Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity
HUSEP Collaboration Invites Media To View, Tour Site of
Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory
WHAT:
The Henderson Underground Science and Engineering Project (HUSEP) collaboration welcomes media professionals to the Henderson Mine in Empire, Colo., for a first-hand view of the proposed Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) location. The Henderson DUSEL would be an unprecedented national underground science facility housed more than a mile below Harrison Mountain.
Event speakers include Colorado Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, Henderson Mine General Manager Fred Menzer, Clear Creek Commissioner Harry Dale, Grand County Commissioner James Newberry and HUSEP collaboration chair Professor Chang Kee Jung.
Attendees will be present for:
– A special announcement from the Colorado Governor’s office regarding the project;
– An overview of HUSEP with government, university and mine representatives (experts on all aspects of the project will be available);
– A short tour of the mine, including going underground to the drifts (tunnels) that provide access throughout the mine, as well as viewing some of the specialized mining equipment (a lengthy full tour of mining operations is not practical for this event).
– An opportunity to see some of the infrastructure that would support the lab, including the 3,000-feet-deep shaft, man-and-material lift and the massive hoist that operates it.
WHEN/WHERE:
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2005 from 9:30 a.m. – noon at the Climax Molybdenum Company’s Henderson Mine near Empire, Colo.
RSVP:
Please contact Brad Bohlander or Emily Wilmsen at (970) 491-6432 or via e-mail at Brad.Bohlander@ColoState.edu by Sept. 30, and include the number in your party (reporter, crew, etc.). Safety considerations limit the total number of media representatives who can attend to 20, so reservations will be on a first-call basis.
SPECIAL NOTICE TO CAMERA CREWS:
Federal safety regulations limit the equipment each person may take underground to no more than 25 pounds.
DIRECTIONS:
Be aware that there is road construction underway between the town of Empire and the mine site, resulting in delays up to 40 minutes. Please allow 90 minutes from Denver.
– From Denver, take Interstate 70 west to mile marker 232, which is the exit to Highway 40 and the town of Empire.
– Continue on Highway 40 about one-half mile to Empire.
– Continue on Highway 40 about 9 miles to the very small community of Berthoud Falls. You will see a green highway sign on the right that says "Henderson Mine" with an arrow that points left.
– Turn left and continue about 2 miles to the main gate. You will be greeted there and given directions on where to park.
ATTIRE:
Attendees will be going underground. Preferred attire includes jeans or other pants, a long-sleeve shirt and durable shoes (no open-toed shoes). Hard hats and other safety equipment will be provided.
DETAILS:
In late July, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that the Colorado site was one of two finalists for the DUSEL site selection process to compete for a federally funded underground science and engineering laboratory that would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars for advanced research.
The HUSEP collaboration was formed in 2004 to establish an underground laboratory at the Henderson Mine. HUSEP is a collaboration of University of Colorado, Boulder; Colorado School of Mines; Colorado State University; University of Nebraska, Lincoln; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Pennsylvania State University; University of Tennessee; University of Utah; Climax Molybdenum Company’s Henderson Mine; and The Arapaho Project (a non-profit community organization). The collaboration membership includes biologists, geologists, physicists, mining engineers, corporate professionals and community leaders and community members.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please visit the HUSEP Web site at http://nngroup.physics.sunysb.edu/husep/ for more information about the proposed Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory.
-30-