Virginia Tech is leading a multi-institutional team to have the NSF Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) located half an hour from campus under Butt Mountain. This would be the first 'national' laboratory of the NSF, similar to the DOE laboratories. It would be a multi-diciplinary facility for Physics, Geoscience, Engineering, and Biology research, with an excellent outreach program for the regional community.
There are seven sites within the US which are competing in this process, and the NSF has solicited proposals for initial studies which were due February 28, 2005. From this group, they anticipate funding 3-5 proposals. After this stage, there will probably be 1-2 sites selected for full engineering design and to develop a 'suite' of initial experiments. The estimated cost for the infrastructure is on the order of $250M.
The initial, and still prime driving force for DUSEL is to provide a home for specialized physics experiments which need to be deep underground (~7000 ft) to reduce the background due to radiation present at the surface of the Earth. These experiments will tell us details about our Sun, properties of the fundamental building blocks of matter, maybe what 'dark-matter' is, etc. But there is much more: the ability to image cubic-kilometers of rock - maybe even with ore deposits - and then have access to check the veracity of what was seen from the surface; to look for extreme life-forms at high pressure and temperature - to check for their adaptations and impact on geochemistry; to engineer, instrument and then build and monitor large-spaces underground; to examine aquifers - and how best to handle our most precious resource: water; to develop methods to sequester CO2; to develop techniques which can be applied elsewhere for national security issues; and the list goes on.
Kimballton is capable of addressing the fundamental physics research needs;
the site is in sedimentary rock;
there is an existing limestone mine;
it is environmentally friendly;
short time to first-science (low-background facility in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory);
it has a heterogeneous known geology;
the lab would have access above and below an inactive fault;
there are repeated sequences of geologic formations;
a major research university (VT) is only half an hour away;
the region enjoys an excellent climate,
there exist ample power and transportation facilities;
significant outreach to K-12, Appalachia & mining communities;
support from local community, government, VT & mine owners
Since January 2004, VT has brought a Kimballton DUSEL from a mere idea into a truly competitive proposition. It has been a shining example of a successful interdiciplinary team, which started with the faculty (first in Physics, then CEE, then Geosciences, then MME) and soon won strong and engaged support from the President's office on down. Opportunities like this probably only come once per a career, and take a wide range of talents and interests: scientists from throughout the nation as team players; federal, state, and local government support; local community awareness and involvement; and committed team players capable of representing all these various interests.
Within VT, some 28 people have already devoted significant time and energy to this project - much of it above and beyond their normal duties. The University's commitment is real: $1.6M has already been allocated to flesh out the first proposal; presentations have been made to government officials; the project has been in the local and state newspapers; a national workshop to develop the DUSEL science case was held at VT November 12-14, 2004. Our competitive strategy is designed for the Kimballton team (which includes some 32 institutions so far) to succeed in the NSF competition, and we while we started late in the game, we are now one of the top contenders.