JILA Chair David Nesbitt, center, shows student researchers how to align a continuous wave ring dye laser in a colorful display of chemistry. (Photo courtesy of JILA)

Encompassing a strong source of vitality, the institutes at CU-Boulder foster highly specialized environments while creating exclusive and exciting educational experiences for faculty and students. In this series, we survey these integral units that seek to support a wide range of research endeavors and address important, real-world concerns. Part six of this series features JILA.

Originally crafted in the early 1960s as part of a national effort to gain force during the Space Race, JILA has operated as a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for more than 40 years.

"JILA is a unique example of government and state supported research that represents a strong, strategic partnership," said David Nesbitt, fellow and current chair of the institute.

While the institute was founded in response to elevated interests in space science, JILA now functions as one of the nation's leading research institutes in the physical sciences. "Our common theme is applying physics to a variety of fields," Nesbitt said.

Initially recognized as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, the research unit has since expanded its scientific interests and research and in turn modified its name. In 1995, the institute abandoned the specified acronymic meaning of its label but decided to keep the word JILA. The institute currently pursues seven categories of science: astrophysics; atomic and molecular physics; biophysics; chemical physics; nanoscience; optical physics; and precision measurement.

JILA's range of endeavors includes researching sunspots, the dynamics of RNA and DNA, the structure of various chemical bonds, light properties and the precise distance between Earth and the moon. JILA's Center for AMO Physics also investigates how fundamental physical principles determine the structure and behavior of light and matter.

JILA's faculty includes three Nobel laureates, John Hall for his contributions to precision laser techniques and Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell for their 1995 creation of the world's first Bose-Einstein condensate.

The institute integrates a strong technological component into its mission as well, Nesbitt said, which includes designing precision optics and atom lasers as well as nanoelectronic devices. In particular, the joint institute's new atomic clock has garnered quite a bit of attention recently.

JILA also emphasizes its educational and research opportunities for students. The institute offers a wide array of professional and recreational opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral research associates to work closely with JILA faculty members. "We play a very active role in education," Nesbitt said. "I believe that graduate research does not work as well without a good corresponding teaching component."

Graduate student Brad Perkins joined JILA's chemical physics program after enrolling in the university's department of chemistry and biochemistry. "The people and facilities have enabled me to work at the cutting edge of my field," he said.

The student studies fundamental interactions between gas molecules and liquid surfaces in an attempt to uncover the physical and chemical properties that influence different reactions on surfaces and in solution. "The JILA community teaches me about many fascinating aspects of science, and the interdisciplinary nature of the research here shows how simply physical ideas are present in biology, chemistry and physics," Perkins said.

The institute also incorporates an outreach element, which includes collaborating with the CU Wizards program, an interactive introduction to the sciences for children.

As for future plans, the joint institute recently secured funding for a building extension in order to relieve space pressures, Nesbitt said.