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© Kwei-Yu Chu/LLNLIllustration of the newly created element 117
The National Nuclear Security Administration Friday congratulated Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for receiving a Gordon Battelle Prize for scientific discovery and technology impact. The prize recognizes LLNL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory for their roles in the discovery of a new element on the periodic table, which is tentatively called element 117.

Selected from 19 entries submitted by laboratories where Battelle plays a significant management role, the awards were divided into two categories: Scientific advances published within the last three years that have significantly advanced human knowledge in any field of the physical, life, or social sciences; and technology innovations that are on track, or have high promise, to provide substantial social and/or economic benefit.

Each award-winning team receives a $5,000 education grant to their school of choice (K-12 or higher education).

The team who discovered element 117 included scientists from the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia), the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (Dimitrovgrad), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The team established the existence of element 117 from decay patterns observed following the bombardment of a radioactive berkelium target with calcium ions at the JINR U400 cyclotron in Dubna. The experiment depended on the availability of special detection facilities and dedicated accelerator time at Dubna, unique isotope production and separation facilities at Oak Ridge, and distinctive nuclear data analysis capabilities at Livermore.