Chinese Delegation Visits National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

February 22, 2006

Contact:
Susan Ray, (850) 644-9651
sray@magnet.fsu.edu

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006, hosted members of the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Chinese officials, who are in the formative stages of creating their own national magnet laboratory, hope to establish mutual understanding, build friendships and explore possible collaborations between the two labs.

"This visit is encouraging because it further shows the level of world interest in high-magnetic-field research," said Gregory S. Boebinger, director of the magnet lab, which is supported by the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida. "We look forward to further establishing cooperative relationships between our scientific and engineering communities."

The Chinese delegation – composed of Professor Duo Jin, an elected academician (China's highest scientific honor); Professors Guangli Kuang, Yiqi Peng and Haihu Wen; and Mr. Runlong Qiao and Ms. Min Huang – could have gone to a closer magnet lab. Japan, for example has several. However, they chose to come to Tallahassee because they recognize that the National High Magnet Field Laboratory is widely accepted as the world leader in high-magnetic-field research, technology and instrumentation.

During their visit, officials toured the facility and discussed operations and magnet technology development. The delegation also visited Wakulla Springs to get a sense of the Tallahassee area's natural beauty.

The magnet lab collaborates with major magnet-related research facilities in Japan, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Russia. Just last year, the lab and the Korea Basic Science Institute opened the KBSI-NHMFL Research Collaboration Center, based in Tallahassee.

Magnetism is a critical component of scientific discoveries and nearly all modern technologies, and high-field magnets now stand beside lasers and microscopes as essential research tools for probing the mysteries of nature. Long used by the physics community to understand the fundamental nature of matter and electronic structures, magnetic fields now are used by biologists, chemists and even pharmacists to better understand complex molecules and tissues.

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (www.magnet.fsu.edu) develops and operates state-of-the-art high-magnetic-field facilities that faculty and visiting scientists and engineers use for research in physics, biology, bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the state of Florida, the lab is operated by Florida State University, and its 330,000-square-foot main facility is located in Tallahassee's Innovation Park. The magnet lab also has facilities at the University of Florida and at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.