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Massachusetts State Senator Downing Gets Lesson on Fusion

Massachusetts State Senator Benjamin Downing (foreground) peers into a port of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak to see the vacuum chamber where fusion reactions take place, guided by Alcator Project Head Earl Marmar.

Benjamin Downing visited the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) on May 17 to see the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, an experiment that has been contributing to the world's understanding of magnetic fusion for over 20 years. As Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, Senator Downing was interested in learning about the potential of fusion energy, and the steps necessary to make progress in achieving this goal. The tour, lead by Principal Research Scientist Martin Greenwald and Alcator Project Head Earl Marmar, allowed a close-up look at the tokamak, which is currently in a maintenance phase. Senator Benjamin was accompanied by members of his staff and MIT alumnus Reinier Beeuwkes ' 67.