PPPL’s Open House on June 1 got rave reviews from many of the 3,000 people who flocked to the Laboratory to take part in hands-on science activities, tour the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) and experience all the “cool science” the Laboratory has to offer. There was even an appearance by Albert Einstein (aka physicist Arturo Dominguez)! 

Michael Zarnstorff brings his deep curiosity, his keen mind and his love of science to the job of deputy director for research for PPPL. An independent thinker who wears sandals in every season, Zarnstorff was drawn by the challenge of developing plasma as a fuel for clean-energy fusion. Now he is helping to manage a team of world-class physicists.

The New York Times reported on PPPL’s feat in reducing leaks of the powerful greenhouse gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) from 3,200 pounds a year to 920 pounds as part of a U.S. Department of Energy effort in a June 13 article. The Times of Trenton ran a front-page story about PPPL’s unusual partnership with a Princeton University art class on July 1. Photos of PPPL’s Open House appeared on the Planet Princeton website on June 7 and on the Princeton Patch website on June 7. The Times of Trenton also ran a story about PPPL’s award from the New Jersey Department of Environmental protection that appeared May 21.

 Other PPPL news stories included: PPPL Director Stewart Prager was interviewed in the July issue of International Innovation – North America magazine and The Times of Trenton ran photos of PPPL’s Open House on June 7. 

PPPL strives to become more susteainable each year through a myriad of programs from composting to green buying.  Those efforts were recognized in May when the New Jersey Department of Energy named PPPL the top environmental steward in the state among some 750 companies, colleges and universities, hospitals and municipalities. 

PPPL’s new chief financial officer was the keeper of the purse strings as the director of budget and grant operations for the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Now she’ll oversee a budget of $85 million and manage all the financial operations for PPPL. 

PPPL Physicist Ahmed Diallo was one of just 61 early-career scientists chosen from 770 applicants nationwide to win a highly competitive Early Career Research Program grant, which comes with a $500,000 annual award that can be renewed for up to five years.  

PPPL will work with five major Chinese research institutions to form an international fusion research center called the Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Fusion Energy and Plasma Science (CIC) that will promote joint workshops and experiments between facilities in China and the United States. 

Engineers around the globe seek advice from Phil Heitzenroeder: He has contributed to the design and construction of many of the world’s magnetic fusion facilities during his 40-year career at PPPL, where he heads the Mechanical Engineering Division. 

It's safe to say the Laboratory has never had artists setting up easels in its facilities in its 62-year history. That is until this spring when well-known artist Josephine Halvorson and her Princeton University advanced painting class came to paint at PPPL. The result is a unique exhibit of paintings on display at the Laboratory that includes a piece by Halvorson. 

PPPL’s Webmaster Christopher Cane connected with Paul Csogi, the former webmaster of Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, to create a visual depiction of their two websites in which each dot represents a webpage and each node represents a link.