The Ames Laboratory began a two-year contract extension with the U.S. Department of Energy on Jan. 1.

The extension came after a DOE announcement that contracts for national laboratories that had not been competitively bid on for more than 50 years, like the Ames Lab, would be opened to new bidders.

Under the extension, Iowa State will continue to be the contractor of the Ames Lab, which has been the site of many important scientific developments, including the development of a process to purify uranium, which eventually led to the creation of the atomic bomb.

Gary Pitchford, director of communications for the DOE’s Chicago office, said competing for the lab’s contract is desirable, since it helps the lab stay current and healthy.

“Extensions were made so things could be done rationally and orderly,” Pitchford said.

The extension creates the opportunity for broader bidder participation on contracts, said Steve Karsjen, program director for the Ames Lab.

Other national laboratories affected by the DOE’s announcement include Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore, both run by the University of California; the Argonne National Laboratory, run by the University of Chicago; and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, operated by the University of New Mexico.

Karsjen said the contract extension is causing several changes at the Ames Lab.

“There will be a greater emphasis on contracting with small businesses and purchasing items made of recycled materials,” he said.

Karsjen also said there would be requirements for issuing open source software and an increased emphasis on safety, which is coming from the guidance of the DOE.

Because the DOE owns the Ames Lab buildings and the lab is only operated for the DOE by Iowa State, there is a possibility that it could potentially be coming under new management. Karsjen, however, does not believe that will be the case.

The DOE has had a good relationship with Iowa State for almost 60 years, he said.

“The relationship there just works,” he said.

Warren Madden, vice president of business and finance, said most federal laboratories are not located directly on college campuses.

“It is unique to federal labs in that it is right on the campus,” he said.

Madden said Iowa State intends to bid on the lab’s contract when the two-year extension ends in Dec. 2006.

“We are making sure we are putting forward the best proposal we can,” Madden said. “We expect to be successful.”

Iowa State enjoys many benefits by being involved with the Ames Lab, Madden said.

The lab fosters economic development and attracts exceptional faculty, expanding and reinforcing Iowa State’s areas of expertise. “They are involved in both the lab and academic work,” he said. “Without the lab, we couldn’t attract them.”

The lab also employs many student workers.

“Twenty percent of our workforce is undergraduate and graduate students,” Karsjen said. “They are able to get real world experience. We are working to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers.”