ANSTO annual report 2011-2012

For over 50 years, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has proudly been the home to Australia’s nuclear expertise. Nuclear science and technology is a dynamic and exciting area of endeavour that focuses on the basic building blocks of matter at the atomic level. Many of the most important questions facing society today are within the domain of ANSTO’s expertise; whether in the area of health, climate change or driving innovation for industry. ANSTO’s state-of-the-art research facilities and our connection with other local and international research centres, means our scientists have the resources and networks to make a significant contribution today and in the future. Central to realising the capabilities of some of Australia’s significant science infrastructure are our people – ANSTO has over 1,100 dedicated scientists, engineers and support staff who strive daily to exploit the opportunities nuclear science and technology offers, for the benefit of all Australians. As a Federal Government agency, ANSTO provides advice to the Federal Government on all matters relating to nuclear science, technology and engineering. ANSTO supports Australia’s international roles and obligations, contributing to nuclear non-proliferation and participating in international decision making, keeping Australia at the forefront of nuclear science and technology. At the heart of ANSTO’s research capabilities is the OPAL reactor which is one of the world’s best multi-purpose research reactors. OPAL is used for scientific research, the production of medical radioisotopes, and the irradiation of silicon used in microelectronics in superfast trains and hybrid cars. OPAL facilitates specialised research using a growing suite of neutron beam instruments at ANSTO’s Bragg Institute where scientists apply neutron scattering and X-ray techniques to solve complex research and industrial problems such as developing renewable, clean energy technologies. ANSTO also operates two particle accelerators, STAR and ANTARES, which are used to analyse materials to determine their elemental composition and age, and are fundamental to advancing knowledge in areas as important as climate change. Development of the Federal Government funded Centre for Accelerator Science at ANSTO, is now well underway. The new Centre will attract local and international scientists from a wide range of scientific disciplines working in areas such as radiocarbon dating and environmental studies, which are key in understanding past human activity (eg. rock art) and climate variability