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Discover your love of science at the Jefferson Lab 2024 Open House!
Jefferson Lab’s next open house event will be held on Saturday, June 8, 2024. Event hours are 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
The event provides the public with an ideal opportunity to explore this world-class research facility and features entry into research areas; demonstrations; and numerous exhibits and hands-on activities. During your visit, you can learn about superconducting materials, supercomputers, particle accelerators, particle detectors, nuclear physics research and much more!
Admission is free and so is parking. Event parking will open at 8:30 a.m. on June 8, and it is located at Canon Virginia, 12000 Canon Blvd. in Newport News. Newport News Police will direct traffic on Canon Blvd., and signs will direct visitors to event parking. All visitors must plan to park at the Canon parking lot and ride the special event bus to Jefferson Lab. Buses will shuttle visitors continuously from the Canon parking lot to Jefferson Lab (about a minute bus ride) from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. The last bus will depart the Canon parking for the Jefferson Lab Open House at 2 p.m. After 2 p.m., buses will only return visitors to the Canon parking lot.
Limited public parking for those visitors who have a disabled parking placard or license plate may be accessed at 12000 Jefferson Ave. on the day of the event. The placard or plate must be fully visible to access this limited on-site parking.
Visitors are welcome to take photos and videos.
For additional parking information or for Open House information, please email openhouse@jlab.org
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- Before You Arrive
- There is a lot to see and do at the Jefferson Lab Open House. Some simple preparations will help you make the most of your open house experience.
- Review the program under "Things to do" in the weeks leading up to the event. More information will be added as it becomes available.
- Dress comfortably. The event involves extended periods of walking, and many tour stops include stairs. Much of the event is outdoors, so check the weather and dress appropriately. We suggest sunscreen and comfortable, flat, closed-toe shoes.
- Review the material under the Driving, Parking and Walking Directions and Other Information.
What is Jefferson Lab?The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is a world-leading nuclear physics research facility sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
Research at Jefferson Lab is expanding humankind's knowledge of the universe by studying sub-atomic particles known as quarks and gluons. These building blocks of matter combine to form the protons and neutrons found in the atom's nucleus. To learn more, scientists have embarked on a journey of discovery into the heart of matter using Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility.
CEBAF acts like a giant microscope, using a highly focused beam of electrons to probe matter. It does this by propelling an electron beam at nearly the speed of light into targets located in the lab's four experimental halls. When the beam strikes a target, these interactions are recorded and studied. These incredibly powerful electron beams and unique detector systems allows scientists to "see" things a million times smaller than an atom.
To understand the information collected during these experiments, Jefferson Lab scientists develop theoretical models and carry out sophisticated computerized simulations of the interactions. Integrating experimental results and cutting-edge theories helps scientists gain a better understanding of the building blocks of matter and the forces binding them together.
Jefferson Lab actively shares its expertise in core areas with other national labs and industry to advance critical technologies to benefit the nation. For instance, the nation’s next large-scale particle collider, the Electron-Ion Collider, is being constructed at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York in partnership with Jefferson Lab. The lab has also contributed its unique expertise toward projects to upgrade the world's brightest X-ray free-electron laser for research at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California and the world's most intense source of neutrons for research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
Today, the lab is expanding its scientific mission in the computational and data sciences as it leads the development of the High Performance Data Facility (HPDF), a first-of-its-kind resource for data-intensive science and research. Learn about how the new facility will add world-class capabilities to the nation’s computing ecosystem and form a cornerstone of the DOE’s Integrated Research Infrastructure initiative. The HPDF mission is to enable and accelerate scientific discovery with state-of-the-art data management infrastructure, capabilities, and tools.
The lab invests in the next-generation STEM workforce, including significant efforts to ensure underrepresented students have opportunities to learn about and pursue STEM careers. Its dedicated research facilities enable one-third of U.S. Ph.D.s in nuclear physics annually, and its outreach programs positively impact thousands of students and teachers while helping them build critical knowledge and skills for a brighter future.
Take a sneak peek around the lab before you visit! Check out virtual tours of select lab spaces here.
- There is a lot to see and do at the Jefferson Lab Open House. Some simple preparations will help you make the most of your open house experience.
- Things To Do
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ACCELERATOR TUNNEL
Descend underground to see the six-ton, 27-foot long superconducting cryomodules used to speed the electron beam in the linear accelerator section or see the stacked rows of powerful magnets used to focus and steer the electron beam in the curved arc.
CEBAF CENTER- Watch liquid nitrogen demonstrations in the auditorium, ongoing throughout the event. Appropriate for kids of all ages.
- Discover science ‘magic’ you can do at home with featured hands-on STEM activities presented by the lab’s Science Education department.
- Meet with our recruiters to discuss how you can contribute to our amazing discoveries.
- Visit our Data Center to learn how we use our supercomputers for science, while keeping them safe with cyber security.
- Watch nuclear physics experiment detector and data collection technologies in action and touch real components.
- Catch a glimpse of a competition robot built by local students.
- Learn how the lab is protecting natural resources by reducing our environmental footprint (and get ideas on how you can reduce your environmental impact).
- Explore how archivists are preserving history by transforming old media to new, and take a deep dive into the lab’s 40-year history.
CENTRAL HELIUM LIQUEFIER (CHL)
Peek inside our accelerator’s refrigeration plant to see the equipment that can cool things within a few degrees of absolute zero - colder than space!
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Browse exhibits, demos and giveaways from other organizations in our community.
ELECTRON-ION COLLIDER (EIC)
Learn about our partnership efforts to bring an Electron-Ion Collider from concept to reality. Put together a model of systems being designed and built by nuclear physicists.
EXPERIMENTAL HALL B
View the unique detector systems in Hall B. Talk with the experts who designed, built and run these systems to collect terabytes of data per day.
EXPERIMENTAL HALL C
View the enormous, 3-story-tall detector systems in Hall C. Talk with the scientists, engineers and technicians who designed, built and run these behemoths.
EXPERIMENTAL HALL D
Walk through Hall D's Counting House and into the hall itself. Learn how the research in Hall D may help answer the question: Why is one quark never seen alone?
MACHINE CONTROL CENTER
Visit the nerve center for the lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), where operators monitor and control several hundred thousand signals. Learn how we accelerate electrons. Pick the brain of an accelerator physicist at Ask a Scientist. View video tours of the Accelerator Tunnel.
MAGNET TEST AREA
Nearly 2,500 magnets in 81 varieties focus and steer the electron beam in the CEBAF tunnel and range in size from a few inches to three yards and weigh as much as five tons. Currently in the shop, you can also find magnets that we are refurbishing for use in the Electron-Ion Collider.
TED BUILDING
Learn about the High Performance Data Facility (HPDF) and how it will add world-class capabilities to the nation’s computing ecosystem and form a cornerstone of the DOE’s Integrated Research Infrastructure initiative. Discover technology being explored in the Biomedical Research and Innovation Center to provide new tools and methods for environmental monitoring, nuclear medicine, improved health care and waste treatment. And see how companies are using technologies licensed from Jefferson Lab to benefit society.
TEST LAB/SRF INSTITUTE
The Test Lab is where Jefferson Lab conducts world-class R&D for accelerator and detector components and builds unique units for CEBAF and partner labs. Team up to fire an accelerator, tour a small research accelerator, learn about making an accelerator module and witness superconductivity in action. Catch a sneak peek of giant magnets being designed, built and/or refurbished for two major experiments, MOLLER and SoLID. View an animation of quarks in action in the proton and discuss the science behind it.
UNIVERSITY PARTNERS
See exhibits from Experimental Hall A and immerse yourself in a variety of related scientific fields, with exhibits provided by partner research organizations and universities.
WAVE MACHINE
Set your own waves in a working wave machine that uses dual catenary lines to resonantly transfer energy from one end to the other..
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ACCELERATOR TUNNEL
- Driving, Parking and Walking Directions and Other Information
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GETTING AROUND
- Shuttle buses continuously loop around the Jefferson Lab campus and designated off-site parking lots to connect guests to marked exhibits.
- You can also walk the entire tour route on your own; it is approximately a two-mile loop.
- The Accelerator Tunnel and Experimental Halls are not handicap accessible.
- Exhibit locations with access by steep incline or stairs are denoted on map with a stairs icon.
- Motorized assistance vehicles will be located around the site to help transport visitors with mobility limitations, as available.
PEDESTRIAN WALKING DIRECTIONSPedestrians: Individuals planning to walk onto Jefferson Lab for the open house are asked to enter the lab by using the crosswalks at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Tech Center Parkway and then follow the marked pedestrian path to the Welcome Tent.
DRIVING AND PARKING DIRECTIONS
Specific directions with a map to parking will be added at a later date.
Individuals under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Bags, satchels, backpacks and IDs will be checked by security officers prior to entry to the event. Each guest will receive a wristband indicating they have checked in to the event.
Handicap and Bus Group Parking
Handicap parking will be available. Make sure the handicap sticker on your license plate or in your windshield is clearly visible and you will be directed to handicap parking. Limited handicap parking may be accessed at 12000 Jefferson Ave. on the day of the event. Parking will be available for buses and large vans. Please follow the directions given by parking lot attendants.
Other Useful Information
What to Bring
Bring your camera or smart phone device; photos and video-recording are permitted. Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes, and sunscreen and sun glasses or a rimmed hat and protective clothing (a long-sleeved shirt to act as sun screen). Carry some pocket money in case you should want to purchase refreshments from food vendors.
Empty, personal-use water bottles may be brought onto lab property and filled with water from water fountains and building taps.
Food Vendors: 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Food vendor listing will be added at a later date. Vendors will accept debit/credit cards for purchases.
Not Permitted
Alcohol, firearms, weapons, knives, explosives and any illegal materials, or pets.
For your safety:
Jefferson Lab is dedicated to safety in all our activities. Observance of a few rules and safety precautions will make the 2016 Open House more enjoyable for everyone:- Jefferson Lab hosts will be present to respond to questions and to assist with first-aid needs or to contact emergency medical services.
- In case of serious illness, injury or vehicle accident, our medical staff will be on site.
Visitors are reminded that Jefferson Lab is a Federal installation. As such, there are many items that are not allowed on the property. Security screeners will check hand-carried items like bags and backpacks prior to entry to the event to ensure the safety of all of our visitors and staff. Prohibited items include explosives, dangerous weapons, firearms, controlled substances, instruments or materials likely to produce substantial injury or damage to property, and other items prohibited under Title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 102-74, Subpart C - Rules and Regulations Governing Conduct on Federal Property.
Getting Around During the Open House:
Free shuttle buses will continuously follow a large one-way circle route; the buses will stop at every bus stop, and the parking lot bus stops. Estimated wait times are 5 - 15 minutes. Visitors may get on and off the shuttle buses at any bus stop.
Visitors may walk any part of, or nearly the entire tour route, via the walking path shown on the program map and by walkway signs; it is approximately a 2-mile loop.
For additional parking information or for Open House information, please email openhouse@jlab.org.
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