Fermilab Unveils a New Mission Statement

In Star Trek, the mission is to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Fermilab's mission is a bit of the same.

Director Pier Oddone—who is retiring on July 1—unveiled a new mission and vision statement for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in his April 25 state of the lab speech.

Why was it important to come up with a new vision and mission statement?

"When we go to our neighbors, when we go to the scientific community, when we go to the DOE (Department of Energy), we would like to express ourselves in a way that is crisp, clear and compelling," Oddone said at the all-hands meeting.

"There’s nothing wrong with our old mission statement, except that it is wordy ... You could read it almost in one breath if you had big enough lungs."

Fermilab's old mission and vision statement:

"Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory advances the understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and energy by providing leadership and resources for qualified researchers to conduct basic research at the frontiers of high energy physics and related disciplines."

The new and improved version:

Fermilab is America’s particle physics laboratory. 

Our vision is to inspire the world and enable its scientists to solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time for the benefit of all. 

Our mission is to drive discovery in particle physics by: 

• building and operating world-leading accelerator facilities.
• performing pioneering research with global partners.
• transforming technologies for science and industry.

The new vision and mission statement are part of Oddone's legacy as he nears retirement. They combine with an aggressive plan for new construction, a proton improvement plan that will double the beam power, advancing proposals for research and development projects and consolidation of the campus—all of which add up to an exciting opportunity for the growing the local economy.

"There is a lot of interest from foreign partners. I think this is a great opportunity for the U.S. to have a global facility where the world will come and help us build it," Oddone said.

Another advantage of the the new mission and vision statement is that it can then be applied to a strategic lab agenda, such that every critical outcome, dollar spent and new initiative works in harmony and reflects management's priorities.

"We can actually do this and fit it all in one page," Oddone said.

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