Argonne National Laboratory is one of the United States government's oldest and largest science and engineering research national laboratories and is the largest in the Midwest. Since the founding of the lab in 1941 the University of Chicago has overseen its operations for the United States Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies. It is located on 1,700 acres 25 miles southwest of Chicago on Interstate Highway 55. When it was first established it was known as the Universtiry of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory (Met Lab). Early on the lab was part of the Manhattan Project which built America's first Atomic Bomb.

Argonne has four major mission areas, each of which fulfills important governmental and Department of Energy responsibilities, as well as provides important benefits to society at large. They are:

• Conducting basic scientific research to further our understanding of the world we live in. Argonne conducts basic experimental and theoretical scientific research in the physical, life, and environmental sciences.
• Operating national scientific facilities to help advance America's scientific leadership. Argonne operates world_class research facilities like the Advanced Photon Source.
• Enhancing the nation's energy resources to ensure America's energy future. Argonne is working to develop and evaluate advanced energy technologies.
• Developing better ways to manage environmental problems. Argonne is at the forefront in developing new ways to manage and solve the nation's environmental problems and to promote environmental stewardship.

Argonne scientists and engineers consider it their responsibility to help the public understand science and to enhance American science, engineering, and mathematics education by helping to train nearly 1,000 college graduate students and post-doctoral researchers every year as part of their normal research and development activities.

External links

• Argonne National Laboratory official website (http://www.anl.gov/)
• Advanced Photon Source website (http://www.anl/aps.gov)
• United States Department of Energy (http://www.doe.gov)