FSU’s High Magnetic Field Laboratory
FSU’s High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Tallahassee is proud to host Florida’s National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The lab, the only one of its kind in the country, is a joint venture of Florida State University, the University of Florida and Los Alamos National Laboratory which won rights to the facility in 1990 when it was moved from the Massachussets Institute of Technology.
The Mag Lab is a state resource, which also holds major economic development potential for Tallahassee and the entire Big Bend area. Both FSU and UF worked closely with the legislature and the Governor’s Office in 2003 and 2004 to request a one time appropriation of $10 million to upgrade the facility in an effort to ensure continuation of the facility’s contract with the National Science Foundation.
When Governor Bush called a special session in the fall of 2003 to address a major economic development initiative in Palm Beach County, Representative Ausley fought hard to get the Mag Lab funding included in the economic development package. She continued to work throughout the regular 2004 session and through the Governor’s veto process to get this critical funding in the budget.
See Representative Ausley’s op-ed piece regarding the legislature’s unwillingness to include this funding in the special session economic development package.
Scripps might not soar: The Mag Lab Could be Lost (11/14/03)
The following articles follow the Mag Lab funding issue through the legislative process:
Mag Lab Funding Faces Hurdles in House (3/27/04)
Mag Lab Money, Future Still Uncertain (4/23/04)
Close Call (5/28/04)