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Michigan Tech atmospheric scientists linked to three research projects selected for DOE Genesis Mission. Raymond Shaw (left) and Will Cantrell are investigators on two proposed projects for the DOE's Genesis Mission. Published 6:36 p.m., July 22, 2026 Michigan Technological University researchers are involved in three proposals tapped by the U.S. Department of Energy for consideration under its recently launched Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI. The mission's goal is to address national science and technology challenges using artificial intelligence. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected one Michigan Tech-led research proposal and two others involving researchers in the University's Department of Physics for award negotiations related to the Genesis Mission challenge "Predicting U.S. Water for Energy." "The Genesis Mission is the premier federal program advancing artificial intelligence in science," said Andrew Barnard, Michigan Tech's vice president for research. "Having Michigan Tech researchers lead and participate in Genesis projects reflects Michigan Tech as a premier R1 research institution with world-renowned faculty at the peak of their respective fields." The Genesis Mission brings together researchers, agency heads, Congressional members, scientific leaders and strategic industry partners to investigate solutions to 26 unique national science and technology challenges using artificial intelligence. The Genesis Mission is a historic national initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy, which is building the world's most powerful integrated science discovery platform. By uniting government, industry, academia and philanthropy, it is accelerating breakthroughs in energy, scientific discovery and national security through a new platform that combines AI, supercomputing, quantum systems and advanced scientific instruments. The mission is currently in phase one, the goal of which is to identify promising pathways toward transformative scientific capabilities and establish a foundation for future investment and scale. Project teams will design and demonstrate research workflows that integrate AI with scientific investigation, while rigorously evaluating whether those approaches can accelerate discovery, improve predictive capabilities, enhance experimentation or generate new scientific insights. Using Tech's Pi Cloud Chamber to predict water resources. Water availability is essential for expanding energy production, as well as for preserving and protecting the nation's health and security. The Genesis Mission challenge "Predicting U.S. Water for Energy" seeks to address fundamental scientific gaps in scientists' understanding of terrestrial and atmospheric systems that limit the nation's ability to predict water resources, especially on the time scale of weeks to years. The vision is creating AI capable of multiscale temporal reasoning that could tackle three interrelated grand challenges: cloud physics, surface and subsurface water flows, and the broader hydrologic cycle. Michigan Tech's Raymond Shaw, university professor of physics, is the principal investigator on the University's proposal "AI-accelerated exploration of droplet collision-coalescence using observation constrained, multiscale modeling of a turbulent-convection cloud chamber." The project proposes a two-stage, AI-enabled data-driven framework using the unique, dynamic steady-state of a convection cloud chamber. Shaw and his team of researchers intend to sample droplet size distribution fluctuations over time in Michigan Tech's Pi Convection Cloud Chamber and extract fundamental microphysical parameters from the data. The information will be used to construct an efficient, reduced-order predictive model to anticipate when and how precipitation will develop, which affects water supply. The project aims to offer a comprehensive pathway for advancing next-generation cloud microphysics parameterizations. Project partners include Brigham Young University, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the University of Utah. "One of our underlying philosophies is that machine learning and AI-accelerated scientific discovery will be most successful when guided by the combination of known physics and high-quality data," said Shaw. AI is only as good as its training data. In this team's case, high-quality data comes from the Pi Cloud Chamber, providing high-fidelity training in circumstances not currently feasible from field measurements. This combination of measurements can also benchmark the computationally expensive numerical models, guiding them in the kinds of training that they can provide for the AI models. "We have a good idea of what the physics of precipitation formation should look like, but there are large uncertainties in certain important bottlenecks in the formation process," said Shaw. "By focusing on those bottlenecks, we can improve our understanding of physics, which in turn can impact the quality of computer models used for real-world decisions about water and energy infrastructure." Shaw is also co-principal investigator on Brookhaven National Laboratory's Genesis Mission proposal "An Automated, Multimodal-AI-Enabled Cloud Chamber for Constraining Cloud Microphysical Processes in Earth System Models." BNL's objective is to develop an embodied AI cloud chamber control system powered by a large language model to demonstrate the advantages of using AI in laboratory experiments, such as setting up a specific target, controlling experimental conditions and showing measurable performance gains. Shaw has been collaborating with colleagues at BNL for several years as they've developed a cloud chamber to test technologies necessary as stepping stones toward the eventual construction of a large convection-cloud chamber for exploring clouds that form rain and snow. Tech's Pi Cloud Chamber operation is already complex, and in a similar system on a larger scale, the complexity can become overwhelming. "It's a perfect opportunity for AI to play a role in allowing scientists to focus on the science, rather than details of wall-temperature configurations and other factors," said Shaw. "In much the same way as a self-driving car allows the driver to provide a destination and not worry about each detailed turn or traffic structure in getting there, this envisioned system will allow scientists to formulate hypotheses and request desired cloud conditions, without having to find the necessary settings by trial and error." Will Cantrell, Michigan Tech's associate provost, graduate school dean and physics professor, is co-principal investigator for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Genesis Mission proposal "Earth-Atmosphere Agentic Research and Learning - Physics-Constrained AI Closure Development for Cloud Microphysics and Turbulence." The project's overall objective is to develop and demonstrate a physics-constrained, AI-enabled cloud microphysics closure for the Energy Research and Forecasting Model (ERF). The ERF model is a new solver for predicting mesoscale and microscale dynamics in the atmosphere, designed for emerging high-performance computing architectures. PNNL's project hopes to capture the effects of unresolved fluctuations in water vapor concentrations on condensational growth and evaporation of cloud droplets, and to establish a human-supervised agentic workflow for rapid closure development, implementation and evaluation. "We don't know the whole chain of events that lead from cloud formation to precipitation," said Cantrell. "However, we do know that when a small subset of cloud droplets reach a certain size threshold, that rain is more likely, but we can't quite pin down yet how that happens. We will tackle that problem using careful laboratory experiments at Tech, coupled with PNNL's insights on what AI can provide when fed that data." All three project proposals are currently in award negotiations with the DOE. Award announcements are expected in the coming months. Shaw attended the Genesis Mission Annual Summit on July 22, and is enthusiastic about his part in developing solutions to these long-standing science challenges. If the projects are successful, he believes they could radically improve the nation's ability to anticipate water supply in the context of changing water availability, demands, energy technologies and ambitions for energy expansion. "It's an honor to be part of the inaugural teams in the Genesis Mission, and exciting to have this opportunity to further explore the physics of precipitation formation," said Shaw. "Our collaboration draws from a wide range of scientific backgrounds. We're looking forward to working together to develop AI-ready datasets and machine learning and AI tools that will help accelerate progress on a challenging science problem that is highly relevant to society." Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, forestry, business, health professions, robotics, psychology, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.

John Hill named director of Brookhaven National Laboratory. May 26, 2026 Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) has named physicist John Hill as director of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, effective May 21. Hill is a longtime employee at Brookhaven Lab, who has served as interim lab director since September 2025. BSA's board of directors selected Hill after a competitive international search. Hill will also serve as BSA's president. BSA - a partnership between Stony Brook University and Battelle - manages and operates Brookhaven Lab on behalf of DOE's Office of Science. "We are delighted to have John Hill selected to lead Brookhaven National Laboratory at a pivotal moment for science and national impact," said BSA Board Chair and Battelle's Executive Vice President of National Laboratory Management and Operations Juan Alvarez. "He brings the leadership and vision needed to advance the Lab's future - delivering transformative discovery through the Electron-Ion Collider and accelerating impact across AI and embodied intelligence, distributed quantum systems, microelectronics and a future upgrade to the Lab's National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II). Under John's leadership, we are confident Brookhaven will continue to expand its science-ready infrastructure and strategic public-private partnerships in service to the nation." As director, Hill will work with stakeholders including DOE, policymakers, collaborating institutions and community members, as he leads Brookhaven toward strategic growth and scientific opportunity. "I am thrilled that, following a very competitive international search, John Hill has emerged as the very best leader for Brookhaven National Laboratory at this exciting juncture," said BSA Board Co-Chair and Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith. "John's deep expertise, vision and leadership skills will be essential as the Lab looks to usher in a new era of fundamental physics discovery at the Electron-Ion Collider, while continuing its groundbreaking research in quantum systems, AI, microelectronics, materials science and high-resolution imaging. Stony Brook is proud to co-manage and partner with Brookhaven to advance the frontiers of discovery to benefit our country's innovation, economic vitality and national security. John's leadership will be essential to ensuring the Lab's success and impact long into the future." Hill will oversee a team of 3,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and professionals in many fields. They are supporting initiatives to explore building blocks of the universe, lead in discovery with light-enabled science and develop next-generation information science and capabilities, including AI and quantum. DOE's Genesis Mission underpins all these efforts. The Genesis Mission is a national initiative in artificial intelligence to build the world's most powerful scientific platform to accelerate discovery science, strengthen national security and drive energy innovation. Much of Hill's attention will be focused on delivering the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) - a world-leading nuclear physics research facility being built at Brookhaven through a partnership among DOE, Brookhaven and DOE's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia, with strong support from New York State. The EIC will enable researchers to unlock the secrets of the strongest force in nature - the "glue" that binds the building blocks of all visible matter in the universe. The EIC project will draw on expertise across DOE's National Labs and from universities and research institutions worldwide.

Brookhaven National Laboratory scientist William Morse wins Breakthrough Prize in physics. A Brookhaven National Laboratory physicist received one of science's most prestigious honors Saturday for groundbreaking research by a team studying an obscure subatomic particle and its effect on the universe. William Morse, of the Upton lab, and three other scientists - Boston University physicist Bradley Lee Roberts, Chris Polly, of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, and David Hertzog, of the University of Washington - were awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics on Saturday during a ceremony in Santa Monica, California. The prize was created in 2012 by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs including Sergey Brin, of Alphabet, and Mark Zuckerberg, of Meta. The ceremony, marketed as the "Oscars of Science," drew a number of high-profile celebrities, according to a Deadline report. The guests included Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Affleck and Octavia Spencer, according to the Hollywood trade. Morse, 78, of East Patchogue, will receive a share of a $3 million prize with dozens or possibly hundreds of other scientists involved in the research, Brookhaven lab officials said. What Newsday found. * Brookhaven National Laboratory physicist William Morse is part of a team of scientists honored Saturday night with a Breakthrough Prize, one of science's top honors. * Morse and his fellow researchers were honored for their studies of an obscure subatomic particle known as a muon. Scientists believe the muon's unstable nature helps to explain certain cosmic anomalies. * The Breakthrough Prize comes with a $3 million award split among dozens of scientists involved in the research, officials said. Morse and the others are credited with significant scientific advances in a quest begun in Europe six decades ago to fine-tune physicists' understanding of the muon, an enigmatic particle whose wobbly motion helps to explain certain cosmic anomalies. The research, related to quantum theory, led Morse and the Brookhaven lab at one point to shut down William Floyd Parkway to carry a 17-ton superconducting magnet more than 3,000 miles by truck and barge to Illinois. 'The top of the top' In a phone interview, Morse said it was "amazing" that he and his colleagues had been recognized. Though the Breakthrough Prize is relatively new, he said, the award "is the top of the top." In a statement, BNL interim director John Hill said Morse's muon experiments were "a testament to the lab's world-class accelerator facilities and to the expertise and teamwork of the more than 100 engineers, technicians and physicists who made it possible." Hill added that muon research in Brookhaven and at other institutions has "inspired generations of physicists to explore the mysteries of our universe." The muon, pronounced "myu-ahn," was discovered in 1936 and helped scientists better understand why some objects don't conform to established scientific principles such as gravity. Experiments between 1959 and 1979 at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, in Switzerland, advanced scientists' knowledge of the particles but left some questions unanswered. Morse said he got involved in 1989, enticed by the challenge of making discoveries that can't be explained by traditional science - an endeavor known as "new physics." "The mathematics is just beautiful," Morse said. "We're trying to... see if there is new physics out there." Working with Roberts, who goes by Lee, and the late Vernon Hughes, of Yale University, Morse and a BNL team beamed muons into a magnetic ring to measure how much the rapidly spinning particles began to "precess," or wobble. Even after publishing results of their findings in 2001, 2002 and 2004, Morse said his team still had questions. But the Fermi lab had a high-intensity muon beam they thought could help, he said. Journey to the midwest. Around midnight one day in summer 2013, state and Suffolk County police closed southbound William Floyd Parkway as Morse and his team carried the disassembled, $25 million electromagnet on trucks to the Smith Point Marina. A barge carried the magnet from Smith Point to Mississippi, then hundreds more miles up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to the Fermi lab, Morse said. Closing the parkway was chosen after using a helicopter was ruled out, Morse said. "I asked [the helicopter pilot], 'What happens if you have a problem?' and he said, 'We drop the load,' " Morse said. "We said, 'Thank you very much.'" The truck-and-barge journey took about three months, Morse said, adding it took several years to reassemble the magnet in Illinois and resume experiments. But it was worth it: Fermi's testing confirmed the results of Brookhaven's earlier experiments, but with even greater accuracy, Morse said. And yet in spite of the award, more work remains, he added. "The theorists say they need another two or three years of calculations," he said. CORRECTION: William Morse's award-winning research into the muon was related to quantum theory. An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the nature of the research. By Carl MacGowan Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.