U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham addresses the SLAC community (Photo by Diana Rogers)

By Tom Mead

On Monday, November 25, U. S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham visited SLAC. Accompanied by his wife and Raymond Orbach, Director of the DOE Office of Science, Abraham addressed an attentive crowd of SLAC staff, users and press that filled the Panofsky Auditorium and overflowed into the Lobby, Breezeway and Orange Room.

This was the Secretary’s first visit to SLAC and he specifically asked to speak to the staff. His speech outlined thoughts on the immediate and far-reaching value of fundamental science research.

"I often refer to our national laboratories as America’s crown jewels – national assets that make a priceless contribution to national security and to scientific knowledge," Abraham said in the opening minutes. "But beyond that, the research conducted here and at our sister laboratories around the country produces startling technological advances that have applications in every walk of life, and that have helped to make the United States the world leader in science and technology."

While lauding SLAC’s overall excellence, Abraham made specific note of BABAR, the GRID development (in which a network of computers functions as one computer), LCLS (the first x-ray free electron laser), GLAST and SLAC’s role in establishing the World Wide Web.

He summed up by thanking the SLAC community. "I’d like to leave with a final message of ‘Thanks’ to those of you who perform this work, on a day to day basis on the front lines, often with inadequate resources I realize, but with unlimited resources in terms of intellectual capability."

Following his 30-minute presentation, Secretary Abraham toured the SLAC site, visiting the linear accelerator, the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator, the BABAR detector and a structural biology experiment at the SSRL. The structural biology experiment was of special interest to Abraham.

The Secretary was delighted by his tour of the SLAC site and was surprised, and pleased, to note the large number of young people from so many countries working at the Lab.