Bringing Science to Our Communities

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Bringing Science to Our Communities

• Margaret Lynch
• Asst Lab Director,
• Community, Education, Government Public Affairs
• October 1, 2007

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Brookhaven National Lab Highlights

• Located on eastern Long Island, NY
• 2,600 employees, 4,500 facility users
• Home to the worlds nuclear physics machine-RHIC
• Major facilities and projects include NSLS, CFN,
  NSRL, PET, and NSLS II
• Multi-program Lab

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Complete Alignment with Institutional Goals
Objectives

• Secure operations funding for RHIC and build
  support for facility upgrades
• Bring NSLS II to the Lab
• Secure funding for CFN and support for
  nanoscience portfolio
• Increase funding and support for medical imaging
• Support operational priorities and cleanup
  initiatives

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Strategy for Promoting Priority Programs

• Annual Lab Plan CEGPA Business Plan
• Strategic communications and community engagement
  collaborations with researchers
• CEGPA functions integrated to support priorities
• Promotion in multiple venuestraditional and new
• Outreach and partnership with key stakeholders
• Issues anticipation and management

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Implementation

• Audience identification prioritizationrelations
  hip building
• Messages
• Spokespersons
• Channels of communication
• Face-to-face
• Web
• Traditional/new media
• Online newsroom
• Community engagement
• VIP tours
• Open houses
• Roundtables
• Community Advisory Council

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RHIC Science Garners National Spotlight

• Breakthrough Discoveryperfect liquid in 2005
  paved the way for award-winning communications
  and funding

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Strategy

• Generate top-level media coverage and demonstrate
  RHICs continuing value in both science and
  popular press
• Place RHIC findings in proper context to avoid
  perception of hyping scientific findings to
  garner operational funding
• Make the DOE central to the RHIC story in order
  to acknowledge their critical role
• Identify and prepare RHIC spokespersons to speak
  with one voice
• Posted on Labs website embargoed press release,
  links to papers, high-resolution animation and
  images, spokesperson lists, other news resources
• Hosted VIP tour

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RHIC Science Garners National Spotlight

• Science
• Top-science-of-the-year articles on perfect
  liquid
• AIPs Physics News Update
• Science News
• USA Today
• Discover magazine
• Wall St. Journal on spin physics
• Cover story in Scientific American

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RHIC Science Garners National Spotlight

• Television and radio on tangential topics time,
  evolution of the universe, disaster scenarios,
  cosmology
• Discovery Network
• National Geographic
• Blog
• BBC
• Voice of America TV
• History Channel
• National Public Radio

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RHIC Strategy Continues

• Support efforts to secure funding for continued
  operations, and approval and funding for RHIC
  upgrades
• Continue to work with the Nuclear and Particle
  Physics Communications team
• Monitor NSAC long-range planning activities
• Develop communications distinguishing RHIC
  science from the LHC
• Ongoing bi-weekly production of RHIC news

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Funding for NSLS-II Design and RD

• CEGPA staff works in tandem with NSLS II team
• Maintain and cultivate relationships with
  potential users, Congressional representatives,
  Governors office and Long Island State
  delegation
• Promote science at NSLS regionally, particularly
  NYS
• Promote Labs economic contributions to the
  region

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NSLS II Promotion and Support

• NSLS II CD-1 Announcement
• web cast
• Video of Pat Dehmer posted on website
• Opportunity for political involvement
• Boast for employee morale
• Media opportunity
• Web support for major user and technical meetings

Newsday editorials Big News at Brookhaven,
The Labs new light source will put Long
Island on the cutting edge.
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Funding for CFNSupport for Nanoscience Research

• Implement stakeholder communications and
  community engagement plan with focus on issues
  management
• Work with NYS Congressional delegation to ensure
  funding for CFN
• Promote project milestones site dedication,
  groundbreaking, ribbon-cutting
• Participate in developing Lab-wide ESH policy on
  nanoscience research
• Manage CFN/Nanoscience website
• Ongoing bi-weekly production of CFN news
  dedicated to users
• Host media, employee and community roundtables
  and tours
• AAAS exhibit

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Center for Translational Neuroimaging

• Promote medical imaging research with a focus on
  DOEs
• financial commitment to building and operating
  facilities
• Seek opportunities to build partnerships to
  ensure funding

• Compelling stories about addiction
• Brookhaven association with NIDA Director and
  Emmy Award winner Nora Volkow
• Symposium on addiction at AAAS meeting

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On the Horizon

• Assess new media as ways to increase and enhance
  communications and build relationships with
  targeted audiences through social networks
• Pay more attention to the blogosphere as part of
  environmental scanning as well as communications
  networking
• Evaluate benefits or organizational blog