In a two-day event commemorating the 50th anniversary of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, about 1,000 people including SLAC employees, noted scientists and representatives from other research institutions and government agencies celebrated the occasion and the lab's achievements made over the past 50 years.

The event, which began with a daylong scientific symposium Friday exploring research opportunities for the lab's next half century, culminated with an anniversary ceremony featuring remarks by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Stanford University President John Hennessy, SLAC's current and former directors and other distinguished guests.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, located in Menlo Park, California, is home to some of the world’s most cutting-edge technologies, used by researchers worldwide to uncover scientific mysteries on the smallest and the largest scales—from the workings of the atom to the mysteries of the cosmos. Research conducted at SLAC has led to six Nobel Prizes, five in physics and one in chemistry.

Scientists at SLAC are focusing on the atomic-scale design of catalysts for energy conversion and storage. Widely used in many industrial processes, catalysts are critical to future energy technologies, such as artificial photosynthesis, creating cleaner fuels and building better, more efficient batteries for energy storage.

SLAC is leading the construction of the world’s biggest digital camera for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the deepest sky survey ever undertaken, which will conduct precise probes of dark energy. Researchers at the lab will also fabricate crystals and develop scientific computing tools for the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search.

"Today is not just about honoring our very distinguished, great past, but about celebrating where we are today and the contributions that so many of you have made to the history of this laboratory,” SLAC Director Persis Drell told the audience assembled on a field overlooking the lab’s flagship project, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser facility.

"Today is about looking to the future of this laboratory and the discoveries yet to be made,” she said. “And many of you in the audience are going to be part of making those discoveries happen."

Prof. Chen Hesheng, as the representative from IHEP, attended the celebrating activities.

Source: SLAC Website