The announcement of ANSTO’s replacement research reactor’s name and the official launch of a state-of-the art, $A3.2 million STAR (Small Tandem for Applied Research) accelerator will be undertaken on 24 January by the Federal Minister for Science, Education and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson.
“The reactor’s name is designed to give this $330 million scientific investment an official Australian stamp so it’s immediately recognised as such internationally,” said Dr Ian Smith, ANSTO’s Executive Director.
“ANSTO’s new STAR accelerator was partly funded by universities and will offer Australian researchers world class ion beam and accelerator mass spectrometry capabilities,” continued Dr Smith. “This will also create new opportunities in areas such as environmental science, archaeology and geology.
“Important work such as carbon dating and forensic analysis will be conducted on this machine and it will help meet increasing scientific demands, encouraging innovative Australian research in fields where this was previously problematic,” said Dr Smith. “STAR will also complement ANSTO’s other tandem accelerator which plays in internationally important role in the detection of non-internationally sanctioned nuclear developments.”
ANSTO supplies over 70 per cent of the radiopharmaceuticals used in Australian nuclear medicine procedures. This figure is set to increase once the new reactor is fully operational in 2006. The reactor will also be able to produce radiopharmaceuticals currently not available to the Australian community.
In addition, the reactor will supply Australia with a neutron source three times that of its current reactor, stimulating great interest amongst the international science community. Neutron beams are used to undertake important materials analysis so scientists can ‘see’ the atomic structure of substances.
Published: 19/01/2005