Nuclear Science Laboratory (NSL) Director and Notre Dame Professor of Physics Dan Bardayan was recently elected as the Director of the Association for Research at University Nuclear Accelerators (ARUNA). ARUNA is an association of 13 university-based accelerator laboratories in the United States and the scientists performing nuclear research at them. ARUNA was founded in 2010, with the goals to optimize the use of university-based accelerator facilities, increase the opportunities for education around them, and document their scientific impact as part of the U.S. nuclear science enterprise. ARUNA members believe that the diversity of approaches represented by their laboratories is a critical asset for a field that is presently growing fast around the science opportunities offered by the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB).

The NSL is a founding member of ARUNA with a strong tradition in nuclear science research and is a national leader in the education of nuclear scientists. The NSL is the research base for 5-10% of nuclear science PhD students nationwide so it was natural for the NSL to take a turn in hosting ARUNA. ARUNA had been hosted by Florida State University since its founding in 2010.