facility would allow new options to be explored.”

However, if MSU loses in its bid for the facility, the university’s current cyclotron facility soon could be history.

Geoff Koch, a spokesperson for the Cyclotron, said MSU’s facility also could shift its focus from research to education if it doesn’t win the FRIB sweepstakes.

“If we lose, we don’t turn off the lights in January, but this is sort of a do-or-die situation for the lab,” Koch said. “Nobody knows what would happen if we lose, but if we lose, there could be any number of outcomes and it might be likely that we close.”

It’s this high-stakes competition that has Fineis energized to educate the MSU population.

She said the FRIB student advisory committee is planning events this fall to create FRIB buzz on campus, including a “FRIB Frenzy” on Oct. 16 where she hopes to have 1,000 students wearing FRIB T-shirts.

“We’re doing fliers, talking to classes, making T-shirts, recording radio PSAs and working on having a spot on the jumbotron during the homecoming football day,” Fineis said. “We’re constantly thinking of new ideas.”

Koch said a decision as to where FRIB will land is expected by the end of the year. Until that time, Fineis and the student advisory committee will continue to campaign on campus, emphasizing what makes MSU different than Argonne National Laboratory — students.

“The students are what make us unique and special,” she said.

“It’s the dynamic and open university setting which makes MSU the best place for FRIB. The best research needs the fresh inquisitive minds guided by the best and experienced faculty and scientists and that is what they have at (the Cyclotron).

“This is our campus, it wouldn’t make sense if the students weren’t involved.”