This week we learned that the new appropriations bill drafted in the U-S Senate includes $55-million to continue the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) project at Michigan State University. The project will feature a large particle collider that smashes subatomic matter together to create elements that scientists say are the building blocks of the universe as we know it.FRIB promises a strong economic development aspect. Studies indicate the project could generate more than a billion dollars in economic activity over its first decade.
Dr. Thomas Glasmacher, the project manager for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, says the appropriation indicates continued congressional support for the project.