UM and Fermi Lab to Build Neutrino Detector Lab

The University of Minnesota (UM) and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are planning the NuMI Off-Axis Electron Neutrino Appearance Experiment (NOvA), which will be built 45 feet below ground near Ash River, Minn. The $270 million project , which has received $40 million in Federal stimulus grant funding, will operate as a UM School of Physics and Astronomy lab. The balance of the funding will come from the U.S. Department of Energy. The subatomical research is expected to shed light on the origins of the universe. The project team includes Adolfson & Peterson Construction Management Co. of Minneapolis and Hoover Construction of Virginia. Completion of the facility is anticipated in November 2010, followed by equipment installation, with operations beginning by 2014.