- Information
- Science Policy
- Jobs and Defence Conversion
- Math and Science Education
- Involvement of Women and Minorities
- Research for Universities
- Investment in the Future
- Accountability & Progress
- Consequences of Postponement
- Obtaining Foreign Contributions
- International Leadership
- Technical Spin-offs
- Medical Diagnostic Techniques
- Cancer Therapy
- Superconducting Cable Technology
- Historical Precedents
- Very Large Scale Intergrated Circuits
- New High Tech Materials
- Environmental Applications
- Computer Applications
- Summary
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President Clinton, like Presidents Reagan and Bush before him, is an
enthusiastic supporter of the Super Collider. Recently Vice President
Gore met with a delegation of seven Nobel Prize winners and promised
continued fervent backing for the SSC. The Department of Energy has
reaffirmed that the SSC remains a high priority in the nation's
science program.
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More than 45,000 contracts have been awarded in 48 states; most
procurement awards have been made outside the state of Texas. DOE
estimates 7000 jobs have been created by the SSC. Notably, the SSC
provides jobs in areas where defense industries and bases have
suffered. Defense-related firms receive more than one-fourth of the
awards.
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Each year, more than 23,000 students and teachers throughout the
country participate in SSC education programs designed to improve math
and science skills. In 1992, over 28% were minorities and over 50%
were women.
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At least 10% of all federal SSC funds will go to small and
disadvantaged business enterprises, including minority- and
women-owned firms. 31% of the TNRLC expenditures went to certified
Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) enterprises in 1992. $2
million has been awarded to historically Black and Hispanic colleges
to expand the ethnic diversity of scientists and science teachers.
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The SSC is a nationwide amalgam of big and small science. Both of the
major SSC experiments are led by non-Texans, and more than 100
university research groups across the country are involved in SSC
experiments. Most are small groups consisting of just a few
scientists, who will use the SSC for pioneering research opportunities
not otherwise available.
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We can anticipate that the long term benefits of the SSC will far
outweigh any immediate costs. We are already reaping the benefits of
SSC research. Investment in basic research has historically provided
innumerable spin-offs, and we can expect this trend to continue.
Moreover, the SSC was only 0.6% of the FY 1992 Federal R&D budget,
and has already suffered a $200 million cut in the 1994 budget. Why
sacrifice funding of the SSC when its research represents a veritable
trust fund for our children?
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The $8.3 billion budget includes $850 million of contingency funds.
Approximately $2 billion has been spent, and the project is below
budget. The SSC is now about 20% complete. Approximately 70% of the
Collider tunnel is currently under contract and 11 miles have been
bored; these contracts are below budget. All major milestones have
been met on or before schedule. Notably, the crucial magnet test was
finished successfully six weeks ahead of schedule.
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If the Super Collider were postponed for 10-20 years, scientists would
be forced to abandon the energy frontiers of science. A whole
generation of students would be lost, and no physicists would be
qualified to do the work. The entire infrastructure built up during
the last 50 years would have been squandered.
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The US has signed agreements with several countries (China, India,
FSU) to contribute to the SSC. A 1993 GAO report states that, "The
Japanese have not yet decided whether to contribute, largely because
they are concerned about whether the administration and Congress will
continue to support the project."
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The US currently is the world leader of pioneering research in the
basic sciences. The SSC is vital to maintaining this leadership role.
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Accelerators and detector technologies developed for particle physics
have seen widespread use in medical therapy, diagnostics, and
instrumentation, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI),
Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT), and Positron Emission Tomography
(PET). The most recent Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Georges
Charpak, a CERN physicist, for the development of particle detectors.
His detectors now have wide applications in some of the most advanced
medical diagnostics; their improved accuracy and response allow faster
scanning and reduced radiation doses. The SSC detector collaborations
are advancing and refining such technologies.
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Proton beam therapy has been used to treat more than 12,000 patients
worldwide. At the SSC, the Southwestern Medical Center will operate a
state-of-the-art proton therapy clinic for cancer treatment and
research.
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Before the advent of superconducting accelerators, the world's
production of superconducting cable was only a few hundred pounds; as
a result of accelerator R&D, present annual production is 200,000
pounds, and half is for commercial applications including MRI. The US
Commerce Dept. estimates the worldwide market for superconducting
products will reach $8 billion by the year 2000. Our investment in
accelerator research made the US the leader in superconducting
technology; our investment in the SSC will ensure continued leadership
in the future.
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The brilliant x-rays used to determine the structure of the AIDS virus
came from electron synchrotrons that were first used in high energy
physics research. Ion-implantation accelerators are used to
manufacture many of the semiconductor devices of modern electronics.
Even the television screen and computer monitor are direct descendants
of the very first particle accelerator, the cathode ray tube, that was
used to discover the electron.
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Accelerators are becoming an important tool in the manufacture of
advanced microchips. Intense beams generated by accelerators can
imprint features less than one ten-thousandth of an inch across.
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A new plastic developed for the SSC by researchers at the University
of Florida will be used in medical equipment. The new material can be
sterilized in small accelerators without the use of environmentally
hazardous chemicals.
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Accelerator technology is used to measure long-lived isotopes. This
provides important chronological information for application in
environmental technology, e.g., waste disposal, ground water
management, and studies of soil erosion and salinization.
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In concert with industry, the SSC Laboratory is designing ultra fast
parallel computing systems capable of processing the equivalent of
10,000 floppy disks of data every second. This cooperative effort is
expected to facilitate the entry of high performance electronics into
the commercial marketplace.
The ultimate benefits to society are not fully known at this time;
however, from experience we know that there will be large payoffs.
When the basic secrets of electricity and magnetism were discovered in
the 19th century, the consequences -- electric lights, air
conditioners, worldwide communications, and computers -- were
unforeseeable. It does not take a leap of faith to conclude that
discoveries with the SSC may produce even more profound changes and
adaptations of the world around us in the future; rather it would be
extraordinary if it did not.
The story goes that, following a demonstration of the new miracle of
electricity in 1831, Faraday was asked "What use is it?" He responded,
"Sir, of what use is a newborn babe?"
I have been asked to distribute this SSC Fact Sheet. I believe it was prepared
by F. Olness (SMU) and M. Barnett (LBL) (but if I am wrong about the credits, I
beg forgiveness of the authors).
The ASCII version was provided by Irwin Sheer and Russell Wylie.--Ben Grinstein