Today the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon. John
Howard MP, opened
ANSTO's
Executive Director, Dr Ian Smith, said it was an historic day for
"OPAL
is the jewel in the crown of Australian nuclear science, and is
"OPAL's nuclear tools will help scientists better understand a number
of issues such as essential biological processes in the body, genetics and
diseases like cancer and obesity.
"OPAL
will contribute to a variety of areas," said Dr Smith. "For example, helping to
improve food processing and storage, contributing to the development of a more
sustainable energy industry and providing detailed analysis of the earth's
geological structure. Things we could not do before in
"The facility will also allow ANSTO to continue supplying nuclear
medicines to about half a million Australians each year, with a capacity to view
to increase this number in the future," said Dr Smith. "Many research
opportunities also lie on the horizon in the areas of nuclear medicine diagnosis
and treatments for major diseases such as cancer and
Alzheimer's.
"ANSTO's silicon irradiation production business will grow thanks to
OPAL, and the semiconductor industry which uses irradiated silicon to produce
chips for computers, cameras, washing machines and other electronic equipment
will increasingly look to ANSTO for this service," said Dr
Smith.
Dr Rob Robinson, Head of ANSTO's Bragg Institute - which manages and
operates ANSTO's seven new neutron beam instruments - said, "The OPAL facility
is already attracting major interest from local and international scientific
researchers and will allow ANSTO's science to dramatically expand.
"These instruments are very sophisticated and are designed to measure
and understand materials, including biological substances, at the atomic level,"
explained Dr Robinson. "In addition, a sample can be placed under various
influences such as pressure, heat or chemicals, so scientists can find out how
it reacts in certain environments.
"This way we can understand, for example, what happens during a
manufacturing process, or how a molecule reacts when it interacts with a drug,
thereby providing information about how that drug works in the human
body."
OPAL replaces ANSTO's previous reactor HIFAR[2], which was shut down at the end of January. OPAL was designed by Argentine reactor designers, INVAP, who also manufactured the "nuclear" components. The building was constructed by John Holland Construction and Engineering Pty Ltd and Evans Deakin Industries Limited. The neutron beam instruments were designed by ANSTO scientists and engineers in collaboration with other scientific and engineering organisations.
Photographs from today's event and a celebration for the Australian science and business communities held last night are available on the following website: http://editorial.gettyimages.com/editorial/publicity.aspx
More information and to arrange
interviews please call Sharon Kelly, Media Adviser on (02) 9717 9575
or
0400 394 085 or
sharon.kelly@ansto.gov.au
[1]ANSTO is the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, the country's national nuclear research and development organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise - over 70 per cent of all radioisotopes used in Australian nuclear medicine are made in ANSTO's reactor.
[2] High Flux Australian
Reactor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert
A. Robinson
Head, The Bragg Institute, B87
Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation
PMB 1, Menai NSW
2234
Australia
Tel: +61 (2) 9717
9204
FAX: +61 (2) 9717 3606
Mobile: 0417 017
503
E-mail: robert.robinson@ansto.gov.au
www.ansto.gov.au/ansto/bragg/index.html
www.ansto.gov.au/ansto/bragg/staff/s_rob.html
Important: This transmission is intended only for the use of the
addressee. It is confidential and may contain privileged information or
copyright material. If you are not the intended recipient, any use or further
disclosure of this communication is strictly forbidden. If you have received
this transmission in error, please notify me immediately by telephone and delete
all copies of this transmission as well as any
attachments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________ Neutron mailing list Neutron@anl.gov http://www.neutron.anl.gov/mailman/listinfo/neutron