Physical Society names BNL historic site

For its contributions to scientific development, the Brookhaven National Laboratory was recognized Friday as a historic site by the American Physical Society -- the first time an entire lab was awarded the distinction.

"Brookhaven researchers' explorations of fundamental science have resulted in seven Nobel Prizes -- five in physics -- and insights into some of the most puzzling questions about matter and the universe, as well as advances across scientific fields," said lab director Samuel Aronson. "We are proud to be recognized as an institution for the breadth and depth of these discoveries."

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said in a news release that the "recognition of Brookhaven is a reflection of the Department of Energy's long-standing commitment to funding basic research across the National Laboratory system. This investment has produced some of history's most significant advances in fundamental and applied science, with enormous benefit to our nation and the world."

The federal government established the lab in 1947, and it has focused on nuclear and particle physics. Located in Upton, the lab employs about 3,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and support staff and hosts more than 4,000 guest researchers every year.

The American Physical Society, which awarded the historic status, represents 48,000 physicists and scientific institutions worldwide and publishes several scientific journals.

"Today's award is not for a discovery by a single individual or for a single discovery at an institution," APS president Barry Barish said in a news release. "Rather, it is for the extensive series of physics discoveries and forefront science that have been associated with Brookhaven Lab in nuclear and high-energy physics and the physics and chemistry of materials, energy, and the environment, as well as related contributions to biology and medicine."

Barish presented a plaque to the lab at a ceremony Friday, officials said.

SEE PHOTOS50 historic Long Island sites