A Petition to the United States Secretary of Energy and the President of Stanford UniversityDear Secretary Bodman and President Hennessy:We write to you as members of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) community who are concerned by the planned name change of this laboratory that was announced July 9th http://today.slac.stanford.edu/a/2008/07-09.htm. The reason given for the change was that the SLAC "name is also no longer fully representative of the laboratory with its increased involvement in photon science and particle astrophysics in addition to our particle physics program". We do not believe this is the case and we do not believe it is sufficient reason to change the name. On the contrary, we think there are very compelling reasons to maintain the acronym "SLAC" and the name "Stanford Linear Accelerator Center", with explicit inclusion of "Stanford" in the name. 1) SLAC has more than 40 years of history with an outstanding record of achievement (4 Nobel prize experiments). The scientific and public recognition associated with this name are invaluable. While it is true that other national laboratories have changed their names, the changes were usually minor or took place while the facilities were relatively new, and not after a long illustrious history. We think the acronym "SLAC" must be kept. 2) Accelerators continue to play a key role in the forefront facilities at the lab, even though these facilities now serve the photon science community. SLAC was a pioneer in photon science and has actively supported photon science for more than 30 years, since the early days of SPEAR. SLAC's new flagship instrument, the Linac Coherent Light Source, is profoundly dependent on the linear accelerator at SLAC. Honoring this history does not denigrate photon science. "Linear Accelerator" is a central core of what this laboratory does. 3) The tight coupling between SLAC and Stanford University has served both institutions well. SLAC has been a jewel among the Stanford schools. The Stanford academic environment has enabled SLAC to recruit and retain high caliber scientists and engineers even in the face of strong competition from the abundant technical opportunities available in the Bay Area. Being identified as being part of Stanford University is a large enticement in recruiting the best staff and cannot be underestimated. Keeping "Stanford" in the name is crucial for maintaining this laboratory's high quality and expertise. We strongly urge the US government and the DOE, along with Stanford University, to reconsider the decision to change the name of SLAC. There must be a solution which allows the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center to continue its tradition of outstanding service to an expanded user community.
This web entry list is in addition to the hundreds of names on paper petitions in circulation at SLAC and elsewhere. There is no need to enter names in both places. SLAC Name Change Petition |