Steven L. Willobee: With FRIB comes huge responsibilities
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EmailThe MSU Urban & Regional Planning Program (URP), part of the School of Planning Design and Construction, was recently mentioned in a Lansing State Journal article about MSU's new Faciltiy for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB).
Published: April 10, 2014
By: Lansing State Journal and Steven Willobee from Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP)
We all have eagerly awaited spring with anticipation to watch life sprout from the ground that was frozen only weeks ago. As flowers begin to grow, Michigan State University begins construction on the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). Funded by the Department of Energy, state of Michigan and MSU, the FRIB will result in a $730 million investment and create a one-of-a-kind scientific accelerator for nuclear science. This opportunity was earned through the hard work of MSU’s President Lou Anna Simon, the Michigan congressional delegation and others.
This investment of three-quarters of a billion dollars brings with it great opportunities and responsibilities. As a state, region and university, we have earned the opportunity to become the “North American Accelerating Capital” and we have the responsibility to grow this into an international awareness of our region.
During construction of the FRIB and leading up to its full operation in 2022, this project will lure scientists and researchers from throughout the world to Lansing and Michigan. This is our opportunity to capture their attention beyond nuclear science and welcome them into our community. We must help them to experience why we call the Lansing region home.
To many of us, the research that will be conducted within the walls of the FRIB might be mysterious. However, our responsibility is to remove any doubt or mystery. Our entire region must fully understand the FRIB. Niowave, as an example, has recently announced plans to construct a $202 million Medical Isotope Production Facility at the Port Lansing Next Michigan Development Corp. Niowave’s production facility will allow it to compete in an estimated $3 billion radiopharmaceutical market.
Terry Grimm, a former senior physicist and adjunct professor at the MSU National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, founded Niowave in 2006. In just eight years, Grimm and his team have grown Niowave into a world leader in the superconducting accelerator industry. They have shown the world the innovation and entrepreneurial potential that grows throughout our region.
At the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, we recognize the critical importance of capitalizing on the economic development opportunities afforded by being the North American Accelerating Capital. In 2012, an Accelerator Region Task Force was created to focus on developing and implementing a Michigan Accelerator Region Strategy (MARS).
The Task Force includes representatives from MSU, Niowave, FRIB, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, MSU Technologies, Michigan Economic Development Corp. and others. Currently, the task force has been working with five MSU students through the MSU Urban & Regional Planning Program. These talented students have been working to develop a strategy for our region that creates an entire accelerator industry of innovation and jobs. But that is just the beginning for LEAP’s mission to create an industry around the FRIB.
As the FRIB and Niowave spring forward into construction, we all must embrace the opportunities and responsibilities that we have earned by being the North American Accelerating Capital.
Steven L. Willobee is director of business development for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP).
