Donation breathes life into Fermilab's balance sheet

摘要

A private donor has given US$5 million to particle physics. The donation ends unpaid leaves of absence that physicists at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, have been forced to take since February because of budget cuts. The money, from a family that wishes to remain anonymous, was given on 27 May to the University of Chicago, which in turn will hire Fermilab to do contract work on neutrinos and rare particle decay. The furloughs, scheduled to last into September, were intended to save $12 million. The $5 million gift, plus an additional $1 million of savings through early retirements, allowed the leaves to end on 31 May. Fermilab has also reduced from 200 to 140 the number of lay-offs it expects to make starting in June.