On October 22nd, we were in New York at Stony Brook University to celebrate the grand opening of the newest Quantum Design Teaching and Materials Discovery Laboratory on their campus, made possible by our Discovery Teaching Labs (DTL) initiative and support from Lake Shore Cryotronics. With the university's longstanding legacy of providing top physics education, having just achieved its highest-ever placement in the 2025–26 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities for Physics, Stony Brook was a perfect fit for the DTL program, which aims to enhance undergraduate curricula by providing hands-on instrumentation in lab courses, accelerate the development of future scientists, and expand their career potential.
As reported by Stony Brook University, Quantum Design's CEO, Stuart Schoenmann, commemorated the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, stating,
“Today's students face tremendous challenges. Our goal is to help create opportunities for them to think, test, and innovate—to connect theory and experimentation in real time using tools that make discovery tangible."
The lab now houses a Quantum Design PPMS® VersaLab® and Lake Shore Cryotronics MeasureReady® M91 FastHall™, which will provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to conduct hands-on experiments with samples to test their material properties as a function of magnetic field and low temperature. The PPMS VersaLab is part of a family of instruments used in top research institutions and industries, allowing students to gain valuable real-world experience with top physics technology, setting them up for success in their field.
David Wrobel, Dean of Stony Brook's College of Arts and Sciences, stated in an interview with the University,
“This space isn't just a lab. It's a commitment to high-impact learning. Here, students will move beyond the classroom to engage directly with the tools and techniques that define modern physics. They'll gain practical skills, explore real-world applications, and begin to see themselves as scientists in training."
We are proud to have made such an important contribution to Stony Brook's physics department, and to leave a lasting impact on all current and future physics students at the university. Visit our Impact page to discover DTL's commitment to advancing undergraduate physics education and the ways you can take part.
