In honor of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory celebrating 75 years in operation, Iowa Governor Kim
Reynold signed a proclamation designating May 17, 2022 as Ames Laboratory Day in Iowa, “to encourage all citizens to recognize the contributions of materials research to scientific discovery and to the economic strength of Iowa and the nation.”
The proclamation was signed in a ceremony in Governor Reynold’s office on May 12. Also in attendance were Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg; Iowa State University’s Director of State Relations, Carolann Jensen; and Ames Laboratory Director Adam Schwartz.
“Iowa and Iowa State University have been Ames Laboratory’s home since the very beginning,” said Schwartz. “We’re proud of our contributions to Iowa and U.S. history through our excellence in scientific research as a Department of Energy National Laboratory, and we thank Governor Reynolds for this special recognition.”
Ames Laboratory began as the Ames Project at Iowa State College in 1942, as top-secret research to purify uranium for the Manhattan Project’s efforts to achieve nuclear capabilities during WWII. Between 1942 and 1945, the Ames Project produced 2 million pounds of ultra-purified uranium for the war effort. The success of the Ames Project led to the creation of a national laboratory by the Atomic Energy Commission on May 17, 1947, with Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) as its contractor.
Below: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation declaring May 17, 2022 as Ames Laboratory Day. Pictured from left are: Ames Laboratory Director Adam Schwartz; Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds; Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg; and Iowa State University Director of State Relations Carolann Jensen.
