Laboratory Tours

A tour group visits the K500 cyclotron.

Audience: School age and older

Where: NSCL, Michigan State University

How long: 90 minutes (can vary, but requires at least one hour)

What: Enjoy a free tour behind the scenes of a world-class rare isotope laboratory.

• Experience demonstrations of radioactivity, superconductivity, nuclear fragmentation, etc.
• Learn how the lab produces unstable isotopes traveling at half the speed of light
• Visit the vaults where nuclei are accelerated, smashed, filtered and studied

Apply for tour times online (for best results, we recommend applying at least two months in advance)

In the tour application form (link above), you will provide your group/organization name, contact person, email address, and number of visitors (an accurate estimate). In the comments, you can note their approximate level of physics education and any special needs or requests.

• Tours can accomodate 10 - 50 visitors, with rare exceptions.
• Tours are recommended for ages 10 and up.
• Visitors under 18 must have signed parent permission.
• You should provide an accurate estimate of the number of visitors so we can arrange enough staff for your tour. 
• Visit Destination State for help arranging your trip to MSU and possibly some other tours around campus.

For more information: check out this Outreach pamphlet, this tour map or go to the Downloads page to find more materials and instructions for arranging a tour or contact the Outreach Coordinator at visits@nscl.msu.edu