Ames Laboratory Ames Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Ames , Iowa and affiliated with Iowa State University . The Laboratory conducts research into various areas of national concern , including the synthesis and study of new materials , energy resources , high - speed computer design , and environmental cleanup and restoration . It is located on the campus of Iowa State University . It is operated for the United States Department of Energy . In January 2013 the Department of Energy announced the establishment of the Critical Materials Institute ( CMI ) at Ames Laboratory , with a mission to develop solutions to the domestic shortages of rare earth metals and other materials critical for U . S . energy security . History . 1940s . In 1942 , Frank Spedding of Iowa State College , an expert in the chemistry of rare earth elements , agreed to set up and direct a chemical research and development program , since called the Ames Project , to accompany the Manhattan Project ' s existing physics program . Its purpose was to produce high purity uranium from uranium ore s . Harley Wilhelm developed new methods for both reducing and casting uranium metal , making it possible to cast large ingots of the metal and reduce production costs by as much as twentyfold . About one - third , or around 2 tons , of the uranium used in the first self - sustaining nuclear reaction at the University of Chicago was provided through these procedures , now known as the Ames Process . The Ames Project produced more than 2 million pounds ( 1 , 000 tons ) of uranium for the Manhattan Project until industry took over the process in 1945 . The Ames Project received the Army - Navy ‘ E ’ Award for Excellence in Production on October 12 , 1945 , signifying two - and - a - half years of excellence in industrial production of metallic uranium as a vital war material . Iowa State University is unique among educational institutions to have received this award for outstanding service , an honor normally given to industry . Other key accomplishments related to the project : • Developed a process to recover uranium from scrap materials and convert it into good ingots . • Developed an ion exchange process to separate rare earth elements from each other in gram quantities — something not possible with other methods . • Developed a large - scale production process for thorium using a bomb - reduction method . Ames Laboratory was formally established in 1947 by the United States Atomic Energy Commission as a result of the Ames Project ' s success . 1950s . During the 1950s the Lab ’ s growing reputation for its work with rare earth metals rapidly increased its workload . As the country explored the uses of nuclear power , lab scientists studied nuclear fuels and structural materials for nuclear reactors . Processes developed at Ames Laboratory resulted in the production of the purest rare - earth metals in the world while at the same time reducing the price of the metals as much as 1 , 000 percent . In most cases , Lab facilities served as models for large - scale production of rare earth metals . Lab scientists took advantage of Iowa State University ' s synchrotron to pursue medium - energy physics research . Analytical chemistry efforts expanded to keep up with the need to analyze new materials . Other key accomplishments from the 1950s : • Developed processes for separating hafnium , niobium , barium , strontium , caesium and rubidium . • Discovered a new isotope , phosphorus - 33 . • Separated high - purity rare earth oxides in kilogram quantities . • Developed a method of separating plutonium and fission products from spent uranium fuel . • Produced high - purity yttrium metal in large quantities , shipping more than 18 , 000 pounds before industry took over the process . 1960s . During the 1960s the Lab reached peak employment as its scientists continued exploring new materials . As part of that effort , the Lab built a 5 - megawatt heavy water reactor for neutron diffraction studies and additional isotope separation research . The United States Atomic Energy Commission established the Rare - Earth Information Center at Ames Lab to provide the scientific and technical communities with information about rare - earth metals and their compounds . Other key accomplishments from the 1960s : • Developed a process to produce thorium metal with a purity of 99 . 985 percent . • Developed a process for producing high - purity vanadium metal for nuclear applications . • Discovered a new isotope , copper - 69 . • Conducted the first successful operation of an isotope separator connected to a reactor in order to study short - lived radioactivity produced by fission of uranium - 235 . • Ames Lab Physicists succeed in growing the first large crystal of solid helium 1970s . During the 1970s , as the United States Atomic Energy Commission evolved into the United States Department of Energy , efforts diversified as some research programs closed and new ones opened . Federal officials consolidated reactor facilities , leading to the closure of the research reactor . Ames Laboratory responded by putting new emphasis on applied mathematics , solar power , fossil fuels and pollution control . Innovative analytical techniques were developed to provide precise information from increasingly small samples . Foremost among them was inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy , which could rapidly and simultaneously detect up to 40 different trace metals from a small sample . Other key accomplishments from the 1970s : • Developed a highly sensitive technique for the direct analysis of mercury in air , water , fish and soils . • Developed a method for isolating minute amounts of organic compounds found in water . • Developed a process for removing copper , tin and chromium from automotive scrap , yielding reclaimed steel pure enough for direct re - use . • Developed an image intensifier screen that significantly reduced exposure to medical X - rays . • Developed a solar heating module that could both store and transmit solar power . 1980s . In the 1980s research at Ames Laboratory evolved to meet local and national energy needs . Fossil energy research focused on ways to burn coal cleaner . New technologies were developed to clean up nuclear waste sites . High - performance computing research augmented the applied mathematics and solid - state physics programs . Ames Laboratory became a national leader in the fields of superconductivity and nondestructive evaluation . In addition , DOE established the Materials Preparation Center to provide public access to the development of new materials . Other key accomplishments from the 1980s : • Developed a liquid - junction solar cell that was efficient , durable and non - toxic . • Received Defense Department funding to develop nondestructive evaluation techniques for aircraft . • Became DOE ’ s lead laboratory for managing the environmental assessment of energy - recovery processes . • Developed a new method for alloying pure neodymium with iron , producing the feedstock for a widely used neodymium magnet . • Assisted in development of Terfenol which changes form in a magnetic field , making it ideal for sonar and transducer applications . 1990s . Encouraged by United States Department of Energy , in the 1990s Ames Laboratory continued its efforts to transfer basic research findings to industry for the development of new materials , products and processes . The Scalable Computing Laboratory was established to find ways of making parallel computing accessible and cost - effective for the scientific community . Researchers discovered the first non - carbon example of buckyballs , a new material important in the field of microelectronics . Scientists developed a DNA sequencer that was 24 times faster than other devices , and a technique that assessed the nature of DNA damage by chemical pollutants . Other key accomplishment of the 1990s : • Developed HINT benchmarking technique that objectively compared computers of all sizes , now supported at Brigham Young University ' s HINT site . • Improved method of high pressure gas atomization for turning molten metal into fine - grained metal powders . • Predicted the geometry for a ceramic structure with a photonic band gap . These structures may improved the efficiency of lasers , sensing devices and antennas . • Discovered a new class of materials that could make magnetic refrigeration a viable cooling technology for the future . • Developed a high - strength lead - free solder . Recent developments . The following are examples of how Ames Laboratory continues to contribute : • Novel , platinum - modified nickel - aluminide coatings that deliver unprecedented oxidation and phase stability as bond coat layers in thermal barrier coating s , which could improve the durability of gas turbine engines , allowing them to operate at higher temperatures and extending their lifetimes . • Research confirming negative refraction can be observed in photonic crystals in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum , which moves physicists one step closer to constructing materials that exhibit negative refraction at optical wavelengths and realizing the much - sought - after superlens . • Discovery of intermetallic compounds that are ductile at room temperature , and which could be used to produce practical materials from coatings that are highly resistant to corrosion and strong at high temperatures to flexible superconducting wires and powerful magnets . • Development of heterogeneous catalysts whose ability to be recycled could help reduce costs for production of biodiesel fuel and eliminate waste - storage costs . • Research on the photophysics of luminescent organic thin films and organic light - emitting diode s resulted in a novel integrated oxygen sensor and a new sensor company . • Lead - free solder that is stronger , easier to use , stands up better in high - heat conditions , and is environmentally safe . • A biosensor technology that helps to determine an individual ’ s risk of getting cancer from chemical pollutants . • A capillary electrophoresis unit that can analyze multiple chemical samples simultaneously . This unit has applications in the pharmaceutical , genetics , medical , and forensics fields . This technology has been the basis of a spin - off business . • Material for magnetic refrigeration that improves refrigerator efficiency by an estimated 40 percent in large - scale refrigeration units and air conditioners . • Developed a mechanochemical process that is a solvent - free way to produce organic compounds in solid state . Being used to study new , complex hydride materials that could provide a solution for high - capacity , safe hydrogen storage needed to make hydrogen - powered vehicles viable . • The design and demonstration of photonic band gap crystals , a geometrical arrangement of dielectric materials that allows light to pass except when the frequency falls within a forbidden range . These materials would make it easier to develop numerous practical devices , including optical lasers , optical computer s , and solar cell s . Notable alumni and faculty . Frank Spedding ( B . S . 1925 , M . S . 1926 ) ( deceased ) , directed the chemistry phase of the Manhattan Project in World War II , which led to the world ' s first controlled nuclear reaction . He was Iowa State ' s second member of the National Academy of Sciences and the first director of the Ames Laboratory . Dr . Spedding won the Langmuir Award in 1933 , Only Oscar K . Rice and Linus Pauling preceded him in this achievement . The award is now called the Award in Pure Chemistry of the American Chemical Society . He is the first to bear the title Distinguished Professor of Sciences and Humanities at Iowa State ( 1957 ) . Further awards include : William H . Nichols Award of the New York section of the American Chemical Society ( 1952 ) ; the James Douglas Gold Medal from the American Institute of Mining , Metallurgical , and Petroleum Engineers ( 1961 ) for achievements in nonferrous metallurgy ; and the Francis J . Clamer Award from the Franklin Institute ( 1969 ) for achievements in metallurgy . Harley Wilhelm ( Ph . D . 1931 ) ( deceased ) , developed the most efficient process to produce uranium metal for the Manhattan Project , the Ames Process , a process still used today . Velmer A . Fassel ( Ph . D . 1947 ) ( deceased ) , internationally known for developing an analytical process , inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy ( ICP - AES ) , used for chemical analysis in almost every research laboratory in the world ; former deputy director of the Ames Laboratory . Karl A . Gschneidner , Jr . ( B . S . 1952 , Ph . D 1957 ) Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering in 2007 , Gschneidner is acknowledged as one of the world ’ s foremost authorities in the physical metallurgy and thermal and electrical behaviors of rare earth materials . Additionally Gschneidner is a Fellow of the Minerals , Metals , and Materials Society , Fellow of the American Society for Materials International , and Fellow of the American Physical Society . James Renier ( Ph . D . 1955 ) , chairman and chief executive officer of Honeywell Inc . ( 1988 – 93 ) . Darleane C . Hoffman ( Ph . D . 1951 ) , a 1997 recipient of the National Medal of Science , is one of the researchers who confirmed the existence of element 106 , seaborgium . John Weaver ( Ph . D . 1973 ) , named Scientist of the Year for 1997 by R & D Magazine . Weaver is currently head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois , Urbana - Champaign . James Halligan ( B . S . 1962 , M . S . 1965 , Ph . D . 1967 ) , president of Oklahoma State University ( 1994 – present ) . Allan Mackintosh , noted expert on rare - earth metals and President of the European Physical Society . James W . Mitchell ( Ph . D . 1970 ) , named Iowa State University ' s first George Washington Carver Professor in 1994 . He is also the winner of two R & D 100 Awards and the prestigious Percy L . Julian Research Award given by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers for innovative industrial research . Mitchell is vice president of the Materials Research Laboratory at Bell Laboratories , Lucent Technologies . John Corbett , chemistry and Ames Laboratory , member of the National Academy of Sciences , created the first non - carbon example of buckyball s ; discovered more than 1 , 000 new materials . Kai - Ming Ho , Che - Ting Chan , and Costas Soukoulis , physics and Ames Laboratory , were the first to design and demonstrate the existence of photonic band gap crystals , a discovery that led to the development of the rapidly expanding field of photonic crystals . Photonic crystals are expected to have revolutionary applications in optical communication and other areas of light technology . Soukoulis is a recipient of the Descartes Prize for Excellence in Scientific Collaborative Research , the European Union ’ s highest honor in the field of science . Dan Shechtman , winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry . Pat Thiel , chemistry and Ames Laboratory , received one of the first 100 National Science Foundation Women in Science and Engineering Awards ( presented in 1991 ) . Edward Yeung , chemistry and Ames Lab , first person to quantitatively analyze the chemical contents of a single human red blood cell , using a device that he designed and built ; the development could lead to improved detection of AIDS , cancer and genetic diseases such as Alzheimer ' s , muscular dystrophy and Down ' s syndrome . Yeung has won four R & D 100 Awards and an Editor ' s Choice award from R & D Magazine for this pioneering work . He was the 2002 recipient of the American Chemical Society Award in Chromatography for his research in chemical separations . < / ref > Klaus Rudenberg , physics and Ames Laboratory , 2001 recipient of the American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry for his innovative research in the field of theoretical chemistry .