[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 40 (Friday, March 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S3483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                             THE TOP QUARK

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, last May scientists at Fermi 
Laboratory in Batavia, IL found the first direct evidence of the top 
quark, the sixth and last component of a standard model of matter that 
explains the relationships between subatomic particles. This week, 
teams at Fermi Laboratory announced that they have confirmed evidence 
of the particle, leaving no doubt about its existence.
  I want to congratulate them on their accomplishment. And, I want to 
add that basic science research in this country, like that which goes 
on at Fermi Laboratory in Illinois, Brookhaven in New York, and 
Stanford in California, contributes greatly to our understanding of 
basic science and provides vision and hope to thousands of curious 
students and researchers who are pursuing a future in the sciences.
  The President in his fiscal year 1996 budget proposed adding $100 
million above the 1995 level to enhance the work going on at our major 
DOE-operated basic research facilities. I support this initiative. The 
United States currently leads the world in particle physics research. 
Without a continued investment in our DOE laboratories, our scientists 
will find themselves uninvolved and disadvantaged in what's becoming a 
worldwide community of basic science research.
  For nearly a decade, the superconductor super collider was the 
centerpiece of the Nation's basic science program. While I fully 
supported the project and opposed its termination, the project's 
expense sacrificed valuable resources going to other worthy 
laboratories, like Fermi lab in Illinois. With the cancellation of the 
SSC, we gutted our high-energy physics research budget and threatened 
to send a message to the world that we no longer were willing to invest 
in high energy physics research.
  We now have the opportunity to make effective use of our current 
facilities and to remain important contributors to a world-wide effort. 
With the leadership of Senator Bennett Johnston and President Clinton, 
we are once again investing in the research capabilities at Fermi lab 
and other leading laboratories, and as evidenced by the resent 
discovery of the top quark, we continue to be world leaders in this 
area.
  The United States has tremendous potential to lead the way in 
scientific research in the next decade, but only with sufficient 
funding. I applaud the President for his leadership in this important 
area.


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