QUARK MATTER 2001 CONFERENCE TO DRAW WORLD¹S TOP PHYSICISTS TO STONY BROOK, BNL Lawrence Krauss, RHIC Results Are Features of Event For Immediate Release STONY BROOK, N.Y., January 8, 2000 The quark-gluon plasma is thought to have existed at the dawn of the universe, and the conference is expected to offer new and extraordinary insights into the fundamental nature of matter. Conference highlights will feature the announcement of the first results from Brookhaven National Laboratory¹s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the world¹s newest and largest particle accelerator for nuclear physics research, as well as a free public lecture by the renowned physicist and science populist Lawrence Krauss. Krauss, whose studies have included the early universe, the nature of dark matter, general relativity, and neutrino astrophysics, is the author of several acclaimed popular books including Fear of Physics (1993), which has been translated into 12 languages, The Physics of Star Trek (1995), which sold over 200,000 copies, and Quintessence: The Mystery of the Missing Mass (2000), his most recent work. He will address the public on Monday, January 15 at 8:00 PM in the Staller Center for the Arts on the Stony Brook campus. The RHIC facility is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, which owns Brookhaven Lab, and is designed to collide ultra-relativistic gold ions in order to produce the quark-gluon plasma. The collisions come from two opposing beams of ions traveling close to the speed of light in opposite directions around a tunnel 2.4 miles in circumference. Results from RHIC¹s first experimental run will be announced at a session from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Monday, January 15 at the Staller Center. RHIC scientists and Krauss will be available for media interviews that day at 6:15 PM, immediately following the RHIC session and prior to the Krauss lecture. Tours of RHIC will take place on Tuesday, January 16 at Brookhaven Lab. ³The collaboration between Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Laboratory is a great example of how world-class resources, when joined in partnership, can promote exciting and promising discoveries,² said Shirley Strum Kenny, President of Stony Brook University. ³This extraordinary event will bring together the world¹s finest scientific minds with the goal of unlocking some of the mysteries of our universe.² ³The excitement of this conference has drawn international attention to Long Island¹s research institutions,² said Brookhaven Laboratory Director John Marburger. ³We expect 700 participants from around the world to present and discuss the first fruits of RHIC experiments. The collaboration between Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University has helped RHIC to meet its objectives, and I look forward to continuing successes as the new field of RHIC physics matures.² Other events include a Pre-Conference Student Symposium at Stony Brook¹s Javits Lecture Center on Sunday, January 14 for the over 120 students from around the world who will participate in the conference; a session entitled ³Strangeness, Photons, and Charm² on Tuesday, January 16; a session entitled ³Phase Diagram and Freezeout Properties² on Wednesday, January 17; and a session entitled ³New Observables² on Friday, January 19. These and other sessions are being held at the Staller Center. Additional information, including the program and a complete calendar of conference events, can be accessed at www.rhic.bnl.gov/qm2001/. Members of the media wishing to register may contact Karen McNulty Walsh at (631) 344-8350, kmcnulty@bnl.gov, or Mona S. Rowe at (631) 344-5056, mrowe@bnl.gov. Established in 1957, Stony Brook University is one of the leading public research institutions in the nation. Its renowned graduate and undergraduate programs include engineering and applied sciences, the health sciences, humanities, and arts and sciences. Internationally known faculty members teach courses in over 100 programs to more than 19,000 students. The U.S. Department of Energy¹s Brookhaven National Laboratory creates and operates major facilities available to university, industrial, and government personnel for basic research and applied research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences and in selected energy technologies. The Laboratory is operated by Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), a not-for-profit research management company, under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy. BSA is a partnership of Stony Brook-Battelle in association with six core universities. Quark Matter 2001 Conference Schedule of Major Events Sunday, January 14 2:00 PM Pre-Conference Student Symposium (Javits Lecture Center) Monday, January 15 9:00 AM Opening session (Staller Center) 2:00 PM Session announcing RHIC physics results (Staller Center) 6:15 PM Media availability--RHIC scientists, Lawrence Krauss (Staller Center) 8:00 PM Public lecture by Lawrence Krauss (Staller Center) Tuesday, January 16 8:30 AM ³Strangeness, Photons, and Charm² (Staller Center) 1:00 PM Parallel Session I (BNL) BNL Day, sessions in Berkner Hall and tours of the RHIC facility (BNL). 6:00 PM Reception in Berkner Hall (BNL). Wednesday, January 17 9:00 AM ³Phase Diagram and Freezeout Properties² (Staller Center) 2:30 PM Parallel Session II (Javits Lecture Center) 7:00 PM Cocktails and dinner (Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel). Thursday, January 18 9:00 AM ³Initial Conditions and Dense Medium² (Staller Center) 1:00 PM Excursion to American Museum of Natural History (NYC). Friday, January 19 9:00 AM ³New Observables² (Staller Center) 2:15 PM Parallel Session III (Javits Lecture Center) Saturday, January 20 9:00 AM ³What have We Learned² (Staller Center) 1:00 PM Conference Adjourns