FayObserver.com November 2, 2011 Multimillion-dollar particle accelerator coming to Fayetteville State By Steve DeVane A multimillion-dollar instrument that propels subatomic particles to high speeds will have many high-tech applications for researchers at Fayetteville State University, an administrator says. Other researchers working with similar particle accelerators have helped build better artificial hearts and enhanced the military's abilities to detect roadside bombs. There even is research into converting human body heat into electricity, which would help soldiers in combat zones. FSU is in the process of getting the $5 million particle accelerator and about $3 million in other instruments. Daryush Ila, associate vice chancellor for research, said he hopes to have the equipment up and running in 12 to 18 months. The Naval Research Laboratory in Washington is donating the equipment to FSU because it is moving to a new facility that is not large enough for the accelerator. FSU competed with several other universities for the instruments. Ila said the instruments will allow researchers at FSU to ionize atoms so they gain or lose electrons, and accelerate the ions to about a tenth the speed of light. The scientists can then use the ions to study materials, modify materials and make new devices. The accelerator, which looks like a large concrete tube with instruments on either end, does not emit any radiation, Ila said. Next week, he is going to Washington to begin preparations for moving the accelerator and other components, which will require two or three tractor-trailers. FSU Chancellor James Anderson told the university's board of trustees in September that it might cost $300,000 to move and store the accelerator. "The cost of excellence is always high," Anderson said. FSU officials are planning a building for the accelerator next to a conference center on the site of the former Washington Drive school. Ila came to FSU in May from Alabama A&M University, where he had served for more than 20 years in research and faculty positions. He was director and co-founder of a research program and helped establish partnerships that resulted in more than $125 million in grants and contracts, including about $40 million from the Department of Defense. Ila said the accelerator allows researchers to make materials that wouldn't otherwise exist, or alter materials so they can do things they otherwise wouldn't be able to do. Researchers using a particle accelerator have worked on artificial heart valves so human cells stick to some parts of it but avoid parts that might clog the valve, he said. Ila said other research has increased the sensitivity of chemical detectors, which can help soldiers identify roadside bombs from a safe distance. Researchers also are working on ways to convert human body heat to usable electricity, Ila said. That capability could help special operations soldiers who operate in secluded places such as the mountains of Afghanistan, he said. "This doesn't need any fuel," Ila said. "They are the fuel." Ila said he expects some research projects to be conducted in conjunction with FSU's planned Center for Defense and Homeland Security. He hopes students using the accelerator will partner with students in FSU's School of Business and Economics. The students would collaborate to develop business plans for after graduation. Researchers using the accelerator could do work for NASA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, he said. Ila said he expects the accelerator to attract new small businesses that could apply for federal grants and contracts. "It can help grow a new community of high tech businesses," he said. Staff writer Steve DeVane can be reached at devanes@fayobserver.com<mailto:devanes@fayobserver.com> or 486-3572. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.