The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Notre Dame have entered into an agreement to create a new joint Institute for Theoretical Sciences.p. Housed in the University’s Nieuwland Hall of Science, the new institute will promote theoretical research by attracting visiting international scholars, junior researchers and graduate students in several areas of basic and applied theoretical sciences.p. “The institute will provide visiting scientists with the opportunity to pursue research in the internationally, intellectually stimulating environments of Notre Dame and the Argonne National Laboratory,” said Boldizsár Jankó, director of the new institute and associate professor of physics at Notre Dame.p. Jankó notes that visiting scientists are the driving force behind successful institutes.p. “A key element that has helped other institutes succeed quickly is the inherent portability of the theoretical scientists,” he said. “In contrast to their experimental colleagues, theoreticians can spend many months away from their home institutions, visiting an advanced study institute. For a relatively short period of time, it is possible to form a critical mass of experts in a particular area and to make substantial progress.”p. The institute will collaborate with all academic departments at Notre Dame and divisions at Argonne that pursue research in theoretical sciences.p. Institute participants will be selected competitively and the topics studied will be chosen from the most interesting and promising emerging areas of theoretical science.p. “We expect to attract the best researchers in their fields because of the opportunities offered by this joint institute,” said George Crabtree, director of Argonne’s Materials Science Division and chairman of the institute steering committee. “The research opportunities will be varied and exciting, in fields from nanoscience to high-energy physics. And the result will be great science. In addition, the institute will help expand and strengthen research networks that will advance cooperative research worldwide.”p. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts basic and applied research across a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from high-energy physics to climatology and biotechnology. Argonne has worked with more than 600 companies and numerous federal agencies and other organizations to help advance America’s scientific leadership. The University of Chicago operates Argonne as part of the U.S, Department of Energys national laboratory system.p. More information on the Institute for Theoretical Sciences is available on the Web at www.theoryinstitute.org .
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