Searching for PFAS (perfluorooctanoic acid) in the Environment

PFAS are chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1950’s. They are in non-stick pans, special fabrics, carpets and even firefighting foams.  PFAS has leached into the environment and scientific  studies have shown PFAS in animals and humans all over the world. More research is needed to understand the harmful …

What is inside Hope’s particle accelerator?

The particle accelerator at Hope College is a 1.7 MV tandem accelerator that is capable of creating hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, and oxygen ion beams. This week major maintenance was scheduled to determine the location of a small sulphur-hexafluoride leak on the main tank. With creative vacuum leak chasing techniques,  we determined that the location of the …