The Executive Director of ANSTO, Professor Helen Garnett, said today's launch of the Bragg Institute celebrated the evolution of ANSTO over the past 50 years into a world leader in the application, research and development of nuclear-based science and other technologies.
Professor Garnett said the Bragg Institute is an initiative that will place Australia at the forefront of research using neutrons, synchrotrons and x-rays. Significantly, this announcement was made exactly 50 years after the establishment of ANSTOs predecessor, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission.
The Bragg Institute will explore new vistas in neutron beam science. The Replacement Research Reactor, construction for which has just begun, is a response to external demand for ANSTOs nuclear products, its up-to-date technology and facilities, Professor Garnett said.
In the last 50 years much has evolved and developed, not only in the areas of technological advances and scientific discoveries but also in the fundamental rationale for the role and responsibilities of Australias nuclear organisation.
ANSTO has always taken pride in the fact that it has never remained static. Today it is a vibrant science and technology organisation engaged in the development and application of new knowledge and know-how of importance to sustainability, human health, national security and the economic development of Australia, Professor Garnett said.
I am very pleased to announce an Australia-wide competition for high school students to name the Replacement Research Reactor. Both the winning entrant and his or her school will receive a prize of computer technology or a TV/sound system, each up to the value of $10,000, by courtesy of RRR construction contractors INVAP/JHEDI.
It is absolutely correct that our young people are our future and it is important that their interest in science and other technologies is encouraged and stimulated. The advances made in the past fifty years will be minuscule compared to what happens in the next fifty years, Professor Garnett said.
Hopefully, this competition, with the help of Australias education authorities, will make young people more aware of what is happening in Australia in the application of nuclear science and technologies to environmental, medical and other important topics, and encourage them to seek out further knowledge on the subject as they grow towards adulthood."
The Bragg Institute
ANSTOs work in neutron scattering and the use of x-rays has placed Australia at the forefront of research and application in this field. Further development of applications available will lead to increased partnerships with the business world, other research operations and international agencies.
The applications are presently applied to a wide range of fields including plastics, minerals, welds, pharmaceutical products, electronic materials, biology, catalysts and magnets.
The Bragg Institute is named as a tribute to the father and son team of William and Lawrence Bragg, who were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915 for their work in founding a new branch of science of great significance and importance the analysis of crystal structure. Neutrons and x-rays are complementary tools, both at the forefront of understanding structure, and ANSTO staff frequently use both to solve complex problems. It is intended that through the Bragg Institute, extensive linkages will be forged between ANSTO and other national and international organisations with joint staff and and project teams and shared students.
ANSTO Golden Anniversary
On a historic note, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission came into existence on 27 November 1952 as an administration agency of the Government. The Commission commenced on this date to function as a body without statutory powers pending the passing by Parliament of the necessary legislation. The Atomic Energy Act, 1953 was passed on 15 April to bring together all matters connected with atomic energy in one piece of legislation. The members of the Commission were formally appointed on 17 April that year. The original research reactor commenced operations on 26 January, 1958.
In April 2002 the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) announced the awarding of a Licence to Construct the ANSTO Replacement Research Reactor (RRR) at its Lucas Heights site, after almost 10 years of substantiation and approval processes.
While the history of ANSTO is important, the focus is on the future. The new RRR will allow ANSTO to make necessary changes to meet the technical demands of the 21st century. The facility will provide exciting applications that present new opportunities for research avenues and directions, greater industry partnerships, enhanced collaboration and further product commercialisation.