It's interesting to note that this center was built using "soft money", i.e. limited time funding that is actually expiring at more or less the same time that it is opening. There are other things of concern with this center, such as how the investment is dwarfed by investments being made by other countries... This is not the only example of photo ops masquarading as research initiatives staged by the federal government. The uncertainty over future funding is causing the NRC to re-evaluate everyting that is does. The danger is that political considerations could overshadow scientific issues.