The following is a summary of a story that originally appeared on the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences website .
When the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) opened its doors 60 years ago, the world was undergoing a profound transformation. Nuclear science was tied to global tensions. Universities were also beginning to step into a new role as engines of scientific discovery.
Against this backdrop, Duke physicist Henry W. Newson, whose career included work on the Manhattan Project, envisioned a collaborative nuclear research center that would unite the region's major universities. After two decades, his vision became TUNL, now a Department of Energy Center of Excellence and one of the longest‑running university‑based nuclear physics programs in the country.
The lab is tucked behind the physics building on West Campus, an unassuming concrete structure with subterranean, thick‑walled rooms. Those rooms have borne witness to 60 years of nuclear physics research and countless generations of students learning to work with complex instrumentation.
"The shared mission is straightforward - explore the frontiers of nuclear physics while educating the next generation of experimental physicists," says Calvin R. Howell, professor of physics and TUNL's interim director.
TUNL allows researchers to run experiments found almost nowhere else in the world. Scientists probe the reactions that power stars, test detectors for NASA and national laboratories, and push the boundaries of nuclear astrophysics.
What defines TUNL is its culture of hands‑on learning and collaboration. Students operate accelerators and troubleshoot complex systems, gaining rare experience that helps their careers.
"It's a place with a breadth of expertise mixed with humility, where you can walk in, talk to anyone and get things done together," said Paul Huffman , NC State physics professor who experienced TUNL as a Ph.D. student at Duke. "It really does feel like home."
For the full story about TUNL, go to the Trinity website .
