Congresswoman Lee Joins National Labs Caucus Congressional Delegation Trip to California
Oakland, CA – Today, Congresswoman Lee joined a congressional delegation joined by Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL), co-chair of the National Labs Caucus in the 116th Congress, on a tour of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, the first of a weeklong trip to national science laboratories in California. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory brings together multidisciplinary teams of researchers and creates world-class tools for scientific discovery, including the Advanced Light Source, Exascale computing, and the Molecular Foundry.
The Congressmembers, including Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA), and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA), will also visit:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – ensures the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent. The CODEL coincides with the 10th anniversary of the National Ignition Facility, the largest and most energetic laser facility ever built.
- SLAC Accelerator Laboratory – pushes the frontiers of human knowledge and drives discoveries that benefit humankind. Its two-mile-long particle accelerator generates the world’s brightest X-rays for its revolutionary X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source.
“As the only PhD physicist in Congress and an employee of a Department of Energy national laboratory for over 20 years, I know the important work that our national labs perform every day to advance science and innovation in the United States,” Foster said. “I am proud to join my colleagues to get a firsthand look at these facilities and meet with the men and women who do vital work here every day that keeps our country safer. If we are serious about maintaining America’s national security and leadership in scientific discovery, we need to make significant and stable investments in the world-leading scientific infrastructure that is in use every day at our national labs, including here in California.”
“I am so proud to have the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory headquartered in my district,” said Lee. “For almost 90 years, Berkeley Lab has expanded the depths of human knowledge, and it continues to seek scientific solutions to some of the greatest problems facing our country and our planet. I am also proud of the work we have done on the Appropriations Committee toward recruitment and retention of diverse talent for the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories that includes outreach and recruitment programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions and other Minority Serving Institution for institutions. It’s critical that this award-winning lab continue to receive the funding it needs to continue to shape our world as we know it.”
“The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has pushed the boundaries of human knowledge since 1962 and has been the home of six Nobel Laureates over its storied history,” Eshoo said. “It’s an honor to have my Congressional colleagues visit my District to tour SLAC and have them learn about the ground-breaking research that happens every day in my Silicon Valley community.”
“The research and development being done at our national labs helps to ensure America’s position as a global leader in scientific innovation and advancement,” said McNerney. “Throughout my career in wind energy, I worked at and with our national labs in a technical role. I am excited to tour these facilities with my National Labs Caucus colleagues. Since coming to Congress, I have advocated and supported substantial and sustained investments in the federal government’s R&D, and I look forward to meeting the men and women undertaking this critical work.”
Congressman Foster represents Argonne National Laboratory as part of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. Prior to serving in Congress, he spent 23 years as a high energy particle physicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL. He was part of the team that discovered the top quark, the heaviest known form of matter.
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